aspyr posts

Mac version of Civilization IV: Colonization released

by John Callaham Jan 10th 2010 @ 12:00PM

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.

Gallery: Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization

Filed under: Downloads, Mac, Strategy

Steam offers free Dreamkiller weekend

by John Callaham Dec 10th 2009 @ 6:00PM

One of the cooler elements of Valve's Steam service is that it allows folks to download and play a full game for free for a limited period of time. Games that have used this offer include Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead and Unreal Tournament 3. Beginning today, Steam users will be able to play the recent first person shooter Dreamkiller for free for the rest of the weekend.

The game, released last October by developer Mindware Studios and publisher Aspyr, features a single player campaign where a woman enters the mind of patients and battles their manifestations with, well, firearms. There's also a number of multiplayer modes. Dreamkiller is also on sale from now until Monday for 25 percent off its normal Steam price.

Gallery: Dreamkiller

Filed under: FPS, Multiplayer

Large layoffs reported at Aspyr Media

by John Callaham Dec 9th 2009 @ 6:30PM

Big Download has learned through several unnamed but reliable sources that Austin, Texas based game publisher Aspyr Media has laid off a large amount of its team members a couple of weeks ago. One of our sources estimated that over 50 percent of the workers were let go with only a handful of team members now remaining in the offices.

Aspyr Media began in 1996 as a major Mac game developer and publisher but has expanded over the years to include PC and console titles. This year it released several PC games including a number of titles from Russia-based 1C Company. Last month the publisher released Star Wars The Force Unleashed Ultimate Edition for the PC to retail stores and Dreamkiller as a Steam download exclusive. Most recently the company was responsible for the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network port of the original Call of Duty game. Big Download has both emailed and called Aspyr Media to get any official comments on their current situation.

Filed under: Biz

Review: Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

by Steven Wong Dec 9th 2009 @ 1:00PM

Released in September of last year, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed let players run wild with force powers while embracing the dark side. However, the game was a console exclusive and skipped over the PC because developer LucasArts stated that it wanted a uniform playing experience across all platforms (apparently, the Nintendo Wii team never got that memo). With the release of the Ultimate Sith Edition, the game finally gets its long overdue release on the PC thanks to the porting work and publishing handled by Aspyr. The PC release includes everything one would expect, like high resolution graphics along with keyboard and mouse support. However, between the dull gameplay and performance issues, we have to wonder if PC gamers would have really missed out on anything if this one had stayed on console systems.

Check out all Star Wars The Force Unleashed downloads

Gallery: Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

Continue reading Review: Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

Filed under: Features, Action, Opinion

Download: Men of War: Red Tide Demo

by Steven Wong Nov 19th 2009 @ 3:45PM

This is the playable demo for Men of War: Red Tide, a World War II real-time strategy game. System requirements are shown after the jump.

"Men of War: Red Tide is a stunning mixture of RTS and a third-person action that introduces a new fighting force known for its brutal efficiency during the height of World War II. Played out across more than 20 missions, Men of War: Red Tide allows to take command of the feared 'Black Coats,' the nickname given to Soviet Marines, an elite combat group specializing in engagements near the shoreline."

Download Men of War: Red Tide Demo (960 MB)

Gallery: Men of War: Red Tide

Continue reading Download: Men of War: Red Tide Demo

Filed under: Downloads, Demos, RTS

Download: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed v1.1 Patch

by Steven Wong Nov 12th 2009 @ 11:30AM

This patch for the PC version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition addresses a number of game performance issues and adds support for different game controllers. There's a North American English patch and an EU patch that covers the UK, French, Italian, German and Spanish releases. A list of changes can be found after the jump.

Download Star Wars: The Force Unleashed v1.1 Patch (403 MB)
Download Star Wars: The Force Unleashed v1.1 EU Patch (403 MB)

Gallery: Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

Continue reading Download: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed v1.1 Patch

Filed under: Downloads, Patches, Action

Hardware requirements revealed for PC Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

by John Callaham Oct 22nd 2009 @ 9:30PM

Last year, when LucasArts released the console version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the publisher claimed the game couldn't be released on the PC because the system requirements would be too high. That was disproven earlier this summer when LucasArts announced (shocker) a PC port of the game.

Now the PC version's developer, Aspyr Media, has revealed the PC system requirements for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition. As we have reported before, the PC version will have all of the content of the original console game plus some extra missions. You can check out the system specs after the jump:

Gallery: Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

Continue reading Hardware requirements revealed for PC Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Filed under: Hardware, Action

PC version of Dreamkiller now a Steam exclusive for October 12 release

by John Callaham Oct 2nd 2009 @ 8:00PM

A couple of months back we first reported on Dreamkiller, an upcoming first person shooter from developer Mindware Studios and publisher Aspyr that would be using a modified version of the Painkiller graphics engine. Today, Big Download confirmed with an Aspyr PR rep that the PC version of Dreamkiller will bypass a retail release (at least for now) and will only be made available as a Steam exclusive downloadable game (the Xbox 360 version will still ship to stores).

The PC version will be released for Steam owners on October 12 although at the moment there's no way to pre-order the game from the Steam store. The PC version will have support for Steamworks features like achievements, the Steve Cloud and leaderboards.

Gallery: Dreamkiller

Filed under: FPS

Dreamkiller video picks apart the minds of its developers

by Steven Wong Sep 24th 2009 @ 8:30PM

The developers at Mindware Studios provide some insight into the creation of Dreamkiller, what the game is all about and who the main character, Alice Drake is. She makes a profession out of entering people's disturbed minds and exorcising their demons. We're not quite sure how much cunning it smarts it takes to dive into someone's psyche and unload a mess of bullets and explosive ordinance on someone's childhood trauma, but we'll find out soon enough since the game is expected to release in October.

"Dreamkiller takes players deep inside the minds of the mentally disturbed as Dr. Alice Drake attempts to cleanse their conscious and subconscious of the demons that haunt them. Take the journey through over a dozen different patients, mindscapes and face off against the personal hell that torments each of them. With a myriad of upgradable weapons, Alice's own special abilities and non-stop enemy onslaughts. "

Download HD Dreamkiller Behind-the-Scenes Video (160 MB)
Check out all Dreamkiller downloads

Gallery: Dreamkiller

Filed under: Downloads, FPS, Video

Dreamkiller trailer provides an alternative to psychotherapy

by Steven Wong Aug 17th 2009 @ 8:30PM

Dreamkiller might sound like the title of a game where players find some way to crush the hopes of aspiring musicians, artists and athletes, but it's actually an a completely over-the-top shooter that follows in the same vein as games like (surpise!) Painkiller. Dreamkiller's developers, Mindware Studios, also worked on Painkiller Overdose. In it, players take the role of Alice Drake, a psychologist with the ability to enter people's dreams and literally blast away the root of neurotic disorders. Players will have an access to a variety of high powered weapons to fight through 12 bizarre levels that reflect the disturbed minds of each patient. The game is expected to release this holiday season for the PC and Xbox 360.

Download HD Dreamkiller Teaser Trailer (80 MB)

Gallery: Dreamkiller

Filed under: Downloads, FPS, Trailers

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