Games In Which You Summon/Control Demons

[dangoball]

Another voice endorsing Scrifice. Great fun! Not all units are demonic (actually majority most likely ain't), but you decide what units you get so just go with the evil flame-y thingies.

If commanding demons takes precedence over actiony gameplay, you might want to have a go at some Heroes of Might and Magic. The third instalment is an undisputed classic though the fifth has nice Inferno faction.

Dungeon Keeper (2) also has many fun units though once again maybe not what you're looking for. Definitely worth a try regardless.

I feel like I should know more games with demon summoning...

 

[shrekfan246]

If commanding demons takes precedence over actiony gameplay, you might want to have a go at some Heroes of Might and Magic. The third instalment is an undisputed classic though the fifth has nice Inferno faction.

I have considered getting into the HoMM franchise before. I've heard varying tales of which ones are worth playing (though also bear in mind that I would be going in without any preconceived notions about any of the games), so are III and V the ones you recommend?

Dungeon Keeper (2) also has many fun units though once again maybe not what you're looking for. Definitely worth a try regardless.

The recent War for the Overworld and Dungeons 2 are certainly on my radar. I've got the first Dungeon Keeper since GOG gave it away for free, maybe I should give that a try too.

I feel like I should know more games with demon summoning...

Right?

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

Bard's Tale, an old PS2 game ported to PC and Android. Pretty good I reckon.

Summoner (2?) An old PS2 game if you've got the console lying around.

As people have already mentioned: Sacrifice.

 

[dangoball]

If commanding demons takes precedence over actiony gameplay, you might want to have a go at some Heroes of Might and Magic. The third instalment is an undisputed classic though the fifth has nice Inferno faction.

I have considered getting into the HoMM franchise before. I've heard varying tales of which ones are worth playing (though also bear in mind that I would be going in without any preconceived notions about any of the games), so are III and V the ones you recommend?

HoMM 3 is a fan favourite, partially because many TBS fans grew up on it, but if you have a problem getting into older games you might struggle with it a bit. I'd say the art still holds up but that's something everyone has to decide for themselves.
HoMM 4 has mixed reactions. I personally enjoyed it, it had some nice improvements in Hero development over 3, but that's my RPG fan talking. Also it does not have a demonic faction.
HoMM 5 is good fun, I personally find the 3D graphics nice. The campaign can be a bit of a drag because it's linear (you can't chose your faction, you have to finish Heaven before getting to Inferno), but skirmish is as good as ever. I'd say this would be the easiest point of entry for those who didn't grow up with HoMM 3.
Also, one does not play HoMM for the story. While the lore is interesting, the writing is quite weak, especially in HoMM 5 (some of the cutscenes are almost painful to watch).

 

[thoughtwrangler]

Shin Megami Tensei - I already know about this franchise, for one, and most of the games aren't quite the style of gameplay I'm particularly craving. I'd like something a bit more action-y, if at all possible, or failing that at least something like Disgaea or Overlord.

There's an Action-RPG spinoff of SMT called Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army that may be up your alley. There's also a sequel called "Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon". They're both for PS2, but you might get lucky and find a used copy somewhere. I'd recommend youtubing it to see if it's what you're looking for.

There's also a game coming up from Level-5 which is part of the "Yokai Watch" series. It has a variety of Yokai that you can summon, and the one that's going to be released will be set in a heavily parodied version of America.

Only bad thing is I doubt it'll be released outside of Japan :\

 

[shrekfan246]

If commanding demons takes precedence over actiony gameplay, you might want to have a go at some Heroes of Might and Magic. The third instalment is an undisputed classic though the fifth has nice Inferno faction.

I have considered getting into the HoMM franchise before. I've heard varying tales of which ones are worth playing (though also bear in mind that I would be going in without any preconceived notions about any of the games), so are III and V the ones you recommend?

HoMM 3 is a fan favourite, partially because many TBS fans grew up on it, but if you have a problem getting into older games you might struggle with it a bit. I'd say the art still holds up but that's something everyone has to decide for themselves.

It mostly depends on how clunky the UI is. If I can figure out how to manage and navigate everything, then it shouldn't be much of a problem.

HoMM 4 has mixed reactions. I personally enjoyed it, it had some nice improvements in Hero development over 3, but that's my RPG fan talking. Also it does not have a demonic faction.

