Overlord II Preview

GameSpot brings us their own set of hands-on impressions for Codemasters and Triumph Studios' Overlord sequel.
The minions are smarter this time around, and they can help you manage heavy machinery, like catapults. Depending on color of the minions, they'll jump on mounts (like wolves or spiders) so they can access areas that are otherwise unreachable by foot. A minimap is shown at the bottom of the screen to direct you to your next quest, making exploration a bit easier, and the camera can now be controlled with the right analog stick. The stick isn't solely dedicated to the camera, however, because you can swing the camera left and right and force your minions to charge forward by pushing up on the analog stick. Seal clubbing was demonstrated the last time we saw the game, so we decided to skip the destruction of cute animals by jumping into a land of fairies, complete with environmentalist elves speaking in a Californian accent. This magical place is separate from the human world, as the fairies have decided to live peacefully and harmoniously with other magical creatures. This clearly doesn't sit very well with you as the evil Overlord; plus, there are riches and gems to be discovered. In this fairyland, we were able to see a new feature that lets you possess the body of a minion. By doing this, you can sneak into areas undetected and break down barriers so that you can easily barge through once you've returned to your own body.