Author Topic: Overlord - Or "The closest MS can get to Pikmin wihtout a lawsuit" (Read 15356 times)

Sir_Stabbalot · « **on:** June 19, 2007, 07:13:14 AM »

Really, the game plays a lot like Pikmin. You play as an evil Overlord intent on destroying the Seven Heroe that killed your predecessor. Now, as a standard villan, you don't want to do the hard labor yourself. You can control up to 50 Pikmi- I mean minions. They can attack enemies and move heavy objects out of the way or carry them back to the Spaceshi- I mean Tower.

Now, the Overlord is no Olimar. Olimar could punch, but wasn't that great in combat. The Overlord, however, in standard evil villain fashion, is clad in dark armor with an axe that can feasibly swung to do some pain personally. Also, he's got some magic spells. In the demo I saw, the only one available was the fireball. Interestingly, fields of grass are flammable, and the fireball clears all of it quickly - along with any critters in it. The game looked great and ran smoothly at ~60 fps on my friend's 360, but he and I couldn't help but laugh at how much it was like Pikmin.

Also, while you're suppost to be an evildoer, the quests in the demo had you HELP a peasant village by rescuing some of their kinsman from evil halflings. This is unacceptable! I wanna be a jerk! I wanna rescue the people so they hail me as a hero and invite me for a feast, then wait until everyone is dead drunk and kill them all!

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #1 on:** June 19, 2007, 07:28:14 AM »

Oh dear.

vudu · « **Reply #2 on:** June 19, 2007, 07:30:18 AM »

Let me be the first to point out that in Pikmin you can control 100 units, not 50 like in the Overlord demo.

GCN is more powerful than the 360. FACT

Sir_Stabbalot · « **Reply #3 on:** June 19, 2007, 07:38:18 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: vudu
Let me be the first to point out that in Pikmin you can control 100 units, not 50 like in the Overlord demo.

GCN is more powerful than the 360. FACT

Ironic, isn't it?

Aretak · « **Reply #4 on:** June 19, 2007, 08:00:51 AM »

The demo was about as fun as being on fire.

So certainly an accurate tribute to Pikmin.

Kairon · « **Reply #5 on:** June 19, 2007, 08:39:10 AM »

Guys, let's not forget the OTHER major stylistic contributor to this game... DUNGEON KEEPER.

Dungeon Keeper was great. This game is great just by similarity. Seriously, play the evil overlord, command an army, build a tower, get an evil mistress, and slay the heroes? Great concept.

BTW, you CAN choose how evil you want to be. This is fine. True evil isn't black but instead a vacillating shade of grey. And in this game, the 7 heroes have come to represent the 7 sins, so it's also a game of evil vs. corrupted good.

Sir_Stabbalot · « **Reply #6 on:** June 19, 2007, 08:57:18 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
BTW, you CAN choose how evil you want to be. This is fine. True evil isn't black but instead a vacillating shade of grey. And in this game, the 7 heroes have come to represent the 7 sins, so it's also a game of evil vs. corrupted good.

Can you? I'm just saying, it doesn't seem fitting that a villain would save a town's people and not require they join his kingdom.

Kairon · « **Reply #7 on:** June 19, 2007, 09:03:15 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Sir_Stabbalot
Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
BTW, you CAN choose how evil you want to be. This is fine. True evil isn't black but instead a vacillating shade of grey. And in this game, the 7 heroes have come to represent the 7 sins, so it's also a game of evil vs. corrupted good.

Can you? I'm just saying, it doesn't seem fitting that a villain would save a town's people and not require they join his kingdom.

I haven't played the game yet, but I assume that by killing all their reigning heroes, you're exercising effective control over their lands anyways. Let's not forget that evil can be insidious as well as overt.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #8 on:** June 19, 2007, 09:44:26 AM »

Pikmin is a game that SHOULD be influencing other games so this is somewhat of a good thing. I think if the Cube was more successful and Pikmin was marketed better it could have been a big hit and Pikmin clones would have sprouted up everywhere (HA! Unintentional pun). If more Pikmin style games are made that's great because at the very least it might demonstrate to Nintendo that the concept is profitable and encourage them to continue with the series. Having other titles in the "genre" also allows for more innovation because ideas are introduced in different games from different developers and they all influence each other. It's like SNK and Capcom borrowed ideas from each other while at the same time introduced new ideas themselves.

