Overlord PS3 confirmed - exclusive screens [CVG]

Be extra evil this November as Codemasters announces OverlordTM: Raising Hell as part of new downloadable content.

One free and two premium downloadable content packs coming soon for OverlordTM on Xbox 360.

Unleashing the wondrously evil Overlord and his army of lethal minions for a fresh round of malicious mayhem, Codemasters today announced the forthcoming release of three downloadable content packs for Overlord™, the summer's hit action adventure from Triumph Studios.

The all-new content will be available this November from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox™ 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and comprise of one free and two premium download packs.

The premium downloadable content is led by Overlord™: Raising Hell, an expansion pack that adds all-new single-player levels to the original game. An additional premium pack, the Overlord™: Challenge Pack will deliver a set of all-new online multiplayer maps. Microsoft Points pricing for the two premium content packs will be confirmed at launch. A further downloadable content update will also be available free of charge. This will add split-screen play to all the original game's multiplayer maps and introduce an all-new multiplayer Survival map.

Premium and Free Downloadable Content Details:

OVERLORD™: RAISING HELL - Premium Downloadable content
Prepare to go deeper into the Overlord's twisted world as this single-player expansion pack opens a series of hellish new levels. Complete with new enemies and objectives, each new level is a supernatural abyss - a hell for each of the game's five kingdoms: Mellow Hills, Evernight, Heaven's Peak, the Golden Halls and the Ruborian Desert.

Access to each abyss is via a portal, which opens once a kingdom has been successfully conquered and the previous ruler banished to a personal hell within. However it's not just the fallen heroes that have been dragged into the abyss: the Overlord's newly loyal peasants have also been taken down into hell too.

With the undead denizens of each abyss on the attack and threatening the Overlord's reign above ground, there's only one thing for it: assemble your minion army, descend into each abyss and embark on a fresh wave of tyranny in order to return the serfs to their homelands, defeat the fallen heroes once and for all, and claim the throne of each kingdom's underworld.

OVERLORD™: CHALLENGE PACK - Premium Downloadable content.
This additional premium download content pack is ideal for Overlords who really have something to prove. There's pillaging fun with seven new online multiplayer maps, including the competitive 'Capture the Maiden' map and 'Protect Your Power', where players must defend the Overlord's tower against waves of enemy attack.

Putting minions through their toughest workout, the Challenge pack also introduces a "Legendary" difficulty mode, which challenges players to achieve Legendary status by using their most aggressive minion managing skills to complete the game under exceptional bad-ass circumstances.

OVERLORD™: SPLIT-SCREEN MULTIPLAYER PACK - Free Downloadable Content.
The free update will be available alongside the premium packs and will enable players to go head to head in an all-new split screen multiplayer mode. In addition to providing split screen play on all of the game's original multiplayer maps, the update will also introduce a new multiplayer map, Rocky Race, which sees a pair of Overlords working cooperatively to survive the onslaught of an arch rock giant on the rampage.

All three content packs are set to be available this November from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360, with Microsoft Point pricing to be announced. All three packs require players to have a full copy of Overlord for Xbox 360 in order to experience the additional content. For all the latest information and videos, be sure to visit www.codemasters.com/overlord

Codemasters spotlights stellar line up at Games Convention, Leipzig.

Playable premieres for Clive Barker's Jericho, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and more at world's largest videogame exhibition.

Codemasters will host a stellar showing of exclusive playable reveals at this year's Games Convention 2007 in Leipzig, Germany, running August 23rd - 26th, 2007.

The ever growing videogame developer and publisher's showcase booth (Hall 4, F01) will feature playable premieres for Clive Barker's Jericho™, Turning Point™: Fall of Liberty, new downloadable content for Overlord™, plus the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system edition of hit off-roader Colin McRae: DiRT™. A Codemasters Online area will be dedicated to The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ and feature content update Book 10: The City of the Kings.

"Everyone within Codemasters is extremely excited to have both Clive Barker's Jericho and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty playable at this year's Games Convention in Leipzig," states Rod Cousens, CEO, Codemasters.

"We have very high hopes for both titles and, as we continue to increase Codemasters growing presence, we recognise the significance of allowing our fans and consumers to get an early taste of what's to come, and this year's Games Convention in Germany is the perfect opportunity to do so."

Codemasters' Games Convention 2007 Lineup:

CLIVE BARKER'S JERICHO™
The terrifying squad-based horror FPS based on an original concept by the master mythmaker, Clive Barker's Jericho™ will receive its European consumer playable premiere at Games Convention 2007. Already hotly tipped as a key videogame this fall, and included in GameSpy.com's Top 10 Best Games of E3 2007 awards, Clive Barker's Jericho will take players on a journey through hellish locations and slices of time combating gruesome and twisted enemies from the mind of Clive Barker.

