So Overlord II is out this week without any hype at all. Is anyone else looking forward to it? I though the demo was a lot of fun and it looks to be quite a bit more polished than the first game.

Trailers

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/new-overlord-overlord-ii/51404

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/career-in-overlord-ii/51247

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-overlord-ii/50771

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-overlord-ii/50045

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/creature-crunch-overlord-ii/49534

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/minion-maximus-overlord-ii/48765


http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/oddbodyAS2/ps3/untitled.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/oddbodyAS2/ps3/overlord2.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/oddbodyAS2/ps3/overlord2-003.jpg

I preordered it a couple of weeks ago. I loved the first one; loved the humor, and the Pikmin style play. Haven't played the demo, but I'm not worried about it. This game'll be solid.

I thought the demo was pretty fun. I mean who doesn't love clubbing baby seals?

I thought the demo was pretty fun. I mean who doesn't love clubbing baby seals?PETA? :) If this were a higher profile game there would've been protests already.


Only one review so far listed on Metacritic:

80 - from The Official Playstation Magazine UK.
A big improvement over the original, and one that deserves to be played by loads more people. So at least eight of you this time, yeah? [July 2009, p.90]

Ive given it some thought. I may pick it up. It just brings out the worst in me..LOL

I preordered it a couple of weeks ago. I loved the first one; loved the humor, and the Pikmin style play. Haven't played the demo, but I'm not worried about it. This game'll be solid.

You just said Pikmin. I'm downloading the demo tonight! :D

Some more reviews:

Eurogamer - 80 (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/overlord-ii-review)
Overall, in what has been a pretty underwhelming year for games so far, Overlord II feels like a shining beacon of quality. Not only is it a distinct improvement on the original, but the new features add greatly to what was already a superbly entertaining game. It manages to strike an excellent balance between being challenging and rewarding, and does so throughout with a wicked smile on its face. If the original was something of a sleeper hit, then the sequel ought to wake people up to its deliciously evil charms.


1up A - (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3174855&p=37&sec=REVIEWS)
So no, it's not an entirely perfect experience. But all of the above complaints -- even combined with my minor irritation with details like the marionette-like cut scene animation -- barely contests my overall joy at just playing this damn thing. The original Overlord was a perfect send-up and reversal of fantasy game clichés, and the sequel is even more satisfying while fixing a lot of the first game's rough patches. Coupled with other improvements, like the upgraded visual detail, draw distance, and the greater sense of weight behind the Overlord's animations, all add up to something a hell of a lot better than a game I already liked an awful damn lot in the first place.

I really tried to enjoy the first but just couldn't. It was a fantastic concept marred by truly abysmal controls. If this one has a functional targeting system and an easier way to manage minions I might look into it when it gets cheaper.

It really doesn't make a difference one way or another, but if I had to nitpick, I don't like the idea of a graveyard where you can resurrect dead pikmin, I mean minions.
Inevitably, in the first game, I did start to get favorites; maybe a brown with a pumpkin on his head and a pitchfork, or a chef's hat and a giant cleaver, and he's made it all the way to the swamp level. It made me think twice before I rushed him at some random target. Discretion became the better part of valor. They're taking away any sense of loss, because, eh, you can just revive them later.
Just nitpicking. I know I'm going to love this game.

I finally picked this up the other day and it's just as much fun as I'd hoped. The basic controls feel a bit sluggish but it's not a real problem with this kind of game. On the plus side, the way you group and control the minions is clever and works well.

The overall presentation is a mixed bag. I love the visual style and there's no tearing but the framerate gets pretty choppy. Also there's some geometry pop in and spotty animation. Voice work is very good and some of the music is surprisingly subtle and moody in contrast to the expected heavy-handed themes. Good stuff.

It really doesn't make a difference one way or another, but if I had to nitpick, I don't like the idea of a graveyard where you can resurrect dead pikmin, I mean minions.
Inevitably, in the first game, I did start to get favorites; maybe a brown with a pumpkin on his head and a pitchfork, or a chef's hat and a giant cleaver, and he's made it all the way to the swamp level. It made me think twice before I rushed him at some random target. Discretion became the better part of valor. They're taking away any sense of loss, because, eh, you can just revive them later.
Just nitpicking. I know I'm going to love this game. I can see your point but I still find myself protecting my guys and trying to be careful with them. Once I accidently drowned a couple of them while sweeping them off into the distance and was very glad I could get them back. Plus you do have to sacrifice a little bit to resurrect them.

One thing I'd like is to be able to micro-manage things: assign weapons and armour to individual minions, see their stats, and so on. Maybe that's outside the scope of such a light-hearted game though.

I've been playing this game since its release, and I have to say that I'm really unimpressed. I really loved the first one, and I find myself wanting to like this title, but I just feel disappointed. Is it just me or are the load times rediculously annoying? Some parts of the game are fun like rescuing the green hive, but the pacing is off, the camera is wonky, and I can't beat the crap out of my court jester.

I've only played the demo of the first game but from what I've read the camera and controls are an improvement. I agree there are too many load times but they're not that long to me and I can accept them since there's no install like almost every other PS3 game these days.

And I don't know about beating the crap out of the jester but you can still kick him the head. I do it sometimes to make him shut up. :)

Well I finished this tonight and despite some frustrations and glitches enjoyed it a lot. I did get fed up a couple of times trying to figure out what the game wanted me to do and had to turn to the internet for help.

The mounts for your minions were great but really underutilized. You can only use them in certain sections and can't take them with you when moving between areas. And it feels like there's a lot of untapped potential for strategic fights and puzzle solving the developers missed. But there's no denying how much fun it is tearing stuff up with your minions and watching them level up and collect new equipment.

Overall I'd give it a solid B and I'm looking forward to the upcoming DLC.