Black & White II E3 2003 Preshow Report

Peter Molyneux's long and unusual career has borne a series of unique fruits. Among the litany of "god games" Molyneux has produced are Populous, Magic Carpet, and Black & White, his most recent and ambitious title to date. The famous designer's Lionhead Studios is now hard at work on Black & White II, which will take the original game's will-work-for-prayers concept and build upon it in a number of interesting new ways. Of course, the famous creatures--the cow, the ape, and the lion, among others--will all return in the new installment, ready to be shaped and guided by your godly powers.

Like the first game, Black & White II focuses on the human aspect of being a deity. Your strength and abilities are bolstered primarily by the worship of your followers, and so it behooves your godliness to serve your people as well as you can. In the original game, your alignment with either good or evil developed over the course of the game based on your actions--you could travel the path of righteousness and feed on the adulation of your people, or you could subjugate them with terrible wrath and prosper by your might alone. This new sequel further distinguishes between good and evil in that the alignment you work toward will actually dictate the way you play the game. As a benevolent god, you'll work against opposing deities by out-godding them. You'll have to attract followers from the cities of competing gods by building bigger, better cities and performing greater miracles. When the residents of other cities see what a wonderful realm you've created, they'll gladly forsake their own liege and come over to your side. As a wicked god, though, you'll take on the opposition by simply rallying your minions and slaughtering the other civilizations in bloodthirsty conflict.

That's right--technology has advanced in Black & White II, and the gears of the war machine are in motion. Even your creature will play an integral role in these conflicts. Previously, your creature was most useful as a marvel to your people and a manifestation of your divine will--you could make it perform some miracles and use it to defend against other creatures. In Black & White II, the creature itself is an instrument of war, and you'll use it to lead your people into battle against opposing forces. The creature will act as a commander that can learn new strategies and perform offensive and defensive miracles in the midst of battle. You'll even have the ability to advance your war effort with upgrades to your armies' weapons and armor.

Black & White II is an ambitious sequel to an already innovative game, and it will feature an entirely rewritten engine in addition to its new features. The game is due out around the end of the year, and we'll certainly bring you new information as soon as it's available.