Second Black & White is gold

In a terse posting on Lionhead Studios' official Web site, the company today announced that Black & White 2, the follow-up to Peter Molyneux's ambitious 2001 god game, has gone gold. EA Games will publish the sequel for the PC.

The world of Black & White 2 has changed a good bit since gamers last saw it. Civilizations have risen, weapons have been adopted, and wars have been started. It's up to players to decide whether they want to rebuild their societies as war machines seeking to expand influence by force or convert enemies by showing them a better way to live. Given that the ore used to create buildings and defensive walls in the game is the same resource used to make weapons, players constantly will be balancing good and evil, as well as what's ideal and what's practical.

Black & White 2 has been in development for more than four years, but it's finally set to reach fruition with an October 4 release date. It's expected to be joined on shelves in November by another long-term Molyneux project, the movie industry simulator The Movies. Black & White 2 is rated T for Teen and will retail for $49.99. Check out GameSpot's latest hands-on impressions for more.