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| | Title:
Overlord
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System:
Xbox 360
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Genre:
Action/Adventure
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Publisher:
Codemasters
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Developer:
Triumph Studios
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Release:
Summer 2007
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Rating Pending (RP)
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So you’re tired of games where “good” dominates you say? It’s time to play as an evil conqueror bent on establishing a dominion over goodly folk you say? Well, Triumph Studios has apparently heard the cry of you people who think that most video games are too sweet on the hero side. They call their game Overlord.
First let’s get you settled into what type of game it is. Yes, you’re an evil “Overlord” who has been awakened by your Gremlin looking minions. And yes, you must wreak havoc on the surface dwellers in order to rebuild your once proud and prosperous evil kingdom. But what you don’t expect is the manner in which you do so. The game is not set as combat orientated, but instead, it’s more of a mix between Action, RPG, and…Pikmin.
I did mean to write Pikmin, just so you’re clear. Remember those Gremlins I mentioned above? Your evil (and hilarious) minions aren’t just to stand around and cheer you on. No, they’re there to actually help you as your little gophers. Go for this; go for that – a la Pikmin. For instance, your first mission is to retrieve an orb of power that you need to help rebuild your castle. You are given 5 minions to control for this first escapade into the surface world and they destroy, move obstacles, and carry stuff around at your leisure. Continue into the game and earn more minions to control and different minions to use.
The minions are extremely animated and will have you grinning maliciously; feeling not at all bad about your evil deeds. Send them into a farm house and watch them drink the beer on the table, then smile wickedly as they “relieve” themselves in the fireplace, all the while destroying everything in sight. Your minions will destroy farmland too. Send them to the pumpkin patch, watch them destroy it, and then wear the remains on their heads as armor. You’ll find your hilarious little minions grabbing whatever they can find to outfit themselves in armor. Just point your evil finger and they go where you tell them.
In contrast, you as the Overlord are quite mechanical and not at all fluid. It’s almost as if the actual Overlord was an afterthought when you watch how animated and fantastic the minions are. Compare that to your lumbering movement, un-inspired control, and craptastic camera, and you’ll know what I’m getting at. Camera angles aren’t adjustable at all. The static camera is just plain irritating and you only get one button (down on right analog stick) that “centers” the camera and that’s it. As a matter of fact, that’s the first thing I noticed about Overlord that I didn’t like. Control of the camera angle is one my pet peeves, but it isn’t so much of a problem that it will keep you from enjoying the game unless you’re a control freak like me – pun intended.
One thing I should mention is that there have been frequent reports of a bug. This bug, is apparently so bad, that it will actually end your game. I myself got lucky with my copy and had no problems, but a lot of people have put 11 or so hours into the game, got to the last levels, and had a game ending glitch that apparently rears its ugly head when you go through your castle-to-surface teleporter. You may want to check into specifics about the bug yourself before you buy it, and/or check to see if an update to patch the game is ready to download. It sounds like more testing and QA should have been done to the game... Maybe that would have given us better camera adjustments too.
On the bright side, the narrative and exploits you find yourself in are quite entertaining and will make you constantly curious about what you’ll hear and see next. As you travel each realm, you will encounter quirky inhabitants who will sound off with their thoughts; good or bad. And each one of the four types of minions you control has their own personalities and will help you and make you laugh along the way. You would think that there would be a few more puzzles to be had, but alas, the game steers away from making you think too much. Basically, the minions are there to move stuff, break stuff, and provide outrageous comedy relief. The NPCs (non-player characters) will have a thing or two to say as well, and are triggered as you walk past a specific, but invisible, point in a village. Oddly, most people aren’t scared or don’t seem to be at all bothered that an evil Overlord and his minions are traipsing through their town. As a matter of fact, one vendor actually asks if your minions are for sale.
It’s all quite fun and admirably done where the narrative and environments are concerned, that is, until you get lost, which you will. Can you say map? I can, but apparently the developers left this neat idea out, maybe for a good reason. While the paths are linear, you are actually given choices on direction and you have to explore them to know where it goes. That’s all fine and dandy until you get lost for the tenth time. My solution: free-roam with a map, instead of linear paths and no map. But, honestly, if there was a map in the game, it would be the most linear and straightforward gameplay that you would ever see. It’s a catch 22, if you will… a double edged knife.
Along with the expansive single player, there are a couple of multiplayer options to be had here, too. A co-op survival test and two versus modes are your choices, and they aren’t all that special since they play a little too similar to the single player campaign. I have to say that I was quite surprised to find the game laggy as well, and it definitely depreciated the little bit of fun I was having. Besides, this is really the type of game that needs no multiplayer and it feels as if it was a last minute addition, just to say “we have multiplayer”. Then again, I think everyone expects multiplayer in their games now, so they had to deliver it.
All in all, there are some really great things done in Overlord that I would love to see again. Had this game stood in development longer and had been tested and re-tested a few more times, it would be a super smash hit; game of the year flagship… but the bug, camera, multiplayer, and level construction put a big dent in an otherwise sweet game. The rendering and overall graphics are awesome; the narrative and story design is superb, and the game premise are all well done, but it just isn’t enough to put this game on the top of the “got to have it” list.
| The Core Score |
Overall
7 |
| Fun |
|
8 |
| Gameplay |
|
7 |
| Graphics |
|
8 |
| Audio |
|
7 |
| Replay |
|
6 |
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