Retrospective Review - Dawn of War II: Retribution

[@ThunderPsyker]

There will be... RETRIBUTION! Huge thanks to all of you once again for watching these over the course of several years. I really hope these have been worth the wait! Even though there's more to go, this feels like such an important end to the road. For many, its where Dawn of War does end! These games are incredibly special to me, and being able to talk about them so passionately online has been wonderful. Despite any stresses or difficulties in producing this stuff, its always been a blast, and I hope to be able to do it all over again with even more games that mean just as much to me as these have! Oh god, also wanted to say: This video had to be re-uploaded during the premiere because it got copyright striked. Sorry to everyone who followed the initial premiere for the confusion! I hope to put the OG clip that got striked somewhere in the future so you can see what it was meant to be. To support me making videos in the future, and to have your own input on future releases alongside other bonuses, please consider following me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/ThunderPsyker Or, if you would prefer to send a one-time donation, you can do so via Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thunderpsyker

[@redliquid6775]

You don't upload a ton but every time it's a treat. I was surprised you even continued after you seemed quite tired of the Dawn of War series in some of the older videos, but the quality of your videos is always top.

[@offtankgaming1310]

BROTHER THE COMMENT IS PINNED HERE

[@jamespaguip5913]

@ThunderPsyker will you be interest in the Warcraft 3 or StarCraft series.

[@jamesfreeman3617]

hey why was the unification mod not on the list its clearly the best dawn of war 1 mod and even makes soul storm playable.

[@thornfalk]

We will always support the captain general.

[@44milosLP]

"Welcome to Retrospective Review - Dawn of War II: Retribution. After 8 Years of development, hopefully it would have been worth the wait. Thanks and have fun" - ThunderPsyker

[@Intestine_Ballin-ism]

Worth the weight*

[@luki97z]

More time has passed between the retrospective reviews of DOW and DOW2:R than there had between the release dates of the games themselves.

[@jacklaurentius6130]

One left, then his destiny will be complete. DoW:3

[@Incensement]

@@jacklaurentius6130 Your can't review what doesn't exist.

[@TheAxeaman]

@@jacklaurentius6130:3

[@danielmcdonagh1693]

While the tyranid campaign definitely sucks compared to all the others, it does have one highlight at the very end. Every other campaign has Kyras trash-talking the shit out of you, but when he's up against the tyranids he knows his words are useless, so instead he talks himself up but you can hear the fear in his voice. It's a very satisfying feeling of the game recognising that you're something scarier than the final boss.

[@Jalbesbe]

Also, what would the Nyds even say. They are a hive mind and do not need to speak to one another. They just wipe out each area to gain more biomass to feed their hunger. There is nothing more. From a lore perspective it is great, from gameplay it does suck but that is just because they do not have any higher reasoning. They are single focused and that is all. With everyone else they all have their own personalities, wants, and desires. Tyrannids do not have any of that, they are one, and they have one goal.

[@mrbigglezworth42]

Now if only GW could be this inventive with the Nids in the setting proper and not just use a xeno faction as a speed bump to the real enemy. Which is Chaos, because it's always Chaos.

[@mojewjewjew4420]

​@@mrbigglezworth42chaotic corruption and treason tend to make for more interesting games than numberless swarm of nobodies.

[@mrbigglezworth42]

@@mojewjewjew4420 NO, ITS ALL GARBAGE, EVERY TIME GW WRITES A MILDLY INTERESTING PREMISE THEY RUIN IT BY PUTTING IN "IT WAS CHAOS ALL ALONG" Chaos is the least interesting of all the forces. It will always be so long as they constantly use them as the ultimate threat that always wins in the end. Nobody liked it in End Times, its not any better here.

[@benlubbers4943]

This goes double if you play the IG campaign beforehand, because then you're fresh off the high of saving the sector as a band of plucky underdogs. It is an extreme mood whiplash that really hammers home how grimdark 40k can get.

[@kaboose64]

Come! Let's see what passes for a retrospective among your misbegotten kind!

[@Hokum6]

Dude you just saved my day.

[@gae_wead_dad_6914]

Honestly i'm sad he didn't mention the utter downgrade from the beautiful Imperial Guard models we had in DOW2 and CR to... ugh... retributions version When your boys proportions are 2x buffer than the regular chaos cultist, but they still get bodied by them

[@ashockingwave]

For anyone wondering: Retribution has a metric fuck ton of cut content, most of it is still in the game files, waiting to be modded back in. Each campaign was suppost to be a bit longer and more unique, the game was also suppost to use the day system from the original dow2 and chaos rising which would have been relevant in the chaos campaign for example, when abbadon gives eliphas "3 more pitiful days". There is so much more stuff i cant remember off the top of my head, but i plan to make a mod for each faction's campaign that re enables the remaining cut content for each campaign so keep your eyes peeled.

[@coliimusic]

I hope your work reaches completion because I'd love to play it

[@ashockingwave]

@@coliimusic it may take a long ass time but it shall be worth it in the end. Besides restoring content i shall also be making some changes to the campaigns like different Honor Guard units. BTW did you know there was a whole cut Gabriel Angelos monolouge in the final mission that was suppost to play during the intro in-game cutscene where the camera goes around the map, i think ill upload it as a unlisted vid and send the link here so yall can hear it

[@stefanoputignano1555]

send a link when is developed

[@personfrmperson]

a star of terra on your work's completion

[@ashockingwave]

I wanted to send a link of the unlisted video i mentioned in the replies here but yt wont allow it to be seen so idk how i should showcase it, oh i have an idea, ill make a Moddb page, so keep your eyes peeled on Moddb for the page to be made where ill showcase the mod during its developement

[@katzcribe2992]

"But Abbadon is one of the big important characters so... WHY does he care!?" Look, anyone in a position of executive control will tell you that sometimes they just need to micromanage the shit out of something unimportant to blow off steam, and throwing Eliphas at the blood ravens just to fuck up their day sounds like some great stress relief to me.

