Every day MacCentral brings readers the latest happenings from the Mac game world, but there are always a few articles that don’t make it onto our regular news pages. That’s why we have this retrospective called The Week In Games. It also gives us a chance to catch up with game-related highlights on other Web sites too.
Crazy Golf debuts, mini-golf for Mac
Danlab Games has released Crazy Golf, a shareware mini-golf style action game for the Mac. The demo version you can download from Danlab’s Web site features a few holes you can play; registering the full version unlocks the whole game. Two modes are included: Stroke play and timed play.
CryptoQuote updated to v1.2.2
John Haney has updated CryptoQuote, his word puzzle game containing hundreds of quotes, to v1.2.2. The new build sports various enhancements including direct printing support, crash fixes and more.
Deimos Rising 1.0.4 now available
Ambrosia Software has released Deimos Rising v1.0.4, an updated version of the scrolling top-down shoot-em-up. The new version sports a number of bug fixes concentration on control devices.
Diablo II 1.10 beta test patch available
Adventurous fans of Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo II can download a beta test patch of the new 1.10 version from Blizzard’s Web site.
Downfall updated
Norbyte has released a new version of Downfall, its falling blocks arcade puzzler. The new version adds an option and fixes bugs. Downfall incorporates 3D graphics and 24 different implementations of the basic concept. It’s $14.95 shareware.
Dungeon Siege ranks #1 in sales
Destineer subsidiary MacSoft noted that its fantasy role playing action game Dungeon Siege ranked first in dollars sold in the Macintosh games category during the month of May, 2003, according to market research firm NPD.
First Star Online MMORPG goes OS X-native
First Star Online, a shareware massively multiplayer online role playing game, has been updated to run natively in Mac OS X. The game prior to now would run in Classic only, as well as flavors of Windows. Visit Unfun Games for more details.
Germs released
Factor Software has released Germs, a new action puzzler in which players pick up germs from a “culture dish” and arrange them on the gameboard in patterns of the same color. The game runs natively in Mac OS X and Mac OS 9.
Lux 2.3 released
Sillysoft has updated its Risk-like world domination game Lux to version 2.3. The new version introduces sound effects and features better multiplayer integration.
Uplink updated to v1.3.2
Ambrosia Software has released an updated version of Uplink, the unusual game that puts you in the role of a computer criminal operating for profit in the near future. The new version sports OpenGL optimizations, various Internet Relay Chat (IRC)-related fixes, and more.
X-Plane 7.00rc4 available
Laminar Research’s superlative X-Plane flight simulator marches on towards its latest major update, v7.00, with the release of Release Candidate 4. Check it out.
Elsewhere on the Web
MacGamer has reviewed Uplink from Ambrosia Software, the hacker game. Inside Mac Games reviews Epsilon Tahari: Reign of the Machines, a new flight sim-style action game from Codeblender Software. Apple’s Games site takes a look at The Frozen Throne, the new expansion pack for Blizzard’s Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.
Closer to home
On MacCentral this week, readers learned that Graphsim Entertainment plans on OS X version of their newly released F/A-18: Operation Iraqi Freedom flight simulator. Freeverse Software plans to use this week’s Macworld CreativePro event in New York to debut Burning Monkey Solitaire 3. Pangea Software noted that Billy Frontier, its “space cowboy” game, has gone Alpha and should be released in late July or early August. Subscribers to Apple’s .Mac service can download Super Gamehouse Solitaire Special Edition for free. A new study shows that gaming among college students is a more social activity than some might think.
As always, we encourage you to drop us a line if you have ideas for ways we can improve our games coverage here on MacCentral, questions we haven’t answered, or games or related services you’d like to see mentioned on these pages.