That's a shame, though I'll admit I'm a huge fan of strategy games that have interesting RPG mechanics (thanks, Warcraft III).

HoMM 5 is good fun, I personally find the 3D graphics nice. The campaign can be a bit of a drag because it's linear (you can't chose your faction, you have to finish Heaven before getting to Inferno), but skirmish is as good as ever. I'd say this would be the easiest point of entry for those who didn't grow up with HoMM 3.
Also, one does not play HoMM for the story. While the lore is interesting, the writing is quite weak, especially in HoMM 5 (some of the cutscenes are almost painful to watch).

But of course. I've been enjoying the campaign in Age of Wonders III, but I know it's a relative rarity in the TBS genre. XD

Bard's Tale, an old PS2 game ported to PC and Android. Pretty good I reckon.

I actually have that as well, and recently installed it. I'm not really sure what to expect, but I'll keep this mention in mind when I start playing it.

Shin Megami Tensei - I already know about this franchise, for one, and most of the games aren't quite the style of gameplay I'm particularly craving. I'd like something a bit more action-y, if at all possible, or failing that at least something like Disgaea or Overlord.

There's an Action-RPG spinoff of SMT called Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army that may be up your alley. There's also a sequel called "Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon". They're both for PS2, but you might get lucky and find a used copy somewhere. I'd recommend youtubing it to see if it's what you're looking for.

Well, I did know about that as well... but I haven't actually played them yet. They apparently recently got PSN releases for the PS3 though, so that's good.

There's also a game coming up from Level-5 which is part of the "Yokai Watch" series. It has a variety of Yokai that you can summon, and the one that's going to be released will be set in a heavily parodied version of America.

Only bad thing is I doubt it'll be released outside of Japan :\

Hm.

The first game is apparently supposed to be getting an international release in 2016, so I'll keep my eyes open for that.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

I'd mention the first two Overlord games, as well. It's basically Pikmin, if Nintendo's Pikmin had been sociopathic and long-eared gubbins hell-bent on causing mass devastation. Your Sauron-ish self usually sticks to the sides, waving imperiously. If the going does get tough, of course, you've got a selection of spells and weapons to put to good use.

 

[shrekfan246]

I'd mention the first two Overlord games, as well. It's basically Pikmin, if Nintendo's Pikmin had been sociopathic and long-eared gubbins hell-bent on causing mass devastation. Your Sauron-ish self usually sticks to the sides, waving imperiously. If the going does get tough, of course, you've got a selection of spells and weapons to put to good use.

But I already brought those up in the OP.

It's the exact style of gameplay that I would ideally love, but I dislike the lack of variety from the minions you get.

Don't know if you already played it but Devil Survivor is a SMT spinoff which remind of Disgaea, it's sadly rather unknown and I recommend the first game more than the second.

My problem with Devil Survivor is that I'm not particularly fond of the combat system. If it had just been like Disgaea or Final Fantasy Tactics, I don't think I'd have any issues, but the way it switches to the SMT system just seems a bit clunky to me. Also, I have a petty grievance in that I don't like the lack of animation for said SMT-style combat system. It's a really small and strange thing to be annoyed at, I know, but I've never been fond of JRPGs with parties that don't show your party in combat.

 

[LostCrusader]

I'd toss in Divinity: Original Sin. There's a bit of variety in summons between elementals, animals, and skeletons. It might be stretching the demon summoning a bit but it is a really fun turn based game that you could get on steam. That was the last game I played that scratched the summoner itch for me.

Another shot could be Oblivion if you don't like the variety in Skyrim and don't mind going back a game. Also, the Steam mods for Skyrim are starting to let devs make them paid, but the nexus mods are still free (and from my experience better since they don't have to fit steam's file size).

 

[shrekfan246]

I'd toss in Divinity: Original Sin. There's a bit of variety in summons between elementals, animals, and skeletons. It might be stretching the demon summoning a bit but it is a really fun turn based game that you could get on steam. That was the last game I played that scratched the summoner itch for me.

I put that in the same basket as Pillars of Eternity. I do love it and need to play it more, though.

Another shot could be Oblivion if you don't like the variety in Skyrim and don't mind going back a game. Also, the Steam mods for Skyrim are starting to let devs make them paid, but the nexus mods are still free (and from my experience better since they don't have to fit steam's file size).

