Each weekday MacCentral brings readers the latest news from the world of Mac gaming, but there are always a few stories that don’t make it onto our regular news pages. That’s why we have this weekly retrospective, called The Week in Games. If you missed us last Sunday, it’s because it was Independence Day in the US.
Andromeda Online beta signups start
Aepox Games is taking beta testing signups for Andromeda Online, a strategic starship wargame in which you design a crew, starship and go into battle. The test is scheduled to run through September 30, 2004.
Battlefield 1942 mod primer at Macologist
With Aspyr Media’s release of Battlefield 1942 Deluxe Edition for the Macintosh upon us, Macologist has compiled a list of third party mods that have been converted to the Mac, including Desert Combat, Galactic Conquest and Forgotten Hope. Also available is the Macologist BF1942 Mod Launchers Set, dedicated launcher apps that let you run the mods straight from your desktop.
Brickles Pro 1.0.7 released
Ken Winograd and Space-Time Associates have released a few updates to Brickles Pro, the brickbashing game for Mac. 1.0.7 is the latest release — it’s a quick bug fix for 1.0.6, which added data to the “Hall of Fame” page.
GSC Call of Duty released
P-Edge media has released its Game Server Configulator (GSC) for Call of Duty. The GSC lets you set up and run a multiplayer Call of Duty server. The GSC for Call of Duty offers about 20 more features than the in-game menus do, according to the developer.
Hangman Pro 1.0.8 released
Ken Winograd has also released an updated version of Hangman Pro, the classic word guessing game. The new release maintains word category parity between the Mac and PC versions.
Hollow Ground 1.2 released
Aescapia AB has released Hollow Ground v1.2, the latest version of their top-down arcade action game. The new release has a new level, new bonus level, rebalancing throughout the game and more.
Mahjong Solitarius released by Danlab
Shareware game maker Danlab Games has released Mahjong Solitarius, a mahjong solitaire game that includes 20 built-in layouts and a layout editor for unlimited play after you’re done playing what’s built in. System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.2, G3/450MHz and 16MB video card.
Robot Rover released
Solar Fusion Software has updated the classic “Sokoban” concept for modern players with Robot Rover, in which you navigate a robot rover across a maze picking up coins and avoiding traps. It’s freeware.
USB-based Saturn game pad coming to Japan
Sega has resurrected its classic six-button game pad for the Saturn video game console for use on Macs and PCs, and is releasing the device in Japan for ¥2,980 (about US$25). There’s no word on a US release for the device, but such products are often available from overseas mail-order companies like Lik-Sang. (Web site in Japanese.)
Tacops 4.05APu released
Battlefront.com has released a new version of Tacops 4, the turn-based tactical ground combat simulation game that’s used as a training device for the US Army and other military powers. The new release adds 135 new unit types and a huge amount of changes that users have requested or that the developer has come up with. It’s a free patch for Tacops 4 users.
Elsewhere on the Web
MacGamer.com has posted a review of James Bond 007: Nightfire. Inside Mac Games has posted a preview of Rise of Nations. Apple’s Games site has posted a trailer for Virtual Grand Prix 2.
Closer to home
Since our last Week in Games, MacCentral has reported on Aspyr’s opening of its own Battlefield 1942 server (the company released Battlefield 1942 the previous week). Aspyr Media has also released a standalone demo of Medal of Honor: Breakthrough. Digital Praise will be releasing faith-based games for the Mac and PC. Delta Force: Black Hawk Down hit store shelves this past week.
We welcome you to drop us a line if you have questions, comments or suggestions.