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Humble Weekly Codemasters sale: Overlord, Operation Flashpoint
The Humble Weekly Sale is Codemasters crazy, offering four games (and one piece of DLC) from the studio's backlog for any price you want, plus three more games for $6 or more. The "pay anything" games are Overlord (and the Raising Hell DLC), Operation Flashpoint: Red River, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising and Rise of the Argonauts. The $6 or more games are Dirt Showdown, Dirt 3 and Overlord 2. All games are PC and on Steam. The charity that you can send all your money to this time around is Special Effect, a UK organization that helps people with all kinds of disabilities play video games. Keep in mind that some of these games use Games for Windows Live, a service that is quickly becoming extinct. Dirt 3's GFWL systems are replaced with Steamworks, but Codemasters has no comment about its plans for both Operation Flashpoint games in this week's bundle.
World of Warplanes 0.4.1 beta update to feature new planes, maps
Wargaming.net's Dmitry "Overlord" Yudo has posted a brief World of Warplanes-related update on his dev blog. The arcade-style aviation shooter's 0.4.1 closed beta update will apparently feature a "soft wipe/reset," as well as joystick tuning updates, reworked upgrade UI elements, new premium aircraft, and two additional maps (Arctic and Harbour). Head to Overlord's blog via the link below for a handful of gorgeous new in-game images.
World of Warplanes dev blog shows off 'massive visual improvements'
Wargaming.net's Dmitry "Overlord" Yudo has hinted at World of Warplanes' next major update on his development blog. The free-to-play World War II aviation shooter is due for some substantial upgrades including a new UI, "enhanced controls," and "massive visual improvements." Yudo focuses on that last bit in his latest dev diary, and he even provides a series of before-and-after screenshots to showcase the game's upgraded aesthetic. World of Warplanes is Wargaming's free-to-play followup to World of Tanks, and it is currently in beta testing.
World of Tanks producer soliciting feedback for possible clan wars changes
Wargaming.net producer Dmitry "Overlord" Yudo is fishing for player feedback on his development blog. His latest post titled [WoT] Your Global War focuses on World of Tanks' clan wars mode, which he says has been rather "slow lately." Yudo mentions several possible feature additions, including more territories, historical and non-historical events, seasons for the global map, mercenaries, clan tanks, and more. He even hints at a wipe and object construction as possibilities, so head over to his blog and make your voice heard. The news of a possible revamp comes after Wargaming.net announced that the clan wars mode will be temporarily frozen over the Christmas holidays.
Steam Autumn Sale: Limbo, Overlord 75 percent off
Steam's Autumn Sale continues today, with some spectacular sales on Limbo ($2.49), Civilization 5 ($10.19), the Overlord complete pack ($4.99) and more. There's also a terrible sale on Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, wherein Steam is still asking people to actually pay for it. Steam is also offering franchise sales on The Witcher, F.E.A.R., Tom Clancy and, to keep the excitement at manageable levels, Kane & Lynch titles.
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Climax's Warhammer Online
Let's begin with a little personal history. Back in 2008, I decided to get into the blogging scene by jumping on board the latest MMO hotness -- in this case, Warhammer Online. As I was growing increasingly tired of World of Warcraft, WAR seemed to offer a refreshing alternative: a darker world full of brutal PvP and awesome new ideas. So I joined the elite ranks of bloggers (hey, stop laughing so hard) and spent the better part of two years jawing about Mythic's latest fantasy project. And while Warhammer Online was, in my opinion, a solid product, it certainly failed to live up to the extremely high expectations held by both the development team and the players. No matter how it turned out, I really enjoyed talking about WAR, especially in the days leading up to its launch. One of the first articles I ever wrote for my blog WAAAGH! dealt with the first attempt to bring Warhammer Online into the MMO genre (as a fun aside, it was one of the first times I got my name on Massively!). It's a "what if?" tale that's tantalizing to consider -- an entirely different studio, Climax Online, creating a much darker version of Warhammer than we've ever seen online. The tale of the game's rise and fall (and subsequent rise and fall again) captivated me, and I wanted to expand my old article as part of our recent series into exploring MMOs canceled before their launch. So what if Climax had brought Warhammer Online to bear? Would it have eclipsed Mythic's vision or been its own animal? Hit the jump and let's dive into the pages of ancient history!
Choice Mass Effect 2 DLC discounted on Xbox Live today
If you've been holding out for the inevitable "Game of the Year Edition" of Mass Effect 2 to get the DLC, you'd best look away. As part of the "Countdown to 2011" promotion on Xbox Live, all three of the game's mission add-ons -- "Lair of the Shadow Broker," "Overlord" and "Kasumi - Stolen Memory" -- have been slashed to just 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50) each, for discounts ranging from 64–75 percent off today only. But maybe you'd rather spend tonight watching someone in a movie control another person, as if it were a video game? The Zune Marketplace totally has Gamer on sale for 960 points today, as well. Finally!
