Overlord review - Xbox 360

Overlord is an RPG that gives you the chance to unleash your truly nasty side. As the titular Overlord, you control a host of minions who do your evil bidding as you work your way through a series of quests in the game's slightly spoof fantasy universe. Never taking itself too seriously, humour is central to Overlord - the gags flow thick and fast. So, is it a one-joke wonder or will Overlord step up to the mark as a long-lasting RPG? Find out when you read our Overlord review for Xbox 360 now!
Click here to read our Overlord review for Xbox 360 now!

Overlord review for Xbox 360
Whatever retro-bores might tell you about Monkey Island or Sam & Max, videogames are not a natural medium for comedy. A fat man exploding in a Monty Python film is hailed as a work of comic genius, whereas a fat man exploding in Overlord comes across as trying too hard. The primary purpose of a game is not to make you laugh (or indeed cry), it’s to fill up the hours when you’re alone, it’s raining, and there’s nothing decent on the telly. Step forward Overlord, notionally a send-up of the fantasy roleplaying genre. A largely pointless exercise, it’s a bit like making a James Bond spoof, in so much as the subject matter is already ludicrously over-the-top. For all the chin-stroking portentousness attached to Tolkien and his ilk, surely nobody takes that muck seriously? Overlord certainly doesn’t, kicking off in the Fable-esque village of Spree, presumably an hilarious spoof of Bree from The Lord Of the Rings. Much like Fable, the populace have comedy West Country accents, augmented by visitors from as far afield as Northern England and even redneck America. The overt wackiness is initially off-putting, but beyond the silly voices and ribald humour lurks an extremely playable game, albeit a difficult one to describe. Comparisons have been made with Nintendo’s Pikmin, in that you, the titular Overlord, control hordes of minions who do your bidding.

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360Zine is a full, free to download magazine dedicated to Xbox 360 gaming. This issue is packed with previews and reviews of all the hottest Xbox 360 games, all written by UK games journalists. Previewed this month are underwater sensation Bioshock, Grand Theft Auto IV, Fable 2 and many more. In reviews, we've played and rated all the newest releases, including supernatural first-person shooter The Darkness, intrinsically evil RPG Overlord and demolition derby extravaganza FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage.If you're waiting on tenterhooks for the release of Bioshock, then this is the issue for you: as well as a three-page preview, we've been talking exclusively to Joe McDonagh of Irrational about all things Bioshock - you can even listen to the audio interview. All this and much more - check out the Community section, gaming news and all your Xbox 360 questions answered. Simply click to download and you will get the complete magazine with all the Xbox 360 games previews and reviews included.