From/De: Codemasters & BHPR via GamesPress

MEET THE NEW BOSS: ALL-NEW OVERLORD REVEALED IN FIRST OVERLORD™II GAMEPLAY VIDEO

Introducing a fresh onslaught of mayhem-with-menace, it’s the first Overlord II gameplay video, now available from www.codemasters.com/overlordII

Wednesday 18th March/… Being bad will soon feel ever so good again as Codemasters® today confirmed that the Minions will return this summer, complete with a new master, in Overlord™II, Triumph Studios’ sequel to the 1 million+ selling, delightfully despotic, twisted fantasy action adventure.

Taking the ‘be evil or really evil’ theme to terrific new heights of tyranny, gamers were today introduced to the new Overlord and his powers of destruction and domination in the first Overlord II gameplay video, now available from www.codemasters.com/overlordII

In Overlord II, the new Overlord and a more powerful Minions horde take on the Glorious Empire, an advanced Romanesque nation, in a truly epic yet familiarly warped adventure. Ever since the events at the end of Overlord: Raising Hell, the Overlord has been absent from the world and, without his firm grip on the kingdom, the lands have being conquered by the Glorious Empire. On the surface, the Glorious Empire is a civilisation driven by righteous politicians and supported with a mighty military force. However, in practice the Empire is decadent, corrupt and dangerous. And if there’s one thing the Glorious Empire hates, it’s magic and magical beings.

As the game opens, the Empire’s Inquisition is on the hunt for anyone who has magical resonance. In the Arctic wastelands, where Yetis roam, lies the snowy town of Nordberg. Here a young lad is singled out by the Inquisition and accused of possessing a magical force (what with him having strange glowing eyes and everything). However, as he is led off, the Empire guards come under attack from a band of strange little leathery, big-eared, yellow-eyed beasts: it’s the Minions! With a rousing cry of “Master” the devilishly charming critters carry the boy off – they’ve found their new Overlord.

After some years of intensive Minion training, players will step into the now-adult sized boots of the Overlord. Initially it’s a rag-tag band of Minions under his command but off they go, looting, destroying and laying waste to the lands around Nordberg, scoring victories where they can, before setting sights on the lands at the very heart of the Empire.

As the Overlord’s powers grow, the secrets of the Empire, and those of his own origins, will be revealed and then it’s time to go Minion maximus on the Empire’s collective ass. Players will be able to choose how to wield the Overlord’s evil forces. Do they plunder and pillage across the lands, burn cities on a whim in wild acts of destruction? Or do they follow a path of domination, enslaving towns and exerting their will upon the people? Only true despots will be able to make the ultimate choice between being a ‘destructive’ or a ‘dominating’ dark lord.

“Overlord II empowers players to enact their evil will in either a dominating or destructive way,” explains Lennart Sas, Creative Director, Triumph Studios. “Play as a ‘dominating’ Overlord and villages and people will fall under your command with rewards and benefits coming over time as you have them do your bidding. Follow a ‘destructive’ route and you’ll become a demonic Lord of chaos, obliterating anything that stands in your way. For example, if you need to take a boat from one area to the next, are you evil enough to trigger global warming, melt the ice caps, so that you create your own private sea to sail across? Well, are you? It’ll be fun finding out.”

Prepare to face the Glorious Empire in Overlord II – the game that puts the laughter into slaughter – coming this summer for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Games For Windows®. Get an introduction to the new Overlord in the first gameplay video, now available from www.codemasters.com/overlordII

# ENDS #

OVERLORD TITLES, COMING SUMMER 2009:
A Trio Of Tyrannical Treats

OVERLORD™II
• PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360, Games For Windows.

Overlord™II is the sequel to the hit warped fantasy action adventure that had players being delightfully despotic. In Overlord II, a new Overlord and a more powerful army of Minions take on an entire empire in a truly epic adventure, inspired by the rise of the Roman Empire. As the Glorious Empire conquers kingdoms and destroys any sign of magic it finds, it’s time to go Minion Maximus and send in the horde.

The Minions return smarter, deadlier (and funnier) and are ready to fight in large scale battles that will see their wild pack mentality squaring up to the organised legions of the Glorious Empire. As ever, they’ll do anything and everything the Overlord commands of them, especially now that they can run ravage and wreck buildings and scenery. They’ve also learn to ride: In Overlord II Minions will be able to mount up and ride wolves and other magical creatures around the landscape and take them into battle, making our band of merry fighters faster and fiercer than ever before. Coming in 2009, Overlord II is now in development at Triumph Studios in Delft, the Netherlands, for the PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360 and Games For Windows.