Controlling 50 guys is too limiting. I'll bet the devs (or likely the publisher) felt that looking as pretty as possible was more important than possibly lowering the graphic quality in favour of gameplay. I've always argued that increasing hardware capabilities has significant gameplay benefits but I won't argue that many devs will just use it to improve the graphics.

Kairon · « **Reply #9 on:** June 19, 2007, 09:53:09 AM »

Perhaps the problem with Pikmin is that it's still too hardcore. It's a game that is based on growing things, building a support group, and leveraging your social network... hmm... maybe it would be best if the game concept was re-imagined towards a possible casual female demographic, with unlimited time constraints, less hardcore enemies, more inter-relationship problems.... hmmm....

Ceric · « **Reply #10 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:04:10 AM »

"...casual female demographic..."

Kairon you did not just say that. For Shame. Thats Gender Bias...

Kairon · « **Reply #11 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:07:02 AM »

/sad

It... it... it just spilled out! I'm still trying to get rid of everything that is a gamer taint inside of me, but I'm not very successful.

Seriously though, I'd love to see Pikmin re-imagined as a more social-concept game, which I would hope would be appealing to females.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #12 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:17:50 AM »

Lingerie pillow fighting

Kairon · « **Reply #13 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:21:58 AM »

*on high horse*

I don't know, pillow fighting has a distinct aspect of direct physical competition that strikes me as, yes, fun, but also more male-oriented. (replace pillows with swords and you get the idea) The real worth of a pillow fight is not just in the visceral activity, but also the level of trust it bonds participants with.

What I've been envisioning over the past couple mintues is a game based in high school where a girl builds up a friend base and makes alliances with other girls and even a couple boys in her quest to become "Queen Bee." High School Pikmin.

*off high horse*

Sir_Stabbalot · « **Reply #14 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:26:27 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
*on high horse*

I don't know, pillow fighting has a distinct aspect of direct physical competition that strikes me as, yes, fun, but also more male-oriented. (replace pillows with swords and you get the idea) The real worth of a pillow fight is not just in the visceral activity, but also the level of trust it bonds participants with.

What I've been envisioning over the past couple mintues is a game based in high school where a girl builds up a friend base and makes alliances with other girls and even a couple boys in her quest to become "Queen Bee." High School Pikmin.

*off high horse*

Kairon · « **Reply #15 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:33:56 AM »

<( ^_^< )

( >^_^)>

<(^_^< )

( >O_o)>

Sir_Stabbalot · « **Reply #16 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:43:07 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
<( ^_^< )

( >^_^)>

<(^_^< )

( >O_o)>

that Baby guy · « **Reply #17 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:47:41 AM »

Ha Ha Ha...Dangly parts.

But seriously, is the any way to combine Unown with Kirby?

Ceric · « **Reply #18 on:** June 19, 2007, 11:01:45 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Professional 666
Lingerie pillow fighting

No Pro that would be on the 360. There are already games in the line that have proven they can master the appropriate physics for such a task.

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #19 on:** June 19, 2007, 11:07:55 AM »

I may respond with alittle more later, but Overlord is a game I am anxiously awaiting after playing the demo. So what if you are limited to 50? If the game is fun why should that matter? What I most enjoyed about the game was the combination of sending your enemies in and using spells to impact the enviroment around your enemy. Even the control of your minions was spot on and well tuned. The game also has a quirky sense of humor (BTW it appears you can punish civilians as well, at least it was hinted at in the demo), and the visuals are quite good making for a nice package (Considering the camera view and detail of the enviroment and characters I can understand that limiting the number of characters).

When I played the demo I hadn't even heard of the game, but after finishing I think every Pikmin (and non fans) should give it a shot. Even the first boss fight was hilarious, not really that hard, but it was pretty funny (Your minions crawlling all over him and batting him on the head and other places on his body). For such a short taste of the game, it shows alot of promise and I have no doubt the gameplay gets deeper as you progress (Especially with those magic spells). So I will be getting this game, it is one of my most anticipated this year.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #20 on:** June 19, 2007, 12:19:45 PM »

I initially thought Kairon was kidding. You ever watch King Of Queens? You know that weird fart-like sound Doug makes by covering his mouth with his hand? The internet needs a emoticon for that.

