Publisher: Codemasters
System: Windos XP/Vista
ESRB rating: T
Review rating: 3 1/2 stars
In our capitalistic society, not everyone can be boss. Fortunately, Codemasters has quenched mankind's natural thirst for power and personal minions with the hilarious action game "Overlord."
Establishing oneself as a personification of evil is hard work, so up-and-coming potentates will take any help they can get. As the newly resurrected Overlord, you must gather impish followers to carry out your dirty work. These loyal subjects are more than happy to fight enemies, fetch items and even die for you. Talk about an ego boost.
Four types of minions (indicated by color) are at your command, and each type is useful. Browns are tough melee fighters, Greens ambush enemies, Reds shoot fireballs and Blues resurrect fallen minions.
Using each type correctly is the key to victory, and thanks to the easy-to-use control scheme, you can skillfully command each group in the heat of battle. Watching these mischievous gremlins in action is very entertaining, especially when they ride on the backs of sheep or other animals.
The Overlord isn't helpless, of course. He's free to hack away with his melee weapon or use various types of magic. I'm just surprised that he can't materialize a La-Z-Boy to relax in while watching his underlings at work. Still, the Overlord can forge new weapons and armor, upgrade his dark tower and take a mistress.
It didn't take long for me to get used to the adulation and self-sacrifice of my little assistants. Now if only I could find a way to teleport them to the real world.
Publisher: Namco Bandai
System: Sony PSP
Cost: $40
ESRB rating: T
Review rating: 2 1/2 stars
Fans of the Tales series will be pleased that they can play the latest installment, "Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology" anywhere on the mobile PlayStation Portable. Unfortunately, most role-playing game enthusiasts will find the game mediocre, no matter how portable.
Along the way, players will team up with several characters from past Tales games as well as newcomers to complete up to 300 quests. Only three party members can accompany the player at any time, but they are quite useful in combat. In fact, the players can switch among them at any time during fights, and this adds a welcome bit of variety.
It's just too bad that most encounters turn into frantic button-mashing sessions that don't require much attention.
In semiautomatic combat mode, pushing the "X" button makes the character rush the targeted enemy and immediately perform an attack, which is not very exciting. Switching to manual mode gives more control, but due to changing camera angles, hitting the enemy becomes an exercise in patience. Crafting food and items when not in dungeons is fun, but that can only hold a player's attention for a short while, just like the story line.
In the end, this title provides brief stints of fun, but lacks long-term appeal.
4 stars - Must have
3 stars - Pretty good
2 stars - So-so
1 star - Don't waste your time
Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
E: Everyone
T: Teen (13 and older)
E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)
M: Mature (17 and older)
