| Warhammer: Dark Omen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Mindscape Games Workshop |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Writer(s) | Stephen Marley |
| Composer(s) | Mark Knight |
| Series | Warhammer Fantasy |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation |
| Release | Windows PlayStation April 7, 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time tactics |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Warhammer: Dark Omen is a fantasy real-time tactical wargame based upon the Warhammer Fantasy Battle table-top game and figurines, and is the sequel to the 1995 game Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat. Developed by Mindscape, in conjunction with Games Workshop, and published by Electronic Arts, the game was released in Spring 1998 for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation. The game's story takes place within the Warhammer Fantasy setting, and focuses on the efforts of a mercenary army to combat a threat to the Old World by a vast army of undead forces led by a powerful entity that has recently arisen.
While the game features similar mechanics to that of Shadow of the Horned Rat, it featured a number of improvements including greater 3D generated terrains (which was supported through the first-generation Voodoo 3dfx 3D accelerator card effects), a more streamlined interface system, and an improved army management system, but with more focus on a linear storyline that offers players choices of how to proceed at various intervals, affecting what units and magic items they receive, and what battles they undertake. Despite incorporating more usage of 3d graphics, the limited hardware of 1998 meant that all units in the game utilised 2D sprites ("billboarding") to render them.
Since its release, most reviews of the game have been favourable, complimenting the improvements made over its predecessor, though with some criticism levied against its difficulty level and a few limitations with the new interface system.
- ^ "News for March 23, 1998". Online Gaming Review. March 23, 1998. Archived from the original on December 4, 2000. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
March 23, 1998: Some new titles have arrived in stores: Warhammer: Dark Omen...