That's another game where my petty niggles keep me from enjoying it; I liked Skyrim because I could play it in third-person and it felt like the game had actually been designed to accommodate a third-person camera. Oblivion doesn't even have a full range of basic movement animations, and I'm really not keen on trying to play in first-person.

 

[LostCrusader]

I'd toss in Divinity: Original Sin. There's a bit of variety in summons between elementals, animals, and skeletons. It might be stretching the demon summoning a bit but it is a really fun turn based game that you could get on steam. That was the last game I played that scratched the summoner itch for me.

I put that in the same basket as Pillars of Eternity. I do love it and need to play it more, though.

Another shot could be Oblivion if you don't like the variety in Skyrim and don't mind going back a game. Also, the Steam mods for Skyrim are starting to let devs make them paid, but the nexus mods are still free (and from my experience better since they don't have to fit steam's file size).

That's another game where my petty niggles keep me from enjoying it; I liked Skyrim because I could play it in third-person and it felt like the game had actually been designed to accommodate a third-person camera. Oblivion doesn't even have a full range of basic movement animations, and I'm really not keen on trying to play in first-person.

I know what you mean, I couldn't stand playing oblivion in 3rd person. Its weird how there are so many games taking elements from WoW, but I can't think of any that kept the feel of warlock and demon.

 

[DoPo]

I have considered getting into the HoMM franchise before. I've heard varying tales of which ones are worth playing (though also bear in mind that I would be going in without any preconceived notions about any of the games), so are III and V the ones you recommend?

If you're just starting, I'd recommend HoMM 5 - it's mostly 3 but with better graphics and some nice additions. Namely, it gets the good bits of Heroes 4 and tunes them to be even better while placing them in Heroes 3 frame. The game looks quite good and it's easy to pick up because the explanations of the abilities...hold on, let me backtrack, there are explanations for the abilities - that's good. Even better is that it's easy to look them up - just right click on the ability.

It mostly depends on how clunky the UI is. If I can figure out how to manage and navigate everything, then it shouldn't be much of a problem.

It's not, really. It may be a bit ugly (because its resolution is 800 by 600 px), but it isn't hard to control or anything. Where it falls short, I guess, would be the abilities, which I hinted above, here is an example:

Heroes 3, you needed a manual to find out what some units did, like, for example, the Death Knights have an ability called Death Blow. And you can see it activate occasionally on their attacks - it looks like a weapon falling on the enemy and then the Death Knights attack. What does it do? Well, Death Blow gives 20% chance to deal double damage on an attack. Not easy to grasp, considering most passive attack based abilities activate in the same way - the unit attacks and an animation shows up above the target. Compare this with the Dread Gaze of Gorgons - it shows an animation of...a Wight[footnote]one of the Necropolis creatures. And Necropolis is a different faction to the Fortress who have the Gorgon[/footnote]. Unlike Death Blow, Dread Gaze does is it automatically kills units. There is also some maths to determine how many are killed but I have to look it up - but basically, the more Gorgons you have, the more enemy units die automatically[footnote]Needless to say, it's extremely devastating against the highest tier units - there is nothing like hitting, say, 10 Archangels and then 4 or 5 automatically perishing.[/footnote]

Don't get me wrong, Heroes 3 is still good - I still prefer playing that to 5 (mostly because 3 is faster) it's just that I think Heroes 5 is better for newcomers. Also, they don't have to deal with some of the failings if H3 - namely, the skills. Some of them are COMPLETELY useless. Also, for "Heroes of Might and Magic", the latter seems wa-a-ay, more powerful than the former. "Linear warriors, quadratic wizards", I guess.

Heroes 5 is not without criticism. I guess the main one is how friggin complicated the skills are: you'd need this [http://www.celestialheavens.com/viewpage.php?id=520] to make any sort of plans. It's an interesting system and I do like the idea, but the execution is a bit convoluted - you have the main skills with three levels each (basic, advanced, expert - so far this is the same as Heroes 3) but then you get sub-skills (an idea from Heroes 4) but also, based on your skills/sub-skills, you may unlock OTHER subskills. Since you can only have 3 sub-skills per each main skill, that means that if you make the wrong choice, you may get locked out of some other subskills. Especially the more interesting ones have more prerequisites. But wait, there is more! Each race has a different selection of sub skills available. And even if some do have the same subskill, the prerequisites are not necessarily the same[footnote]Here is an example: For humans, the "Banish" subskill from Summoning Magic requires only the "Master of Conjuration" subskill of the same, for Necromancers "Banish" requires both "Master of Conjuration" and "Master of Life" from Summoning Magic, as well as "Banshee Howl" from their racial skill.[/footnote]. I find that I can't really play without the Skill Wheel.

