In a console world dominated by sleepy sequels, the best most players can hope for these days is a game thats incrementally better than the Identikit title they coughed up for only a year ago. Yet in a bewildering step in the wrong direction, Overlord II fails to fix key mistakes made by its predecessor.
Following the familiar formula, Overlord II sees players commanding a horde of Gremlin-like rascals, each of which gleefully unleash mischief at its megalomaniacal masters behest. A wider variety of moves for your cackling army such as the ability to ride wild animals makes for more variety in the challenges, and the sharp sense of humour that made the first Overlord a hit is still layered over the strategic action in spades.
But despite the original being hammered for its infuriating camera and frustration when picking out targets, the developers havent fully addressed these prickly issues, making the game irritating from the get-go. And while its still a laugh to play the bad guy, the ditching of gentle exploration elements that made the first game a blast makes Overlord II a disappointing follow-up that fails to make the best of its promising premise.