Aspyr Media Inc.’s January newsletter was recently e-mailed to subscribers. The newsletter recaps several announcements the company made at Macworld Expo, including the news that Aspyr will bring forth Mac versions of Call of Duty, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, Medal of Honor Allied Assault: Breakthrough and SimCity 4 Rush Hour. The newsletter also contained news about previously announced projects that are in development.
Specifically, Aspyr indicated that the Mac conversion of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has reached its Alpha development milestone. The game is presently in development at the studios of frequent Aspyr collaborator Beenox, which hopes to complete the game in April.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is based on the Oscar-nominated movie of the same name, adapted from the classic fantasy novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Players assume one of eight key character’s identities, including Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Sam and Frodo while trying to accomplish the mission of destroying the One Ring, thus saving Middle-Earth from the wrath of the evil Sauron.
Twelve different environments recreate scenes from the movies, ranging from Minas Tirith to the Pelennor Fields to the dreaded Black Gate and the Crack of Doom. It’s a third-person action game that features multiple paths for each character and a cooperative multiplayer mode that lets players team up together.
Preliminary system requirements call for Mac OS X v10.2.6 or later, PowerPC G4/800MHz or faster, 256MB RAM, 2.0GB hard disk space and ATI Radeon 7500 or Nvidia GeForce2 MX or better 3D graphics with at least 32MB VRAM. You can pre-order it from Aspyr’s Web site for US$49.99.
Sims fanatics may be pleased to know that Aspyr’s conversion of The Sims: Makin’ Magic is now at its Final Candidate development milestone — it should ship this month. The expansion pack for the hugely popular game The Sims is being worked on by Aspyr Studios, Aspyr’s own in-house development team.
This time around, you’re casting spells, hypnotizing people and turning neighbors into frogs as Makin’ Magic adds a magical twist to the lives of Sims, the virtual people who inhabit this game, whose lives you touch and direct. The game expansion features more than 175 new items, including the Baker’s Oven, Skeleton Closet, Spookshow Stage and more.
Visit Aspyr’s site for more details and pre-order information.
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