[@sofija1996]

I wouldn't be surprised if Abby had a whole squad of Sorcerers whose sole purpose is running a Warp-powered automatic secretary for all the low-ranking nobody warlords under the Black Legion's banner. Someone like Eliphas calls in about running another grudge-driven campaign in Buttfuckus System, Nowhere Sector, and the Sorcerer assigned to that line conjures up a sufficiently convincing illusion of the Warmaster pretending to give a shit just so the Big Man doesn't get bothered directly.

[@ToaArcan]

The Blood Ravens stole his arms, he needed to get them back.

[@thefallofhousedenari]

If you take to the idea that the Blood Ravens are a secret Thousand Sons successor, personally I ignore it as I like their background being shady but not defined, it kinda fits more.

[@cursedhawkins1305]

Abbadon has a hate boner for the Blood Ravens though, a chapter that wasn't even around when the Horus Heresy began.

[@xaga8794]

​@@thefallofhousedenarieliphas allready said that they are word bearer successors

[@buttahXD]

I do like how there's an in-lore reason for Commissar LORD Bernn not speaking in the cutscenes; he doesn't want to draw attention to his scarred face to the other 'important' characters, but he's a lot more vocal with guardsmen. If Merrick wasn't with the Inquisitor and General all the time they might even have some sort of dialogue.

[@nonya1366]

>Commissar LORD Bernn holding a laspistol to the back of Merrick's head, internally: [*Overwhelming cacophony of Commissar noises.*]

[@mojewjewjew4420]

Where did you get this? It also sounds absurd, even for a comissar.

[@mercenarygundam1487]

​@@mojewjewjew4420Given the setting, that's the LEAST absurd thing from a commissar.

[@myriad9597]

​@mercenarygundam1487 Not really, why would he be ashamed of proof of his faith and fortitude in the emperors service? And besides, even if a comissar had such feelings, the comissar in question would still put them aside to serve the emperors(Imperium's) vison.

[@calebbarnhouse496]

​@@myriad9597not to mention that a commisar refusing to speak would probably be considered a failure for neglecting his duties, and executed as a result

[@crashtestdolphin5884]

A captain Bluddflagg game could be amazing. Meet new people, do their dirty work, and steal their shiny stuff.

[@mojewjewjew4420]

So the average protagonist in any rpg game? Or tf2 the hat simulator.

[@VoiceQuills]

Thank you so much for having me come in to voice Keyleth! Was a fantastic time

[@yuck2808]

I could tell it was you the moment Keyleth spoke! Great work as always

[@SilasKeon]

You and Gingersid really need to collab in voicing Eldar. You guys have great voices that fit them.

[@captainscience2732]

I knew I heard that voice before!

[@mojewjewjew4420]

I found your high pitch voice to be annoying. Better without it.

[@Brandelwyn]

You did an amazing job! Thanks!

[@vahlen5281]

Relic more or less confirmed that the "slightly tainted" ending of Chaos Rising is canon, with Avitus being the traitor, and the FC and Thaddeus being the slightly corrupted ones. Hence their absence in retribution, they're dicking around on their repentance crusade.

[@minibotas9496]

What I love about Avitus being the traitor is that his speech is the most “real” one of the bunch. He talks like what I expect a discontent Space Marine to be like. Angry at an uncaring world, where there is only war, and your mere excuse for existing as a superhuman is that there *is* a war going on, once that’s over if it’s EVER over, what then? He became aware of the setting and went insane. There is no worse fate for any named character in 40k. Not to mention his past missions ending up with the death of lots of guardsmen, which in his eyes were for nothing after his revelation. The deaths of those guardsmen, of his fellow brothers, past present and future, are for nothing in the bigger picture. Nothing will change. Because the setting will not allow it to change.

[@johnroscoe2406]

@@minibotas9496 Wow that's grimdark bro.

[@minibotas9496]

@@johnroscoe2406 *and that’s why I love Avitus as the traitor* Not saying the other’s reasons were not interesting (some were more than others *AHEM* Martellus *AHEM*), but Avitus’s stood out a lot for me. Whereas some defect to Chaos for power (to use for good) or are implied to be influenced by it, Avitus is just… angry, frustrated, bitter even. Nothing Chaos-related made him think this way, his own experiences did. But you know what the Imperium says, “reason leads to doubt, doubt leads to heresy” :) HIS BETRAYAL IS SO FUCKING GOOD, accidental genius or not.

[@johnroscoe2406]

@@minibotas9496 In the grim dark future of the 41st Millennium there is only war bro.

[@mojewjewjew4420]

​@@minibotas9496I like how they wrote his character arc and betrayal too but felt that they did him bc players werent so attached to him, with that said all of betrayals are well written, they are truly tragic especially Tarkus and Thaddeus, Cyrus one was meemy af and had the ham to feed a whole galaxy but still, I wish that they completed the arc for all the characters in chaos rising not left them ambiguous like Thaddeus which I really liked, Davian Thule's fate is also dificult to confirm. Some flashbacks to dow1 would have been absolute rad.