Clive Barker's Jericho is coming this autumn for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Games for Windows®. For the fright of your life, visit www.jericho-game.com

TURNING POINT™: FALL OF LIBERTY
Games Convention 2007 will mark the first time ever that gamers will be able to go hands on with Turning Point™: Fall of Liberty, the epic alternate-reality World War II shooter from Spark Unlimited.

Set in 1953, amidst an alternate WWII reality, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty opens as Nazi forces launch a decimating attack on New York. At Leizpig, gamers will be able to hands-on and play through the game's moving, action-packed portion of the initial invasion. With Nazi battleships taking the harbour, monstrous Zeppelins filling the skies, jet powered aircraft executing bombing runs, and armed paratroopers descending to the city streets taking New York block by block, players will be overwhelmed with the will to survive and the determination to defend with this new take on WWII shooters.

To be showcased at Leipzig on Xbox 360, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty is also being developed for the PLAYSTATION®3 system and Games for Windows. For the latest game briefings visit www.turningpointgame.com.

OVERLORD™
Revealing new content for Overlord™, Codemasters' hit action adventure that enables players to explore their more despotic side, gamers will be able to go head to head with an all-new split screen multiplayer mode. The mode is soon to be available as a free content download for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live® Marketplace.

The creation of Dutch developer Triumph Studios, Overlord is all about being ruthless and determined as players pillage lands, conquer kingdoms and rise to be proclaimed the new all-powerful Overlord, ably assisted by a horde of loyal but lethal minions.

The free content update will provide the option to play split screen on all existing multiplayer maps. Overlord is out now for PC and Xbox 360. Visit www.codemasters.com/overlord for the latest game information.

COLIN McRAE: DiRT™
Already a best-seller on Xbox 360 and PC, Games Convention 2007 will be the first place for gamers to test drive the PLAYSTATION®3 system edition of Colin McRae: DiRT™. Set to launch this September for the PLAYSTATION®3 system, Colin McRae: DIRT takes traditional rally and turns it into an exhilarating cavalcade of mud splattering, gravel churning, handbrake turning, off-road race events.

As the evolution of the world's grittiest racing game series, the car handling is sublime, the physics system thrillingly accurate and the damage effects are devastating. Dirty up at www.codemasters.com/dirt

The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™
BOOK 10: THE CITY OF THE KINGS.

The dedicated Codemasters Online area will feature the playable first look at Book 10: The City of the Kings, the second free update for The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, the award-winning MMO from Turbine, Inc. Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer, will host exclusive presentations of Book 10 at 12.00 and 14.30 on Thursday, August 23rd and 17.00 on Friday, August 24th. The area will also feature community activity including a series of Monster Play events.

Video 21: Grandma plays Overlord [YouTube via Destructoid - Thanks Neal!]

When I first saw the amBX technology, I thought it was a bit silly, but now that Codemasters seems to hold such faith in it...I still think it's a bit silly. Until I can smell Mario, rumble is all the ambiance I need with my gaming.

AMBX ADDS CODEMASTERS - TO THE POWER OF FIVE

Replicating its formula for success, Philips and Codemasters today unveiled an agreement to amBX-enable five more PC games, including Overlord™, Clive Barker's Jericho™, Turning Point™: Fall of Liberty, Rise of the Argonauts™ and Operation Flashpoint™ 2. The announcement comes hot on the tail of the addition of amBX to TOCA Race Driver™ 3.

Shorthand for 'ambient experiences', amBX is a milestone in the development of ambient intelligence and revolutionises the gameplay experience by extending the gaming world out of the screen and into the real world. amBX will provide gamers with a full 'sensory surround experience' by equipping developers with a tool box to use light, colour, sound and even air flow through enabled devices, including the Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals range of LED colour-controlled lighting, rumble peripherals and desktop fans.

"We've been really impressed with the creativity the amBX team has brought on-board following the recent TOCA Race Driver 3 implementation and unveiling our plans to amBX-enable a further five demonstrates our commitment to this emerging and exciting platform," commented Peter Chan, Business Development Manager, Codemasters. "We want to offer players of Codemasters games entirely new experiences and amBX is going to allow us to deliver just that."

The five Codemasters titles have all been received positively by the gaming media and represent a wide cross section of gaming genres, including RPG feudal repression in Overlord (out now), squad-based horror FPS in Clive Barker's Jericho (Q3 2007), alternate reality World War II FPS in Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (Q4 2007), gladiatorial adventure in Rise of the Argonauts (2008) and award-winning conflict simulation in Operation Flashpoint 2 (2008).

