Although the beta is hosted through Steam, Games for Windows Live handles the actual player matching along with other features like voice chat. It does an adequate job, although the wait can be extensive depending on how many games are going. The only custom search features available so far include choosing between a team match games or head-to-head, which we're sure will change in the full version. As of right now, the only way to play a preferred map is by hosting a custom game yourself. It's difficult to judge how well players are being matched up with each other based on skill this early in the beta, but so far it seems that players are matched up out of convenience than skill stats. We can't be sure of how much ping plays a role either, since our experience has ranged everywhere from a perfectly smooth matches to ones lagged to unplayable levels. Those that prefer something a little more traditional can manually search through a list of ongoing custom games to join.

The victory control point mode involves a constant a tug-of-war where teams rush out and capture control points. Taking requisition points and power station areas bring in resources for the whole team, but the control points play the most significance. Holding a control point reduces the enemy's points while increasing your own. Similar to Company of Heroes, squads can take cover behind objects and structures for a defensive bonus, but heavy ordinance can destroy most objects. Players will probably miss being able to set up defensive listening posts the most, since holding ground now requires some extraordinary babysitting to protect them. A team that doesn't get matched up with a player using a defensive will be at a slight disadvantage if the opposing team does.

As with previous games, Space Marines rely heavily on technology, making their units among the most expensive. Orks are powerful combatants but don't rely quite as much on superior numbers this time. Instead, there's a mix of heavy melee combat, stealth and support structures. The Eldar can teleport, quickly traverse the map using portals, and have an array of psychic abilities. Lastly, the Tyranids (Dawn of War's newest faction) can produce squads cheaply and burrow underground for travel and ambushes. Tyranids have some light ranged units, but their specialty lies in melee combat. In the fine Dawn of War tradition, final tier technology unlocks a giant creature that can tear most squads apart.

The beta offers only a small taste of things to come, but it clearly demonstrates that players can expect a completely new Dawn of War when the game releases in February. The player matching service could use some fine tuning, and not just in terms of speed. Although GFW Live does a relatively good job of throwing players together, it doesn't give players a chance to switch out their heroes to help balance out the team before the match starts. So, it's very likely that you can end up on a team that's made up with nothing but offensive hero Space Marines. What remains the same is the same brutal combat with larger than life weapons we've come to expect from a Dawn of War game. The Dawn of War 2 multiplayer beta is open to all current owners of Soulstorm via Steam, and the public beta will start next week on January 27.

Check out Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II downloads