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X3F hands-on: Overlord
Somewhere, deep down, we had a feeling we were going to like Triumph Studios' Overlord. The screens we'd seen looked polished and the trailers exuded a certain charm that piqued our interest from the beginning. As such, we were eager to try out the demo that was released on Xbox Live Marketplace earlier today. After a few run-throughs of the fairly short demo, we think we've reached a fair assessment of what the game has to offer. So, is Overlord the game of your (evil) dreams? Read on to find out.%Gallery-3359%
Overlord demo hits Xbox Live
Every gaming publication under the sun has described Overlord, which casts you as a bad guy with up to 50 minions to control, as a blend of Pikmin and (something evil here). But we at Joystiq, never ones to cling to convention, are going to describe it as a mix of Halo and mid-90s classic Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills. There's not any basis in reality for that description, but, we figure that now that the demo is out on Xbox Live, we can describe it any way we like without doing too much damage. Also, just between us, we own a lot of stock in Codemasters, and we need to appeal to what the kids are into. They love the Halo ... and we couldn't afford the Power Rangers. Listen, Major Nelson says he hasn't even heard of the thing, we've got to make a splash somehow.
Overlord demo rules Marketplace
After a bunch of demos hit Marketplace over the last three days (some more important than others), new ones still keep showing up. Today's offering so far is Overlord, which recently had a few videos pop up on the intertubes, and follows through on our plea. You may want to watch those before committing the 891.78 MB of space for the content, although some of you may already be convinced. So, are you enjoying this influx of interactive content, or do you not have the time to play these demos anyway?
Video: Overlord media blitz begins
Judging by the increasing amount of promotional material floating around the net, Codemasters really wants Overlord to be a success. New videos are starting to come out at a daily pace, revealing the game's plot and unique gameplay elements. The first video (above) gives a brief outline of the game's story. As the new Overlord, it is your job to rebuild your dark tower as well as punish the "heroes" who destroyed it in the first place. The second video (embedded after the break) shows off a trait displayed by your minions. Labeled, "Commandment One" of "The Six Minion Commandments" the video shows players that minions will always bring you any loot that they find. We must admit, we're really starting to like the idea of dimwitted minions who will perform all of our nefarious bidding. Overlord comes out later this month.
New Overlord multiplayer details rounded up
Overlord is set to launch this month from Codemasters, and a NeoGAF post has rounded up a few multiplayer details for would-be Overlords everywhere. As you would expect, the multiplayer modes all involve the use of your minions to achieve certain goals. The first mode is Deathmatch, which plays out the same way it sounds. Of course, the difference here is that dozens (possibly hundreds) of minions will be facing each other at the bidding of their masters. Co-op mode has you and a friend unleashing your minions upon hordes of enemies. Again, the amount of characters on screen is supposed to be very hefty indeed. Finally, there is another mode called Plunder Challenge, in which players compete to gather (read: steal) the most treasure.Also, Triumph Studios is planning on releasing new multiplayer maps as well as an additional single-player chapter as downloadable content in the future. There are also plans to expand the game's roster of 25 monsters and add new weaponry. Sounds great, doesn't it? Now how about a demo, Codemasters? Please?
Meet Codemasters' new, synergistic face
Were you planning on buying Hospital Tycoon on June 7? No? Perhaps it's time to rethink that choice, because it'll be your first chance to play a game with the brand new Codemasters corporate identity. You see how that "C" just slides into the "M"? That's a little thing called synergy. Oh, you want to know more about synergy? Peep this incredibly awesome quote. "The identity can have different moods, depending on whether it is working or playing. When at work, such as corporate literature, it is very sophisticated, confident and businesslike," said director of marketing Nicola Hewitt, an actual human being. "However, when it is at play and being creative, on packaging and marketing materials, it's out to have more fun, try new things and to be enjoyed by everyone who comes into contact with it." We're serious. A human wrote that. We've got one more after the jump.
