Author Topic: Override 2: Super Mech League (Switch) Review  (Read 856 times)

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Offline John Rairdin

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Override 2: Super Mech League (Switch) Review
« on: March 01, 2021, 02:07:00 PM »

Not quite as super as one would hope

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/56456/override-2-super-mech-league-switch-review

When I first saw Override and by extension its sequel, Override 2, I was immediately interested. At a glance I saw something that looked like Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters but with some mech flair. Other great arena fighters like Custom Robo and Power Stone came to mind as well. This is a genre that, when done right, has provided me endless hours of fun, so I was excited to give Override 2 a shot.

Override 2 is a mech brawler featuring an assortment of diverse mechs, each with their own moveset. You’ll work your way through more and more difficult battles either offline or online in a variety of game modes. Fights range from one on one, all the way to four fighters in both free for all and team configurations. It is clear that the ideal way to play is online; however, in my playtime I never successfully found an online game and wound up playing exclusively against AI.

What makes Override 2 unique is its attack controls. Mechs are controlled using the triggers and bumpers of your controller. L and R control your mech’s left and right arms, respectively. Likewise ZL and ZR control the legs. This gives you specific control over each limb when it comes to combat. To be clear, movement is still handled with the left stick as one would expect. It is an interesting concept which does give the player a feeling of direct control over the mech. It feels a bit more like you’re actually piloting your giant robot rather than simply playing a fighting game. That being said, it is ultimately little more than a gimmick: charming but with little effect on gameplay. That is Override 2’s greatest flaw; while it's strong on charm, it doesn’t have much in the way of a unique hook. In the end it results in a distinctly average arena fighter. The gameplay is by no means bad, but if you’ve played any other arena fighter you know what you’re getting here.

Looking at Override 2 gameplay on other platforms, it is clear that it can look quite nice. Unfortunately, the Switch version goes beyond graphical downgrade and into the range of just being somewhat ugly. The art itself is very good, but the Switch version just doesn’t deliver it at a level that does justice to that art. As well, the performance in general is a little rough. Granted this isn’t an extremely fast-paced fighter to begin with given its kaiju inspirations, but the performance dips just add to the lackluster presentation.

As a game viewed independently from platform, Override 2 is a functional if not exceptional arena fighter that is brimming with charm and strong visual design. As a Switch game, it has a few too many rough edges to strongly recommend. It isn’t downright bad; this version just doesn’t carry with it any of Override 2’s strengths, leaving you with an ugly arena fighter that struggles to find originality or unique mechanics.