After years of fan anticipation, developer Relic has finally delivered: the Tyranid race will make an appearance in the studio's upcoming RTS sequel Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.

The announcement was accompanied by two screenshots (below) showing off the insect-like alien race.

"For us, the Tyranids was a way to give the fans something they have been asking for ever since Dawn Of War," wrote the company on its website.

"It wasn't until we designed the Essence 2.0 Engine did we think that the Tyranids could be brought to the Dawn Of War universe they way that we felt we could do them justice and in the way that the fans deserve."

Dawn of War II is set for a PC release this coming spring. For more on the radically different sequel, check out our E3 preview.

Following our flood of content from last week's E3 Media & Business Summit, we'll be highlighting noteworthy previews and features that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Imagine a game that takes Dawn of War, mixes it with Company of Heroes, removes base building altogether and adds RPG elements. If you can paint that puzzling picture in your mind, you'll have Dawn of War 2. And this is no exaggeration.

In fact, Dawn of War 2 directly borrows graphical and gameplay elements from Company of Heroes. For instance, CoH's cover system--wherein cover was rated with colored shields, and soldiers' future positions were marked with green dots--is exactly copied in Dawn of War 2. Sticky bombs and grenades are deployed with timers in exactly the same fashion as the World War II shooter.

No longer a traditional RTS, developer Relic has actually deviated from the genre even more with this project than they did with Company of Heroes. Dawn of War 2 could now be described as a small-scale tactical RTS, with a surprising amount of RPG flavor.

The focus of the sequel is clearly on micromanagement and squad-based... Read more

This one may have gotten lost in the shuffle last week, but it's worth a look.

The newest gameplay trailer for Relic's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 shows off the Eldar race, which had yet to be seen before E3.

For more on the many changes to the Dawn of War formula in this sequel, check out our E3 preview. The game is slated for release early next year on the PC. Plus, they released a pretty sweet Dawn of War 2 cinematic trailer on Shackvideo.

I seem to have completely forgotten *cough* about the WWE games, but here are screenshots from other upcoming THQ published games including Age of Empires: Mythologies, Baja: Edge of Control, Darksiders: Wrath of War, Red Faction: Guerilla, Saints Row 2, Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise, UFC 2009 Undisputed, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2.

Age of Empires: Mythologies (DS)Baja: Edge of Control (PC, PS3, X360)Darksiders: Wrath of War (PS3, X360)... Read more

A new set of screenshots and a trailer from Relic Entertainment's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 (PC) has been released by publisher THQ, offering a closer look at the real-time strategy title's playable races and weaponry.

Though no firm release date has been announced, Dawn of War 2 is expected for an early 2009 release.Registered users can use the HD Stream.

The new screenshots are viewable below... Read more

Defining the word "teaser," Relic has released a short CG video to compliment its recent Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II media blitz.

Check out the Ork-diminishing clip below. And with that other RTS developer making ready its own sci-fi sequel, prepare yourself for a gluttonous period of PC RTS releases.

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Developer Relic has released the first screenshots of its upcoming RTS sequel Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, announced earlier this week by publisher THQ. Few official details have been provided on the project, though THQ did note that all owners of the Dawn of War expansion pack Soulstorm will eventually receive a Dawn of War II beta key.

Confirming earlier reports, publisher THQ today announced the sci-fi RTS sequel Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II for PC.

Developed by Dawn of War and Company of Heroes veteran Relic Entertainment, Dawn of War II will feature a non-linear single-player game, a co-op multiplayer campaign, and destructible environments.

"We started with everything fans loved about the original Dawn of War and then added more than they ever could have hoped for," said Relic general manager Tarrnie Williams.

While no release date was provided, THQ did note that those who purchase the recently-released stand-alone DoW expansion pack Soulstorm will be able to participate in an eventual invite-only multiplayer beta for the sequel.

The first details on Relic Entertainment's upcoming sci-fi RTS sequel Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 (PC) have reportedly emerged from the most recent issue of Dutch gaming magazine PCGameplay.

According to fan translations over at the RelicNews Forums, Dawn of War 2 will sport multicore processor support, DirectX 10 optimizations, and incorporate several elements from Relic's WWII RTS Company of Heroes (PC), such as environment destruction and the ability to occupy buildings.

While only two forces were listed in the article--Orks and Space Marines--both will feature full co-op campaigns. Though other playable races will be revealed later in the year, it was implied that not all will have co-op campaigns.

The fans also report that players will be limited to six squads at a time, at least in the campaign, though each can be customized with new items and equipment. "You really have to look out for your squads and don't treat them like cannon fodder," wrote translator Togra.

Said to be in development since September of 2005 by a team of 55 people, Dawn of War 2 is expected, at the very soonest, in early 2009. More concrete information, including screenshots, should arrive in the near future.