Each week MacCentral brings readers the latest news and info from the Mac game market along with our regular headlines, but there are always a few news items that don’t make it onto our regular news pages. That’s why we have this weekly retrospective, called the Week in Games.
| <?php virtual(“/includes/gamesboxad.inc”); ?> |
Avernum 3 1.1.1 for OS X now available
Spiderweb Software has once again updated its fantasy role playing game Avernum 3, this time to version 1.1.1. The new version fixes a number of bugs and “makes Avernum 3 fully compatible” with Mac OS X. It also fixes a saved game bug that Spiderweb called “serious.”
Brickles3000 2.02 now out
Ken Winograd and Space-Time Associates have released Brickles3000 2.02, a new version of the classic “ball and paddle” game that’s been around for the Mac, almost since the Mac was first released. It’s very configurable and adjustable. The new version improves support for window resizing (it was recently Carbonized for OS X too).
King of Dragon Pass 1.7 update in circulation
A Sharp has released King of Dragon Pass 1.7, an updated version of the fantasy role playing game set in the world of Glorantha, as seen in the RuneQuest pen-and-paper role playing game series. Several obscure bugs that could affect gameplay have been squashed.
Mac-in-One Virtual Open raises money for charity
If you’d like to put your mad Links Championship Edition golfing skills to use for a good cause, then check out the Mac-in-One Virtual Open. The event is raising money (through an ‘entry donation’ made via PayPal) to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The tournament begins at the end of the month, so make sure to check out the details and sign up!
Manic Minefields 2.1.1 released
Norbyte has released Manic Minefields 2.1.1, the latest version of the company’s collection of 12 “pumped up” minesweeping games. It’s available both for “Classic” Mac OS 7.5 and higher as well as Mac OS X. Each minesweeper variant has special rules and some have different ways of displaying numbers; there are various game modes, map sizes and more. It’s $10 shareware.
Quake 3 Arena 1.32 test versions continue refinement
Id Software programmer Graeme Devine has continued throughout the week to post new public test versions of Quake 3 Arena 1.32 for the Macintosh. While they’re still not an official point release yet, each new build sports changes to help improve the game’s play, so if you’re running OS X and you feel like experimenting a bit, you might be able to help out.
Warcraft III standalone patch is now available
Earlier this week we brought you news that Blizzard Entertainment had released Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos 1.0.3, a new version with PowerPC optimizations and improvements to OpenGL performance under Mac OS X 10.2. At the time, however, the only way of updating your copy on the Mac was to connect to Blizzard’s Battle.net service. Now a standalone updater is available for download from Blizzard’s Support pages.
Wipeout 2097 1.2.2 released
Virtual Programming Ltd has released a new version of Wipeout 2097, their Mac conversion of the popular PlayStation racing game. The new version fixes a CD problem with Mac OS X 10.2.1 and improves joystick support.
Wrath of the Mind Lords Realmz scenario coming soon
Pierre H. Vachon notes that a new official scenario for Fantasoft’s long-running RPG series Realmz will soon be released; it’s called Wrath of the Mind Lords. It’ll debut this month along with Realmz 8.0, and it constitutes the final installment of the Sword Lands trilogy that Vachon himself authored.
X-Plane ready for Mars surveying
Laminar Research has released new scenery CDs for its popular OpenGL-based flight simulator X-Plane. In an interesting departure, however, these $19 CDs don’t feature Earth terrain — instead, it’s the surface of Mars, with digital elevation data provided by the Mars Orbiting Laser Altimeter.
Elsewhere on the Web
MacGamer.com has posted a review of The Sims Vacation, a new expansion pack for The Sims from Aspyr Media. Inside Mac Games has published a look at Masque Publishing, an obscure but consistent player in the casual games market for Macs and PCs. Apple’s Games site has posted a look at Ghost Recon Game of the Year Edition, the new squad-based tactical shooter from Aspyr Media.
Closer to home
MacPlay announced plans to distribute Feral Interactive’s games in North America. Warcraft III gained significant improvements on the Mac with its 1.0.3 release this past week, including the aforementioned Jaguar and PowerPC enhancements, as well as a stability boost for the World Editor. Id Software began posting Quake III Arena 1.3.2 test versions for the public to try out this week, finally trying to maintain some parity between PC and Mac versions. Aspyr Media announced earlier this week that Ghost Recon had gone gold master and should be in stores in the next few weeks. If you’re a game developer looking for deals on 3D graphics software, a new LightWave promotion from NewTek may be right up your alley.
As always, we encourage you to drop us a line if you questions we haven’t answered, have ideas for ways that we can improve our games coverage, or have Mac game-related products or services you’d like our readers to know about.