Evil Genius 2: World Domination pairs traditional tycoon gameplay with tactics to create one of the more unique strategy titles on the market. As one of four cat-stroking wrong’uns, your task is to build an evil underground empire in a spy-fi thriller that, when executed effectively, will see the world bow to your reprehensible plans. You must build fortified vaults to contain your glittering paddocks of gold, and even a training room where you can upgrade vanilla minions into thugs capable of carrying out your nefarious deeds.

As you progress you’ll add scientists and technicians to your team, and also build devious distractions, like a casino that will steal away the attention of super-agents and prevent them from discovering your dastardly schemes. In addition, you’ll begin to take global territory, sending ne’er-do-wells around the world to run bank robberies and convert rival henchmen to your side, all with the ultimate goal of creating a Doomsday Device that will provide you with ultimate power over the rest of the planet.

The animation, smooth and amusing, injects a ton of personality into each and every room of your base – and while a lot of the best action occurs off-screen, it’s the type of game that’s fun to watch as all of your minions rush about. Unfortunately, some of the objectives drag, and once the basics of your lair are constructed, you will find yourself twiddling your thumbs while you wait for meters to fill up. In our opinion, campaigns could have been condensed a little more, leading to shorter but more entertaining games.

Still, there’s no question this is one of the better strategy games you’ll find on console. The controls mostly map well and the systems pair well with a stellar concept. With melodramatic, James Bond-esque music and some entertaining voiceover work, this is a tycoon-turned-strategy title that tests your grey matter and allows you to be the villain for once. Being bad never felt so good.