The Overlord Expansion: Raising Hell (Codemasters) (XBox 360)

[Rob]

I know, I know; Overlord 2 is out and I'm reviewing the expansion pack for the first game. Well tough. That's what I most recently played, Overlord itself was a great and fun game and can be picked up cheap now; folks might find the information about the $10 expansion useful. So there.

The story in the expansion begins with the appearance of 5 gates. One in each previously conquered realm and each a hellish mirror of that realm. Also in residence are the tormented souls of the vanquished "heroes" from the main game.

To be honest I wasn't expecting much from a cheap expansion. And in the graphical area the expansion definitely leaves something to be desired. They essentially repurposed most of the settings, plants and props from the main game and simply changed their color or orientation to inhabit these "scary" abyss realms that must be cleared to win the game.

But the game play, is a whole other matter. Some of the newer challenges were downright fantastic. The level with the obese halfling king Melvin Underbelly is particularly fun. It was such a treat that I would have paid the $10 just for that one level. It was a lot of fun.

The remaining levels range from ok to good but for the most part I would say that this is one of the better expansions. The addition of unique weapons and new enemies made for a fun time and it was well worth the gold. The additional story element that sets up the sequel is also a nice touch.

And speaking of sequel: I have played the demo for Overlord 2 and I have to say I have some concerns. The camera is definitely a little glitchy and I'm not crazy about some of the art changes. That said, the first time one of my minions tamed a wolf and started riding it around and attacking my enemies I was hooked. I've never had so much fun bashing in the skulls of baby harp seals.

The sequel is not getting the best reviews but I'll probably pick it up in a few months when the price comes down. If you have Gamefly both games would make for an excellent lost weekend.