[@barrelwimp2698]

A lot of people give shit to Diomedes as a character, but I think his voice lines and delivery are awesome. He’s a zealous freak that talks in mixed oldie English and honor jargon. He’s angry, he’s confident, and he’s just the right amount of dumb. You may laugh at him, but you will remember him

[@cursedhawkins1305]

Until you then remember he was the Chaplain in DoW3 instead of Tarkus then you hate him because the speech Tarkus gave him alone should have been enough to make him a Chaplain.

[@thefallofhousedenari]

I always felt like he was a look at a type of character who was *desperate* to believe he wasn't in the wrong and was just being worn down into accepting the truth of the person he served.

[@cursedhawkins1305]

@@thefallofhousedenari Pretty sure canon wise that means Tarkus wasn't in the strike team when in Chaos Rising you deal with Galen, because Tarkus is the one who speaks directly to Diomedes and opens up his eyes to the corruption around him, Retribution that revelation seems to be somewhat absence as if it never happened.

[@johnroscoe2406]

"...just the right amount of dumb." LMAO yes, perfect. Yes. Yes.

[@trazyntheinfinite9895]

Who?

[@DerPartyCyclops]

As insightful and hilarious as ever. The "orks doxxing kyros" joke and rohnan's mlg montage had me legit laugh out loud.

[@corvusalbus7276]

At first I was sad, when they nerfed Cyrus’ explosives…then I gave him the ability to slow down time and a high level sniper rifle. :)

[@mercenarygundam1487]

Sooo he became Sniper Elite game manifest.

[@dingusdean1905]

It’s such a shame the commissar didn’t get any lines in the campaign because holy shit his voice actor kills it. Go do yourself a favour and watch a compilation of his voice lines sometimes. “It’s me versus a *shred* of their god!”

[@Levyafan]

he even says the "drive me closer, I want to hit them with my sword" meme

[@eduardojara6955]

7:58 That voice, a voice of an elf lover and the man who loves a Karl Franz.

[@steelbear2063]

3 years to review the whole DoW 2. The Imperium is proud of this blazing fast pace

[@alexfrost2799]

lol by Imperial metric that's almost as fast as the Khan himself

[@johnroscoe2406]

@@alexfrost2799 Jagatai Khan likes to go fast.

[@cursedhawkins1305]

So, if this wasn't mentioned yet but the reason why the MC from the first two games isn't in Retribution is because the canon ending of Chaos Rising is the MC being sent on a redemption crusade as Gabriel discovered traces of chaos corruption on them and some of their soldiers (likely including Thaddeus), Avitus not being in Retribution is well hinted at in Retribution by Tarkus, he was the canon traitor for Chaos Rising which is why Tarkus was mute a good chunk of Retribution.

[@Razzusamadesu]

Indrid Casts, is honestly a hero for still doing casts of DOW2

[@ilFrancotti]

He casts a mod of Dow2, not Dow2 proper.

[@juhovuolinko6446]

Ah, Retribution. This is the DoW2 expansion I started with, and one I undertook an insane task of mapping every single piece of wargear in all single player campaigns in... whilst discovering at least one bugged unit and two major exploits (see below) that weren't as bad in Chaos Rising and not even viable/possible in OG DoW2. (Do pin this comment Thunder if you want, since that insanity is just dumb) Still love the Exterminatus and Marine epilogue scene - then again I am a massive Blood Ravens fan x -) and in my books Angelos' story ends here, for he has lost many friends, nearly died and endured Hell on earth, but now our boy Gabe is the Chapter Master we all knew he was destined to be. There is no official 3rd installment in the franchise, only a despicable fan game wearing Relic's skinsuit... OK, time for the busted stuff in retribution's campaigns that I found Borked unit was Chaos' Bloodletter squad. For some reason, as soon as you unlock it it has both its abilities active - abilities which it should only unlock with separate upgrades. Already bad when you unlock very powerful melee unit that teleports and can become momentarily invulnerable, BUT combine this with borked exploit 1 and it's a menace. Additionally, Terminators could be equipped to have the missiles, minigun and heavy flamer's ability if youclicked to upgrade all three before the 1st one you choose is fully researche, that gets funky at times... - borked exploit number 1: reinforcing infantry units cost a noticeable amount less than their OG mathemathical cost. For example, the 4x Bloodletters cost 440 requisition and 100 power as a squad, so naturally each individual is worth 110 and 25. However, when reinforcing the req price is 88. SO theoretically you can unlock infinite money by grinding units - including friendly fire AoE effects!!! - as long as one member of that squad survives long enough to get back to a reinforcement point. Bad already, but when the Imperial Guard, Orks and Tyranids each have ways for FREE reinforcements... *cheese level: Wallace and Gromit* Oh, and that's the LESSER broken exploit, here's the bigger one. - borked exploit 2: one of the ways in which you gain wargear is that some items are bound to specific secondary objectives. If you click "End Mission" during a mission before the "Mission completed" screen but after getting any wargear you retain said gear you found during that mission attempt along with any exp the deployed heroes gained during it. Should you do so during the next attempt you won't get another copy of it even if you complete the same objectives. On its own, OK - means a horrid crash of the game stings a bit less. However, if you donate that piece of gear for exp and re-try the same mission, you will get it again. Now my hunch is that the game engine checks if you have item X in inventory, and if you do it won't give you another 99,9% of the time. Trust me, I ran a total of 25 campaigns across 6 races and only saw duplicate gear outside this exploit once. This "exploit" system was in place already in OG DoW2. However, in that game "End Mission" also progressed the day counter which could lock you out of missions and really screw you over with ever increasing mission difficulty if you tried to abuse this exploit there. In Chaos Rising when they soft-locked the campaign to "each completed mission advances the calendar by one day" this exploit become s a viable free XP and wargear farm. So why is it i.m.o. only truly and disgustingly broken in Retribution? Well, because it's the only one where some secondary objectives are coded to reward you with unit upgrade expendables. For example, in the Aurelia (ice planet) missions you have them tied to the "destroy bloodletter shrines" and "destroy Manticores" secondary objectives in mandatory and optional missions respectively, which in that sequence reward you with heavy infantry and walker upgrades. And you get them each and every time if you expend them to upgrade units, since they are nno longer in inventory and thus game's built-in checker sees no wrong. Which means, if you use the end mission exploit, you can get FULLY UPGRADED units like Terminators, Wraithguard, Carnifexes and Deff Dreads wihtout EVER choosing them from a mission reward option! Eldar and Marines in particular get disgustiong with this, since Termies and Wraithguard are horrendously OP when the IA is not prepared to deal with them yet (hell, 4 units of full upgrade Wraithguard plus Farseer is OP borken in ANY mission xDD). The only caviat seems to be that you cannot hop between different missions in the middle of a loop, that breaks the loop in a way that you can never get that in-coded objective reward again in that specific campaign. Finally, to add on the hero system. It's very clear each faction's hero has clear cheese build strats you can focus on to a ridiculous degree. Chaos Sorcerer maxing the damage and energy traits: now you cast twice the damage in spells and can clone any non-boss unit (how does it feel getting Manticore'd across the fucking map AI?). Lord General - how about I drop Leman Russes everywhere for less price than when buyying them from HQ? Oh, and the infamous Nids - unsuppressable blob with extra HP and armor packed full of venom cannons that heal everyone in that blob each time any of them do damage to an enemy, no wonder the final boss gets melted in under 3 minutes.... Holy hell I printed half an essay here, please do give it a like and comment if you found other borked units or exploits in the game xD o7

