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Overlord II By: John "Award" Del Percio
Developer : Triumph Studios
Publisher : Codemasters
Release Date : June 2009
Platform : PC, PlayStation 3, XBox 360
Triumph For The Overlord!
Despite several giant misses with regard to the new additions in the game, the good news is Overlord II does exactly what most of us familiar with the first game hoped it would do. It provides more Overlording fun! I wish the weapon upgrade system were a bit more open, as it was in the first game, and I certainly wish the parodies and humor would return to their original form, but overall, it's the gameplay and environment that drives the game, and while a bit more dry than last time, it's still the only thing out there quite like it! The red, blue, green, and red tactics still offer wildly diverse gameplay and the characters and environment are still irresistibly off-color. The greatest strength of the Overlord games is the simplicity of it. It's rapidly addictive, if in a few cases, frustrating. If you loved Overlord, you'll definitely appreciate its successor. If, on the other hand, you haven't tasted the power of overlording, yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a try, though I'd recommend starting with the original game to get the full context of the world, which begins slightly underdeveloped in the sequel. If nothing else, do it for the baby seals!
Generally speaking, the graphics are beautiful, showing a far more dynamic looking Overlord than the last time we saw the world, though there is some over-usage of similar textures. That is tempered by the fact that that the engine indeed has some framerate issues, especially on the PS3, the platform which this review's screenshots were sampled from. My advice? Play Overlord II, but avoid it on the PS3 if you have other options. For this reason, would officially drop the PS3 graphics score down to 79%, and the overall PS3 score down to 81%.
It's not ultra dynamic. It doesn't make full use of surround sound on consoles. But how can one argue with the charming sounds of tiny little evil gremlins grunting phrases like "Loook, shiinies", and spitting out familiar melodies as they don their stolen soldiers uniforms and march about? The sound has a wonderful charm, that's for sure. One point removed for Kelda's dismal English-Irish-American accent, though in some ways, there's a charm to it as well.
The core gameplay is what makes Overlord so great, and that is unchanged from the previous title. The small point deduction is due to the small bugs here and there, the frustrating scenes that made me want to throw something at the screen, and the occasionally confusing level design. Beyond that my only gripe is that the game is just too short, and propels you too far, too fast. Overlord, and thus Overlord II is a game worth savoring.
I place my wrath for the diminished role of humor and story here. The story isn't bad, but it doesn't have so many divergences as the first game, and doesn't pace out for as long a time. It has the classic "first sequel" concept going as far as depth: It's prettier, grander, but looses some of the story and feel of the first. The strategic depth, however, is as good as always. Knowing how and where to position which minions and knowing their abilities is the key to getting trough any area. Always a good thing, there.
The multiplayer on the game is tacked on, no question about it. It's not the best it can be, however Overlord is really all about the single player game, so it's hard to berate the whole game for this element. Including split-screen multiplayer for consoles was a big plus, though it's not a full campaign, and the minuscule four map selection doesn't do it many favors. Hopefully more will become available as time goes on.
As I often state in reviews, the overall score is entirely unrelated to the individual break-down scores, though usually it's within the realm of the average of the breakdown. Imagine my surprise finding that the overall is right on the average from the breakdown. Some games are easier to place than others! I am, honestly, yearning for another Overlord game. One that is a bit more satirical and focuses less on cramming in new features. Give us an expansion like Raising Hell, strip it down the the simplicity of the original, and expand on the usefulness of the wolf riders, and we'll all be happy! Regardless, Overlord II quenched my overlording desire for a while, so here's hoping for a third installment!
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