DOW III was always going to struggle with hype. The third child in a wildly expansive and changing series, DOW III realistically faced two possible options. Recreate DOW II and face the cries of unimaginative, or recreate the series (for a third time) and howls of betrayal.

Relic have gone for the latter. This is not a bad thing. I loved the original DOW, but the closer squad tactics and (fairly thin) loot system stole my heart. DOW III sets it's stall out early as a massive army RTS, so sacrificing some of the customisation and RPG elements is reasonable. Sad, but reasonable. Relic's marketing shot themselves by advertising level-up heroes, which is technically true. But Heroes in DOW III are purely unique powerful units. In DOW II you could choose to make your commander a glow-y sword wielding badass or give him an adorable little blaster with obscure backstory neatly included in the description. In DOW III, you choose between giving your infantry or armoured units a buff. It's very cold, calculating and strategic. If you do not see that being a problem, then perhaps this latest DOW is for you, but it's hard not to be disappointed if you had fondness for DOW II.

I tried my hardest to shrug off these initial views and fling myself into the campaign. After all, the game looks gorgeous. You can see that for yourself in the screenshots, and if that doesn't impress you, well then I don't know what you want. The story is pretty bland. Endless, run and secure this point. Now you have this unit, use their special feature to take THIS point. This is fine so far as tutorial missions go, but this ritual continues on far too long. This is exacerbated by the fact you are forced to skip between the three playable races meaning you don't get follow your favourites and ensuring there are constantly new units for you to get to grips with.

What I could not shake is the lack cover. Another feature ditched from DOW II, the only cover provided are very conspicuous shield domes that give you a flat defensive boost if you're in them. Direction, equipment and abilities don't have an impact. This areas are also very sporadic which means much of the game will be attack moving into fog and trying to micro your abilities when the inevitable skirmish break out. It's seems this has been done to facilitate the larger armies and Giant units. It unfortunately makes your route choices seem less impactful. You strategy is judged by your ability management first and composition and position a distant second and third. This again, might appeal to you, in fact I have a strong inkling who this game was made for.

Looking at the gaming market, the success of the arena mode in DOW II, it seems Relic has made DOW III in order to tap into the competitive gaming scene. As someone with more hours in Dota than I’ve had in woman, the feel of DOW III UI is eerily familiar. The very robust match-making, greater EXP gains in multiplayer and lack of clear customisation of units is all very reminiscent of Starcraft or the like. The focus is the multiplayer, and ‘matches’ are meant to be fast paced mob charges with spammed production queues and mastery of research timings. I can’t blame Relic for this change of focus, E-sports is a natural bread-winner. It’s not for me, however. It seems a shame that the richness of Warhammer 40k lore is being pushed to the side for a competitive experience. The game, without an established/competitive pro scene, seems very sparse and bland.

Ultimately DOW III is middle of the road. A 5 or 6 out of 10 depending on your preferences. Middle of the road for a ‘AAA’ title isn’t good enough. The fact that Relic did not make their intention to make a simpler competitive game is the biggest mistake. Let your audience prepare themselves for your new direction, rather than hoping they’ll stick around for the Orks.

While there are positives which might be what you’re looking for; it was for me, as a series fan, a very sad experience and waste of money.