Mass Effect 2 DLC on PS3 explained, interactive comic confirmed
As rumored over the weekend, Mass Effect 2's PlayStation 3 iteration will come packed with "6+ hours of bonus missions" -- rather than being PS3-exclusive bonus content, however, it'll comprise the game's three big expansions: Kasumi: Stolen Memories, Overlord, and Lair of the Shadow Broker. EA corroborated the news this morning by releasing the game's PS3 box art (found in full below the break), which clearly details its contents just inches above Miranda's flowing locks. BioWare producer Jesse Houston also took to the company's forums to clear up what exactly will be on the Blu-ray disc (and what will be downloaded). "Of course Mass Effect 2 will be included. On top of that, Lair of the Shadow Broker, Project Overlord, Kasumi: Stolen Memory and the Blood Dragon Armour. Also included is, as on Xbox 360 and PC, an access code to the Cerberus Network. This will give you instant access to the same great lineup of Downloadable Content such as Zaeed and Firewalker." Furthermore, he confirmed an "interactive comic" will ship with ME2 on PS3, cursorily detailing it by saying, "BioWare Edmonton (the group that made Mass Effect 2) teamed up with the fine folks at Dark Horse Comics to create an interactive backstory. While I can't release all the details about this yet, what I can tell you is that we want to create a stunning visual experience that not only tells the core story elements of Mass Effect 1, but also is fully interactive allowing you to be faced with some of the major choices which will have consequences your Mass Effect universe. This interactive comic's initial release will be exclusive to PS3 owners who would be otherwise unable to realize the full effect of choice in the Mass Effect universe and will be included on the Cerberus Network." He also -- somewhat ambiguously -- described additional, exclusive DLC for PS3 owners, explaining that, "There will also be some DLC Bundles, such as the Aegis Pack as well as exclusive both Free and Paid DLC for all PlayStation 3 owners such as the Recon Operations Pack." Perhaps in an attempt to calm the seething forum member responses, the post was later edited with the explanation, "While I can't go into details, all of this content is or was available to Xbox/PC owners, but otherwise wouldn't be available to PS3 owners. More details about this will be released later." Though EA/BioWare have yet to give it a price, retailers are currently putting the DLC-packed release at a regular $60.
Frolicking in Freeport: EverQuest II's city festival features fun and finery
It may be the evilest city of them all, but that doesn't mean that EverQuest II's Freeport can't cut loose and have a good time now and then. For the duration of this week (November 1st through 7th), the city festival has moved to Freeport, and players are encouraged to head on over and pay their respects to the Overlord. The city festival is a roaming monthly event in EQII that features a different one of the six capitals, wherein players can complete repeatable quests and hand in city writs to collect the cleverly-named city tokens. Said tokens are then taken to a midway and spent on Skeeball -- or, in a more truthful sense, they are exchanged for unique house decorations. Freeport is featuring a special lamppost, display counter and a carved door for collectors. Players are also welcome to snag one of the six winning paintings from last month's Oktoberfest Forum Challenge. Winners of the contest had their screenshots immortalized as an in-game painting. Housing is one of EQII's crown jewels, so this is a great opportunity to deck out your pad!
We're doing our best to make this Steam Halloween sale scary
"Did ... did you hear that? That creepy noise, coming from the direction of Steam. What is that? It sounds like ... Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 for $15." Steam's Halloween sale is upon us, and you can't hide from these terrifying deals. Actually, we suppose you can, since they're just going to sit there on the site until November 1. The inanimate, inert, pleasant, but also totally spooky deals include Worms: Reloaded and Team Fortress 2 for $9.99 each, and the Overlord pack for $7.49. With prices this good, the only scary thing is missing out on this sale. Although there are Steam sales all the time, so it's really just slightly inconvenient if you don't get anything this time. Um, boooooooo! Ghosts!
Mass Effect 2 DLC discounted next week on XBLM
On a quest to spend at least 2400 Microsoft Points before the month is out? BioWare, it seems, wants to help out -- both Kasumi's Stolen Memory and Overlord DLC packs for Mass Effect 2 are dropping to $5 a pop (down form $7), as part of next week's XBLM deal. It may be called the "Deal of the Week," but in this case, we prefer calling it "The Obvious Purchase."
Review: Mass Effect 2 DLC: Overlord
When your entire game builds to a final, bombastic mission as in Mass Effect 2, it's hard for any downloadable content set after that point to not feel like an afterthought, and that's certainly true of the "Overlord" DLC from a structural standpoint. But when even your afterthoughts pack more fun and emotional resonance into a couple of hours than many games manage in their entirety, who's complaining?
Mass Effect 2 DLC 'Overlord' observing June 15 arrival
Major Nelson's latest "Coming Soon" post lists Mass Effect 2's Overlord DLC with a June 15 upload date. Apparently the VI overlord is ready to go online and observe all the E3 festivities next week. The Overlord DLC was revealed last month and will feature Cmdr. Shepard battling through "five levels set across one story on one planet" -- with a jaunty drive around in the Hammerhead tank. Entering into battle against the virtual intelligence will cost 560 ($7). Update: June 15 date also confirmed by EA.