But I'd still recommend Heroes 5. Especially the Tribes of the East expansion - that's just awesome - it adds another reworked mechanic from Heroes 4 - alternative upgrades for creatures. I think it's pretty awesome - you can upgrade units to do different things, and you can always change them from the one variation to the other (well, for money). Moreover, TotE adds the Barbarian faction and they are just awesome - they can't cast magic (well, they have a bit of an alternative with Shouts) so they can't pick up the likes of Destruction Magic, Light Magic and so on. But they have replacement skills called Shatter X Magic which allow them to neutralise enemy spellcasters, which is an awesome idea (well, it does tend to make them a bit specialised, though).

HoMM 4 has mixed reactions. I personally enjoyed it, it had some nice improvements in Hero development over 3, but that's my RPG fan talking. Also it does not have a demonic faction.

That's a shame, though I'll admit I'm a huge fan of strategy games that have interesting RPG mechanics (thanks, Warcraft III).

Heroes 4 was...over-enthusiastic, I suppose. I did play through the entire vanilla campaigns but never really got into playing anything more. The game is a big departure from previous installments - some ideas were really interesting but the trouble is - not all of them were. And even if they were interesting and maybe even good on their own, there were just so many of them, things started falling apart. I could start listing all of them but I'll confine it to the biggest offenders:

- remember how you were told there was no demonic faction in H4? That's not completely true - most factions got combined two by two. And the demons and undead got stuck together in the Death faction. Which is a pretty fucking dumb idea, considering simply having any undead in your army brings down the morale of your other (living) creatures. So you can sort of see how "demons" and "undead" don't mesh well together from the beginning.
- futher on the combinations - yes while each faction actually consists of two, you mostly can't have both. Not completely, anyway - working with the Death faction again, you get skeletons, some demonic critter (I think it was imps or something) and then you have to choose either an undead or a demon for a level 3 creatire. Same for level 4. And so on. This is the mechanic that was refined in Tribes of the East where you still have your creatures but can chose alterntive upgrades, as opposed to alternative creatures.
- The skills were wa-a-ay too many. Well, OK, there was about 10 in total, I believe, but it's completely different to either Heroes 3 or 5 - in Heroes 3, your hero can pick up a total of 8 skills with three levels each (basic, advanced, expert), so you can reasonably have the hero finish with skills around level 20. And indeed, probably the biggest level you can get normally, is around 30. In Heroes 5, you have 6 skills at three levels each (basic, advanced, expert again) and each has 3 subskills (one level each - you either have them or not), so you can reasonably assume that your hero would be finished with skills at just around level 30, and indeed, Heroes 5 has a bit more XP to hand around, so it's fair. In Heroes 4, however, you have 5 skills each with 5 levels (basic, advanced, expert, master, grandmaster) and then three sub-skills...EACH WITH 5 LEVELS, AS WELL. That means you need 100 levels to pick up everything and that's way not reasonable. You could try to be a jack of all trades but you would pretty much literally be master of none. The only reasonable way to play it is to pick two or maybe 3 abilities and develop those.
- speaking of abilities - the power creep is strong with them - hence why you do not want to be a jack of all trades. You can completely devastate the enemies with only two heroes in your squad (in H4, heroes are also units) when sufficiently levelled. They become angels of death wreaking so much destruction, now wonder the world of Heroes 3 blew up - seriously, I don't think a couple of heroes should be routinely facing, like, 30 black dragons and turning them into a smear on the floor. Well, OK, it was fun but that's because I only played the campaign - it would have become boring soon after.

With everything said, I'd actually say you can go and get Heroes 4. It's pretty cheap anyway and I must say the campaign was fun. Not story-wise[footnote]I can't even remember it, aside from, I think, the Chaos campaign where it was something about love...of all things. And that's pretty much all I remember[/footnote], but just going around and punching everything to death with just your heroes. They need to level up a bit to do that, so probably they'll be running with an army for the first two maps or so but then they turn into engines of destruction. It was overall an OK game but the flaws it had made it a bad fit for the Heroes franchise. You can probably tell by how it bankrupted 3DO at the time. But seriously, if it was just another strategy game, it may have been better received. Praised, even, for being a flawed gem.

