Each week MacCentral brings readers the latest news and headlines from the world of Macintosh gaming. There are always a few stories that don’t make it onto the regular news pages, however, and that’s why we have this weekly retrospective, called The Week in Games.
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DeepTrouble available through VendorNation
Monkey Byte Development’s VendorNation.com service is now handling registration and distribution of CodeBlender Software’s first Mac effort, a 3D sub-hunting game called DeepTrouble. You can download it from VendorNation and buy a reg code, too.
Helix released by Phelios
Phelios Inc. has released Helix, an entertaining old-school arcade romp in which you must rescue dolls stranded in another dimension using your powerfully armed helicopter. Four worlds, 100 levels, and lots of monsters to shoot. Free demo available for download, too.
MacMOHAA debuts
MacMOHAA is a resource for Macintosh-using fans of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. The resource plans to offer tips, download links, and other information of service to Mac users who play MOHAA, published for the Mac by Aspyr Media.
Mah Jong Solitaire 1.0.3 released
BoneHead Projects has released Mah Jong Solitaire 1.0.3, a new version of their Chinese tile-matching game. Designed for Mac OS X, the game features different skill levels and layouts. The 1.0.3 update gets bug fixes and other improvements, including new sound effects and five new boards for registered users.
Microsoft, Vivendi in talks?
Sources report this week that Microsoft Corp. may be in acquisition negotiations with Vivendi Universal, the French media conglomerate that owns, among other things, Blizzard Entertainment, makers of the popular Warcraft series. Neither Vivendi nor Microsoft has made any official announcement at this hour, but it’s been acknowledged that Microsoft has been sniffing around Vivendi’s doors for months, once news of the French company’s poor financial condition began to be reported.
MusicMan released
Although the version number is 2.03, this is actually the first release of MusicMan from Ken Winograd and Space-Time Associates. It’s a musical word-guessing game based on Hang3000, and set with the same version number to match.
Puzzoo Games offers Mac titles
Puzzoo Games has launched. It’s a new game publisher offering eight new titles designed to be family friendly. They test memory, spatial awareness, strategy, math skills and more — check them out.
TQworld offers holiday pricing, announces Tranquility2
TQworld plans on holding over its special holiday pricing on its unusual platform-hopping 3D game Tranquility until February 28th — it’s $18, or 25 percent off. The company also plans to release Tranquility2 this year — a Mac OS X only release that will feature deep multiplayer capabilities, integrated IRC chat and a new geometry system. Best of all, Tranquility users get a free upgrade.
Elsewhere on the Web
Inside Mac Games has posted a preview of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the forthcoming game from Aspyr Media. MacGamer, meanwhile, has posted a review of Spaceward Ho! 5 from Delta Tao. And writing for Apple’s Games site, Brad Cook takes a look at Bejeweled and Alchemy, the two PopCap Games-authored titles sold by MacPlay as part of its Value Series line.
Closer to home
This week MacCentral brought readers news about a new partnership between Mac-Yun-Soft and VendorNation.com that has yielded access to some new games for Mac players. UK-based Feral Interactive reports that its Mac version of Worms Blast has gone Gold Master; the company expects to see the game on retailer’s shelves soon (and it’s coming from MacPlay for you folks in North America). Westlake Interactive has provided status updates on several of its projects, including adding some new secret projects to its list. Blizzard Entertainment has taken the wraps off of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, a new expansion pack for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos due out this summer. Aspyr Media plans to bring Medal of Honor: Spearhead to the Mac this May; it’s an expansion pack for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.
As always, we encourage you to drop us a line if you have questions we didn’t answer, ideas for ways we can improve our games coverage here on MacCentral, or related products and services you’d like to see mentioned on our news pages.