PlayStation 3

Overlord II

If that dark place in everyone's heart lies a little bit closer to the surface of yours, this is far and away the best place to let it out. I mean, unless you already have a tower, harem, and army of hilarious little bastards to do your bidding. In which case, do you need a roommate?

Con todo esto, Overlord II se trata de una sobresaliente aventura de acción y estrategia que ningún aficionado al género debería perderse. No son muy numerosas las novedades que presenta, pero incluso los aficionados al original encontrarán en este título el suficiente encanto como para quedar prendados de él. Muchas horas de diversión, una historia hilarante, y un diseño de la acción bien desarrollado lo convierten en una de las propuestas más interesantes del año.

Terrorizing fairytale stereotypes with improved mechanics is once again fun, but the minions won’t be able push the game all by themselves for too long.

Overlord 2 is certainly better than its predecessor and shows that some devs do listen to their community. This game is a must-have for any RPG/RTS fan.

Unlike so many other sequels, Overlord II navigates the fine balance between completely reinventing the game and not adding enough features to make it feel like more than just a glorified expansion pack. Aside from the often-mediocre framerates and some painfully spaced checkpoints, I had a disturbing amount of fun terrorizing, killing, and/or enslaving all who stood in my way.

Licht tactische gameplay met zwartgallige rotbeesten die er een rotzooitje van maken. Klinkt goed en zo speelt het ook. De flauwe humor is niet aan iedereen besteed en de verwarrende camera en wisselende framerate dreigen de game af en toe onderuit te schoppen, maar het sinds het eerste deel onveranderde spelprincipe staat nog steeds als een huis. Triumph heeft die zelfs uitgebreid met veel meer opties en talloze details die het echt een complete ervaring maken. Het voelt goed om slecht te zijn!

Overlord II macht als Fortsetzung vieles richtig: Es gibt zahlreiche schöne Locations, abwechslungsreiche Aufgaben und erweiterte oder sinnvoll abgeänderte Spiel-Elemente. Dass ich mit Teil 2 aber trotzdem nicht ganz zufrieden bin, liegt an einigen kleinen Schwächen, die in der Summe einfach stören. Vor allem, dass ich meinen Untertanen zu häufig unter die Arme greifen muss, nervt. Zudem ist eine Story fast nicht vorhanden und die Zwischensequenzen leiden unter mäßigen Sprechern – das trübt etwas den Spaß am Bösesein.

Overlord II is een goede game geworden. Waar de humor misschien niet iedereen aanspreekt, staat de gameplay gewoon als een huis. Ondanks de kleine irritaties, zoals de niet altijd lekker werkende camera, zorgen de verschillende soorten puzzels, de ijzersterke soundtrack en boeiende wereld voor een fijne game waarin de innerlijke duivel in je zich even helemaal uit kan leven.

Overlord II will feel largely familiar to players who weathered through the original game. The development team has shored up some – but not all – of the loose elements to make the gameplay a bit tighter and added in minor touches here and there that generally enhance the evil enjoyment it dishes out. The new additions help to amp-up the inherent fun of being a rampaging dark overlord, but the linear path of destruction you’ll create doesn’t really feel like epic progress. You’ll find some entertaining mayhem here. Just don’t expect to be blown away.

Véritable pied-de-nez à tous ces jeux qui nous donnent à observer des elfes hautains et magnifiques, des chevaliers vertueux et des nains inflexibles, Overlord II nous sert une aventure drôle et bien menée. A la tête d'une petite armée de larbins dévoués, on se fait du bien en répandant le mal. Et si les nouveautés de ce second volet ne sont pas très nombreuses ni très significatives, elles permettent néanmoins de donner encore un peu plus de profondeur à l'expérience. Le titre saura donc séduire les possesseurs du premier épisode comme les néophytes désireux de passer du côté obscur.

There's no denying that Overlord II is an enjoyable expansion on the original idea, which will entertain the fans. Unfortunately, the frustrations seem to mount up as you get further into the game, making it plainly obvious that Triumph has failed to really address key issues that thwarted the original. Stronger level designs, a rethink on the Minions/Orbs setup, and further playtesting on the checkpoint system could have made this a lot better.

Despite its annoying foibles, the entire Overlord II package adds up to a fun game that is hampered by some real issues (in the same way that the game's sound is, for the most part, solid). If you can get past the wonky camera and are content to micromanage your minions, as well as the targeting system, then Overlord II is an ideal way to spend some of your spare time if you want to be a little evil. After all, you'd probably get arrested if you try to club a baby seal in real life.

The real shame is that Overlord II can be entertaining. It shamelessly embraces its evil heritage, and goes to great lengths to put the hilarious minions front and center. On the other hand, it just doesn’t play well. The controls are clunky, the pacing is unsatisfying, and the multiplayer feels tacked-on. While the original Overlord was a compelling game at heart, Overlord II just feels like an unpolished retread of ­familiar ground.

Overlord II is a sequel that is neither bigger nor better than its predecessor. The size and scope have been dialed back to something that is more akin to a straight action game. And since none of the frustrating elements of the first have been fixed -- namely the camera, control, and save structure -- this game just isn't much fun. No amount of British wit could bring a smile to my face as I treaded through the tedium that is Overlord II.

It’s a shame that we’ve had to focus on the negative aspects of this game, because in most respects Overlord II is nearly there. It can be a lot of fun and beating up familiar looking green-clad elves forces a wry smile, but for the most part the poor combat, paper-thin strategy and technical limitations hinder a product laced with potential.