With everything said up to now, if you're interested in Heroes of Might and Magic, I can also recommend Disciples 2. I've not played 1 and I've heard a bit disappointing things about 3 (well, apparently there is a better release out there but still it's supposed to be pretty "meh") but Disciples 2 is good. And the demons are one of the evil races, too[footnote]although I prefer the undead[/footnote].

 

[shrekfan246]

I'd toss in Divinity: Original Sin. There's a bit of variety in summons between elementals, animals, and skeletons. It might be stretching the demon summoning a bit but it is a really fun turn based game that you could get on steam. That was the last game I played that scratched the summoner itch for me.

I put that in the same basket as Pillars of Eternity. I do love it and need to play it more, though.

Another shot could be Oblivion if you don't like the variety in Skyrim and don't mind going back a game. Also, the Steam mods for Skyrim are starting to let devs make them paid, but the nexus mods are still free (and from my experience better since they don't have to fit steam's file size).

That's another game where my petty niggles keep me from enjoying it; I liked Skyrim because I could play it in third-person and it felt like the game had actually been designed to accommodate a third-person camera. Oblivion doesn't even have a full range of basic movement animations, and I'm really not keen on trying to play in first-person.

I know what you mean, I couldn't stand playing oblivion in 3rd person. Its weird how there are so many games taking elements from WoW, but I can't think of any that kept the feel of warlock and demon.

Yeah, that's what prompted me to make this thread. XD

It's a shame, and it seems like it would be a really simple and cool thing to implement, especially for RPGs that already have hunters or necromancers. I guess interesting demon pets are harder to come up with than beasts or undead, though.

Snippity do da!

Whew! That's a lot of information. I'll keep a watch on GOG for them. And I like the idea of heroes being units you use in combat.

Now, I've heard a lot of negative things about HoMM VI, ranging from its position as a successor to V to it just having really terrible performance. Any comments on that, bearing once again in mind that I have never played a HoMM game or anything like it?

 

[DoPo]

Snippity do da!

Whew! That's a lot of information. I'll keep a watch on GOG for them. And I like the idea of heroes being units you use in combat.

GOG sales frequently have the entire HoMM franchise on sale - that's 1 through 5, so I'm pretty sure you'll be able to pick it up soon-ish.

Also a quick note which I forgot to mention before - there is a Heroes 3 HD edition on Steam. Do not get it - apparently it's seriously not worth it as it's just the base game without the expansions.

Now, I've heard a lot of negative things about HoMM VI, ranging from its position as a successor to V to it just having really terrible performance. Any comments on that, bearing once again in mind that I have never played a HoMM game or anything like it?

Right, Heroes 6 I liked. But let me explain - I liked it in the sense that it tried to break up the Heroes formula a bit. It didn't do a Heroes 4 where it changed too much, I think it was the right amount of change. I'd still prefer to play heroes 3/5 over it, however, but I'd be interested to see what the next instalment would look like.

Now with that said I think it's still OK. The only significant thing I believe it regressed in was that the units were a bit "plain-er". Let me explain, I suppose - in Heroes 5, some units had a mana pool and spells (for example, Liches). They would get a spellbook that allowed them to activate the abilities. It was another mechanic ported over from H4 and I think this was pretty cool! In Heroes 6, the units get one active ability, at most and it tends to be somewhat lackluster. Another example of "plainification" is the undead faction which somehow became really borring. I can't remember exact reasoning, but that was my overwhelming impression - historically, the undead creatures had a variety of interesting special powers and abilities but in H6 they...didn't, really. They didn't even have cool visuals

Spoiler: Liches from heroes 5

The animations of the liches are pretty awesome, as well - they float their staff in their hand, float the book (which is floating beside them anyway) in their other hand, telekinetically flip to the page they need and then cast whatever it is they want to cast. The liches were badass

Spoiler: Liches from Heroes 6

Just old dudes. Sure they may float but they have to hold their staves. They aren't ridicilously awesome dead beings who show with their every action that they are extremely good spellcasters. Heck, as I mentioned, they don't even cast spells.

Sure, it's not actually that big of a deal, but I think it's the biggest flaw in the game. So, yeah, it's OK.

