Overlord II Review

Overlord II PC

Publisher: Codemasters
Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
UK Price (as reviewed): £24.99 (inc. VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): $36.99 (ex. Tax)

Working in a quiet environment with a hierarchical structure after playing a game such as Overlord II has the potential to cause problems. Temptations start to bubble under the service. I sit here, surveying my surroundings. Journalists feverishly hammer away at their PCs, bringing up-to-date technological revelations to their countless collective readers. Urges bubble…

”Atttaaaacckkk, my miinniiooooonnnsss!!!!!!1!!”

Crap. Did I just say that out loud? Everyone is staring at me. I'm standing up. The music that was playing in the background has stopped. For some reason it sounded as if a needle had skipped off a record.

I sit back down and return to my review as everyone else on the floor glances awkwardly sideways at one another. My editor is passing me a steely glare from across the desk and telling me if it happens again I’ll have to finish the review in the labs. Crikey.


That's Overlord for you. The original game Overlord: Raising Hell was well received, casting you as an evil Overlord who had an army of minions to control in order to thwart the good guys. The change in perspective, and the dark humour (baby seals are referred to as "disgusting little balls of fluff") made it a refreshing takes on the fantasy genre.

In Overlord II, you start your adventure as a little tyke of an Overlord, standing about 3ft tall and wearing a coat that could have been borrowed from Kenny out of South Park. For the first portion of the game, you run around as a prepubescent wannabe Lord of Darkness in an interactive prologue of sorts which sets the scene for your life ahead as the boss of many minions.


That's because after losing their original Overlord, the minions are on the search for a new one. Your dark, hooded face and glowing eyes automatically make you an ideal candidate. However, a decidedly unorganised rabble from a Romanesque civilisation are hunting out and exterminating all of the magical beings in the land. They’ve already captured Paul Daniels and David Blane, and you’re next.

Afraid of being stormed by the Empire's armies, the do-gooder villagers capture you and hand you over to the enemy. However, eager not to lose their potential new master, the minions help you escape the clutches of the Empire and drag you down to the Netherworld (your underground lair and evil land full of black rock and lava) for you to begin your evil upbringing and of course, evil training.

A cutscene later and you’re a fully fledged bad-ass. You’ve given Kenny his furry-lined coat back, nipped over to Middle Earth to borrow a serious helmet and armour from Sauron and can suddenly wield a battle axe capable cutting down a Californian Redwood in a single swing.