[@yakamao91]

I already knew about the duplicate reward on end mission, but not about the rest Nice to know ! :D

[@njashi9]

I remember playing the campaign for the first time at launch with the Imperial Guard and laughing at the last boss because my army was invulnerable during the moral boosting effect of the commissars execute ability (which lasted longer than the cooldown of the ability). Even better, I would only loose a guardsman the first time I activated the ability, since the invulnerability would protect the next poor bastard that got picked to be executed. One of the most broken things I've ever seen in a video game. Not sure if they ever changed it.

[@Gormathius]

That sounds like something out of a Spiffing Brit video.

[@johnroscoe2406]

@@Gormathius "Imperial Guard are PERFECTLY BALANCED

[@mojewjewjew4420]

They dont call em the hammer of the Emperor for nothin'!

[@abbcc5996]

i only played the chaos and the ork campaigns but from what i remember kain had ungodly amounts of hp and with the upgrade that lets him use heavy weapons without setting them up he was close to unbeatable. i didn't even have to use any abilities at all, just right click towards the enemy. neroth too was pretty op but his strength came from his abilities unlike kain dow 2 campaign on the hand was pretty hard

[@miller619619ify]

Thanks! As a person who also grew up playing warhammer, I appreciate the things you do, it's keeps it alive and might bring more to enjoy the cruelty of the 41st millennium. Maybe after the DOW 2 mods and DOW3 reviews we might see Battlefield gothic 1 and 2 about a man who single handedly faced Abaddon two times with his wits and courageous charisma that attracts the eldar, Space Marines, and A fuking Primarch to join him in his battles against the eye of terror. Another awesome looking into warhammer is Captain Titus and his unyielding loyalty to his duty to humanity and his story that changes him from the experimental warp device for the better to be immune to Chaos! His understanding of tactics and strategy are incredible and yet simple. He doesn't think himself a god and cares for his brothers and the ppl around him, ppl might compare him to the salamanders but I think he just still has his humanity. We are glad to are still pushing through and giving us something to wait for. Till next time, thanks.

[@Grissbane]

Bluddflagg is still the absolute best part of this whole thing.

[@johnroscoe2406]

I like your hat.

[@abbcc5996]

when i played this game for the first time as a kid i thought that he was raping the eldar hero instead of trying to remove her hat (and crushing her skull by accident)

[@johnroscoe2406]

@@abbcc5996 um... ok...

[@Karter_Blackpaw]

One detail I loved with the Guardsmen campaign was when Merrick hits the Lord General on the space hulk, you'll see Commissar Bern point his weapon at Merrick.

[@Warmaster2001]

Yes because it's an insubordination which will be punished by death. He just doing according to his protocols. Thankfully Castor is not an idiot general and perfectfully understand Merricks mental breakdawn.

[@imranicanovic1154]

Honestly, a Legacy of Kain retrospective sounds really really cool. Another game that is more dark in nature, but given the way the games are written, also much more theatrical! Can't wait tosee how that video ends up being like, seeing my love for the series.

[@mannofdober873]

*Captain Diomedes sees the new Legions Imperialis release, among which is a box of two Solar Auxilia superheavy tanks* "IT IS THE BANEBLAAAAADES!!!"

[@worldlinezero4783]

Holy shit VoiceQuills in a ThunderPsyker video is the most unexpected crossover I've ever seen

[@plumdowner1941]

"8/10, needs more corpses." - Avitus Reacts™

[@SonOfExcess]

Been here for this Dawn of War jounrey since the very beginning and never thought I'd see the day you'd get to Retribution. This series holds immense nostalgia for me and your videos have been a little gateway to that for me. Thank you ThunderPsyker.