OVERLORD™ DARK LEGEND
• Wii™

Designed and developed exclusively for Wii, Overlord Dark Legend is a brand new action adventure steeped in fairy tale lore with sinister, satirical twists. Set in a time before the original game, players take the role of a new young Overlord. As he revels in command of the Minions, our trainee tyrant will be able to take his growing pains out on the local fairy tale inhabitants as he protects his castle and lands.

Connecting players to the game world in three dimensions, the use of the Wii Remote gives unprecedented control over the minions. For example, individual Minions can be plucked from the horde, held by the neck and then, by vigorously shaking the Wii Remote, throttled to imbue him with some Overlordly power and turn him into a manic minion missile. With a now-explosive body, the insane little critter can be guided into enemies with hilarious, if rather fatal, consequences.

Backed by a rich, tongue-in-cheek story from award-winning games author Rhianna Pratchett, the game features Overlord favourites including Halflings, trolls, elves, and dwarves and introduces wicked witches, gingerbread men and Lil’ Red Riding Hood, the seeming sweet girl with a very personal lupine secret. Coming in 2009, Overlord Dark Legend is now in development at Climax Studios, exclusively for Wii.

OVERLORD™MINIONS
• Nintendo DS™

Meet Giblet, Blaze, Stench, and Zap – an elite Minion crew who, assisted by minion master Gnarl, get star billing in Overlord Minions, an irresistible and accessible puzzle action game, designed exclusively for Nintendo DS. In Overlord Minions, the Overlord commands the Minion team remotely. The Nintendo DS stylus becomes an extension of his evil will and every precise Touch Screen command is the player-as-Overlord directing, commanding and combining minions in battle, pointing and sweeping them to attack enemies and solving puzzles to execute his dastardly plans.

Controlling the Special Farces team of four, players negotiate fiendish levels and take on a huge range of warped enemies to hunt down the Kindred, a cult dedicated to resurrecting the mighty Dragon Kin, a race of humanoid dragon hybrids, determined to replace the Overlord’s despotism with their own. Extending the Overlord series’ trademark humour, gameplay focuses on the mischievous physical comedy of the minion’s antics and is delivered in a stylised cartoon visual style. Scheduled for release in 2009, Overlord Minions is now in development at Climax Studios exclusively for Nintendo DS.

PRESS RESOURCE WEB SITE
Download game artwork, screens and essential Codemasters’ press materials direct to your desktop from: http://www.codemasters.com/mediabank

ABOUT CODEMASTERS
Codemasters is a leading developer and publisher of best-selling interactive entertainment products for a global audience across multiple gaming platforms and channels. Established in 1986, the company’s dominant brands include Colin McRae DiRT, Race Driver GRID, Overlord and Operation Flashpoint; the company recently secured the exclusive worldwide video game rights to FORMULA 1. Codemasters is headquartered in Warwickshire UK, with North American operations based in Universal City, Calif. The company also maintains operations in Germany, France, Spain, Benelux and Malaysia. Codemasters receives over two million visitors to its web site every month, discover why at www.codemasters.com

ASK ABOUT GAMES
Codemasters supports askaboutgames.com www.askaboutgames.com – a UK initiative designed to help parents understand the age ratings system for computer and video games so that they can make more informed choices when choosing games for their children.

Codemasters is a registered trademark owned by The Codemasters Software Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox LIVE are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. NINTENDO DS, Wii AND THE Wii LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO.

UPDATE: Pues a pesar de todos los inconvenientes mencionados, CODEMASTERS lanzara la secuela . . .  OVERLORD 2 para PS3 y XB360, en esta ocasión se comenta se depuraran los detalles de IA y aspectos generales incluyendo la camara, ademas que tus tropas podran hacer uso de vehiculos durante sus combates, pero yo me pregunto ¿cuales vehiculos?. Por otro lado se anuncio para los sistemas de Nintendo . . .  Overlord: Dark Legend  para el Nintendo Wii y Overlord Minions para el Nintendo DS. Esperemos que este señor si trabaje bien, y no sea solo un capataz.

Otro juego que tambien pense que seria bueno tener es Overlord: Raising Hell, cuando lo jugue en el XB360 de verdad que tenia muy buen gameplay, la historia era perfecta y con sus toques de humor negro ademas de ser bastante cruel. Asi que cuando escuche su anuncio para el PS3 no dudaba que seria una gran adquisicion ya que tendria nuevos agregados tecnicos que mejorarian gracias a las bondades del PS3 . . . pero me equivoque.