To me accusing Pikmin of being "too hardcore" is like accusing The Clash of being "too punk" or chocolate cake of being "too sweet". I don't see why that would be considered a bad thing. Do we work at Nintendo? No. So what do we care if Pikmin isn't attracted the casual female market? All we should care about is if Pikmin kicks ass or not.

Suddenly Nintendo's bottom line is all that matters. "But this doesn't have casual gamer appeal!" My response: GOOD.

Kairon · « **Reply #21 on:** June 19, 2007, 12:48:40 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
I initially thought Kairon was kidding. You ever watch King Of Queens? You know that weird fart-like sound Doug makes by covering his mouth with his hand? The internet needs a emoticon for that.

To me accusing Pikmin of being "too hardcore" is like accusing The Clash of being "too punk" or chocolate cake of being "too sweet". I don't see why that would be considered a bad thing. Do we work at Nintendo? No. So what do we care if Pikmin isn't attracted the casual female market? All we should care about is if Pikmin kicks ass or not.

Suddenly Nintendo's bottom line is all that matters. "But this doesn't have casual gamer appeal!" My response: GOOD.

Well EXCUSE ME if I'm interested in game design and the sort of people it apeals to. Casual games are awesome, they've got an entirely different bent, entirely different challenges.

EXCUSE ME if I don't want to be insular, but instead am curious about what other people like, why they like it, and how to give them that.

I don't subscribe to this "us" and "them" mentality. I don't subscribe to splitting gaming down the middle between "hardcore" and "casual." I don't believe that only X people are allowed to play games, that Y people are ruining it for the rest of us. I don't believe in building walls or creating "gaming ghettoes."

Pikmin has awesome design concepts. Is it so bad to want to explore that? It may take us in casual directions and I'M NOT AFRAID OF THAT.

that Baby guy · « **Reply #22 on:** June 19, 2007, 12:53:44 PM »

Did Pikmin 2 have any time constraints? I hated those about the first one, I just wanted to take my time. I may just have to find the second one if it didn't.

Sir_Stabbalot · « **Reply #23 on:** June 19, 2007, 01:45:17 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: thatguy
Did Pikmin 2 have any time constraints? I hated those about the first one, I just wanted to take my time. I may just have to find the second one if it didn't.

There are infinite days to complete the game. Seriously, if you enjoyed Pikmin, pick Pikmin 2 up. It should be really cheap now.

And for all my bashing of the game, Overlord looks to be fun. Unfortunately, when I tried the pc demo, it game me a .dll file missing error, so I guess I'll need to wait until it comes for 360.

that Baby guy · « **Reply #24 on:** June 19, 2007, 01:46:06 PM »

But do the days themselves have a time limit?

Kairon · « **Reply #25 on:** June 19, 2007, 02:21:49 PM »

Yes.

Unless you go underground, then time stops. But if you're underground then you're stuck with the pikmin you have and can't grow any more to replace your losses.

that Baby guy · « **Reply #26 on:** June 19, 2007, 02:29:26 PM »

Then I need to pick it up. I didn't like the time limits, because I liked to approach this cautiously, so that works for me. I don't care if the Pikmin can't be replenished so easily, as long as I have time not to lose them so easily. I hate casualties, for some reason.

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #27 on:** June 19, 2007, 02:45:13 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Sir_Stabbalot
Quote
Originally posted by: thatguy
Did Pikmin 2 have any time constraints? I hated those about the first one, I just wanted to take my time. I may just have to find the second one if it didn't.

There are infinite days to complete the game. Seriously, if you enjoyed Pikmin, pick Pikmin 2 up. It should be really cheap now.

And for all my bashing of the game, Overlord looks to be fun. Unfortunately, when I tried the pc demo, it game me a .dll file missing error, so I guess I'll need to wait until it comes for 360.

Have you tried to download the demo for it on Xbox 360? It is available in the demo sections.

Ceric · « **Reply #28 on:** June 19, 2007, 03:33:23 PM »

He played that Demo on a Friends 360.

Sir_Stabbalot · « **Reply #29 on:** June 19, 2007, 03:44:55 PM »

Yeah, it ran fine on the 360. Maybe I need XP to play it. I'm running 2k.

