Orcs Must Die! 2

In its own niche, Orcs Must Die! 2 is king. You may not be inclined towards tower defense games, but in this genre, the three-dimensional approach (your ability to use the walls and ceiling, to place down guardians, forming synergy between traps and character spells), the attractive graphics and the fast-paced gameplay are way above any other similar title.

Orcs Must Die! 2 perfectly combines the strategic thinking of tower defense games with the frenetic action of an old-school shooter, with plenty of laughs along the way.

Orcs Must Die 2 continues to build on its predecessor which cleverly matched together two different genres into a fun and quirky title, and the addition of co-op dials the enjoyment up a notch.

The streamlined reward system illustrates the true brilliance behind Orcs Must Die! 2: an extreme level of player accommodation.

Ultimately, it's a fun game that's well worth the 15 dollars (or 30 if you play it co-op) you'd be putting down on it. Even after the last level is over, endless mode is always there to taunt you to try harder.

For $15 (or $25 for two copies) Orcs Must Die! 2 is a fantastic deal for a terrifically entertaining game.

It never loses sight of the singular imperative to kill as many orcs as possible, and while there's a sense that too much has been recycled from the first outing, its unique combination of tower defense and action mechanics reach near perfection here. A qualified triumph for veterans of the first game and newcomers alike.

Orcs Must Die! 2 is a wonderful combination of action and strategy, all wrapped up nicely with a whimsical art style and slightly silly attitude.

A year ago, I couldn't imagine another game mixing tower defense and third-person action as well as Orcs Must Die! Clearly, I was wrong.

A brilliant update to the original game. The additions improve the core values of Orcs Must Die! and makes it a bigger and better game. It has its flaws, like a poor design of some maps, but the co-op, the improved character developement and the Endless mode are fantastic improvements.

It's not easy to create a worthy sequel to a great game, but Robot Entertainment managed to go around the now-familiar gameplay formula by adding new ways to develop the characters and a very addictive coop mode.

Like its predecessor, Orcs Must Die! 2 is a straightforward game, but it's also an extremely enjoyable one - doubly so if you have a friend to play alongside. Whether it's a return trip or your first time wading into the horde, this is one tower defense game worth checking out.

It's not much more than tweaked Orcs Must Die! It offers more of the things we loved in the original game – and that's why it's so hard to stop playing it. [10/2012, p.64]

Whether played solo or tackled with a friend, those looking for a fast-paced, third-person tower defense will find that the unique traps and reaching for high scores will more than keep them occupied.

Highly anticipated by fans of the original title, Orcs Must Die! 2 centers the objective, offering what a sequel should give.

If you enjoyed the first game you will find in this sequel the classic formula: more and better, but with few additions or new features. Apart from this, this is a great game, and you can try the demo before deciding a purchase.

Takes everything that made the first game good and makes it better, adding Co-op to the mix. Probably the best tower defense game around.

It is a great pick-up and play title with an upbeat sense of humor, relentless action, and strong replay value thanks to different difficulty levels and cooperative play.

The tactical elements go along really well with the action-heavy component of the game and with the large number of weapons and traps, it will not get boring.

Darkside is an excellent Super Stardust HD clone for iOS devices. The game offers three modes, some very nice graphics, a solid gameplay and accurate touch controls.

I'm itching to play again once I finish this. If you have someone to team up with, get it without hesitation. If you don't, hesitate slightly, then notice it's only £12 and get it anyway.

Orcs Must Die 2 offers a great value with its on-line cooperative, and off-line is a solid Tower Defense game full of fun.

Excellent shooter / tower defense mix with many great ideas comes with black humor, cooperative multiplayer, tons of weapons & traps and a gazillions of upgrades. [Sept 2012]

In spite of its balance wobbles, Orcs Must Die 2 is a frenetic blast of co-op joy - the ideal 30-minute post-pint pick-me-up, be it a step-change sequel or not. [Oct 2012, p.106]

Borrows a little too much from the original game but features some fantastic moment to moment action. [Sept 2012, p.58]

A clear improvement from the original game, OMD2 incorporates "deep" ideas to a shallow game concept (kill orcs/goblins/gnolls that come towards you), and does that in the best way possible. When you are done with the campaign mode (and the advanced 'nightmare' mode), there's also the endless mode, which is even more fun if you go co-op with a friend. [September 2012]

There are minor issues with the game, notably the exclusion of public matchmaking, but they can be looked past when the game hits its prime and you're murdering thousands of pointy-toothed orcs.

It provides a familiar formula wrapped in the guise of another familiar formula, and succeeds at picking the best parts of both.

Orcs Must Die! 2 is a very good successor to a well made original OMD. Orc extermination gives you a lot of fun, and thanks to an extended arsenal, trap upgrades, new enemies and an excellent co-op mode the gameplay is even better than before. Unfortunately there aren't many levels – the game could benefit from some extra stages. We can bet that the developers will offer new levels in future DLCs.

Multiplayer co-op and a number of other great additions make diving into Orcs Must Die! 2 a delight.

Even though much of Orcs Must Die! 2 feels like it's an expansion rather than a fully-fledged sequel, Robot Entertainment adds and refines just enough to get away with it. Besides, you'll be having too much fun knocking back waves and waves of all those nasty Orcs to care.

The nature of the title means repetition (both in the reuse of assets from the original and the game's mechanics getting a little over-familiar) will burn players out eventually, and for OMD veterans this may be accentuated by the short gap between releases.

Orcs Must Die! 2 is the natural evolution of the first chapter and, for tower defence co-op lovers, is truly a must buy. The fun of this new multiplayer mode balances the lack of evolution in the gameplay and, for 13 Euros, it would be embarrassing to ask for more.

One of the best Tower Defense action hybrids so far, with considerably more depth than the original - even if it still looks like the same game.

It's in the myriad ways you can decimate your attackers that the game's appeal lies, and the improvements made here have only made that pleasure more intense. While Orcs Must Die 2 still has balancing issues, they're more than outweighed by the sheer pleasure of the minute-by-minute gameplay, where calculated carnage is its own reward.

Orcs Must Die! 2 is better executed, better balanced and more polished than the original in almost every way. Add in the coop gameplay, all for a very affordable price, and you get yourself something to vent some steam on for the summer!

Its over-the-top presentation as well as the sardonic smirk after dozens of enemies died in a well-constructed labyrinth of traps make most tower defense contenders look bland. However while an update of maps, tracks, weapons and game modes is a welcome addition to the original, the sequel offers too little to be considered a full-fledged successor.

The tower defense-game Orcs Must Die! 2 isn't that different from its predecessor, but it does have the cooperative mode we longed for. Additions like more enemies, extra weapons and a new game-mode make it better and more balanced than the original. The multiplayer just completes the picture. This sequel feels more like an expansion than a completely new installment though, but the low price makes up for that.

Orcs Must Die! 2 is as addicting and fun as the original, and furthermore it adds a great co-op gameplay. However, the absence of new levels, no in-game editor, and too close a resemblance with the original title make Orcs Must Die! 2 look more like an expansion pack than a fulfilling sequel.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience that will charm newcomers as well as veterans of the first game.

With its fast-paced multiplayer, completely redesigned spellbook, and extensive replayability, I'd say if you enjoyed the original Orcs Must Die! then I'd highly recommend Orcs Must Die! 2. However, OMD2 is shorter than OMD in terms of the campaign and only seems to expand on the original rather than offer a new innovative experience for tower defense fans.