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Damnation devs at Blue Omega laid off

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 1st 2009 at 10:30AM }

It appears that all of the developers at Blue Omega Entertainment, the folks behind Damnation (and producer of B-movie horror flicks like Dark Ride and Danika, starring Marisa Tomei!), have been laid off. Sure, a tweet announcing this has been floating around since June 23rd, but it appears a former employee, who sent a tip to several media outlets, finally got the news ball rolling. Kotaku confirmed with "several former employees" that the entire development team was laid off.

The tipster also reveals there were bigger "issues" at the studio and mentions that, if anyone has access to US and UK legal records, digging around will reveal those problems. Shacknews followed up and found a paper trail of legal disputes and drama involving Blue Omega, publisher Codemasters and subcontractors working on the game.

Whatever all those layers of problems were, it likely had an influence on the team's product: Damnation had an average Metacritic score in the high 30s.

[Via Develop]

Overlord II DLC to be announced 'soon'

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 29th 2009 at 7:00PM }

If you've sunk your teeth deeply into Codemasters' manipulative jerk simulator, Overlord II, you'll be pleased to know new opportunities to bully and plunder are just around the corner. In a recent interview with Strategy Informer, the game's creative director, Lennart Sas, confirmed the developer is working on Overlord II DLC, and that "it'll be announced soon."

When pressed for details, Sas retreated into a thick, scaly carapace attached firmly to his back. Our guess? This new content will allow the game's traditionally evil antihero to make difficult moral decisions. For instance, should you punch a six-year old girl in the face -- or should you punch her in the stomach? Hmm, that's a toughie.

[Via VG247]

Deal watch: Grab Overlord: Dark Legend for $37

by Richard Mitchell { Jun 25th 2009 at 1:05PM }

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: Overlord: Dark Legend

Metareview: Overlord 2

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 25th 2009 at 7:00AM }

All hail Overlord 2! Well, OK, so don't everyone hail, but one may genuflect if one wishes. It appears that the game has been slightly enhanced since the first outing, but it's still just not clicking. We've given our "snap judgment" on the evil baiting master simulator, but let's see what the other outlets thought. Much like the original, it appears people's opinions are all across the board.

1UP (A-): "So no, it's not an entirely perfect experience. But all of the above complaints -- even combined with my minor irritation with details like the marionette-like cut scene animation -- barely contests my overall joy at just playing this damn thing. The original Overlord was a perfect send-up and reversal of fantasy game clichés, and the sequel is even more satisfying while fixing a lot of the first game's rough patches."
OXM (80/100): "To be fair, most parts of Overlord II are fun, and its problems are offset by high production values and funny dialogue (oh, those minions!). A lot of folks missed the original game, so here's your second chance: Overlord II preserves what worked last time, improves what didn't, and tries several new ideas on for size."
Eurogamer (80/100): "Overall, in what has been a pretty underwhelming year for games so far, Overlord II feels like a shining beacon of quality. Not only is it a distinct improvement on the original, but the new features add greatly to what was already a superbly entertaining game."
Game Informer (65/100): "The real shame is that Overlord II can be entertaining. It shamelessly embraces its evil heritage, and goes to great lengths to put the hilarious minions front and center. On the other hand, it just doesn't play well. The controls are clunky, the pacing is unsatisfying, and the multiplayer feels tacked-on. While the original Overlord was a compelling game at heart, Overlord II just feels like an unpolished retread of familiar ground."
IGN (60/100): "Overlord II is a sequel that is neither bigger nor better than its predecessor. The size and scope have been dialed back to something that is more akin to a straight action game. And since none of the frustrating elements of the first have been fixed -- namely the camera, control, and save structure -- this game just isn't much fun. No amount of British wit could bring a smile to my face as I treaded through the tedium that is Overlord II."

Gallery: Overlord II

Snap Judgment: Overlord 2

by Justin McElroy { Jun 24th 2009 at 5:00PM }

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: Overlord II

Continued →

Rumor: Warner Bros. wants Codemasters

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 23rd 2009 at 11:59PM }

It appears that Codemasters could become a paid-for adopted sibling in the Warner Bros. Interactive family, if a VG247 article is to be believed. Meanwhile, a follow-up report by GI.biz indicates that a Codemasters rep declined to comment, saying, "Everything is fine here." Indeed!

In some ways, we're surprised it took this long for the story to drop. After all, at this year's E3 all of Codemasters' titles were shown at the Warner Bros. booth. We've yet to hear back from Codemasters, but WBIE was kind enough to inform us that it doesn't "comment on rumors or speculation." Shame, really. We were hoping to hear "everything is fine" there too. If true, Warner Bros. is on the acquisition warpath, which it hasn't been shy about. The company currently has a $33 million bid out for Midway. Hey WBIE, what do you know about Joystiq Publishing ...