New DIRT pre-order goodies revealed
Codemasters has announced that those who place pre-orders on Colin McRae: DIRT will get some exclusive in-game content. Pre-ordering players will receive a code to unlock 10 additional cars as well as access to exclusive videos featuring Travis Pastrana (whom we're guessing is famous). It's unknown if this code will unlock cars that can be obtained in other ways or if the content will really be exclusive to those with pre-orders. The 10 cars are: Subaru Impreza WRX-RA STI version II Toyota Celica GT-FOUR Peugeot 205 T16 Lancia Delta S4 Icker Jimco buggy McMillin Racing Car Kamaz 4911 MAN TGA Freightliner Century Class S/T Kenworth T2000 So, is that enough to make you get your pre-order on? [Via Evil Avatar]
Forza 2 racing wheel tuning possible through DiRT
Over on the Forza Motorsport 2 forums members are investigating a way to change the 360 racing wheel's force feedback in the Forza 2 demo. Currently, the Forza 2 demo does not allow customizable racing wheel options, but the Colin McRae DiRT demo does allowing players to change various settings. And, as such, some forum members are reporting that the DiRT demo's force feedback settings magically transfer over to the Forza 2 demo. So, if you're feeling the need for more force feedback in Forza 2, fire up DiRT, customize your racing wheel options and see if it helps your Forza 2 demo situation. Although, all this confusion could be avoided if Microsoft would integrate some sort of racing wheel options menu through the dash. You hear us Microsoft? [Thanks, thermodynamic]
DIRT demo tracks mud onto nice, clean marketplace
Rally fans rejoice, for the Colin McRae: DIRT demo has finally arrived on Marketplace. If you prefer your racing a little muddier than, say, Forza 2, then DIRT is just the thing for you. If the footage we've seen of the game is anything to go by, then DIRT looks to be a stellar title. Why not download the 770MB demo and find out for yourself? Have any fanboys out there taken this filthy racing sim for a test drive yet? What do you think?
DiRT demo muddies up the Marketplace Thursday
European Xbox community manager AceyBongos has confirmed that a new Colin McRae DiRT demo will be hitting the XBLM this Thursday. AceyBongos mentions that the demo will be released at 9:00AM GMT in Europe, but we suspect it'll also be released to North Americans too. The DiRT demo will include three different racing modes including super stage crossover, nine player buggy racing, and a hill climb which promises to make everyone who plays it wet themselves with excitement. We'll keep our ears open for more details to where the demo will be released, but until then be prepared to experience DiRT this Thursday morning. [Thanks, MuJaHiDeEn 420]
Overlord: evil done right
We have been intrigued by Overlord ever since we first learned of its evil, minion-controlling premise. This new trailer shows off some impressive minion armies, huge enemies, as well as a brief clip of the Overlord's bawdy mistress. We also get a look at the Overlord's dark tower. We can't wait to get our hands on the game, and luckily we won't have to wait too long. The game comes out next month you see. Anyone else out there raring to send their minions to reign terror upon the countryside?[Via DCEmu]%Gallery-3359%
Achievements revealed: Ratatouille, DiRT and more
Yesterday, Xbox360Achievements.org posted complete achievement lists for a few upcoming games including family friendly Ratatouille and the messy DiRT. Ratatouille offers a bunch of objective based achievements with nothing overly spectacular, except for the "Beat Hoisting the Hefty Weight" which caught our eye. DiRT's achievements are rather bland too, nearly a yawn-fest until we spotted the "First Clean Race" achievement. That achievement will be impossible for those of us who like to play dirty. Also, take a gander through Aegis Wing's achievements and focus on getting a few friends together to earn the "Epic Warrior" achievement. Hooking up four players has never been so rewarding. Read - Ratatouille Achievements Read - DiRT Achievements Read - Aegis Wing Achievements
Rainbow Islands Revolution for $10
If you weren't "lucky" enough to have a glitched copy of Bubble Bobble Revolution and the free Rainbow Islands that came with the replacement, you can get Rainbow Islands now for a very reasonable price. Gamestop is offering Codemasters' sequel for $9.99 new, no broken Bobbles included. It's backordered on the website (which has happened since we started writing the story) but it may be available in a local store or following a restock online.$10 is just about the right price for a game with a Metascore of 54. The original Rainbow Islands is worth like 500 million imaginary Metascore points, and if playing this one even evokes the arcade game a little, it's worth it. Also, $10 is like 1/6 of a copy of Gundam: Crossfire. When you think of it that way, it's quite the bargain![Via CAG]
Get DiiiiiRTy with us today -- 3 new videos!
If you love rolling around in the mud like us, then you'll love watching cars doing similarly exciting things! We've got three exciting gameplay videos of Colin Mc Rae's DiRT and let us just say: it looks darn-tootin' good. We're not sure why, in the video above, the game goes from what seems to be actual gameplay to the whole cinematic "you finished the race!" angle, though we assume the user is just testing out all the different camera angle options like in the third video we've got posted. The narrator/guy telling you to watch out for whatever's ahead is sort of annoying, too. Optional, we hope. Anyway, the other two videos will be stuck under our continued link -- check them out, too.
