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[b-guy]

Overlord 2

"Don't delay, be evil today!"

I don't remember if I posted a review on the old forum on the original Overlord game. I only just finished it last week. And, of course, the sequel had just been released on STEAM. And I'm on vacation. And mom & dad now have high-speed internet capable of downloading games via STEAM. Ohh, my clicking finger is going to be SOOORE!

Anyway, Overlord is very much like the original. You have your character, the Overlord, who you navigate through various, beautifully rendered settings. You can equip him with different weapons, armour and so forth throughout the game, and various health and magic level-ups are hidden all over. You have your Dark Tower, a base from which you can operate. And, best of all, you have your minion army. Most of the gameplay revolves around your control of the minions, sending off to attack, pillage and etc. The game also has a wonderful sense of humour, such as crashing your ship because you were too busy checking out a nice rack through your telescope, and a lot of cute little lines like "Brown minions are melee fighters. Their policy is kill first, jump up and down on the carcass later."

For example, take these charming, 50's style 'informational videos':

Your Career as an Overlord http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-webrp_oRao
Controlling One's Minions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rteb0gXQG7Q
How to Cause More Mayhem and Carnage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp0YdLw9x9Y

Or, if you prefer a more official trailer:

Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28OozEGW8TE
Official Top 10 Reasons to be Evil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMRKy-huXHw

The only real differences between the original and the sequal is that your minions can now ride mounts such as wolves and spiders, and you can control certain machines like boats, catapults and ballistas. Oh, you also now have the power to possess minions at certain points in the game.

Overall, I love the Overlord series for it's humour and amusing gameplay. The only negatives I can really think of is that the target selection can be a bit annoying, and the use of save points rather than just being able to save a game at will is truly frustrating.

8.5/10

[borgcrazy]

Halo Wars
If you plug this into your 360 expecting to be treated to a StarCraft-like experience of strategic complexity and combat intensity, you will be disappointed. If, however, you're expecting something far simpler, you'll go home happy.
Calling Halo Wars "StarCraft-Lite" is unfair since this is pretty much a completely different approach to the RTS genre than StarCraft. Where SC is focused (as most of Blizzard's 'Craft games are) on resource management and base micromanagement, HW focuses more on exploration and whupping ass. Resources aren't unlimited - if you build too fast, you'll experience significant downtime as you wait for your coffers to refill - but your source of income never depletes itself either, unless you let your base get destroyed that is.
Base building is a simple affair; you get a set number of pads to place building modules on, then buy the units/upgrades that module provides. The modules are all self-contained and you can get all the units and upgrades available, provided you have the proper resources and tech levels. There aren't any complicated tech trees here - you don't need to build three ancilliary structures in order to get the best upgrades - but there is something of a tech "ladder", meaning there are a number of lesser upgrades you have to buy first before getting to the best stuff. Thankfully, though, the only limiting factor to this is your current amount of Supplies and the number of Reactors you possess. So, for example, if you wanted to max out the Hornet upgrades, all you need is a Supply Pad, at least three Reactor Pads (or an Advanced Reactor or two) and an Air Pad. The Supply and Reactor Pads provide the resources needed and the Air Pad provides everything else.
My biggest complaint with HW, though, is the lack of mid-mission saves. Sure, the missions are short (if you just go for the main objectives each mission should take less than ten minutes) but I can't help but wonder why they even provide a Save Game option during a mission if you have to start the mission from the beginning anyway.
Despite that, though, HW is a decent game and worth at least one playthrough, if only for the storyline. Personally, I prefer the greater complexity and variety of the 'Craft games, but HW is a fun diversion for those times when I don't have the focus to micromanage.

[b-guy]

I had to post this 'Minion FAQ' link. I just want to replace 'minion' with 'first-year' and hang it over the urinals in the first-year bathrooms for their reading pleasure...

But my squadron leaders said no.

Minion FAQ:

How do I clean my Minion?
For best results, treat your Minion like a rug: Hang them over a rail and beat them until no dust or dirt remains.

Are Minions child-friendly?
That depends on how fast your child can run.

I have a cat, can I have a Minion too?
Minions will have no problems with any other pet you may have. Please note this may not work the other way round.

Are Minions carbon neutral?
Although Minions are clean and efficient, a lot of what they do results in smoke and fire, which has been known to make Mother Earth cry. But burnt down villages produce zero emissions, so in a way they're eco warriors.

How do I communicate with my Minion?
Minions understand most human languages, but for best results use violence.

How long can I make a Minion work?
Minions are not unionised and have no helpline, charity or activists. Go nuts.

How long do Minions live?
We're not really sure as no Minion has ever died due to natural causes.