I've got some other complaints but they shouldn't really have as much of an impact:
- the campaign is fucking bullshit. I seriously cheated my way through it because even on the Easy setting the enemies can get wa-a-a-a-ay too powerful. Some fucking genius decided that the AI would be better balanced by getting more units. So they do. Way too much. You have to play really fast in order to beat them, or they get OP but if you literally the wrong turn, you may have to restart the map, just because you spent a week exploring west rather than going east and engaging the AI. The story is, alright, though. Erm, better than 5, I guess.

- the the "online features" - it's an Ubisoft game. A more recent Ubisoft game, at that. So, naturally, it's always online. Well, not entirely "always" - you can launch it in an online or offline mode, but if you're online and your connection drops for even a moment, you get immediately booted out. Even if you're in a middle of combat. If you're offline, you don't get the account benefits which robs the game out of some mechanics. A couple but still.

- speaking of the account benefits they are a bit too powerful for my taste. I'm not entirely against them but they make a difference being there and not being there. You get (mostly) two benefits - the first is extra perks you can choose when you start a game - these range from "+20 wood when you start"[footnote]the number may be off but it's more or less picking a couple of stacks in-game - i.e., not that significant[/footnote] to "regain half your movement points if you spot an enemy hero (which is way better) and various others which are mostly good to have. The second benefit are the Legacy artefacts. In short, they are weapons - all the items you can equip in the weapon slot are Legacy artefacts. They also gain XP as you do and get more levels (up to 5) each of which unlocks more abilities -some may be passive, some may be stat boosts, some may be active. Overall, they are quite better than the other artefacts. Again, I like them, but I'd rather have them all the time.

- Ubisoft online account again - it's a bit grind-y. You have to unlock achievements to progress. Which isn't hard, and it's still just "play to win"[footnote]or it was last I played - I don't know if Ubisoft started selling some of the benefits in the meantime[/footnote] which I'm fine with but it's there is basically a bunch of crap (new avatars. how exciting.) and few good things (the aforementioned perks and Legacy artefacts).

Still, I'd say that if you can stomach the Ubisoft account thing, it's good. One thing I really like is the skill system - you get points on levelup and you can distribute them as you like in a skilltree. This is a big improvement on the previous "get a choice of a random 2-3 skills on levelup". Well, I still think Heroes 5 is a better game, but I don't think 6 is bad.

 

[shrekfan246]

Snippity do da!

Whew! That's a lot of information. I'll keep a watch on GOG for them. And I like the idea of heroes being units you use in combat.

GOG sales frequently have the entire HoMM franchise on sale - that's 1 through 5, so I'm pretty sure you'll be able to pick it up soon-ish.

Also a quick note which I forgot to mention before - there is a Heroes 3 HD edition on Steam. Do not get it - apparently it's seriously not worth it as it's just the base game without the expansions.

Yeah, that's why I said I'd watch on GOG.

Snippity day!

Yikes, that does sound pretty dire. I knew it was a relatively recent Ubisoft game, but I didn't know they'd managed to Ubisoft it up like that. The online account stuff kinda sounds like enough to keep me from enjoying it, to be honest, especially if it's liable to kick you from a singleplayer game because you happened to start playing while you were connected to the internet and then your internet crapped out. Plus, I'm bad enough at strategy games that needing to rush enemies in order to beat them generally means I will never win.

 

[DoPo]

Plus, I'm bad enough at strategy games that needing to rush enemies in order to beat them generally means I will never win.

I don't think I explained the campaign well enough. Let me clarify - you can't use skill there. You must play the map several times in order to know where to go at what times. Either that, or use blind luck on the first go. Well, I suppose a walkthrough is also an option. but seriously - skill has nothing to do with it - here is an example: there are two AI opponents one to the west and one to the north, there is also a sidequest you can get to if you go east (OK, may not be the correct directions but there was a similar scenario). Choosing the wrong order of how to handle them literally screws your entire game and that's a choice you have to make pretty early on - if you chase after the north enemy, it may turn out they are too powerful for you yet and because you lost time going there, the west enemy comes and curbestomps you.

I don't know of any gaming skill that would allow one to handle this. Aside from maybe some sort of clairvoyance or performing postcognition to mind read the developers. I guess you could count these as "gaming skills" because they are also required in some quest games.

