First of all, yes, jamming all the races together was forced and unnatural, but there are nine races, so yeah, it's going to be forced.
40K is a comedy, a tragedy and a drama, it all depends on what you're reading, but the premise, taking crapsack worlds and black and black morality to a new height of evil and depression, is so ludicrous and over the top that skimming through the canon, it looks like a parody.
Now there are serious books and plots in the world, but this is firmly in the corner of the gag series, with hammy voice acting and ridiculous weapons, (Goblin guided bombs!) Do W is a comedy, just an extremely dark one.
I don't understand why you don't think that comedies and parodies can get huge fan followings and encyclopedias, look at Discworld, for example, a giant number of books and huge amounts of canon descriptions of the physics and history of the world, that is highly amusing.
This game still kicks serious amounts of ass though.
"Whoa" Keanu Reeves
If Dawn of War is meant to be a comedy outside of the Orks and some of the more obscure audio clips, it does a very poor job communicating that. The main plot gets portrayed as some dramatic, dire turn of events and seems to believe in itself fully. I can't even think of a vestigial joke on the intent of the creators for, say, pretty much anything the Eldar do.
I don't know. I can see its total unwavering faith in its preposterousness as some type of goofy charm, but I can't understand how some of the bitter canon nitpicking arguments I've seen on this site can come about.
Wait, wait, wait? Are you really taking the plot that seriously? The plot's just there so that all seven races have a reason to be on that planet. To criticize the plot of Dark Crusade is like criticizing the hair of Albert Einstein: sure, it's not well done, but how the heck does it affect the overall product?
The beef about the dialogue is more understandable, but I felt it was badass and awesome instead of ridiculous, so subjective tastes here.
"If Games Workshop ever does a pure parody piece of their own franchise, I'll be the first in line to buy it."
Originally it was. 40k was essentially a Spin Off of their regular Warhammer fantasy setting but IN SPACE. The result was a really tongue in cheek setting full of jar headed asshole space knights and giant tank riding space dwarves, I mean squats, I mean nothing. Eventually it overtook the game is was parodying and started to get progressively more dramatic, but in my book you should never take seriously any series that is the trope namer for Grim Dark. Just enjoy the cool units, hardware fetishism, and take the ridiculous plot for what its worth. And if you want to see how the parody end is making a comeback check out the Ciaphas Cain (HERO OF THE IMPERIUM) book series.
Ciaphas Cain is part of an attempt to turn the setting into a more serious setting where there isnt darkness induced audience apathy and you give a shit Cain and Gaunts Ghosts are proof that in good hands warhammer is an excelent sci fi setting.
You are thinking should we take a game which has Funetik Aksent speaking green skinned gorillas who's entire tecc is based Clap Your Hands If You Belive, entire faction who's onyl reason of doing stuff is For The Evulz, army whos main characteristic is that they are Red Shirt Army whos job is wait untill overly manly SpaceMarines arrive in their bulky Power Armor? A setting that has Chainsaw Swords as basic meelee weapon for humans? All this served with Ham To Ham combat and Narm?
I think we need to work on your definition of "parody"...
Also, they have nine races because they need some excuse to make add-ons. Original only had four, Winter Assault gave us Imperial Guard and so forth. So you don't actauly get all nine shoehorned unless you speficly go and buy them.
Did you play Soulstorm, by any chance?
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Great gameplay; terrible story
Having not partaken in anything involving the Warhammer 40,000 brand before this series, I went in with no real expectations. I knew it was a completely outlandish series, but that's about it. After playing the first game and two expansions, I can't say I care to buy anything else.
Don't get me wrong: the gameplay itself is great. It has good control, a good escalation rate, great variety, the battles flow well, and there is a real feeling of tactical importance in your actions. The first game and expansion have some balance issues, but Dark Crusade irons those out pretty well. I can see it being a tournament mainstay, complete with new approaches being developed every day for all factions. Once my burnout fades, I'll probably play it more.
No, my issue is with the plot. The games throw completely jumbled, tossed together at the last minute stories that go nowhere real fast and hold no suspense whatsoever. The first game talks a lot about a warp storm; it stopped mattering the sixth time they said it. It's not going to do anything. False verisimilitude like that drenches the series and I found it hard to care what happened to the paper-thin, unrelatable characters.
It didn't take long before I realized the story is just an excuse to market the brand. Contrive a reason to cram in as many factions with as many units and catch phrases as possible. A writer didn't make this; a marketing executive did.
Beyond the game's shallow depiction of its source, the setting itself is just utterly outlandish beyond anything resembling suspension of disbelief. It doesn't even really feel like a plausible course of history so much as a tall tale contest between hardcore space opera fans. "Oh, yeah? Well, my setting has chainsaw fists!" I kept wondering if people are meant to take this seriously, but judging by the obsession over what must be six encyclopedias worth of canon, they obviously do.
I do have to give credit where it's due: the Orks (and, to a lesser extent, the oxymoronic Legions of Chaos Undivided) are very entertaining, but that might be because they feel like parodies of themselves. Nobody can write "We will deliver PURE EVIL into the heart of the battle!" and honestly mean it. If Games Workshop ever does a pure parody piece of their own franchise, I'll be the first in line to buy it.