[@aggrael8285]

Glad to see that Indrid Casts got a bit of a shout out in this video. He single-handedly has kept the competitive scene alive. Awesome vid as always!

[@TheSaltiestPnut]

My god the epic montage with ecclesiarchy approved version of bury me had me in stitches. Your retrospectives were always peak entertainment but this one here takes the gold star.

[@Chronische]

The IG Commissar gets a guaranteed power fist that makes him functionally invincible near the end. It's glorious to beat Kyras to death single-handed!

[@Zack-tx7oz]

If you get the top traits, and bottom traits.. he can spam invincible units almost forever. Its really insanely fun!

[@vincentmays8297]

Despite the lack of character for the tyranids I suppose it was the best option to make everybody happy. The lore guys don't go crazy and the people asking for the tyranids get the playable faction, even though building a none speaking character is possible, the way dow2 tells its story not through pre-made cutsences would have flatend any punch the character would have had.

[@jiado6893]

Tyrea wanting to murder the player in the second Eldar Versus mission made sense to me, since it IS our fault the planet got glassed by the Imperium. We killed them as they tried to stop it.

[@aeldariambitions6334]

That being said, if the Biel-Tan warband sent Kayleth a FUCKING EMAIL about this, right? Or taken ten seconds out of his busy day to explain? It's not like there are other forces in that mission pressuring their defense.

[@youraveragescotsman7119]

@@aeldariambitions6334 "Oh hello, fellow Eldar. We here are trying to prevent the Imperial fleet from arriving and absolutely obliterating the shit out of this sector. Would you kindly piss off and leave us be?" Literally as simple as that.

[@leadpaintchips9461]

@@aeldariambitions6334 TBF, some of the biggest themes of Eldar is arrogance and hubris.

[@cursedhawkins1305]

@@leadpaintchips9461 Also as the Warlock pointed out they can get the prophecy they're trying to avoid entirely wrong from reading it at face value, because they thought it was talking about the buried craftworld which is what the Biel-Tan were trying to rescue when in reality it was talking about the craftworld Ulthwe and their constant battle with the Necrons.

[@ExValeFor]

@@leadpaintchips9461 also known as - plot contrivance. there's a reason no one likes any eldar stories, even eldar enjoyers like myself. 'hubris' is just an excuse to invent pointless tragedy out of nowhere

[@NoobPTFO]

Your editing, your humor, and just the personality from your vids will always make my day! Thanks for the vids this year John Lunch Time

[@Jalbesbe]

To be fair, what would the Tyranids even say. They are a hive mind so they are already thinking the same thing. They just hunger and go out to fill that ever growing hunger. All other factions and characters have their own thoughts, motivations, wants, and desires. The Tyranids have only one mind and one goal.

[@minibotas9496]

It would’ve been nice to have access to the Lictor in the campaign at least, even if you could only bring one of the big life forms at a time instead of the three at once

[@theus3272]

I think it could work if you used the perspective of a genestealer cult on the planet, since they're separate from the hivemind. Between the banter of the cult, the thoughts of the hivemind and the reactions of their enemies you could tell an engaging story.

[@silentecho92able]

@@theus3272 Totally it would have made sense if we did have a Genestealer be the mouth piece for the Tyranids as a whole. A Genestealer cult leader could have some dialogue with other characters and the campaign is all about reuniting the scattered Tyranid forces into a unified front. An getting rid of the other factions in order too prepare for what they call "The great ascension"

[@mojewjewjew4420]

​@@silentecho92ablethis actually makes sense but its unlikely for many reasons: a genestealer cult goes all out when the hive fleet arrives meaning those who existed have been wiped out prior to retribution, secondly the game has the F rushed out of it, they wanted a simple campaign to strap in and say there its not 5 its 6! Or smt like that plus personally I dont think a tyrannid campaign is a good choice, they have been the enemy for whole of dow2 and have been annihilated, them making a comeback pretty much makes the previous dow2 games meaningless.

[@silentecho92able]

@@mojewjewjew4420 I think there is one way a Genestealer cult might work is this, Remember back in Chaos rising. The Judgement of Carrion has returned too Aurelia. Well deep in the bowels of the Spacehulk, a small but mature Cult has been established. An during the time between Chaos rising and Retribution, a Imperial ship probably a small scavenger ship came too explore inside looking for lost tech like STC. Not realizing they helped the Cult get a ship of their own and crash land that ship into Typhon Primaris. An have been in hiding in the jungles of the planet gathering the remnants of the last hive fleet that has gone feral. It ain't much but i think it can work.

[@teroslarone1171]

Retribution was my gateway into warhammer 40k and well Bluddflagg is the reason orks are my favorite factions, diomedes and the space marines might scream about courage and honour but bluddflagg and his crew are just fun. And thats before they get to meet the nutcase on the space hulk.

[@Guywiththetypewriter]

I remember when you originally mentioned the DOW mods in the original videos, amd having retribution be the milestone. Some say its been a long road. I say its a road that was a pleasure to travel down with you ^_^

[@mojewjewjew4420]

Dude you might not know this but dont donate to anyone on youtube, they take a big cut out of it, donate directly to them on other sites.

[@midshipman8654]

dawn of war 2 still stands as really the only game where i listen to the audio complation of character lines. Still today, ill listen to the compilation of the lord comissar’s lines and it never fails to get me pumped. “you die on my command, not before” “glory is loyalty perfected!”

[@mercenarygundam1487]

Cyrus: The ONLY Scout marine that has PTSD equivalent of a Terminator.

