Overlord II

They say heroes are born, not made. Okay, but what about villains? Overlord II says it’s the same — if the evil’s in you, it’s gotta come out — but that there’s a certain je ne sais qua to being a bad guy. The sequel to 2007’s overlooked action/ strategy gem wears its ambition on its sleeve... and you can see a few seams here and there.

You start Overlord II’s funny fantasy quest for world domination as a wee tyke. After knocking over snowmen and setting the holiday tree on fire (yes, that’s the tutorial), you’re cast out of your village as “Witch Boy.” Years later you return to subjugate or kill the townsfolk, which is one of the sequel’s biggest and best differences. Whereas Overlord let you be a benevolent dictator, this follow-up makes you choose between evil or more evil. Is erasing a peasant’s mind and turning them into loyal (if suicidal) slaves less cruel than striking them down in cold blood? Good luck with that.

Every Overlord needs underlings, and your talkative minions are indispensable. Well, actually, they’re quite dispensable — it’s easy to summon them from the netherworld via a glowing pit, then steer them into danger with the right analog stick. Different colored minions excel at different tasks: browns bash stuff, reds can remove (or create) fire hazards, stealthy greens can turn invisible, and the blue ones conveniently don’t drown. And if a few die, no big deal — just slaughter a few foolish mortals and reclaim their life essence to make new troops. Minions gain experience, but resurrecting veterans from the dead (one of the game’s neat new tricks) gets expensive fast.

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