E3 09: Overlord Dark Legend
The Overlord franchise deserves to succeed - it's one of the only occupants of that very specialized niche created (or at least exemplified) back in the day by Bullfrog's Dungeon Keeper series: very funny evil satire. Codemasters' brand new Overlord game for the Wii, Overlord Dark Legend is full to the brim of satirical vileness, and adds a whole new chapter to the Overlord dramedy.
Set between Overlord and Overlord 2, Dark Legend follows a younger Overlord (who doesn't quite fit into his oversized armor) who'll learn to take out his youthful frustrations on the people, property, and livestock of the land.
Minion throttling is a major gameplay element here - snap your Wiimote to grab one of four types of minions, shake the Wiimote to throttle the lil' guy by the neck (a move I call 'the Tyrol') until his eyes start to glow, and then release: your addled minion will run forward and explode - with different effects. The blue minion, for instance, explodes in a blue blitz that heals nearby minions, while the red minion erupts in a miniature fireball, destroying objects that may block your path.
The brown minion is your typical melee fighter, while the green minion practices a minion-y sort of stealth (with a silly bit of green leaves tied to his head). Red minions will launch fireballs from afar.
Penned by award-winning games author Rhianna Pratchett, the story of Overlord Dark Legend sees our young Overlord work his way out of a twisted Cinderella situation - dominated by his older siblings and forgotten by his absent father (geez, this kid may grow up to be a gogo dancer...), the evil tyke will take on gingerbread men and a particularly lycanthropic young lady called Lil' Red.
Developer Climax seems to have done a fine job, and is clearly committed to spreading the underrated pleasure of the Overlord franchise to a new demographic. Throttle a minion of your own when the game releases on June 26.
tiny dancer
Posted to E3, Hot Stuff, Video Games on 5 June 2009
Other stuff like this: climax, codemasters, overlord dark legend, wii