[@Warmaster2001]

Well he survived Kaurava. When Ravens fookin killed by orkz of Gorgutz. Ork Victory in Soulstorm is canon if you want to know.

[@LordVader1094]

​@@Warmaster2001Only in DoW3, which nobody thinks of as canon to existing

[@TheNetherlandDwarf]

I have nothing to add except that having just done another playthrough of New Vegas, that when Diomede's voice actor is not shouting 24/7 he sounds SO good, and he already sounded great

[@mojewjewjew4420]

Hoho, I didn't expect a New Vegas enjoyer here, howdy!

[@dr.feelgoodmalusphillips2475]

Very glad you gave the voice actors props at the end. The fact they remained consistent aside from a few recasts here and there (Though then reprises) throughout the seven games is phenomenal. I will never stop singing the praises that these games have the best music, best voice acting and some of the best storytelling in video games.

[@quinnamations9715]

“IT IS THE RETROSPECTIVE!!!”

[@friendlyneighborhoodinquis1682]

One of the big things that made me sad about the nids was that as you level up you’re encouraged to get *smaller* units instead of bigger ones

[@friendlyneighborhoodinquis1682]

*by unit size, not bug size. What I mean is by end game you have a small group of chunky bugs, which is kinda cool but degrades the whole “endless swarm” feel

[@thongdo9809]

I just use the Swarmlord and a bunch of Carnifex to step on the Final Boss.

[@bigtastyben5119]

To think these reviews will be the closet thing we to a new episode of TTS is bittersweet.

[@strikerecho2592]

Me: Hey Thunder, how’re those videos coming- Thunder: There will be… RETRIBUTION! Me: …

[@Gladerunner2113]

My headcanon is that when Eldar fight, the opposing Autarchs do a psychic wargame, simulating the battle, with a Farseer authenticating its possibility as a future outcome. Obviously though, in 40k there's only war

[@ThunderPsyker]

Honestly that sounds kinda badass, and feels more in the spirit of how I perceive the Eldar personally (even though a lot of people have commented that the Eldar CAN be petty enough to fight each other in the way they do here)

[@TheLegendOfLol]

I haven’t laughed so hard at something in a long time until: “Mr Nailbrain, leak his IP address!” *aggressive orky keyboard tapping* “UUUUUGGGHHH”

[@jurtheorc8117]

Same here. Big loud laughs (almost mistyped that as "laud loughs") were had from those few seconds.

[@Bluglojo]

Glad to see that the orks got it right, and I am so FUCKING excited to see your thoughts on Blood Omen.

[@nicholasleon7819]

that video of the voice actors in the studio is so great. i love zach hanks just busting out his catachan voice

[@dr.feelgoodmalusphillips2475]

Best Voice Actors for 40k ever.

[@tentimestay9181]

"in a GAME for £20 back in 2011" and once again Thunderpsyker is relatable within the first 60 seconds of a video

[@cattysplat]

Honestly doubt most PC gamers were still buying physical, especially in stores where shelf space for PC was reduced to almost nothing by 2010, even then most people just bought latest WoW expansion.

[@mojewjewjew4420]

​@@cattysplatCan you tell me about it? Im curious, do people still buy physical copies?

[@abbcc5996]

@@cattysplat yeah its weird seeing this guy have physical copies of this game. i had to steal my moms credit card to purchase it on steam before sneakily putting the card back in her purse. i wanted it because i had played the psp wh40k game and loved it. btw im pretty sure that i argued a lot about religion with thunder psyker on the global main menu chat, young me had no patience for differing opinions. we even added each other on steam and played against each other. i would do the same to multiple other people. the reason i think that guy was thunder psyker is because the guy had the same profile pic (i dont remember his username) and the way he talked is pretty similar. he also had a lot of hours on all dow games, this was in 2013 i think

[@abbcc5996]

his name might have been eliphas the inheritor

[@jurtheorc8117]

I haven't played a single DoW game myself and a lot of things you describe or compare to past games go over my head, sideways from my ankles and diagonally away from my solar plexus, but i don't mind much because i very much enjoyed the way you explain things, narrate, and all the editing of the video overall. Both on the actual gameplay and the segments with character cut-outs moving. "MISTAH NAILBRAIN! LEAK 'IS IP ADDRESS!" Got me laughing out loud. And I like the mix between the more even-voiced explanation to your more emotive moments. Plus, it's sweet that you point out some specific characters like the Blood Raven fellows and talk about them so fondly. The discovery of your channel i mainly have to thank the algorithm for recommending your update video, after following the Bruva Alfabusa projects, so i don't have any proppa pre-existing history with your content. Part of me kind of wishes i had, you seem like a fun chap though I better beware not developing a parasocial relationship lest i fall into entitlement the likes of which Chaos would be proud of. In any case, this feels like a somewhat special video in how the circle is made full. Discovering you from a project where you provided (voice) acting, getting a taste of your return with your own content with this video, and learning that this game is in part responsible for your very interest in voice acting. Thank you for the video, and wish you and others good luck and fun for the future. Beware of ruinous powers, give thanks to all your blessings, and cherish all that matters. 'Ave a good one.

[@RedPandaGod01]

I want to correct, even if the Infinity Circuit of a Craftworld is not working or missing they don't just go str8 to slanesh, they go in to their soul stone, so long as that stone is not destroyed, aquired a demon or enters the Warp with out a Gellar field, their souls will be fine, lonely and board but fine. Still those soulstones can be put in to an Infinity Circuit or wraith bone construct, they can also be safely removed from an Infinity Circuit or construct and placed in another.

