Mac

It's odd that earlier today we reported on the start of the real online NASCAR racing season next week but today word comes through our doors of yet another stock car racing game that has a legendary (some might say infamous) history. Paramount Digital Entertainment, the folks behind last year's downloadable title Star Trek D-A-C, have revealed plans for another high end downloadable game, Days of Thunder.

Yep, the camp classic 1990 movie about NASCAR racing that features Tom Cruise's silliest character name (Cole Trickle) is headed to both the PC and Mac this summer. This is clearly designed as a fast paced arcade game rather than a serious racing sim with four single player modes and multiplayer for up to 12 players. There's an emphais on car damage in this game; take too much on your ride and you will need to pit. And you will either race with or against the cars driven by unseen versions of Cole, Rowdy Burns or Russ Wheeler (ah, Cary Elwes . . . we loved you in Saw). Developed by Piranha Games (the same folks who are doing the upcoming Mechwarrior revival), this title should be available sometime this summer.

Indie game developer Galcon Labs' most well known game is the self-titled Galcon, a high-energy space strategy game that has some elements of risk but in a real time enviroment. The game was originally released for the PC and then was ported to the iPhone/iPod Touch where it became very popular.

Now Galcon Labs has announced that the first true sequel to the PC version is close to release. Galcon Fusion will get a new graphics upgrade, new single player missions along with team and multiplayer games, new gameplay types and even a "retro" mode that turns the game into an 1980s style title. The game will be released for PC, Mac and Linux on February 11. It will also be made available via Steam.

Mac gamers continue to get the short end of the stick in terms of getting native ports of PC games. However, Mac gamers could be getting a ton of PC titles very soon. According to the Maclife.com site, Telltale Games will announce plans to bring most of their episodic adventure games to the Mac platform at next month's MacWorld Expo.

According to the article, the first games from the Telltale game library will be their successful Tales of Monkey Island with their other episodic series to be released on the Mac later on in the year. Our sister site Joystiq contacted Telltale for comment and was told the story was "totally unconfirmed."

It's still a waiting game for people who want to buy Starcraft II. While Blizzard's development team keeps us from even knowing when the multiplayer beta of the sci-fi RTS game will begin the team is still answering questions about the game on the Battle.net message boards.

One big question is how the game itself will be distributed. Unlike most other game publishers, Blizzard has fully embraced having their games on the Mac at or around the same time as the PC version. It will be no different for StarCraft II with a Blizzard rep writing in that, "the StarCraft II installation DVD will include both PC & Mac versions of the game." And what about getting the game via download? Blizzard doesn't seem to be as certain about that issue, saying only, "Further details on digital download possibilities will be released as we get closer to the ship date."

To the surprise of almost no one (except maybe Old Man McKinkle down the street from us) Apple made its introduction of the iPad today. It's basically a much bigger version of the iPod Touch with a 9.7 inch screen and can run most iPhone-iPod touch apps that are already out. However, Apple is also pushing the fact that developers can make apps specifically for the big-screen iPad including games. Two such titles were shown at the iPad debut today; a sci-fi FPS called N.O.V.A and a revamped version of the iPod Touch port of Need For Speed Shift.

So what is the iPad anyway? It's not designed to be a phone but the processor and OS that were revealed today don't seem to be on the high end of the PC laptop market either. Apple is promoting the device for gamers (indeed many gaming media outlets including our sister site Joystiq, were invited to the iPad unveiling today). But the iPad's big screen would certainly suggest that developers could make games that are more complex that the somewhat simplistic titles that mostly are on the iPhone/iPod Touch.

Announced late in December and noticed by almost no one, the Mac version of Firaxis Games' strategy title Civilization IV: Colonization is now available from publisher Aspyr. The Mac port is also available to purchase and download exclusively via Aspyr's GameAgent service.

As we reported last month, Aspyr has apparently suffered through some massive layoffs late in 2009. The company has yet to officially comment on the layoffs, despite several phone calls and emails to Aspyr. At the moment the only upcoming game project Aspyr has listed is the Mac port of the LucasArts action game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition.

