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Overlord II Announced [August 14, 2008, 08:31 am ET] - Viewing CommentsCodemasters announces three new Overlord Games planned for release next year; Overlord II, a full sequel to the fantasy action/adventure planned for PCs and consoles, Overlord: Dark Legend for Wii, and Overlord Minions for DS. Here's the general announcement and specifics on the sequel: Thursday 14th August/... Marking the return of the bad ass game brand that champions a despotic tyrant and sets loose the most vicious, yet lovably insane critters in gaming, Codemasters® today announced that the Overlord and the Minions will headline a series of three new Overlord™ titles for multiple platforms in 2009. Overlord™II is the sequel to the original twisted fantasy action adventure and is now in development at Triumph Studios for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Games For Windows®. True to form, the Overlord and the Minion horde have their sights set on supremacy and 2009 will also see the series debuting on new formats. Exclusive extensions include the action title Overlord™Dark Legend for Wii™, featuring minion control through Wii Remote movement, and Overlord™Minions, a dedicated puzzle action title, for Nintendo DS™. “As a million-plus seller Overlord is now a significant brand in the ever-growing Codemasters portfolio,” says Barry Jafrato, Senior Vice President of Brand, Codemasters. “With specific titles published across major formats and download content available, Overlord has established a huge cult following and won widespread critical acclaim. We’re delighted to have the despot back for this three-game, five-format product line. With Triumph’s hugely impressive vision for Overlord II and bespoke titles for Wii and Nintendo DS, Overlord is set to dominate in 2009.” “Epic battles, all new Minion play mechanics, a stunningly detailed new visuals and a fresh theme – Overlord II’s really packing a punch,” says Lennart Sas, director and Overlord lead at Triumph Studios. “We’re really excited about shifting the world to a new era where a Roman-inspired Empire rises as the arch-enemy of the Overlord, which leads to an epic clash between the regimented forces of a sprawling state and the faster, harder, more manic minion horde. It’s also great to see the series reaching new formats. The creativity being packed into the design for Overlord Dark Legend on Wii and Overlord Minions on Nintendo DS make great use of the platforms’ unique features and are perfect extensions to the Overlord series.” OVERLORD TITLES FOR 2009: OVERLORD™II • PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360, Games For Windows. Overlord™II is the sequel to the hit warped fantasy action adventure that had players being delightfully despotic. In Overlord II, a new Overlord and a more powerful army of Minions take on an entire empire in a truly epic adventure, inspired by the rise of the Roman Empire. As the Glorious Empire conquers kingdoms and destroys any sign of magic it finds, it’s time to go Minion Maximus and send in the horde. The Minions return smarter, deadlier (and funnier) and are ready to fight in large scale battles that will see their wild pack mentality squaring up to the organised legions of the Glorious Empire. As ever, they’ll do anything and everything the Overlord commands of them, especially now that they can run ravage and wreck buildings and scenery. They’ve also learn to ride: In Overlord II Minions will be able to mount up and ride wolves and other magical creatures around the landscape and take them into battle, making our band of merry fighters faster and fiercer than ever before. Coming in 2009, Overlord II is now in development at Triumph Studios in Delft, the Netherlands, for the PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360 and Games For Windows.
So far, so Overlord, but as much as we loved the first game (and its Raising Hell expansion), even its most bedeviled admirers agreed it wasn't evil enough. We didn't want to stop at laying waste to the land and slaying its populace; we wanted to leave citizens cringing at our all-conquering might, and begging for mercy. We wanted to laugh with a roar that would have Brian Blessed cowering in the corner. So it's good to discover, as we tool around Triumph Studios getting to grips with the sequel, that the developer got the message.One of the key changes to the strategy-adventure gameplay is that the choices aren't simply about good or evil. After all, you're a cackling Overlord with a giant sword, fearsome armour and a horned helmet; the concept of good doesn't enter the equation. As Triumph's creative director Lennart Sas explains, the premise of the sequel is unfettered tyranny. Players now choose between shades of evil; do you choose the cold-hearted enslavement of domination, or down and dirty demonic destruction?
So, Browns can now ride wolves and form a fast and vicious cavalry charge. Not only can they travel faster than before, but they can jump gaps, knock over opponents and cause greater damage with their ferocious bite. Reds, meanwhile, get to ride fire salamanders. Described as "living flamethrowers" they will be capable of shooting out concentrated fire blasts, as well as be able to "dig into gnome holes to chase out the little buggers" and snaffle their goodies. The spider-riding Greens will now be able to ascend walls and web-up enemies like Spider-Man.Blues, however, miss out on the whole mount party. Sniff.In addition to these new abilities, you'll also be able to command a Minion Champion, who can lead groups of more than ten minions into battle. Taking a leaf out of Cannon Fodder's book, your minions now have an identity of sorts, so hopefully you'll become more attached to them, and later in the game you'll even come across a minion graveyard and be able to resurrect your cherished commanders.
Is this going to be on STEAM???!!!??!!!!!!!!
You are the Valve fan!
Oh, LordyOur initial impressions of Overlord II wasn't, it's fair to say, great. One of the frustrations you run into early on is that you run into invisible walls all the time. The ever-present mini-map in the bottom left hand side of the screen shows you the floor areas that you can walk on and you can’t walk on anywhere that isn’t mapped there.Mini-maps like this work well in games with dungeons with either a large drop of death around your path or walls on all sides as it's abundantly clear that you can’t diverge from the path.In Overlord II however, many levels are made to appear open plan, creating the illusion of a large open space when in fact there isn’t one. Often, your character can’t walk down paths that are clearly shown on screen and look easily big enough for you to fit down. Bumping into invisible walls gets old faster than a grandmother in a time-machine that's been stuck on fast-forward.
The second issue is that the initial few hours of play are about as much fun as writing a review using a tube of Pritt Stick and letters that have been individually cut out of an old copy of The Sunday Times. Early on in the game, Overlord II seems to lack of any kind of strategic play to advance. All that is actually required is for you to face the right direction and left click so that your minions go and kill the enemy, be they disgusting little balls of fluff or Romanesque solders.Thankfully though, this doesn’t last forever. The turning point is when you acquire the second of the four types of minion. The first type of minions are called Browns and the second type are called Reds. Browns are hardy little bleeders with a natural inclination for brawling, melee style. The Reds are a flower-powered, homage paying, fireball throwing bunch of arsonists who aren't so tough, but are great for burning things down.
The first few hours of playing through Overlord II are almost dull enough to have you stop playing it, and it would have been a real shame had I given in, because there's actually a lot to like about the game. The difficulty curve finally starts presenting entertainment when you get access to your second type of minion and some strategy starts to unfold before your glowing yellow eyes. The Green and Blue minions who come along later add more complexity and longevity to the game and make sure that things don't revert back to the stage of boredom.
