Becoming the Overlord
Overlord II will be released in a couple of weeks for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Right now you can get a taste of being evil by playing the demo on the various platforms. If you have played the first Overlord, you will like the sequel even better. This time you are a different overlord and must not only become accepted as the new overlord by the minions, but you must also battle against various groups including Scandinavian-like humans, elves, and the Empire which is a group based on the Romans. Not only do you get to control your horde of minions like in the first game, there are also war machines you can take use such as catapults, ballista, and even ships. If you have never played Overlord, be sure to check out the demo.
Since I am talking about it, this is a good time to mention some of the aspects of the demo. It uses almost all of the second level of the game where you are out in the Hunting Grounds. It begins in a cavern where you get some training with the Yeti. You then leave the cavern and head out into the cold, icy world of Nordberg. One of your quests is to collect 30 lifeforce. Lifeforce are orbs which are released when you kill creatures and enemies. Your first source of lifeforce are little white seals. Send your minions out to bash them. Once they are dead, have your minions pick up the lifeforce orbs. Lifeforce is used to summon more minions from a minion gate. Luckily, one will be provided so you can increase your horde from 10 minions up to the max of 15 for now. (As you progress through the game, you can eventually control a horde of 50 minions.)
You won’t be able to get all 30 lifeforce in the first area, so after the Yeti breaks through an ice barrier, advance to the next part of the map. This land is inhabited by hunters. A dock is located on the edge of the ice. Send you minions to break open the crates, barrels, and chests. Inside they will find gold that they bring back to you as well as weapons they will keep for themselves. Be sure to loot all crates and chests you find to not only become wealthier, but to increase the power of your horde as they find goodies for themselves.
Destroy the igloos in the hunter camps.
As you progress, you will have to attack camps of hunters. In addition to sending your minions to fight the hunters, also attack the igloos as well. More hunters emerge from these dwellings, so the sooner you destroy them, the fewer enemies you will have to face. Another new aspect of Overlord II are mounts for your minions. On this level, you can get wolves for your Brown minions to ride. Wolves not only give your Browns a more powerful attack and faster movement, they can also leap over gaps and get to enemies you can’t get to on foot. By the end of the level, you will have cleared out the hunters and must then face off against some elves.
By the end of the level, you should have a pretty good idea of how to play the game and also know how to control your Brown minions. Browns are the main minions. They are the toughest fighters with the highest melee attacks and defense values. They also like to pick up weapons and armor to make them more powerful and give themselves personality. During upcoming blogs, I will introduce you to the other minions—the Reds, the Greens, and the Blues. Until then, give the demo a shot and practice using those Browns.
Cover Chaining Mode: By blind firing at an enemy you enter cover chaining mode, effectively making you invisible. Continue blind firing until a white shine effect appears around the outer edges of the screen. This indicates you’re in cover chaining mode. While this mode is active, you can move from one piece of cover to the next without being seen. However, stay in cover the whole time; the second you pull out of cover, the chaining mode is lost and the enemies will turn and open fire on your position. Cover chaining is a great way to move in close and eliminate your target with a knife attack. If you’re close enough, you can often perform a knife kill while in cover mode, indicated by a white knife icon that appears in the center of the screen.
Adrenaline: Adrenaline is required to fire curved bullets and perform other special attacks. It can be earned by killing enemies. One kill with your pistol equals one unit of adrenaline; knife kills earn you two units. The bullet icon(s) in the top right corner of the screen indicate how much adrenaline you have stored. Each icon turns red as you earn more adrenaline.
Curving Bullets: Need to take out a hostile hiding behind cover? No problem. Simply curve a bullet around or over their piece of cover. Initiate the attack with the console-dependent button press. This cause a red line to appear connecting to the target’s red silhouette. This line represents the bullet’s trajectory. When it’s red, it means that there’s an obstruction preventing the bullet from reaching the target. Move the left analog stick to adjust the bullet’s trajectory, curving it over or around obstructions. When the line and target’s silhouette turn white, you have a clear shot. Release the button to fire. For best results, always try to fire curved bullets vertically. This is the best way to score lethal headshots.
