Overlord 2 is the main sequel to the original Overlord game, and will be released on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Players will control the son of the Overlord from the first game who, having followed in his daddy's footsteps also has himself a towering lair and an army of gibbering minions. Your main adversary this time around is the goodly Glorious Empire, who have a real chip on their shoulder about all things magical. As a big fan of magic in all its forms, from Magic: The Gathering to Magic Johnson, the new Overlord must fight back against the prudish Imperial forces before they eradicate all magic in the world.

So you've arrived at Planet Overlord, our very own corner of the Planet network dedicated to Triumph Studios and Codemasters' deliciously evil game series. You're probably here because you're quite literally itching to get up to speed the original Overlord game or one of the upcoming sequels. So sit back and allow us to sooth your itch of ignorance with our cooling ointment of Overlord knowledge.

Let's start back in 2007, with the release of the original Overlord game on the PC and Xbox 360. Like a well-placed knife to the spine, Overlord caught many critics and gamers off-guard with its blend of action, adventure, role-playing and strategy elements, witty character and strong narrative. Players take on the role of the masked Overlord, an armor-clad gent who most certainly isn't compensating for anything with his gigantic steel sword and soaring tower lair. In addition to dressing like a certified badass, the Overlord also has in his employ an army of beastly creatures, and it's through control of these magical minions by which you'll expand your evil domain across the course of the game. While the Overlord himself packs quite a punch, and has an array of blunt and sharp objects at his disposal, it's your minions who provide the bulk of your malevolent military might.

“The beauty of Overlord was that you could do quite complex things relatively easily. In Overlord II, we have smoothed out the controls for the camera, Overlord and minions while adding a lot more abilities to the minions and the Overlord, and escalating the scale of the battles. To address your gripe (shared by other gamers) the console controllers now have the camera under the Right Thumb Stick, with minion sweeping started by pushing the stick forward. This makes it a lot easier to look around and aim. We have also addressed navigation issues, with in-game maps and better sign posting and quest updates. This was something that came up time and time again in the feedback from the community.”

One of the most elaborate sections of the game that we were shown incorporated all of these new elements nicely; minions could be directed to attack easily, swept around with little effort, and the new physics came to bear when a catapult was leveled at the new Overlord. By using the minions to bait the catapult into firing on blockades, we watched our friendly neighborhood Codemasters rep sweep around to the trebuchet's flank, but were blocked by a phalanx of shield-bearing soldiers. By once again sweeping the minions over to the group to bait a catapult strike right into the heart of the soldiers, they could be scattered and their AI was reduced to one-on-one mechanics -- something that a half-dozen minions relished unfairly exploiting.