Mac game conversions studio Westlake Interactive has updated its Project Status Web page with details on its development of two games currently under construction for MacSoft: Halo: Combat Evolved and Age of Mythology. Both games have reached their Beta milestone, signifying that all game code has been converted and running on the Mac and all features are now in place.
Halo: Combat Evolved is Bungie Studios’ long-sought-after first person shooter. Originally developed for Mac and PC, the game was scrapped and remade for Microsoft Corp’s Xbox video game console following Bungie’s acquisition by Microsoft. The game was just released by Microsoft and Gearbox Software for the PC following the mid-September news that the game had gone gold master — the last step before it hits production. MacSoft and Westlake have been working on the Macintosh conversion for some time.
Halo puts players in the role of the Master Chief, the last remaining cyborg soldier aboard a doomed Earth military vessel sent to distract The Covenant, a genocidal alien race bent on the annihilation of humanity. The Master Chief makes his last stand on a mysterious ringworld where he faces off against hordes of attacking Covenant forces.
While the PC and Mac versions of Halo retain faithful translations of the Xbox version’s single player campaign, they feature higher resolution graphics and myriad other improvements, including a reworking of the game’s multiplayer features to better suit online gameplay over the Internet.
Age of Mythology is another Microsoft-licensed game created by Ensemble Studios, makers of the Age of Empires and Age of Kings games. This real time strategy game puts players in control of one of nine different ancient civilizations as they call upon mythological creatures to aid them in their military campaigns.
Also worthy of note is Westlake’s effort with Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania, the expansion pack for Aspyr Media’s conversion of Zoo Tycoon. It’s now at gold master. Star Trek: Elite Force II and The Sims Superstar, two other Aspyr titles in development at Westlake, are both at Final Candidate.