Steampunk PS3 mod is deliciously weathered

by David Hinkle { Jun 23rd 2009 at 4:45PM }

Designed by Brass Goggles as part of a contest for Codemasters' Damnation, the above PS3 is about as cool as a console can get. Sure, we've seen our fair share of mods in our day, but, just look at this thing! From the weathered wood down to the slightly tarnished brass, we're absolutely smitten with this PS3. If you want to see more of it, then check out some pics here. And, if you won it, we totally want to invite you over for ~~bludgeoning and theft~~ tea and biscuits!

[Via GameSetWatch]

First DiRT 2 media lacks polish

by David Hinkle { Jun 23rd 2009 at 1:15PM }

When people criticize the Wii, the graphics are usually one of the first things mentioned. Codemasters' DiRT 2 is sure to bring about cries of "N64!" and other such malarkey, because, well, it looks bad. We'd like to be more diplomatic, but, yeah, you can see it in the trailer above and in the screens in the gallery below. Bad, right?

Gallery: DiRT 2

Dungeons and Dragons Online not free-to-play in Europe

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 10th 2009 at 7:00PM }

Yesterday, Turbine made a startling announcement that wowed penny-wise online gamers -- its D20 rollin' MMO, Dungeons and Dragons Online would receive a free-to-play edition with the subtitle Eberron Unlimited. There's just one caveat -- Unlimited is going live this summer in North America only. Codemasters confirmed the European exclusion in a statement, explaining "DDO Europe will not be assuming this new business model and the European DDO game service will remain a monthly subscription-based game."

There's a chance that Europe could eventually gain access to Unlimited, as the statement mentions, "as the beta progresses we will release more information regarding the future plans for EU players." Keep your eyes peeled and your perception checks high for more news on the matter as the beta opens its doors.

Hands-on: Overlord II

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 7th 2009 at 5:00PM }

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: Overlord II

Continued →

Overlord II demo strikes giggly fear on Xbox 360 now

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 4th 2009 at 10:30AM }

The Overlord II demo is now available on Xbox 360 for your mayhem enjoying approval. We got some hands-on time with the title yesterday and fans of the original will likely not be disappointed. We're not exactly able to download the demo at the moment and tell you about it, but we're hoping you get to see the "Overlad." Evil never looked so adorable. Download it now. If you hated the first game, try this demo and see if the Overlord can warm your heart with a flame spell this time around.

[Add Overlord II's demo to your download queue]

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising trailer shows off finer points of battle

by Ben Gilbert { Jun 2nd 2009 at 3:30AM }

For those of you waiting patiently for the "Fall 2009" release of Codemasters shooter Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, we've got a special treat in video form just above. Focusing on the importance of every action in combat, the trailer leaves us expecting more of what fans have come to expect from the series: gritty, unapologetic realism. Though we're unfortunately not seeing the retail release 'til later this year, hopefully we'll get out hands on the game sometime this week during E3.

DiRT 2 tears up the track in latest trailer

by David Hinkle { Jun 1st 2009 at 6:45PM }

Codemasters released a new trailer for DiRT 2, which highlights the sequel's 40+ real-life drivers such as Travis Pastrana and new franchise lead Ken Block, as well as the game's 100+ events spanning across nine different countries. Then, there's the titular unclean racing action to behold, which looks like it retains a lot of what fans appreciated about the first game.

DiRT 2 is scheduled for release this September and we'll be sure to get our hands on it during E3 this week.

Jumpgate Evolution jumps back into development, won't make June release

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 28th 2009 at 4:00AM }

Jumpgate Evolution will not be making its scheduled June release. What, you've nova heard of a delay before? Anyway, following three years of development, NetDevil noted on its forums that the game is going back into the darkness of development to emerge at some point in the future. The company doesn't even plan on announcing a new release date until it has "established [its] road map for the next few months."

The delay was caused after response during the "Friends & Family" phase of testing brought up a lot of feedback. Considering how competitive the MMO market is now, the company is probably taking the wise approach by polishing the "feature complete" title to a shine before release. MMOs don't get a second chance to make a first impression anymore.

New Damnation multiplayer trailer features acrobatic cowboys

by Ben Gilbert { May 23rd 2009 at 4:00PM }

So here it is, folks. The second game in 2009 to have an individual and somewhat unique premise with a less than flattering visual accompaniment (not to mention bland, seen-it-before looking gameplay). But hey, let's give it a fair shake -- we haven't laid our grubby, jaded mitts on the game yet, so it'd be unfair to prejudge.

What we can glean from the trailer is this: the totally sweet, Raiden-esque sword action seen in previously released clips seems to have all but left in the multiplayer-combat focused video above. In it's place? "Verticality." At least we can still flip around like most ... cowboys. That's what cowboys do, right? Right?!