Bullfrog Games are best remembered for their Dungeon Keeper games, and Overlord II from Codemasters, as well as the first Overlord, continues in a similar vein to the quirky humor that made Dungeon Keeper so popular. Taking place after the events of the first title, the ever-present minions are looking for a new overlord. They locate one in a small village, a young, creepy-looking boy.
The tutorial section takes place from here, with the minions exhorting the player to prove that he is indeed the overlord they have been searching for. A taste of the mayhem to come is glimpsed as minions gleefully scuttle about at the player's beck and call, wreaking havoc in amusing ways.
Having proved his worth, the player is educated in the ways of the overlord and then sets out to create chaos and make sure that evil wins. Along the way his minions, of which there are a variety, will beat baby seals senseless, attack soldiers and villagers and break anything they can get their hands on.
As the overlord, players have physical and magical combat at their fingertips, literally in most cases. There are the minions to contend with as well, however. These critters follow the player's commands and will attack or retreat as requested. The upper limit of minions can be expanded through play and some of the more basic minions can now equip mounts. The minion army is essential, either to pass through areas or open paths or just to rain down long-distance destruction on your foes. Anyone looking for a hack-and-slash battle axe of a game should look elsewhere, as the minions do most of the work, wisecracking all the while.
Speaking of foes, the highlight of Overlord II appears to be the Rastafarian Vegan Elves (this is too silly to be made up) who come across as flower-children who got lost at a Bob Marley concert. Eliminating them in battle is somehow satisfying in a way that should be illegal, and they even get the occasional nuking by the creatures they try and assist.
Controlling the camera, player, minions and magic should be a chore with so much going on onscreen but the Xbox 360 handles everything with a plomb. Two buttons and the left stick account for the player, the right stick and the pretty red button sort out your minions, with the right trigger sounding the retreat, and the camera pretty much takes care of itself.
Throwing in the series of visual gags and audio that can cause the odd 'I've just squirted a beverage out my nose' moment, the deliriously wicked sense of humor and possible cameos by characters from other games, and the sometimes senseless and bloody violence, makes Overlord II a gem of a game.
It certainly will not be to everyone's tastes and it will probably find its greatest appeal with folks who find Dead Baby jokes and Jay and Silent Bob funny. For those who do find the combination of action gameplay and somewhat twisted humor amusing, Overlord II will be a Godsend… a diabolical gift. Those who are a little PC or a tad sensitive will be put off by the tongue-in-cheek fun being poked at the good guys.
For all your Discount Computer Parts, Notebook and Games requirements visit us at http://sacomputers.rr.nu and http://usacomputers.rr.nu.
Related Posts
- No related posts
