Overlord: the Best Third Person Role Playing Game Ever

Are you bored of always being the good guy, running around trying to save the world and rescue the maiden? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the bad guy and be as wicked as you can. Overlord is the first third person RPG that truly allows you to choose between good and evil, between right and wrong. You get to decide how wicked you really want to be or how good you want to be. As the Overlord you get to control an army of minions and roam the lands wreaking havoc on the innocent or giving aid to the defenseless. Overlord has all the elements required of an RPG; Quests, mythical creatures, puzzles and rewards. Fight or aid Hobbits, Elves, Trolls, Dwarves and Humans, capture slaves of free villages, steal items or return them to their rightful owners, the choice is entirely yours. The only thing you have to do is slay the seven heroes who overthrew your predecessor and regain the title of Overlord.

Graphics and Audio

The overall look of this game is highly impressive, it's 3D open world environment is truly amazing and you will find yourself pausing at times just to admire the reflections of a castle on the lake or a village burning in the distance. The landscape is highly impressive and there is little or no transition from one area to the other. The creatures you encounter are all highly detailed and move in a fluid and complex manner that will delight the eye. The audio is really impressive and your minions will keep you amused for hours with their quirky little sayings.

Gameplay

Overlord is a single player RPG played in the third person, but there are elements of the game that can be played online against other players, not the role playing part though. The overall gameplay is very good, but there are some bad points. Being an open world RPG it can sometimes get frustrating that you have to go over the same portion of the world again and again, but if you are a fan of RPGs then this will be nothing new. In order to build up your power and gold reserves it is crucial that you visit certain areas over and over again. In Overlord, however, this is not so much a chore as a pleasure. The majority of the areas you visit are fun and entertaining and the fighting system is so good that it is entertaining just running around and killing things. The puzzles presented to the player are tough enough to be entertaining, but easy enough for even the younger players to beat. One difficult thing to master in the game is controlling your minions while fighting yourself, but this comes with practice and once mastered allows you to fight multiple groups of enemies at once. For Xbox360 players who are addicted to gaming points this game can be frustrating. It is extremely hard to gain all the points and I would advise that you set a goal of 500 points.

Creativity

Overlord is a superbly original game and brings together all the elements required in a RPG. It has magic, monsters, puzzles and maidens, but also has the twist of evil. The minions you control are hilarious and a lot of thought has gone into their design. With four different minions to choose from your army can be come specialized or generalized. Brown, red, green and blue minions all bring something special to your army so the combinations of your hoard are endless. Overlord does need to be played in a specific line, though you never feel you are being led by the nose to certain areas. The gameplay is driven by quests that require you to go to certain areas, defeat certain monsters or heroes and capture certain people or objects. This allows a great amount of flexibility to the game and makes it a wonder to play. Having played several RPG games on a few different consoles, I have to say that Overlord is by far the most creative and original I have found.

Fun

If fun is what you are looking for then this is the game for you. I have never played a game before that made me laugh so much. The creatures in the game are all parodies of Tolkien's creature from "The Lord of the Ring", but they have been given personalities that will have you laughing with joy. The minions are particularly hilarious and are always up to something. They pick up weapons and armor from things you slay and can often be found wearing a pumpkin for a helmet and using a zombie's arm for a weapon. They are also very vocal and have a vocabulary that will keep you amused even through the most mundane parts of the game.

Add ons

In 2008, Codematers released a downloadable add-on called Overlord - Raising Hell which, as well as adding content to the game, allows a split screen co-op mode so you can play with your friends or online. This is a great expansion pack and well worth investing in to optimize your gaming experience.

Overall

Overlord truly is the best RPG I have ever played and among the best games ever. It looks great, sounds good, plays well and will keep you glued to your console for hours at a time. It took me around 50 hours to complete the game, but it could have been done in less time. One of the best points of the game though is the ability to choose between good and evil and therefore if you play the game again it will not be the same.