Overlord II

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Deliciously evil fantasy game is loaded with humor.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that in this action game you don't play as a hero. Instead, you're an anti-hero, a malevolent Overlord with tremendous power. You can kill harmless creatures, as well as humans and fantasy creatures, but there is no blood. You will hear a sex scene, and some of the fantasy creatures have oversized breasts that are barely covered. A substance that appears to be alcohol is part of the game.

 

  • While deeply rooted in fantasy (and comedy), this game lets you become an evil character,  who dispatches loyal minions to do evil things including killing innocent beings.
  • While deeply rooted in fantasy (and comedy), you are an evil character.
  • The game is fairly easy to pick up and play with a gamepad, though the keyboard-based controls in the PC version but be tricky for novice players.
  • Much of the game is rooted in violence, whether you're performing the deed or directing your minions to seek and destroy. Players will use a variety of weapons including swords and axes to kill fantasy animals and humans. Some like cute seals and bunnies are harmless, but you have no mercy. Melee attacks are possible. You will hear cries of pain, but see no blood.
  • Some occasional sexual references in dialogue (example: "They said I slept with the senator's daughter -- I didn't. I slept with his wife!") and large-breasted creatures whose nipples are covered by flowers. There is also a non-playable cut-scene sequence that implies the Overlord is having sex as you hear moaning and the camera shakes around (though nothing is seen, visually).
  • Not applicable.
  • Not applicable.
  • Your minions can consume what appears to be alcohol, followed by belching and in some cases, vomiting. There is also a reference to a drunk villager.

What's it about?

Unleash your evil side in Codemasters' OVERLORD II, a sequel to the cheeky 2007 fantasy game that lets you and your minions conquer kingdoms through might and magic. The action is back as you get to flex your muscle as Overlord, in charge of up to 50 green gremlin-like critters who do your bidding, should you command it. While roaming a Rome-esque world (simply referred to as Glorious Empire) from a third-person perspective you can summon more minions at special portal pits, assign them a target to attack or help clear the way to advance through the treacherous environments.


Is it any good?

 

It appears the developers at Triumph Studios took the criticism from the first game to heart as they've made the Overlord easier to control; more minions, who are tougher, faster, and funnier (and can now ride creatures such as wolves, and hop over water and chasms); and a new corruption system that allows players to enact their evil through either "domination" or "destruction." A host of multiplayer modes (co-op and competitive) are also thrown into the mix. If you liked the first Overlord, you'll love Overlord II.

Platform Notes:

While this game was designed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC,
there are also two other new Overlord games for other platforms:
Overlord Dark Legend (for Nintendo Wii) and Overlord Minions (for
Nintendo DS).

Online interaction: The game supports both co-op and head-to-head modes, both of which are not rated by the ESRB (players might hear profane language through a headset).


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about whether a game like this sends the wrong message to players, as it gives them a taste of being evil. Or is this "Teen"-rated game perfectly harmless for those who understand it's simply interactive fiction?


This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Adult
June 30, 2009
 
Cool Game but not appropriate for under 13
This game is pretty neat, but I wouldn't recommend it to kids unless they are teenagers.

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Teen, 16 years old
July 23, 2011
 
What I think
While this game is kinda bad for younger kids I think it's totally cool as long as you have parental supervision for some parts of the game cuz' yeah there can be some bad parts but 1: You never have sex with anyone in the game, same with the NPCs (non playable characters) 2. Yes the game is not cool in some parts like the killing of baby seals for "life force" but It's just a game and they respawn the next time you enter the area. all in all the only serious problem I see is the trash talk about sex witch by the way can be stopped by 1:Magic 2.The Overlord's sword/axe 3:Or Minions.

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Parent of 18 year old
January 30, 2011
 
PIRO GONAZLEZ
XBOX

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Parent of 17 year old
July 3, 2010
 
love it and fun kids love it.

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Teen, 15 years old
July 7, 2010
 
anyperson really
this game is great and pretty funny! 2 thumbs up!

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Kid, 13 years old
January 7, 2010
 
A fun game for tweens
I love this game. So far i havent seen anything to bad in it and would give it a age of 10-14, over 14 it might get a bit boring. A bad thing is one mission is to kill 100 innocents! But overall a great game :)

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Adult
December 31, 2009
 
This game is horrible...
This game is okay age-appropriate-wise but i have no clue why you would want to play it. The controls are poor and really the combat system is lacking in RTS elements. Why CSM insists on suggesting poor games is beyond me. If you're looking for a game for kids 12+ go with something amazing like Uncharted 1 or 2. Honestly i'm not sure why i come to this site sometimes, their recommendation/alternatives are poor at best most times.

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This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows
Available online?Available online
Genre:Action/Adventure
Developer:Codemasters
Release date:June 23, 2009
Price:$59.99
ESRB rating:T for Alcohol Reference, Crude Humor, Suggestive Themes, Violence

This review was written by Marc Saltzman

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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