New Mass Effect 2 DLC 'Overlord' welcomed in June
Overlord, the next content expansion for Mass Effect 2, was apparently revealed yesterday at Electronic Arts' European showcase event in London. According to Gamerzines, ME2 director Casey Hudson described the DLC as "five levels set across one story on one planet," with players battling through a laboratory (and occasionally piloting the Hammerhead tank) to defeat an artificial intelligence. There is currently no price nor official release date. Hudson also announced that no new squad mates would be added in the DLC, nor would there be in any future DLC. We'll be sure to update as soon as EA makes a formal announcement with more details. Update: The official Mass Effect 2 website has posted a more detailed description of the scenario (reproduced after the break), along with the price: 560 MS/BioWare points ($7). [Via VG247]
Interview: Rhianna Pratchett
With Rhianna Pratchett's most recent projects -- a trio of Overlord titles -- complete, the game scribe took some time out to discuss what it was like to write for three games at once, what she's looking forward to in the future, and why Faith in Mirror's Edge wasn't quite as talkative as originally planned:Did you have any difficulties writing for three different platforms? What are the differences and limitations of writing for one platform over another?It was mainly a question of age ratings. I'm sorry it's not more of an exciting answer. The Wii and DS, Dark Legend and Minions, were aiming for a lower rating than Overlord II, so there were certain things that I couldn't talk about in the scripts -- mainly to do with excessive violence and debauchery. You know, all the really fun stuff. You can certainly get away with more by taking a comedic angle, but games ratings are actually pretty stringent. I don't think it impacted too much on the Overlord feel, although it was a shame to lose things like drunken minions and mistresses. Okay, in Dark Legend the lead character is only 16, so a harem might have been rather wishful thinking.There was a definite need for economy of language when it came to the DS, which was a little more restrictive. Condensing a loquacious character like Gnarl was quite a challenge. Other than that it was really just trying to capture the right Overlord tone.
Deal watch: Grab Overlord: Dark Legend for $37
Being that games are an expensive habit, we're always on the lookout for a decent savings. With that in mind, please direct your attention to Amazon, where you can pick up a copy of Overlord: Dark Legend for $36.99. That's $13.00 off the standard price of $49.99 and nothing to sneeze at. The game has been reviewed fairly well thus far and, at the very least, we can vouch for the charms of its PS3 and Xbox 360 brethren.If you like your games funny and evil, you might consider picking it up.%Gallery-45512%
Snap Judgment: Overlord 2
With limited time in the day to review all the games we want to tell you about, some have a habit of falling through the cracks before we've been able to get our thoughts onto the site. In the hopes of remedying that, we've created a new feature we're calling Snap Judgment. Here's the gist: We'll play enough of the game to get the lay of the land -- what we liked, what we didn't, etc. -- and then pass our opinions on to you. It's not a full "review" in the traditional sense, but we're hoping you'll scroll away just a bit more informed.So, shall we?%Gallery-48075%
Hands-on: Overlord II
The original Overlord was a flawed game with a subversively chewy center. The only thing Overlord II needs to deliver to outdo the original is some polish, which is something we can't really tell is present from messing around with a demo for 10 minutes. That doesn't mean we didn't like what we saw, it's simply noting that Overlord's flaws didn't become strikingly clear until later in the game. The latest title has the same whimsical art style as the original, but this time magic is starting to disappear from the world. The Overlord will not only battle a comical version of the Roman empire (Asterix and Obelix fans will notice immediately), but will be an antihero to the loss of magic in the world.A demo for the game is available now on Xbox Live and PSN, but it picks up where the E3 demo leaves off.%Gallery-48075%
New Overlord: Dark Legend trailer is adorable, tiny
Now, let's examine the difference between "bad" and "evil." Using your army of minions to wreak havoc in a fairytale land like you will in Overlord: Dark Legend? That's evil. Evil in a fun way that we can't wait to try out, but all the same, evil.But making a trailer available to the public for the aforementioned game but only allowing it to be viewed in a window the size of Hervé Villechaize's belt buckle? That's just bad.%Gallery-29623%
Rhianna Pratchett launches portfolio website
Rhianna Pratchett, the British game writer behind Heavenly Sword, Overlord (and its upcoming sequels), Mirror's Edge and Viking: Battle For Asgard has launched her portfolio website, making it easier to keep track of her various projects. The website showcases all the games that she's worked on, as well as her contributions to some game writing textbooks and her ongoing series of Mirror's Edge comic books. There are also links to interviews (including one of ours) for those who want to get a little more insight into the person behind the words. From the look of things, the site won't be updated for a while as Rhianna's being kept fairly busy with Overlord 2 and the Wii and DS Overlord games. Now that she's set up home on the internet, we wonder if she'll be joining us on Twitter soon, too.