El juego en el PS3 es mediocre, si asi como lo leyeron . . . MEDIOCRE. El gameplay se ve afectado por detalles como el framerate . . . y la camara es pesima, yo no sufro de Sickness Motion, pero mi hermana lo jugo un rato y termino mareada. En resumen este juego en su edción para PS3 es horrible, ni lo compres, todo lo que hace que la edición de XB360 reluzca es todo lo que le falta a la de PS3. Es una lastima porque el juego es bueno, pero tambien me da mucha mala espina porque no debio suceder que este juego que segun seria mejor en el PS3 fuera una tremenda porqueria . . . solo me sirve para atrancar la puerta de mi cuarto . . . y eso a veces.

Overlord:Raising Hell harks back to a recent gaming past, when evil was popularly depicted as a cheeky cartoon-like model(see Dungeon Keeper).

How the times have changed.

We now live in a time of cinematic quality graphics & fully blown story arcs & characters within our gaming experiences. Evil is not represented in such an obvious manifestation in the majority of games released in this, the 21st Century. So with Codemasters releasing a title in Overlord Raising Hell which throws the player back to a period of gaming rarely revisited in almost 10 years. Can the modern gamer feel happy to be returned to this earlier time?

PS3 owners welcome to Raising Hell the Overlord way…

Overlord originally came out on the XBOX360/PC & as with many title releases, the PS3 version now follows with an expansion of content added in the form of an extended storyline & armour/weapons which can be forged by the player.

In the role of the mute Overlord, players command 4 types of minion to do their evil bidding. From damaging property & livestock, retrieving items once lost to the Overlord, lifting items that block pathways to attacking pretty much any of the worlds populace. Each minion type has a specific role that comes into play: Browns are the Fighters able to take the most damage, Greens are the Assassins with their silent strikes, Reds strike from afar with bolts from their bow & lastly Blues are the Healers that can also do magical damage to the Overlord’s foes.

Progressing through a lengthy storyline to return the once fallen Overlord to a position of ultimate power, a sour feeling began to dawn on me. The minions were actually having most of the fun & not only that but commanding them to do the evil deeds of the Overlord was much more satisfying than the actual gameplay of the Overlord himself. As an Overlord surely I should have felt a stronger connection to the character but this was not so & as the evil-doing wore on, I felt that the minions were becoming more central to the game than their master.

minion slaves have all the fun

Playing as the Overlord, you soon discover just how frustrating it is to command your minions. Where the minion is fast on their feet, making light work of any task – the Overlord is cumbersome, hard to control & frustrating when directing commands. Mute means, as Overlord, the player has to be in a perfect position to send out instructions. If you face the wrong way or don’t have clear sight, orders to your minions will not always be interpreted correctly & can often lead your Overlord to an unlikely defeat.

All roads lead to Hell – but don’t expect any shortcuts

Although Overlord Raising Hell has plenty of weight within its storyline content, the world itself is not an open one. There are no short cuts to destinations already known & the player must tread the same paths each time an area needs to be revisited. Improvements to the original Overlord game means that the PS3 version gets a mini map to guide you & your minions through the world. This would have worked far better in conjunction with a full map option but sadly this has not been included.

Multiplayer was an area of the game I really wanted to investigate before attempting a review of Overlord Raising Hell. I delayed summing the game up for a week in an attempt to log into any of 3 multiplayer game types. Unfortunately it seems that the online community for Overlord Raising Hell is either dead or very small, as I couldn’t find a single game to join on my numerous attempts.

In summing up the PS3 version of Overlord Raising Hell, I have to say, yes it is a game that has some well delivered dark humour & plenty of storyline content to explore. Minion play is fairly satisfying, helped by the 4 classes & their collection of skills. The animations are fairly average, considering this is title is on the cutting edge of console gaming, with very weak attempts of lip-sync during the many cut scenes.

In this age of gaming where open-world gameplay is becoming the standard, Overlord Raising Hell plays to a  past age with all linear paths leading to a comic hell.

Codemasters jave just informed us here at Sweet Flag that they have extended their UK’s worst boss competition until the 25th July.

The competition entry requires you to spill the beans on your very own worst boss by emailing it to worst.boss@codemasters.com. The entries are placed on the competition website for all to read!