Grimy new screens of Colin McRae: DIRT
Colin McRae: DIRT screens just keep coming in and they are positively filthy. Seriously, these cars are covered in mud, grit, and grime, all while racing across the dirty countryside. Does that sound like fun to anyone? Oh, wait, it does? Oh, well then by all means, have a look at these fantastically dirty screens of DIRT. All kidding aside, the game is looking very sharp. The car models are very detailed (and dirty) and the environments are top notch as well. The lighting effects in particular are very slick. Hit the "read" link to check out more high resolution screens.
Got Overlord questions? We want 'em
We've been intrigued by Triumph Studios' Overlord ever since we first learned of it. Loosing your army of minions on unsuspecting peasants sounds like jolly good fun to us. After learning about the intriguing imp controlling mechanic, we're dying to learn more about Overlord. As such, we decided to wrangle a Q&A out of Codemasters, Overlord's publisher. That, dear X3F readers, is where you come in. We need your Overlord questions. What do you want to know about the game? Who's making it? What's the deal with the enormously fat lady in the image above? Any questions you have, we want you to post them right here in the comments. We'll pick some of the best questions (along with some of our own), pack them up, and send them off to Codemasters.If you need inspiration, why not check out our Overlord coverage thus far?
Overlord: Like Pikmin only very, very evil
IGN has posted new hands on impressions of Triumph Studios' Overlord. X3F readers will recall that the premise of Overlord is controlling minions to do your bidding. Until now, we haven't had much more detail than that. IGN reveals that the goal of Overlord is to rebuild the Dark Tower, of which the main character has just gained possession. Rather than do all the back breaking labor yourself, you command an army of evil minions (and really, who wouldn't?). There are four classes of minions. Similar to the Nintendo title, Pikmin, each minion has special strengths. The brown minion is your everyday work horse, the blue minions can swim and heal others, the red minions are fireproof, and the green minions deal out deadly attacks from behind. Green minions must by used in a stealthy way though, because they are weak against direct attacks. Players can take direct control over minions using the right stick, enabling them to coordinate attacks using several different types of minions. An example used in the article is to send in your red fireproof minions to deal with fire wielding enemies while flanking them from behind with green assassin minions. All in all, it sounds like Overlord is really shaping up.We have some special Overlord news coming later today. In the meantime, hit the "read" link to check out IGN's full impressions.
Rise of the Argonauts revealed -- Jason wants royalties
Have you ever desired that Greek mythos found in God of War but wished it was wrapped in a role-playing shell? Seems you've got your chance -- Codemasters have come out and announced their new Action-RPG: Rise of the Argonauts, due out for next-gen consoles and the PC. Expect "deep exploration and brutal combat," says the Codemasters.Playing as the mythical "hero" Jason (if you've read the classic myth, you'll know that he was a sissy... and his witch-lover Medea was the real brains behind the group), you'll team up with other Greek superheroes like Heracles and Atalanta (Not Hercules and Atlanta... plus, Atalanta was a woman). Details are sketchy, but they obviously don't want to stay true to the myth. No matter. As long as it's fun, we'll set those things aside. Details forthcoming!
Rise of the Argonauts RPG announced for 2008
Codemasters recently announced a new game being developed by Liquid Entertainment: Rise of the Argonauts. Set in ancient Greece (obviously), the "epic scale action-RPG" will have you controlling teams of mythological warriors through brutal combat in a world ruled by the gods. We're guessing a Golden Fleece and that pesky Poseidon will be part of the mix as well. Argonauts will be released in 2008 on "leading console platforms" and the PC. No other information was given.The Argonauts tale with its massive cast of warriors seems a good fit for an RPG. Call it a hunch, but we're guessing with the success of the God of War series, Codemasters decided to hop on the Greek mythology bandwagon and hope for the big bucks.
Overlord cover art is minion-tastic
Godfree and his merry band over at Gamertag Radio snagged the cover art for the upcoming title from Codemasters and Triumph Studios, Overlord. We don't know too much about the game yet except that it allows you to control numerous minions to do your nefarious bidding. Based on what we've seen, these minions don't do the kinds of things that people appreciate either -- things like trimming the hedges, for example. No, these minions basically murder, pillage, and plunder, and they do it all with a jagged grin (as the box illustrates).In other words, it sounds like a fantastic game. We suggest you gaze at the box for several minutes, drink in its details, and then watch the recently released trailer.Enjoy.