How can I tell the gender of my Minion?
You should never try to do that. Ever.

Should I neuter my Minion?
Only if you think it's funny.

How many Minions do I need?
That depends on what job you need done. A single Minion can easily mutilate the postman,
but you need at least a dozen for world domination.

[Mad Lensman]

Hell just replace Minion with Student and you've pretty well gotten the current UK educational system down to a tee.

[Mad Lensman]

PORTAL

I seem to remember this got a review in the last forum - but here's mine anyway.

ARRRRGHHHHH!!!!! - This game is just tooooo damn addictive. I'm beyond hooked, and heading out toward obseessing over my weighted companion cube. Why is something so damn simple so damn addictive? And why do all the turrets insist on apologising when they've just shot the hell out of my character? Or telling me they don;t blame me when I kill them? And that end song? I'm still humming "Still Alive" three days AFTER finishing the game!!!!

Thanks STEAM. Can I have my life back now?

[b-guy]

RE: Portal

Heh, yeah, that was my review before. Glad to see somebody else got addicted. (I bought 'Still Alive' off iTunes)

I really hope Portal 2 comes out soon...

[borgcrazy]

Hell, I got "Still Alive" AND the radio mix free from a link in the comments on a Youtube vid. I hear there's a way to extract the mp3 from the game, but I think you need XBox Live to do so.

[Mad Lensman]

PLANTS VS ZOMBIES

This game has eaten HOURS of my recouperation time...... BC You are gonna love this when you get a copy. Essentially, you grow plants in your garden to power an army of other plants to fight off hordes of Zombies which attack using the most bizzarre tactics ever. Each zombie strain has a different talent, making them susceptible to different plant attacks. The idea is simple. Survival!

An example, a Zombie wearing a road cone on his head is more armoured than a zombie without a cone, but throw a knob of butter on them from a corn cob plant and zap! Dead zombie. There's all kinds of bizzarre weapons too, Doom-Shrooms, Melon Flingers, Wall-nut's to name a few. Totally kiddie safe and very entertaining......

Being a pop cap game, I wasn't expecting much, they usually entertain and are a giggle for a while, but then get put down. This one's different. It's addictive as hell! I got my copy on Steam for under £7 so it wasn't even expensive.

[b-guy]

Myst Online: Uru Live (Again)

After being announced, beta'ed, cancelled by Ubisoft, run in limited form on public servers, resurrected by GameTap, cancelled, buried in soft peat for a year, announced as open-source and then buried for yet another year, Myst Online: Uru Live (MOUL) has staged yet another comeback.

MOULAgain is basically a re-lauch of where MOUL left off when cancelled two years ago, with three very important differences:

1) This is the first time the servers have been fully controlled and owned by the developer, CYAN, instead of a distributor.
2) The game is now donation driven instead of being lumped into a GameTap subscription.
3) Development tools will be released, allowing fans to create their own 'Ages' and content for the virtual world.

Some Background

Myst was the #1 selling PC game of all time until the release of The Sims. The first two games, Myst and Riven, hinted at the downfall of a larger civilization by dropping the player into the middle of a deadly family struggle between some of the survivors. You need to infer a lot of the story yourself through reading character journals and making observations, but the games are very immersive. Two books, The Book of Atrus and The Book of Ti'ana gave the full backstory, detailing the D'Ni race, their home in a cavern deep beneath the Earth, their ability to 'link' to amazing worlds 'Ages' and ultimately the destruction of their civilization.

Uru

Myst Online has the basic premise of 'What if somebody, today, found the cavern?'

The game is an MMORPG, though the RPG part isn't really accurate because you are playing yourself, taking on the role of an explorer in the D'Ni cavern (you-are-you). There are puzzles to solve, Ages to explore and a very dedicated but friendly community to connect with. It's this community that's been responsible for bringing the game back so many times.

With the servers having been online barely 48 hours, Cyan has already been forced to upgrade their server system due to much higher than anticipated traffic. The flip side of this is that they also received much higher than expected levels of donations, which paid for said upgrade. The servers are now at a point where it can be very frustrating to get logged in (limited number of connections, I think) but once you're logged in the game performs quite well, with only occasional lag.

If any of you drop by the Cavern, you'll find me as Selv Urado. (I know, pathetic. But it works.) My KI number. 00136150, can be used to add me to your Buddies list.

Uru Trailerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY-EZumXhxE

[borgcrazy]

Bioshock 2
Holy F-ing Hell! Yea, this is what a game sequel is supposed to be like! It felt enough like the first to be familiar and easy to just jump into, but there were enough improvements and changes that it felt like a new experience.
And yes, playing as a Big Daddy is wicked fun.
I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the first.
Also, bad Big Sister, go away!!