videogamer.today.com

Not to take anything away from the average, manly, testosterone-laden Overlord fan, but the bargain-priced Overlord (its sequel is on shelves now) is proving itself to be quite the proficient “girl game.”

I arrive at this conclusion after a bit of real life analysis (read: watching from the couch as my girlfriend commands her minions through the Fable-esque settings of the original Overlord for Xbox 360).

It may not appear very feminine, but ladies know it’s what’s on the inside that counts!

Overlord has the simple but compelling premise of commanding an army of minions to fulfill the controllable Overlord’s either evil or only-slightly-less-evil whims when it comes to killing enemies and/or townspeople, looting treasure and well, lots more killing and looting.

The dark trappings keep the stereotypical girl gamer (for the purposes of this article, a female who does not already consider herself an actual gamer) from rolling her eyes at another typical, shameless attempt from a development company to appeal to her demographic’s focus-group-approved tastes (Cutesy! Pink! Cakes! Flowers!).

In battle, the minions provide a way of dealing with danger and dishing out punishment without getting too close to the action. March the little hellraisers around with some guidance from the joystick and let the Overlord look on from a distance. It makes the learning curve less steep and will keep the attention of a video game rookie (i.e. most women). Traipsing back through easier areas later in the game is a good way to ease off the tension while still grinding for additional minions and loot.

Top it off with an appeal to a lady’s natural nesting-sensibilities with some evil-castle customization (furniture, decorations) and you’ve got a winner for the women.

Perhaps more than anything, Triumph Studios and Codemasters’ Overlord is a solid game despite some confusing level design, and that kind of quality cuts across demographics. If you or your lady missed out on Overlord the first time around, pick it up now that it’s gone cheap! Plus, if she gets hooked, you can always get her the sequel for the holidays!

Scroll down and leave a response to this post.
For more from this writer, bookmark http://videogamer.today.com.