"This announcement strengthens our existing relationship with Codemasters and underlines our resolve to position amBX as a ubiquitous technology across computer and video games and bring all-new ambient experiences to as many of their players as possible," commented Jo Cooke, Chief Marketing Officer, Philips amBX. "These five titles really do represent the great and the good from Codemasters' recent and upcoming release schedule and we're looking forward to making further announcements in the very near future."

Philips is setting a global standard by licensing the amBX technology to computer game developers, publishers and peripherals manufacturers and Codemasters joins a rapidly growing list of games industry companies supporting amBX-enabled games and peripherals, including THQ, Introversion, Kuju, Revolution, Sumo Digital, Rivers Run Red, Philips Peripherals & Accessories and SpectraVideo. Philips is currently in the closing stages of agreements with a number of other high profile companies regarding amBX-enabling all kinds of games.

• The Darkness (X360, PS3) Gangsters and demons are a lethal combination.
• Overlord (PC, X360)
  Which side will you choose, evil or evil?
• Transformers: The Game (X360, PS3, PS2, WII)
  More than meets the eye. We hope.
• Driver: Parallel Lines (PC, WII)
  Everyone loves a good car chase.
• Pokemon Battle Revolution (WII)
  Get your Pokemon ready for the battle of the century on the Wii.
• Grim Grimoire (PS2)
  a young magician goes to a school for magicians...hmm, sounds vaguely familiar
• The BIGS (X360, WII, PS3, PS2, PSP)
  The new baseball game hits one out of the park.
• Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition (PSP)
  Get back to your RPG roots with a revamping of the game that started a franchise.
• Ratatouille (PC, X360, DS, WII, PS2, XBOX, PSP, GC, GBA, MOBILE, MAC)
  Rats in your room! Or at least your console, handheld, computer or phone. Did I miss any?
• Hour of Victory (X360)
  Another WWII epic.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (WII, X360, PS3, PC, PS2, PSP, DS)
  Put your wand up in the air and wave it like you just don't care.
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (PC)
  Battle big bugs in icy landscapes.
• Hitman Trilogy (PS2, PC)
  The entire Agent 47 saga all in one tidy box.
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (PS3)
  The game the Mayor of Vegas doesn't want you to play.

Great demo. Feels like a mix of Dungeon Master with Black & White. Good fun.

Liking the demo, but its 100% rip off of pikimin, for the game cube.

this game rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Demo: Overlord [Major Nelson's Blog]

Enjoy your power and status with a mistress (or two) as you customize and upgrade yourself and your tower

The Dutch version of FHM magazine is holding a contest to win a spot in Triumph's upcoming 360/PC game Overlord, but there's a catch. They want the ugliest possible person they can find. It's an ugly pageant! Take that, all you pretty people, sailing through life on your looks, with your actual hair and your rock-hard abs. This one is ours, and by that I mean mine.

The contest page is written completely in non-English, which I do not speak, but tipster Pipski was nice enough to translate instructions. "All you have to do is send three pictures of your face, front, three quarters and side, to prijsvraag@fhm.nl. The closing date is December the 30th." If I were you I wouldn't bother. I've got this one nailed. In high school I was voted "Most Likely to Inspire a Pitchfork-Toting Villager Mob."

Gezocht: Lelijke Gasten! [fhm.nl - Thanks Pimski!]

From those righteous dudes from Delft who brought gamers the brilliant Age of Wonders series of games comes the announcement of their newest title, Overlord, which cuts away from the Masters of Magic turn based strategy mold to deliver a visceral action game experience on the PC and 360.

From the press release:

Controlling a mysterious figure that has inherited the legacy of the evil, long-dead Overlord, the player emerges, near death, from the ruins of the old Overlord's Dark Tower. Only the player's actions will determine if they will rise to become the new all-powerful Overlord; it's all down to how much of a bad ass they want to be in order to succeed... evil or really evil! Played out with plenty of black humour and dark irony, the game will immerse players in twisted parodies of classic fantasy scenarios and characters.

Overlord's key innovation is the introduction of an array of impish creatures - the Minions. They believe you are the old Overlord reborn and will use their unique skills to fetch, fight and die for you. Throughout the game players will actively control a horde of these gremlin-like critters and they'll follow your every instruction no matter how despotic or, for the Minions, life threatening it is.

The Age of Wonders games were as excellent as they were criminally underappreciated. Let's hope this is the breakout hit that propels Triumph Studios to AAA status.

Triumph Studios' Overlord Announcement