[@Mantaur104]

I'm not sure soul stones are embedded in the infinity circuit by default; IIRC the souls wander around the circuit freely, then are put into stones when they are needed.

[@RedPandaGod01]

@Mantaur104 to my understanding, the stones are embedded in a similar way as to how they are in many vehicles that are operated with soulstones, including wraith ships, though well embedded they are free to wonder around the wraith bone that constitutes their vehicles, and the Infinity Circuit them selves

[@Warmaster2001]

I wonder to ask a strange question. But if human acquires a soul stone can his soul be moved to that item after he died or only happening with Eldar souls?

[@Mantaur104]

@@Warmaster2001 I think they are only specified for Eldar souls. I've certainly never heard of them working on humans.

[@Kardel_VA]

Glad to see you bring up this nostalgia piece! Also, Vae Victis! (Watch to the end to understand that reference 😂)

[@gabrielangelos2821]

Every time this channel posts a video my whole week gets better ❤

[@bahamut256]

Bluddflag doesn’t actually kill Kyras. He leaves her alive because he wants her to come after him to get her hat back. Because it’s more fun that way.

[@Ninjaguiden89]

Great review and seeing you mention Indrid and Torpid alongside mods is a really cool thing too.

[@CurvinProductions]

You are the GOAT, TunderPsyker.

[@SirLolcat]

I'm so glad I stuck around all these years ever since your first DoW review.

[@jordanhunt2210]

I want you to know you sent me down a giant rabbit hole of Alestorm videos at 3:06 lol thank you

[@Philipp1500]

Great Video as always ! See you back in another 2-3 years !

[@ISAF_Ace]

I’m always a guardsman, and Castor is my favourite general. His attitude is the perfect mix between Sturns raw chad energy and a British man from the empire. I liked retribution as it feels like a rushed version of the Dow 1 campaign, feels like they were trying to modernise the dow1 style into the dow2 engine.

[@fotppd1475]

17:17 Playing as the T'au commander is MUCH fun. (I practically forgot there are other choices.) You get to feel how T'au battlesuits should feel like using: mobile, customizable, devastating. Able to move in swiftly to deliver devastating damage up close before swiftly getting out of harms way, as it is customizable it can be made into a single entity executioner in ranged combat, a very mobile artillery, a mob clearing "brothergetthefamertheheavyflamer" kind of suit even. Oh, also the missile pods have a chance to 1 shot 1 kill almost anything. Sure, he is near helpless in melee but that is what the jetpack is for...among other things. I wish Dawn of War Dark Crusade XV-8 crisis battle suits where a bit more similar.

[@bliblivion]

3:11 this "Meanwhile" have never been bested to this day.

[@chiribaya8553]

The editing is gold

[@VoiceOfTheEmperor]

Good to see you back in the saddle, Kitten. How are things with you and Magnus? He treating you well?

[@scoops237]

Man. It sure is a shame Relic folded and never released DOW3. I guess we'll just have to look at that fatally badass teaser trailer and imagine what might have been.

[@techpriest2854]

to any who read this I hope you are having a good day

[@throughrockmetal6935]

I am now.

[@a.trance6997]

I hope you are too

[@saltyoak8533]

And good day to you too, kind soul!

[@Justowner]

Vanilla Ice was def Cyrus' favorite CO. He barely said a word and did nothing but get shit done. No bitching or drama from his corner.

[@strugglesnuggledslime7040]

Retribution was just gloriously broken at release and I think some of those "bugs" still exist to this day. I mean,summoning IG units in the campaign actually giving you resources is just surreal and...weirdly fitting.

[@mojewjewjew4420]

People are a resource made manifest :)))

[@Xalerdane]

I like to think that all the _Retribution_ campaigns happened in some way (except the Tyranids’). * The _Spehs Mehreens_ campaign was just the storyline missions with no real deviation from what the game depicted. * The Wall of Guns’ campaign was about General Castor and friends tracking down all the remaining Guard units in the subsector and gathering them back up, as well as ensuring that the corrupted guardsmen didn’t release Ulkair, since if that actually happened, the plot of the game would have gone very differently. Unlike Diomedes, the Flashlight Brigade used their already present and useable fleet of ships to move around the subsector. * The BEST campaign was about Kaptain Bluddflag krumpin’ all da ovva Orks still in the subsector and press-ganging them into his crew. He actually made it to Cyrene before anyone else did and fought Kyras before he ascended, and would have killed the Chapter Master if the Eldar hadn’t interfered long enough for the git to escape, so the Kaptain decided to count it as a win and helped himself to the Inquisitor’s hat before eventually leaving Aurelia in his space hulk turned krooza. But before getting his new ship, he was forced to use tellyportas jury-rigged by Mr. Nailbrain that piggybacked off of the teleportatium network being used by Diomedes. * The Elf campaign was about the Eldar sneaking around for their own reasons, like saving as many Eldar lives and soulstones as they could before everything managed to get even worse. Ronahn interfered with Kyras’s and Bluddflag’s duel in order to save his sister’s soulstone. They got around by using the Webway, _like normal._ * The _KAYOSS_ campaign was about Eliphas being ordered by Abaddon to bring the renegade elements of the Black Legion back under his command, or to eliminate them for their disobedience. Interfering with the plans of the nobody Chapter Master responsible for their insubordination was just a bonus. They traveled via portals.

[@potatolord8444]

As always, a 100 review. Didn't enjoy Retribution as much as classic DoW 2 or Chaos Rising, but there was still a lot of fun to be had with the game. Last Stand was and still is a champ. Very curious how Retribution could have turned out if their had been no budget cuts. 100% missed the campaign style of the previous style. And yes, the Necon Overlord was absolutely busted. The only real threat to him was wave 16. Overall, I missed Vanila Ice.