 

[Ravenbom]

As mentioned, Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is great. Not a game you'll stop and think, "this is fucking awesome!", but rather it's great in the way Peggle is great where you stop and think "that was OK" and look up and it's suddenly nighttime outside.
I grew up of Heroes of Might and Magic 2, that's the one I hold in my heart but 3 is better. There's no big fun moments though, just a "one more day and I'll save and quit" over and over. 4 gets shit upon but it does have good music.

Also, from what I've read, don't get the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 HD because it doesn't have the expansions and a few other key features.


Anyways, when OP mentioned Overlord I immediately thought of Brutal Legend.
It didn't sell well so it should be cheap on Amazon. It kind of sucks at first before it opens up and you get minions just like slogging through the first few hours of modern Zeldas holding back your abilities (A Link Between Worlds being the exception). But the game does get better and it's a Tim Schafer game so the writing is quality.
I can't say that minion types are great and varied because my first 360's disk drive took a shit about 5-6 hours into the game and I just never got back to the game. I've always meant to go back to that game. Even if the gameplay is lacking a little it's a Tim Schafer game and while his fans may be the wine-snobs of the gaming world, I have to say they're not wrong.


Also, I'm not a MOBA player but I'm surprised there aren't people giving you some very specific DotA or League of Legends character/build. I'm sure there's a MOBA with 100% of what you're looking for. I'm not a MOBA player and have no idea what it is but I feel like it's out there. Might want to find some MOBA boards and post this question there.
Unless you're like me and know a MOBA isn't your thing.

 

[Ravenbom]

Oh yeah! Duh!

The Darkness! And the Darkness 2!
I never played the second one but when the first one came out I was like, OMG a comic-licensed game that isn't garbage! It's not the best FPS in the world but the Darkness powers you get mix it up a bit. It was a neat trick to shoot out lights just so you could summon demons and use your powers effectively.

Like I said, not a great FPS, not horrible though and it came out before Arkham Asylum when finding a decent comic book game was like finding gold. So it might not hold up as well with fresh eyes.

 

[shrekfan246]

Anyways, when OP mentioned Overlord I immediately thought of Brutal Legend.
It didn't sell well so it should be cheap on Amazon. It kind of sucks at first before it opens up and you get minions just like slogging through the first few hours of modern Zeldas holding back your abilities (A Link Between Worlds being the exception). But the game does get better and it's a Tim Schafer game so the writing is quality.
I can't say that minion types are great and varied because my first 360's disk drive took a shit about 5-6 hours into the game and I just never got back to the game. I've always meant to go back to that game. Even if the gameplay is lacking a little it's a Tim Schafer game and while his fans may be the wine-snobs of the gaming world, I have to say they're not wrong.

I hadn't considered that, actually. I don't recall how well the PC port was received, but I'll have to check it out.

Also, I'm not a MOBA player but I'm surprised there aren't people giving you some very specific DotA or League of Legends character/build. I'm sure there's a MOBA with 100% of what you're looking for. I'm not a MOBA player and have no idea what it is but I feel like it's out there. Might want to find some MOBA boards and post this question there.
Unless you're like me and know a MOBA isn't your thing.

Well, I played LoL for a little while. I'm not too big on competitive multiplayer, to be honest. I get frustrated very easily, which kind of only gets exacerbated in multiplayer situations. I love the theory of MOBAs, because I like the focus on heroes, but I'd prefer a singleplayer one with good AI and a high amount of variety (the lack of maps tends to be a killer for me as well).

Oh yeah! Duh!

The Darkness! And the Darkness 2!
I never played the second one but when the first one came out I was like, OMG a comic-licensed game that isn't garbage! It's not the best FPS in the world but the Darkness powers you get mix it up a bit. It was a neat trick to shoot out lights just so you could summon demons and use your powers effectively.

Like I said, not a great FPS, not horrible though and it came out before Arkham Asylum when finding a decent comic book game was like finding gold. So it might not hold up as well with fresh eyes.

I wish the first Darkness had been release multi-platform, actually, since I think it was a far more unique game. I prefer PC in most cases, but especially with shooters. Aiming with a controller is just tedious nowadays, and The Darkness wasn't the most polished game from a technical standpoint. The Darkness II is a damn fine FPS, and I'd say it was better than the first game overall, but a bit less interesting from the powers angle.