It's time to load your storm bolter and wrap up your last prayer to the Emperor, cuz we're huntin' Tyranids! IGN has confirmed that everyone's favorite galactic bugs will be clawing their way onto Relic's forthcoming Dawn of War sequel, not only as an opponent but as a playable race as well.

The blood news was spilled during the Leipzig Games Convention by Dawn of War II senior designer Philippe Boulle, who noted that the space insects behave as "a single organism, not an army of individuals," and that the swarm is composed of disposable "meat shields" and more specialized alien troops serving the Tyranid Hive Mind. For more, check out the pre-rendered pure awesome below while we wait for the bugs to digest their fill of Space Marine, Ork and Eldar in early 2009.

[Thanks Damn Lucky]

Gaming buffet GameTap just announced that THQ- and ValuSoft-published titles will begin finding their way onto the service starting this summer. Notable titles include:

• Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War and expansions
• Company of Heroes
• Red Faction
• Supreme Commander
• Saints Row 2
• Puzzle Quest
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

It's nice to see relatively new titles like Supreme Commander make the list. We're also curious to find out if Saints Row 2 releases on the service the same day as retail, similar to GameTap's deal with Codemasters. The THQ agreement is apparently a "long-term partnership" and some titles will also be made available on GameTap's free ad-supported service. This THQ announcement comes only a few months after Interplay returned and Take-Two committed to the service.

Cleanse the heretics and long live the Emperor! The latest Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II video gives us an amuse bouche of in-game footage to check out until we (cross-fingers) get to see at lot more at E3 next month. With the series back in the hands of Relic studios, hopefully the game will help THQ's bottom line when it releases early next year.

For those who missed out on the original Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War series (which is three games -- four, if you count Soulstorm), it still holds up well and can be found in a boxed Platinum Set, and on Steam, for around $30. For the sake of DoW II's sales, we hope Starcraft II isn't released anywhere close to the same time.

THQ has unleashed a teaser trailer for Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II to imbue the masses with the righteous fervor of the Empire. The real-time strategy sequel was officially confirmed just a couple days ago and will apparently feature a fully co-operative multiplayer campaign. Don't go getting too excited just yet -- DoW II won't be out until Spring '09. In the meantime, for those who need a 40K RTS fix stat, there's always Soulstorm, which will grant entry into the sequel's multiplayer beta at some point in the future.

After numerous expansions to its Relic-founded Dawn of War license, THQ has confirmed that a medic has braved the field of battle and returned with the franchise's treasured gene seed, officially announcing Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II for the PC. While the game is not expected to drop until Spring 2009, THQ notes that players who pick up the current game's latest expansion, Soulstorm, will score themselves an invite to the sequel's upcoming multiplayer beta.

According to THQ, Dawn of War II will be built upon the Relic's proprietary Essence Engine 2.0, and will feature a fully co-operative multiplayer campaign. As for what races this latest chapter in the RTS series will offer up, we're left guessing, though the publisher has confirmed that the Space Marines and the Orkish green tides will be included. More information is promised in the near future, and as we get word from the Emperor, we'll let you know.

THQ is excited about its recently shipped Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command for the PSP. How excited? Unphased by the handful of lukewarm reviews, it seems that the company has had crafted a very limited set of Warhammer 40K-themed PSPs to celebrate the game's release. Unfortunately, limited is the name of the game, as THQ has seen fit to have just six of the handhelds forged at the hands of Games Workshop and a squad of professional modelers, making this both one of the rarest game console variants ever created as well as something of a cruel joke.

So far, the fate of only one of these handhelds has been revealed, as it will be given away to one extremely lucky gamer in the UK care of a competition on THQ's website. As to where the other five golden tickets PSPs will end up, it's anyone's guess. We have a call into THQ's US office at the moment, but as their phones just rang off the hook, it's entirely possible that their staff still suffers from a tryptophan-induced stupor.

If comments are any indication, many remain unsure of the direction Relic intends to take the latest expansion for its tabletop-inspired RTS Dawn of War, Soulstorm. While some may have continued to hold out hope for a bug hunt against galactic menace and fan-favorite Tyranids, gameplay designer Shawn Frison has revealed via a dev diary that the game will in fact pit the previously revealed Dark Eldar against the estrogen-charged Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, otherwise known as the Sisters of Battle.

The stand alone expansion's factions will join others from the series, from the genetically enhanced Space Marines to the Orkish green tides, and will offer additional units and vehicles with which to wage war in the 'grim darkness' of the 41st millennium.

Among these new units will be the Sisters' Canoness, who is described by Frison as "a battle-hardened veteran" who is apparently able to call down the wrath of God at a whim to smite her foes, not unlike my mother-in-law. Not to be outdone, the Dark Eldar also come to play with their "lords of malice" called Archons who, along with a retinue of Incubi bodyguards, look to give the opposition what for by siphoning their souls and being generally unpleasant. So, given these two choices, which race will win your favor next spring when Soulstorm arrives at retail?