Ceric · « **Reply #30 on:** June 19, 2007, 04:34:37 PM »

That could be.

UltimatePartyBear · « **Reply #31 on:** June 20, 2007, 05:54:00 AM »

Ian's right that Pikmin is a design that should be developed further. In fact, Capcom should do just that for The Misadventures of Tron Bonne 2. Oh, and Overlord looks cool, too. I'll have to try to remember to download the PC demo.

Kairon · « **Reply #32 on:** June 20, 2007, 05:27:34 PM »

All my settings on low... 640 X 480 screen... AND IT WORKS! The Demo ran fine at Perfect Dark frame rates!!! YAY!!!

I'm about 600 MHz short of the minimum requirements BUT IT WORKED!!! Oh boy, now I can't wait to get this game for PC!

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #33 on:** June 20, 2007, 06:52:35 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
All my settings on low... 640 X 480 screen... AND IT WORKS! The Demo ran fine at Perfect Dark frame rates!!! YAY!!!

I'm about 600 MHz short of the minimum requirements BUT IT WORKED!!! Oh boy, now I can't wait to get this game for PC!

Wow what kind of computer do you have? lol

Kairon · « **Reply #34 on:** June 20, 2007, 09:48:14 PM »

A laptop. The friggin thing lists 2.4 GHz minimum requirement! I mean... SERIOUSLY!!! TWO POINT FOUR GIGA HERTZ!!!

I have the ram, the graphics card, everything! Everything except that... oh well. No matter. They lied. I cried. Then I downloaded the demo.

Darc Requiem · « **Reply #35 on:** June 21, 2007, 03:03:52 AM »

1.21 GIGA WATTS!? Maybe you can pick up plutonium at your local market Mahhty, but this is 1955

Sorry had to do it Kairon.

ShyGuy · « **Reply #36 on:** June 21, 2007, 05:49:47 AM »

PC Gaming strikes again.

Sir_Stabbalot · « **Reply #37 on:** June 21, 2007, 06:39:59 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
A laptop. The friggin thing lists 2.4 GHz minimum requirement! I mean... SERIOUSLY!!! TWO POINT FOUR GIGA HERTZ!!!

I have the ram, the graphics card, everything! Everything except that... oh well. No matter. They lied. I cried. Then I downloaded the demo.

Hertz don't mean everything nowadays. You might be running an Athlon chip. They have slower clock speeds but do more per clock.

capamerica · « **Reply #38 on:** June 21, 2007, 11:58:17 AM »

I downloaded the DEMO on XboxLive today.
Hollyshit is this game a lot of fun! I never cared for Pikmin, infact I found Pikmin to be pretty boring. But Overlord so far is a lot of fun, I can't wait to pick it up when it comes out.

It's like Gremlins meets Pikmin meets the dark side of Jim Henson.
I hope the rest of the games keeps with the same humor as the demo.

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #39 on:** June 21, 2007, 03:20:46 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: capamerica
I downloaded the DEMO on XboxLive today.
Hollyshit is this game a lot of fun! I never cared for Pikmin, infact I found Pikmin to be pretty boring. But Overlord so far is a lot of fun, I can't wait to pick it up when it comes out.

It's like Gremlins meets Pikmin meets the dark side of Jim Henson.
I hope the rest of the games keeps with the same humor as the demo.

You are like me then, I have never been a big Pikmin fan (I think it is a quality game though), but was impressed with Overlord.

TrueNerd · « **Reply #40 on:** June 28, 2007, 09:41:47 AM »

Pikmin was my favorite new IP of last generation, and the thought of the game with an evil twist is delicious. I'll be checking this one out soon.

Flames_of_chaos · « **Reply #41 on:** June 30, 2007, 04:53:41 PM »

Overlord is a fun game and all but I rather wait for a inevitable price drop since I don't want to be under a mountain of back log in gaming.

TrueNerd · « **Reply #42 on:** July 01, 2007, 09:57:50 AM »

I've now spent almost four hours with the game, and its biggest problem is that it's not enough of a Pikmin clone. Overlord is not a strategy game, it's more of an adventure game. The world you explore isn't nearly as interesting as the one in Pikmin and the indoor environments are worse then the caves in Pikmin 2. Also, the whole "Being Evil" factor seems really hamstrung. They should have done more with that. Still, the game is worthwhile. It starts off slow, but once you acquire the Red Pik... er, Minions, some interesting puzzles and boss battles are to be had.

