One of the most appealing aspects of Overlord is the ease with which the game is controlled. Too often games like this get bogged down with way too many buttons or commands for a casual player to fully enjoy the experience. Codemasters simplified the controls to the point that if someone were watching the game played, they might think it was as complicated and obtuse as some of the other games that are "squad-based" and force the player to keep a handle on too many things at once. Not so; Overlord is much more of a pick-up-and-play game than other action/strategy games. You'll move with the analog stick, select minion magic with the d-pad, directly control the minions with the other analog stick and use L2 to send your army in whichever direction you might be facing. The L2 button could have been a disaster if the minions weren't programmed as well as they are. You'll never come across a situation where they didn't do exactly what you want. Killing enemies (or defenseless sheep... no, I'm not kidding), collecting power-ups and gold and thoroughly exploring the area... the minions really do it all.

The ease of commanding your army goes from a godsend at the beginning of the Overlord's adventure to what will seem like a hindrance after a few hours of play. Luckily, as soon as the game begins to feel stale and/or easy, a new minion-type, magic spell, uncharted area or manner of task presents itself to keep things interesting. For every instance where I thought, "Ok... I've got the hang of things..." something new ALMOST ALWAYS popped up to keep things interesting. The pacing and steadily increasing difficulty make Overlord a game that feels fresh from the first objective to the last boss.

Even though Overlord isn't much to look at or listen to, the always-fun gameplay nearly makes up for it. I'd be willing to overlook a lack of plot and a low audio/visual budget if the gameplay was always pitch-perfect... and it ALMOST is. The one nagging problem can be the game's camera. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that earlier, I mentioned direct control over your minions through use of the PS3's second analog stick. One analog stick control in a 3D action game almost always equals a broken camera system, and Overlord is no exception. The direct minion control is usually a valuable tool, but the camera control that is sacrificed at its expense can pose problems for both you and your keenly controlled warriors. Eighty-five percent of the time, you wont even notice the camera; it's the other fifteen percent of the time that will get under your skin. Ninja Gaiden II on the 360 recently won my "all time worst camera" award and in comparison, Overlord's camera is fine. If you were one of the people lucky enough to not have suffered through Ninja Gaiden II, then Overlord's camera will only be a minor annoyance. Either way, it isn't really all that terrible and I only mention it because all other aspects of Overlord's gameplay are so richly satisfying.

Since Overlord arrived at my house last week for review, starting up my PS3 and playing for a hour or two has been the first thing I've done in the mornings and the last thing I've done at night after some very long days at work. Perhaps that is the most ringing endorsement I can give the game - while Overlord may not be a perfect game front top to bottom, it is a unique and entertaining experience that, despite all the other games I'm playing and reviewing, kept me coming back again and again. There are a lot of games on the market fighting for your attention, but Overlord snuck quietly onto the market and personally blew me away. Give this game a shot; you'll probably like it as much as I did.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 84%.

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