Overlord II keeps the control scheme of the last title, which basically does as good a job as it can with the complex controls, but still gets muddled and confused all too regularly. ![]() ![]() It doesn’t help that the cutscenes seem disjointed and glitchy, with character voice samples sometimes even talking over each other and sounds cutting out entirely.Īs with the last game, players get to control a gang of vicious Minions who will do his bidding. Pratchett is a decent fantasy writer, but isn’t very funny, and while there are a few laughs to be had, there just isn’t enough humor befitting such a darkly comic world as Overlord‘s. The story, written by Rhianna Pratchett, has a few high points, especially the end twist, but it has to be said that most of the humor misses the mark. After the “Overlad” has his first clash with The Empire, he is taken to The Netherworld and instructed in the ways of Overlording, so that he can reclaim the world and rule it in his own dark image. Gnarl and the Minions eventually find a a worthy successor to the evil throne, a shunned “witch boy” in the snowy town of Nordburg. In his absence, the forces of evil have been scattered and the world has been slowly cleansed of magic by a new ruling body, The Empire. Overlord II (PC, PS3, Xbox 360 )Īt the end of Overlord‘s one and only expansion, Raising Hell, the original Overlord was dragged into the fiery pit to suffer the fate that all evil rulers must eventually face. However, the game’s problems seem to have increased since the last game, with new ideas bringing new issues.Ĭan this sequel repeat the creative success of the first game and remain brilliant in spite of its flaws, or do the issues drag this follow-up game down into the murky Netherworld? Read on as we review Overlord II. Overlord II attempts to pull the same stunt, shining through with some ambitious new ideas and a chance to be far more tyrannical. Its unique gameplay, evil-minded focus and silly sense of humor outshone the technical issues and awkward controls to create a fun and memorable title that proudly sits among my top titles of this generation. While the original Overlord was a compelling game at heart, Overlord II just feels like an unpolished retread of familiar ground.Overlord was one of my favorite games of 2007. The controls are clunky, the pacing is unsatisfying, and the multiplayer feels tacked-on. On the other hand, it just doesn't play well. It shamelessly embraces its evil heritage, and goes to great lengths to put the hilarious minions front and center. The real shame is that Overlord II can be entertaining. In most games, those little details act as the icing on the cake in Overlord II, the icing is a weak attempt to cover up the cardboard prop cake underneath. Watching your gremlin-like thralls ravage towns, break things, and put crazy stuff on their heads is always good for a laugh. With so many missteps, clever writing and funny moments with your minions remain the only real reasons to take up the overlord's mantle. While managing and controlling your minions works better than the last entry, the whole process of combat is a chore, since you're just repeating a handful of encounters using the same tactics. Casting spells is useless when I tried to use my fully powered-up shockwave spell on a swarm of guards, I was lucky if it even interrupted their attack animations, much less hurt them. ![]() Tweaks to the combat and magic systems don't fare much better. Variety is nice in theory, but it also needs to work in execution. The other new features, like sailing ships and possessing minions, are either half-baked or entirely broken the attempt at a stealth section is particularly terrible. When level design is this dull, you just don't care where you are. The lack of a minimap was the most grievous offender in the first game, but the feature's inclusion in Overlord II does not improve things much. Instead, Overlord II just trades old problems for new ones – and the new ones are considerably worse. I had high hopes this sequel would rectify the issues and tap into the potential of the original. The first Overlord was a charming and humorous study in cartoonish malevolence, though it was difficult to appreciate in the face of its flaws. Evil never dies, but Overlord II illustrates that it can decay over time.
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