The winner will receive a PS3 & a copy of Codemasters recently released Overlord:Raising Hell title(Ed ~ we will be reviewing Overlord very soon).

There were two games I was upset were unavailable on the PS3 when I purchased the system. One was Bioshock, the other was Overlord.

Though Overlord didn’t get the greatest reviews on the Xbox, conceptually, it is one hell of a great idea. We’re all sick of playing happy, blonde, skinny elves with noble hearts and idealistic warriors whose do-gooder attitudes make them about as much fun as cardboard boxes. Today’s discerning gamer demands variety. We want to be evil, dammit, and destroy the world!

I was happy to see that the Overlord series is coming to the PS3 in the form of Overlord:
Raising Hell.

It looks like it’s going to be the original Xbox release with all the content and hopefully a few updates. I was happier to see that there was a free demo on the PS3.

It’s great that developers are allowing us to play these free demos because I would sure hate to waste my money on a piece of crap like Overlord. While the concept remains good, this game, like many a PS3 hopeful, sucks (see Viking, Haze, Iron Man). It belongs on the PS2. The camera is cranky, the control of minions is clunky, and the graphics are just plain mediocre. In an era of overall masterpieces (GTA IV, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Resistance: Fall of Man) and graphical wonders (Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune) this type of subpar game is just simply inexcusable (again, see Viking, Haze, Iron Man, etc.).

If developers insist on re-releasing on a different platform, they should at least take the time to get it right. This one is mailed in.

Thankfully, some developers are giving us a free sampling of the shit sandwiches they are peddling, and, since most of us prefer turkey or roast beef, we get to not waste our money buying the final product.

I hold out hope for the PS3 Overlord, but I’ve learned my lesson with Viking: Battle for Asgard (god I’m sick of games with :colons: in their title, is that required now?). I certainly won’t be waiting in line to pick it up on the release date.

Check it out yourself. It’s free, and if you’re a nerdy loser (you are, since you’re reading this) like me, you’ve got the 30 minutes to download, play, and be disappointed. Maybe the developers are playing a cosmic trick on us: only a truly evil Overlord would subject people to something this bad.

Let me just give you one final frustrating example of what is wrong with this game. You are allegedly an evil bastard. You come upon a farmer who has been tied up as a scarecrow by some Halflings who took over his farm. He begs for your help. Your minions go destroy his farm (good, er, I mean, evil!) and kill the halflings, but when I tried to kill the scarecrow farmer as well (I am a merciless and evil overlord, right?) I could not cut him to shreds. Lame.

On a side note, I wonder how the free demos actually work out for sales. They certainly can’t help bad games. I’m assuming in the future developers will realize this and junk games will no longer have free downloads, just like crappy movies never allow critics to review them before the release date.

Un juego con muchos seguidores.

… (¿Lo pilláis?)

Overlord & the Minions set sights on format domination in 2009 with 3 New Titles

Codemasters® announces blockbuster Overlord sequel for the PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360, Games For Windows, plus exclusive extensions for Wii and Nintendo DS.

Friday 15th August 2008 - Marking the return of the bad ass game brand that champions a despotic tyrant and sets loose the most vicious, yet lovably insane critters in gaming, Codemasters® today announced that the Overlord and the Minions will headline a series of three new Overlord^TM titles for multiple platforms in 2009. (xbox 360 Overlord: Raising Hell)

Overlord^TMII (Overlord: Raising Hell) is the sequel to the original twisted fantasy action adventure and is now in development at Triumph Studios for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Games For Windows®. True to form, the Overlord and the Minion horde have their sights set on supremacy and 2009 will also see the series debuting on new formats. Exclusive extensions include the action title Overlord^TMDark Legend for Wii^TM, featuring minion control through Wii Remote movement, and Overlord^TMMinions, a dedicated puzzle action title, for Nintendo DS^TM.

Overlord in Winter Wonderland. Will it be as popular this time around . . . ?

“As a million-plus seller Overlord is now a significant brand in the ever-growing Codemasters portfolio,” says Barry Jafrato, Senior Vice President of Brand, Codemasters. “With specific titles published across major formats and download content available, Overlord has established a huge cult following and won widespread critical acclaim. We’re delighted to have the despot back for this three-game, five-format product line. With Triumph’s hugely impressive vision for Overlord II and bespoke titles for Wii and Nintendo DS, Overlord is set to dominate in 2009.”