[@alexdelarosa6770]

I’m actually so exited about the blood omen review also, also side note I’ve always loved these videos cause with these retrospectives and ITEHATTSD got me into 40K way back in 7th edition when I was a wee lad

[@stephenlucas8836]

8:05 given “eldar diplomacy” feel not out of line killing each other without asking is all part of Eldrad’s master plan.

[@vaniellys]

Now that the series is (almost) complete, I will have lots of fun rewatching all of them while painting my figurines ! I love your writing and editing, so I hope you will review more games. Maybe the original Halo trilogy ?

[@joeydg1431]

Love these videos bro boggles my mind u didnt ride the wave and let urself get up there with SStzeentchach and Mandaloregaming. U deserve that spot the climb begins again and im rooting for you

[@igorthelight]

3 best Retribution mods: * Elite mod - MUST HAVE! A few new maps, a few new units for every race and a new race! "A better Retribution". * Codes mod - more races and more units! * Eternal mod - a little bit of base building like in good old times xD

[@sen6516]

watching this makes me wanna do a DoW II trilogy playthrough, god I miss this series

[@Warmaster2001]

Already doing that. Ended Retribution as Space Marines and Chaosites. Now it's Guards turn.

[@lord_razur]

Always love seeing these come around, great stuff bossman!

[@dr.feelgoodmalusphillips2475]

"Surviving loyal Blood Ravens losses... total... They refused to retreat..." Best Voice Acting for the ending up there with Gabriel's Extermination speech.

[@Eh-rn2oy]

Amazing funny video, been looking forward to this since the first dow retrospective. Love the montarge bit, phenomenal work!

[@GaijinEncarmine]

I lowkey adore the voice acting in this game. Big fan of the work the Eldar in particular put in.

[@Gormathius]

Given what the Blood Ravens are like, they probably stole Abaddon's favourite coffee mug.

[@Warmaster2001]

Quite pathetic. They shoud try to steal the bloody Dracnyen.

[@AkosKovacs.Author.Musician]

"The whole planet must be bathed in blood." Quite appropriate, given the ending of Retribution.

[@Skeleton-chan]

I'd be super interested in your takes on Dawn of War: Unification. Quite possibly the best modded experience I've had in a long long time.

[@mojewjewjew4420]

Whats so good about it?

[@Zack-tx7oz]

Love your stuff! Thanks for making the video!

[@theus3272]

19:32 Krieg-skin Adrastia is making me feel things The Emperor doesn't want me to feel.

[@Warmaster2001]

And what is that? You fearing that inquisitor is not a inquisitor but Eversor assassin who is using Callidus disguise technics?

[@spartnmarcen5110]

YESSSS. It's finally here!! I absolutely adore the Orks here and no game since or before nailed how fun and crazy they are. That voice acting is just perfection. They're the reason I went for tabletop Orks as well.

[@valhalanguardsman2588]

The "infinite boxes of MEN" gets me every time and I don't know why

[@blastermaster5039]

11:14 I cannot help but really commend Cyrus for his EXTREME patience dealing with both Boreal and Diomedes as his commanding captains. By the Emperor he is always being dealt with some of the most questionable captains imaginable. That is why I am quite understanding on his part in Chaos Rising if he is the one who ends up betraying the chapter.

[@BunBurrow]

A new ThunderPsyker? That's always worth the wait. But especially if it's him covering Blood Omen! Fantastic video, and here's hoping we get to see some Legacy of Kain love soon.

[@DrTarte]

I loved anvil of khorne with just that tanky mechboy build. I had a big knife for dealing with small swarms, regaining energy per kill, and my only ability was that heal which also gives energy to allies. I was a tanky battery and it was hilarious letting the other two guys pop off.

[@indyman121]

ayyyyyyy new thunderpsyker! glad to see this video finally make it out and excited to see what kinda content youll do going forward

[@ashkash8686]

I loved the imperial guard campaign. Especially the ending.

[@Warmaster2001]

Oh yeah when Merrick gain a medal and appreciation from his general. And Mer have some good humour (tho backfired but whatever)

[@saphirone8030]

Can we talk about how crisp the voice acted segments are ? I seriously thought Rohnan and Kayleth's voices were the real in-game deal until I realize it's voice acted and not just taken from the game

[@carlsebastian4002]

I dont even know how to measure my happiness when I saw this video or even the chaos rising one I found you many years ago on a random dawn of war dark crusade rabbit hole amd been stuck in ever since.

[@elizabethamoroso4132]

2024 will be a good year if we see more @ThunderPsyker Dawn of War content!

[@ThunderPsyker]

Trust me, it'll happen!

[@caos1925]

the ancient does speak, it is tarkus it is a huge reveal, I loved. I don't get why the nid campaign gets so much hate, I think it was cool getting an inside look on the buggies, hearing the hive mind and by their nature you can't really have compelling characters, and they do pursue their goal, nom everything, exterminatus will get rid of noms.

[@commissarbearz]

I swear that Lord General says sometime in the multiplayer "Quit your life,Eldar!"⚡💀

[@nerdyvids1]

The idea of orks DDoSing a craft world has me in stitches. They’d absolutely do that just for a laugh.

[@ComissarYarrick]

I said this before and I will say this again - Imperial Guard and Orkz camapins are worth playing just for dialogues alone. Some lines of their banter lives rent free in my head to this day.