I played Overlord, which I liked quite a bit except for its crash-prone tendencies. I expected more great gameplay in Overlord II and hoped for more stability. Unfortunately, it crashed even more than the first game. I estimate I was over halfway through the game when I had to pull the plug on it. If it had the ability to save progress at any point, I would have stuck with it. Instead, both games support autosaves only in select areas. It became too frustrating to play certain parts over and over because the game kept crashing before I could reach the next autosave point.

In this sequel, you play as the son of the Overlord from the first game. As the new Overlord, you start from scratch building up a tower, finding mistresses, and discovering the brown, red, green, and blue minions. The action typically involves recruiting the most appropriate mix of minions to do your bidding. However, the Overlord can engage in combat and cast spells as well. There is a bit of light puzzle solving in some sections but nothing that is too difficult. You also have decisions to make about how best to use your resources. In the time I played, I crafted two items in my forge—a sword called the Smooth Slicer and the Evil Eye, an item to enhance lifeforce absorption. Even though I wasn't able to finish Overlord or Overlord II, I still liked them well enough to add them to my All-Time Favorites list.


The Overlord (Son of the Original Overlord)

I spent a little bit of time with AI War: Fleet Command. It is advertised as "a grand strategic 4X tower defense RTS" which "plays like an RTS but feels like a 4X." I must give it credit. As strategy games go, it seemed rather unique. You can play solo or with other human players. However, you always play against two AI opponents. Another interesting aspect of the game is that you draw more attention from the AI as you become more powerful. Therefore, it is a delicate balancing act to expand and grow more powerful but not too much or too quickly.

This is a game that really demands an investment of time to learn it well. Unfortunately, I didn't feel up to it. I played through all of the tutorials and started a regular game afterwards. There are a lot of different units at your disposal, both military and non-military. As I tried to progress in the game and become acquainted with the game interface, units, and overall strategy, I was constantly distracted by enemy attacks on my home system. Instead of devoting many hours to AI War in order to become proficient in it, I think I will save that time for other games.

Killing Floor was the last computer game I played in 2020. The game's developer describes the game as follows:

Killing Floor is a Co-op Survival Horror FPS set in the devastated cities and countryside of England after a series of cloning experiments for the military goes horribly wrong. You and your friends are members of the military dropped into these locations with a simple mission: Survive long enough to cleanse the area of the failed experiments!

I only played a few maps of Killing Floor in solo mode. It would probably be more fun to play with friends. It is not a campaign-based game rich in story. This type of game is not really my cup of tea. Therefore, I knew I wouldn't play it for very long. It was actually more fun than I expected, however. After clearing a wave of zombies, you can spend the money you earned at a trader. The trader sells various weapons and equipment. That was one of the best parts of the game. I enjoyed trying different weapons to survive another wave. My time with Killing Floor is done. I am ready to move on to the next game in my queue, AI War: Fleet Command.