“Epic battles, all new Minion play mechanics, a stunningly detailed new visuals and a fresh theme – Overlord II’s really packing a punch,” says Lennart Sas, director and Overlord lead at Triumph Studios. “We’re really excited about shifting the world to a new era where a Roman-inspired Empire rises as the arch-enemy of the Overlord, which leads to an epic clash between the regimented forces of a sprawling state and the faster, harder, more manic minion horde. It’s also great to see the series reaching new formats. The creativity being packed into the design for Overlord Dark Legend on Wii and Overlord Minions on Nintendo DS make great use of the platforms’ unique features and are perfect extensions to the Overlord series.”

(Ed note:) Excellent interview with Eurogamer and Lennart Sas from Dutch’s Triumph Studios. Makes for some excellent reading and well worth the visit.

OVERLORD TITLES FOR 2009:

OVERLORD^TMII

• Xbox 360, Games For Windows & PLAYSTATION®3 systems

Overlord^TMII is the sequel to the hit warped fantasy action adventure that had players being delightfully despotic. In Overlord II, a new Overlord and a more powerful army of Minions take on an entire empire in a truly epic adventure, inspired by the rise of the Roman Empire. As the Glorious Empire conquers kingdoms and destroys any sign of magic it finds, it’s time to go Minion Maximus and send in the horde.

The Minions return smarter, deadlier (and funnier) and are ready to fight in large scale battles that will see their wild pack mentality squaring up to the organised legions of the Glorious Empire. As ever, they’ll do anything and everything the Overlord commands of them, especially now that they can run ravage and wreck buildings and scenery. They’ve also learn to ride: In Overlord II Minions will be able to mount up and ride wolves and other magical creatures around the landscape and take them into battle, making our band of merry fighters faster and fiercer than ever before. Coming in 2009, Overlord II is now in development at Triumph Studios in Delft, the Netherlands, for the PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360 and Games For Windows.

OVERLORD^TM DARK LEGEND.

• Wii^TM

Designed and developed exclusively for Wii, Overlord Dark Legend is a brand new action adventure steeped in fairy tale lore with sinister, satirical twists. Set in a time before the original game, players take the role of a new young Overlord. As he revels in command of the Minions, our trainee tyrant will be able to take his growing pains out on the local fairy tale inhabitants as he protects his castle and lands.

Connecting players to the game world in three dimensions, the use of the Wii Remote gives unprecedented control over the minions. For example, individual Minions can be plucked from the horde, held by the neck and then, by vigorously shaking the Wii Remote, throttled to imbue him with some Overlordly power and turn him into a manic minion missile. With a now-explosive body, the insane little critter can be guided into enemies with hilarious, if rather fatal, consequences.

Backed by a rich, tongue-in-cheek story from award-winning games author Rhianna Pratchett, the game features Overlord favourites including Halflings, trolls, elves, and dwarves and introduces wicked witches, gingerbread men and Lil’ Red Riding Hood, the seeming sweet girl with a very personal lupine secret. Coming in 2009, Overlord Dark Legend is now in development at Climax Studios, exclusively for Wii.

OVERLORD^TMMINIONS

• Nintendo DS^TM

Meet Giblet, Blaze, Stench, and Zap – an elite Minion crew who, assisted by minion master Gnarl, get star billing in Overlord Minions, an irresistible and accessible puzzle action game, designed exclusively for Nintendo DS. In Overlord Minions, the Overlord commands the Minion team remotely. The Nintendo DS stylus becomes an extension of his evil will and every precise Touch Screen command is the player-as-Overlord directing, commanding and combining minions in battle, pointing and sweeping them to attack enemies and solving puzzles to execute his dastardly plans.

Controlling the Special Farces team of four, players negotiate fiendish levels and take on a huge range of warped enemies to hunt down the Kindred, a cult dedicated to resurrecting the mighty Dragon Kin, a race of humanoid dragon hybrids, determined to replace the Overlord’s despotism with their own. Extending the Overlord series’ trademark humour, gameplay focuses on the mischievous physical comedy of the minion’s antics and is delivered in a stylised cartoon visual style. Scheduled for release in 2009, Overlord Minions is now in development at Climax Studios exclusively for Nintendo DS.

With a rousing cry of “Veni, Vidi, Vici per Minions”, prepare to face the Glorious Empire in Overlord II and the rather grim fairy tales of Overlord Dark Legend and Overlord Minions when the terrific tyrant returns in 2009.

Atari Australia is the exclusive distributor of Codemasters games in Australia and New Zealand.

For more information on Overlord: Raising Hell and Atari’s entire product line-up please visit www.atari.com.au

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