Soulstorm’s story revolves around a warp storm which has attracted the attention of the game’s nine races, who all want the Kaurava system, and the secret behind the warp storm, to themselves. Built into Soulstorm’s campaign, the meta-game focuses on requisition, taking control of some 31 territories across four planets and three moons, and fortifying strongholds as you bid to conquer the deep-lying Kaurava system. However, developer Iron Lore (Relic Entertainment shipped out development duties to the now defunct studio) has implemented a turn-based meta-game that’s sure to divide fanatics straight down the middle. Now that we’ve pumped hours into the final version of Soulstorm we can safely say that there’s nothing that fundamentally changes what’s brilliant about Dawn of War.

But don’t fret – Soulstorm is out next Friday, so there’s still time to pick up the first game and hone those leet RTS skillz in time for release. During multiplayer, where Dawn of War really shines, you’ll only have access to the two new races – the Sisters of Battle and the Dark Eldar. If you haven’t got the original Dawn of War game the old races will only be playable in the extensive single-player campaign and in single-player skirmishes. If Soulstorm will be your first taste of the superb Warhammer 40K RTS, then you’ll have access to the two new races it brings, the Sisters of Battle and the Dark Eldar, as well as all the races from the previous games: Space Marines, Chaos Marines, Eldar, Orks, Necrons, Tau, and the Imperial Guard. That’s because, like the second expansion Dark Crusade, Soulstorm is a stand alone product – unlike some expansions for other games it’ll work without the need for you to have the title proper. While there’s little doubt that gamers who already own Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War will find Soulstorm of most interest, you don’t have to have the main game installed on your hard drive in order to play the upcoming expansion.

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