Each week MacCentral brings readers breaking news from the world of Macintosh gaming, but there are always a few stories that we reserve for this weekly retrospective, called The Week in Games. Alas, scheduling concerns have forced us to curtail Week in Games coverage for the last several weeks, so here’s a roundup of gaming news that covers the last several weeks.
Amju Super Golf adds new course
Jason Colman has released Amju Super Golf, an updated version of his 3D golf game for the Mac aimed at kids and their parents alike. The new release sports a new course.
Andromeda Online bows
Aepox Games has released Andromeda Online, a strategic starship wargame in which you design a starship, populate it with a crew and eventually command an entire armada of up to 500 ships. The game requires Mac OS X v10.2.1 or higher and Java 1.4.1 or higher. Online play can happen against Windows, Mac, Linux and Solaris players.
Aquadot!red needs beta testers
Interested in helping to shake down a new shareware game? Angel Frog Games’ forthcoming title Aquadot!red needs testers. The game puts you in the role of a “spotted red hero” as it tries to find food and avoid strange bugs.
Brain Hotel flash game released
Pinhead Games has released Brain Hotel, billed as “a point-and-click comedy adventure game.” Created using Macromedia’s Flash software, the game puts players in the role of a delivery driver cast into the unlikely role of hero as he seeks to thwart the plans of a collection of supervillains.
Bud Redhead side scroller released
Looking for some Super Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog-style side scrolling gameplay on your Mac? Make sure to check out Phelios’ latest offering Bud Redhead. Players travel across a variety of different worlds, each with multiple levels, going up against super-tough Big Bosses. You can collect coins, jewels and fruit as you traverse across platforms filled with doors, levers, ropes, ladders and more. System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.2 or higher, 256MB RAM and OpenGL graphics. Bud Redhead can be downloaded as a demo and costs US$19.95 to register.
Downfall update improves physics
Norbyte Software has released an update to its 3D falling blocks game Downfall. The new 2.3.1 release sports improved physics, corrects bugs and makes other changes as well. It’s a US$19.95 shareware game available for Mac OS X.
Jet Ducks brings back old school shooting
Remember those duck shoot games that were popular back in the Nintendo Entertainment System days? Absolutist.com hopes to revive that sort of fun with Jet Ducks, an arcade shooter in which you must blast low-flying supersonic ducks out of the sky.
Oolite carries on in the Elite tradition
Oolite is a space sim game that was created in response to the withdrawal of Elite — The New Kind. It’s inspired by that classic work, an independently reverse-engineered interpretation of the original game. Oolite is published as open source, too.
Puzzle Express mixes Tetris with railroad cars
Red Marble Games’ new arcade puzzler Puzzle Express is a geometric blocks puzzle game in the Tetris style, with a twist — the game is railroad train-themed. You visit railyards across the country as you try to fit the odd-shaped cargo onto the train; each piece reveals a bit more of a photo from the city you’re visiting. It has “express” and “scenic” modes. It requires Mac OS X and costs US$19.95 to register.
SilverCreator 1.5 released
SilverNetworks has released version 1.5 of its free game development system SilverCreator. The software features a “card”-based interface, scripting language, QuickTime support, sprite control system, networking and other features. The new release sports a new interface, unlimited cards, click-areas, dozens of bug fixes and more.
WingNuts free for .Mac subscribers
Freeverse Software’s arcade-style action game WingNuts is the latest title to be released for free to subscribers of Apple’s .Mac online service. The game pits you against the robotic forces of Baron Von Schtopwatch with play that’s very reminiscent of classic arcade titles like Time Pilot. While you’re there you can also grab a demo copy of Freeverse’s newest release, Airburst Extreme.
Zen Puzzle Garden released
Lexaloffle Games has released Zen Puzzle Garden, a puzzle game modeled after Japanese rock gardens, for Mac OS X. As a monk with a rake, you must complete each puzzle by raking sand without raking yourself into a corner. A five garden demo is available for download.
Elsewhere on the Web
Inside Mac Games has published a review of James Bond 007: Nightfire from Aspyr Media. MacGamer has posted a preview of Homeworld 2, also from Aspyr. Apple has posted a trailer of AirBurst Extreme from Freeverse Software.
Closer to home
On the pages of MacCentral this week and last, readers learned of a free Space Colony campaign from Aspyr. ATI introduced its Radeon 9200, primarily aimed at legacy Macs that could use a little bump in games performance. MacSoft finally released its long-awaited Neverwinter Nights expansion packs. Freeverse released a demo of AirBurst Extreme. iDevGames announced the uDevGames 2004 contest. Aspyr plans to publish a Mac version of True Crime: Streets of LA.
As always, you’re welcome to drop us a line if you have questions, comments or suggestions.