Summary
TheWarhammerSkulls showcase recently shone the spotlight on some new game announcements and updates, while also confirming a leak in the process. Recently, someDawn of War-relatedphotos were leaked online, fueling speculation that the classic RTS series was being revived in some way. This was confirmed in the showcase, withDawn of War: Definitive Editionrepackaging all the first game’s content in one upgraded package, with graphical enhancements to boot.
But another old title by Relic Entertainment was also brought back in the form ofSpace Marine: Master Crafted Edition. Sporting some upscaled textures, the remaster of the originalSpace Marinepromises to modernize the 14-year-old game with a new UI. It seems as if bothWarhammergames will be standalone from their original versions, though little is known about the titles beyond a shared June 10 release date. However, these reveals were not met with overwhelming enthusiasm, and when compared with past remasters of other old, beloved titles, it becomes clear why.
Dawn of War and Space Marine’s Remasters Don’t Seem to Offer Much
In the last few years, fans of many franchises have likely become more familiar with remasters and remakes, as new ones seem to be cropping up all the time. Some have been done incredibly well, such asAge of Mythology: Retold, while others have caused plenty of people to scratch their heads, wondering whyHorizon: Zero Dawnneeded a remaster when it was still fresh in people’s minds. As many classic titles have got older, they tend to be viewed increasingly with nostalgia by older gamers, and publishers all over the industry have cashed in on reselling old games in new packages. Thereception toOblivion Remasteredis proof of this approach in action.
More than a few people who watched theWarhammerSkulls showcasewere left wondering the same thing. Looking back at the trailer for eitherDawn of WarorSpace Marine’s remaster, it can be hard to spot the improvements.Dawn of War’s graphical updates are slightly more noticeable, with textures seeming smoother and higher resolution, lending some much-needed depth, particularly to the Necron Warriors.Space Marine’s presentation, however, seems to be entirely within the updated UI, as judging by the trailer, there seems to be almost nothing noticeably different in terms of textures or lighting.
The 64-bit support is very welcome, as anecdotally, the originalDawn of Wargames are suffering instability on some modern PCs.
While some fans of classic franchises can get upset when a remaster changes the look of an old game too much, the pendulum can swing the opposite way, and some of the commentary around these remasters has been asking why this was even necessary. The phrase “cash grab” has also entered the mix, and for good reason. Nothing was said about the price of either title, and owners of the original games were not promised any kind of upgrade to sweeten the deal. Evidently, there will be money involved, and how much they cost could drastically affect their reception in the near future, andthe last thingDawn of Warneeds is controversy.
Warhammer Fans Are Already Making Comparisons to Age of Empires
Age of Empires 2: Definitive Editionis one of the more recent examples of a remastered RTS injecting a lot of new life into a game. At the time of its release in 2019, quite a few people were hesitant to get on board, but it has remained one of the most consistent games on Steam, as its player base has hovered around 16,000 concurrent players for six years, and only seems to be increasing. Time has been kind toAge of Empiresin this regard, but unfortunately, the same is not being said aboutDawn of War’s Definitive Edition.
While the title “Definitive Edition” means something different game to game, the implication set byAoE 2is one of sweeping, noticeable, and necessary changes to modernize an old game. While this is also in part due toAoE 2’s competitive scenestill remaining active after nearly three decades, it also shows that even old fans are content with the remaster. That gold standard of how to retain the classic feel while modernizing the package is making DoW’s Definitive Edition look lackluster in the eyes of some, who don’t think the remaster went far enough.
Age of Empires 2: Definitive Editionis still getting new content to this day.
Space Marine: Master Crafted Edition Is Even More Puzzling
Given the lack of clear visual or technical enhancements made toSpace Marine 1, it seems unlikely that a new UI will tempt many players to go back and try out the 2011 title. The enhancements made to the audio and character models are nice, but will probably be hard to notice without both the original and the remaster side by side. It’s true that the first game had some issues with audio at times, but it wasn’t a feature that held anyone back from trying it. The main thing going forDoW: Definitive Editionis that it should run properly on modern PCs, but that isn’t a problem that the original version ofSpace Marine 1has, leaving some wondering why this remaster exists.
Mod Support Is the Elephant in the Room for Dawn of War: Definitive Edition
It’s hard to argue against the sentiment that mods have keptDawn of Waralive after over two decades. Ultimate Apocalypse, Unification, and Redux are just a few of the expansive, high-quality mods that continue to keepDawn of Warin the collective consciousness of Warhammer fans. As the Definitive Edition has promised, a new 64-bit framework should make the game more stable and open for modding, and hopefully this makes porting mods to the game simple. However, if things are not exactly the same, it could cause a fracturing of the modding community, as a lack of parity between the old games and remasters would incur more work, encouraging modders to work on only one version. Hopefully, this is not a problem, but ifSkyrim Special Editionis anything to go by, it could see the originals abandoned.
Many Dawn of War Fans Just Want a New Game
TheDawn of Warserieshas been on ice since it was canned in 2017, and the remaster’s announcement has only reminded players of that fact.Dawn of Warhas had a tumultuous history, as each entry has been wildly different from the last, causing many players to firmly stick to their favorites within the series. However,Dawn of War 3, while it does have its fans, proved to be the tipping point, as most fans of the first and second game roundly rejected it, forcing Relic to end support for the game before it could release any expansions.
But there is still an appetite for aDawn of War 4.Space Marine 2’s successproved that even after 13 years, the same formula of gritty chainsword-swinging action in the 41st millennium can be hugely successful. Many Warhammer fans miss the old RTS series, as for quite a few of them, it was their introduction to the wider franchise. Unfortunately, RTS games have not been going through a renaissance recently, and outside the previously mentioned outlierAoE 2, most RTS games today struggle to maintain an audience.Iron Harvestshut down after a couple of years despite its promising launch and unique aesthetic, andRealms of Ruinlooked great from the outside, but its playerbase fell off a cliff immediately on launch.
Realms of Ruinwas going to be the firstAge of SigmarRTS in the vein ofDawn of War 2, until it shut down.
The draw of the Warhammer IP is evidently not enough, then, and thus it’s likely that a newDawn of Warproject was deemed too risky a while ago. Relic has found some success inCompany of HeroesandAge of Empires 4, but with Relic now being an independent outfit, it’s unlikely to be taking any risks. However, if the developer was interested in returning to the series, it could be using this remaster as a way to test the water. If it gets a lot of interest, perhaps a larger project could be incubated, but all of this is just speculation, and even if it did signal interest in makingDawn of War 4, the game would still be many years away from release.
How the Warhammer Remasters Could Pan Out in the Future
It all remains to be seen how both remasters turn out, but the early reception has not been one of overwhelming excitement. Relic, the original developers, appear to be handling both remasters, which in most cases would be a welcome thing, but the studio’s reputation for technical issues is well known in the community, withDawn of War 2’s game-breaking sound bugstill present in the game. Hopefully,Dawn of War: Definitive EditionandSpace Marine: Master Crafted Editionare well-handled, and well-priced, and become good ways to experience these classic titles for decades to come, but right now, it’s hard to judge their value.