Kairon · « **Reply #43 on:** July 01, 2007, 11:19:23 AM »

That's probably true TrueNerd. I've only played the demo so far, but already I was getting that feeling. A lot of players will probably be sold on the atmosphere and concept alone really, and be happy with the middling gamep-lay because of those two intangible benefits.

It's to be expected though, because seriously... Pikmin was made by Miyamoto. It's nearly a perfect game. You can't expect these guys to top that in what is more or less a derivative effort.

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #44 on:** July 01, 2007, 12:58:08 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
That's probably true TrueNerd. I've only played the demo so far, but already I was getting that feeling. A lot of players will probably be sold on the atmosphere and concept alone really, and be happy with the middling gamep-lay because of those two intangible benefits.

It's to be expected though, because seriously... Pikmin was made by Miyamoto. It's nearly a perfect game. You can't expect these guys to top that in what is more or less a derivative effort.

Actually I hear Pikmin was a ripoff of a game called sacrifice for the PC.

that Baby guy · « **Reply #45 on:** July 01, 2007, 01:15:18 PM »

For the record, it doesn't look like Sacrifice was ever released in Japan, so I doubt Miyamoto ripped it off, though he could have, it's even more unlikely.

Kairon · « **Reply #46 on:** July 01, 2007, 01:52:57 PM »

After reading about Sacrifice on Wikipedia, there's NO POSSIBLE WAY that Pikmin bears more than a passing resemblance. Sacrifice is about wizards controlling any of more than 40 different types of DnD creatures and casting more than 40 different types of DnD spells, all against a backdrop of interdimensional travel, different gods, and DESCRATING your opponent's altar.

Pikmin is about ants and gardening.

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #47 on:** July 01, 2007, 08:15:32 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
After reading about Sacrifice on Wikipedia, there's NO POSSIBLE WAY that Pikmin bears more than a passing resemblance. Sacrifice is about wizards controlling any of more than 40 different types of DnD creatures and casting more than 40 different types of DnD spells, all against a backdrop of interdimensional travel, different gods, and DESCRATING your opponent's altar.

Pikmin is about ants and gardening.

YEah but the gameplay mechanics are supposedly similar. Regardless I am going to try to get ahold of Sacrifice and see for myself.

Kairon · « **Reply #48 on:** July 01, 2007, 08:34:38 PM »

*holds up one hand* Gardening.... *holds up other hand* Desecrating altars...

Seems pretty cut and dry to me...

j/k, tell me what you discover.

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #49 on:** July 01, 2007, 08:36:17 PM »

I see you can get i for 8$ with shipping on Ebay so I may try that.

Kairon · « **Reply #50 on:** July 01, 2007, 08:59:01 PM »

If anyone's interested, here's a little insight in Overlord in the form of an Interview with the game's writer and co-story writer, Rhianna Pratchett.

Here's a taste:

Quote
As I mentioned before, the voice recording sessions were great. We have some great outtakes from those, like Gnarl singing the Scissor Sisters' "I Don't Feel Like Dancing." The rest are all very rude. It was my first experience at co-audio directing (along with the great Dan and Tim from the Audio Guys), and I ended up giving direction like "Imagine he's got a really large schlong" and "More phlegm!" "You're excited and aroused... no, more aroused... no... not that aroused!" It was really a lot less dodgy than it sounds, honestly, but you can't help but have fun with that!

ShyGuy · « **Reply #51 on:** November 01, 2007, 06:33:34 PM »

Dang, this is a total Pikmin ripoff. Get blue minions to go through water, Have you minions carry items for you. Get parts to build up your spaceship I mean tower. Trolls bounce on your guys like the frogs.

It's still a lot of fun though, just like Pikmin was.

Maverick · « **Reply #52 on:** November 01, 2007, 06:40:58 PM »

As soon as I thought it I instantly thought Dungeon Keeper. God what a bad ass game. I still have it, I should load it up and give it a go! (If Vista will run it... of course.)

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Author Topic: Overlord - Or "The closest MS can get to Pikmin wihtout a lawsuit" (Read 15356 times)