Overlord II reclaiming consoles, PCs in June

Back in 2007, British publisher Codemasters singled out Overlord for praise when the firm recorded a 37 percent increase in revenue and a 332 percent growth in its US operation. The real-time strategy/role-playing game hybrid performed well in terms of sales, and while its delayed--and expanded--PS3 release was not such a hit with critics, it was no surprise when last summer the publisher announced that sequels were on the way.

Codemasters today confirmed to GameSpot that Overlord II would be hitting the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC simultaneously at the end of June; it will hit American store shelves June 23, while British shops will have it on sale from June 26. Overlord II, being developed by Dutch studio Triumph and billed by the publisher as "the game that puts the laughter into slaughter," is an action role-playing game with strategic elements. It casts players as an evil master of a swarm of destructive minions hell-bent on overthrowing the Glorious Empire.

As promised, Overlord's minion horde will make a return with new abilities, including the ability to mount creatures--wolves, fire-breathing salamanders, and giant spiders all come into play--as they happily lay waste to the landscape. Codemasters also confirmed that the minions would be able to "gather voluptuous mistresses" for the player, but further details on what could be done with them after they had been gathered were not forthcoming.

The game's story has been written by Rhianna Pratchett, who won the Writers Guild of Great Britain award for her work on the original Overlord game. The self-styled "scriptwriter, story designer, and general narrative paramedic" was also behind 2008's Mirror's Edge and 2007's Heavenly Sword.