Black & White 2 does godly expansion

Gamers who have a bit of a god complex are about to get some new territory in which to throw their weight around. Electronic Arts today announced that Black & White 2 is getting its first expansion with Black & White 2: Battle of the Gods. The expansion will be developed by Lionhead Studios, the studio headed up by industry veteran Peter Molyneux, and will be released in April.

In Battle of the Gods, which EA describes as "darker" and "more sinister" than the game it adds to, players will return to the once-peaceful Eden, where a new force has been stirred up. The Aztecs, displeased with their defeat, have conjured up an evil deity through indiscriminate human sacrifices. As the game's name suggests, it's up to the player to duke it out with the new god and reconvert the infidels. As with other games in the series, how that task is accomplished, be it with benevolence or malevolence, is up to the player.

The nonbelievers will be beefed up with a new creature, two new armies, and a revamped artificial intelligence system. Other additional content includes two new lands, six new challenges, and four new miracles.

[UPDATE] Gamers who haven't yet had a chance yet to get their god on can sample Black & White 2 with a PC demo released by Lionhead today. The 632MB file lets players get their feet wet on one of the lands by giving them the ins and outs of building towns and using the terrain.

EA has not yet released pricing or rating information for Black & White 2: Battle of the Gods. For more information on the series, check out GameSpot's review of Black & White 2.