The circle is now complete for Star Trek D-A-C. The arcade style space shooter based on the new movie revival of the sci-fi franchise is now available for purchase and download for the Mac platform via the Greentree web site. The game, originally developed by Naked Sky Entertainment, is a pretty cheap $9.99 purchase.

The Mac version was developed by Transgaming and contains all of the content that was contained in the PC port that was released last month via Steam. In addition to a single player campaign the title has multiplayer support for four different gameplay modes (Survival, Team Deathmatch, Conquest and Assault).

Welcome back to Mac Monday, where we take a look at interesting titles available for the Macintosh platform. We took a month off to have a look at the state of the industry as it relates to Apple, and it must be said that things are as they've always been -- popular PC games arrive late, if at all, and Apple itself seems to just want to focus on the iPhone.

However, the indie games sector remains healthier than ever, and it's with pleasure that we use Mac Mondays to focus on games that might otherwise slip mainstream notice. Read on for the latest picks!

There are no new PC games scheduled to show up in stores this Christmas week but if you are a Mac user you should be able to download and play the Mac version of Dragon Age Origins sometime today. The port of BioWare's hit RPG is being handled by TransGaming and will have access to all of the downloadable content that the PC version got when it was release early in November.

Other than that there's nothing else that's scheduled for this week that we know of. If there is a release of a notable downloadable game we will report on it in the regular news.

Usually Mac owners have to wait, and wait, and wait some more to get a native port of a PC game for their platform. That's not the case for Dragon Age: Origins, however. Electronic Arts announced today that BioWare's fantasy RPG is coming in a native Mac version on December 21.

The port is being handled by TransGaming and will be a digital download release only. Like the PC version the Mac port will come in both standard and deluxe digital editions with the deluxe edition containing all of the extra content that the PC version had. Both versions will also allow Mac gamers to get the downloadable content extras that were also released for the PC version. Pre-orders are being taken at the Gametree web site.

Welcome to the final installment in our look at the state of gaming on the Mac. We started out taking a good look at what the problem is, identifying the factors that led us to where we are today with video games on the Apple platform. Next, we made an earnest plea to developers, stating why they should seriously consider developing for both PC and Mac simultaneously. Last week, we examined the alternatives available to Mac users who want to play PC games but don't want to actually buy a PC.

This week, we'll try to prognosticate a bit and guess what the future of Mac gaming might look like. Will it get better, worse, or limp along as it currently does?

Last week, we asked developers to reconsider the idea of creating games for simultaneous release on both PC and Mac platforms. However, we cannot control what others do; we can only ask. So let's concede for the moment that things will continue as they are now -- very few games coming out on both systems at the same time, and Mac getting ports of popular PC games much later than their original release. What's an avid Mac gamer to do?

Short of actually buying a PC just to play games -- and it must be said that the cost of a decent PC has dropped dramatically over the past few years -- there are a few options available, and they all contain the crazy voodoo called virtualization. Bear in mind that these are only the applications that I've personally tried myself. Check 'em out after the jump!

Welcome to the second part of our look at the state of video games on the Mac. Last week's article was all about the issues facing simultaneous development of games for both Mac and PC platforms. This time around, we'll be speaking directly to game developers, asking them to reconsider their policy regarding Mac gaming.

It's time to take a good, solid look at the state of video games on the Mac and examine the continuing question: If the Mac platform is so great, then why aren't there more games for it? Whether you're vociferously pro-Mac or rabidly anti-Mac, both sides can agree that the PC has the market sewn up in terms of game choice and sales. How did this come to pass, and what can be done about it?

Usually Mac gamers get the shaft when it comes to getting native ports of previously released PC games. If they are released at all they usually are behind by months or even years after the PC versions are out. In the case of Star Trek D-A-C that's not the case at all as the Mac port of the movie-based game is now scheduled for release this December.

Transgaming is handling the Mac port duties for the game which was originally created by Naked Sky Entertainment. If you have a Macand have a hankering for some movie-based top down space shooting action, you can go ahead and pre-order the downloadable Star Trek D-A-C port for $8.99 at the GameTree online web site.