Appletell

As has been noted numerous times here at Appletell and throughout the gaming world, there are three things you can kill in computer games without fear of reproach: Nazis, zombies and Nazi zombies. If you like, you can lump aliens in with the zombies, and you can lump robots in with the Nazis. But you can’t use cops, hookers, marching bands or video game reviewers without expecting to eventually stand before Arlen Specter to explain why the downfall of modern civilization is not because of your little video game.

And yet, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (CoD4) is set in a realistic, timely world in which the battles you’re fighting don’t really stray from those you might hear about on “All Things Considered.“ The developers get away with this for two reasons. First, then invent militant organizations to serve as their bad guys. Second, this game is a brutal depiction of war. Brutal to an unsettling degree. It doesn’t glorify war, and it doesn’t even really lionize soldiers. If this were a movie script, John Wayne and Chuck Norris would run from it in terror.

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Remember back when Apple made the switch to Intel and it suddenly seemed as if all those PC games would be more easily ported to the Mac? So do I, and I’m still wondering where everything is. We saw some big name titles from EA, but after their initial release of four A-list titles (Madden, Need for Speed, etc.), nothing. Companies such as Aspyr and Feral continue to release popular games such as Call of Duty 4 and Tomb Raider Anniversary, but certainly no more so than when Macs were happily chugging away on PowerPC chips.

So, what’s been going on? Alex McLarty at The Mac Gamer finds some answers from one of the best sources in Mac gaming: Glenda Adams, Director of Development for Aspyr Media:

TMG: We’ve had Intel in our Macs for a few years now. Has how the switch changed game development for the Mac?

Glenda: It’s lessened some of the work we have to do, but unfortunately the graphics side of games has just exploded. The amount of shader code and complex rendering is probably 2-3 times as much work as it was for games a couple years ago, so that has more than offset the efficiency gains we had from the
Intel switch.

More questions answered and a bleak future predicted after the break.

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Playing Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (ETQW), I find myself empathizing with Roger Ebert when he has to go see one of those Diary of the Princess Pants movies. I am not the target audience. This game is not meant for me. It’s meant for gamers who not only have the time to spend mastering the controls and strategies required to be effective, but the desire to do so. Perhaps a side-effect of reviewing Mac games for over 10 years is that I’m so used to being forced to move along quickly, that I now get bored if I don’t.

Which isn’t to say that ETQW is boring. Far from it. The action is relentless, the graphics are some of the best available in a Mac game (provided your computer can handle them), both the single-player and multiplayer versions are intense. This is a great game; most likely the best team-based FPS currently available on the Mac. I just wish I didn’t suck at it so badly.

Jump past the break for the full review.

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Aspyr Media keeps role-playing alive on the Mac by taking over the wildly popular Neverwinter Nights franchise. Neverwinter Nights 2 is bigger, shinier, and an engrossing RPG experience, but it’s not without its share of problems. The new graphics engine gets poorer performance without actually looking any better, the inventory management system bogs down the gameplay, and what should be the simple act of controlling your party has become a mess of mouse clicks and keyboard modifiers. Are the story, the four-character party system and the expanded class/rule set enough to compensate for these growing pains? Head over to Applelinks to find out.

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Aspyr Media today released a free patch for Neverwinter Nights 2. This update (62 MB) is available as a free download at Aspyr.com. Neverwinter Nights 2 Update 1.12.1295 is an official update for Neverwinter Nights 2, featuring a variety of changes. The patch will update any previous version of Neverwinter Nights 2 to version 1.12.1295.

More information on Neverwinter Nights 2 is available at Aspyr’s website.

Product [Neverwinter Nights 2] Patch [v1.12.1295]

• Appletell review - Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
• Porting games to the Mac is a tricky business
• Appletell review - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

I’m a big fan of the Call of Duty series, and I was excited when I heard it was coming to the Mac. However, it looks like COD4 fans will have to wait a little longer. It’s been delayed.

On Tuesday, June 2, 2008 Aspyr announced that Call of Duty 4 will be delayed. It was originally supposed to be released in May. The fact that May passed without us getting this title was a great indication that the deadline wasn’t going to be met, right?

“Aspyr Studios has chosen to continue to spend more time in development with the title in order to ensure a high-quality gaming experience for Mac gamers,“ reads a statement offered by Aspyr.

Call of Duty 4 is a first person shooter developed by Infinity Ward. It’s the fourth game in this extremely popular series. Currently, you can purchase it for PlayStation 3, PC, and Xbox 360 (I have the Xbox version). Unlike the previous games which were set during World War II, Call of Duty 4 is set in modern times, and you are visiting various hotspots around the globe. There are lots of weapons from which you can choose for the game, and playing in multi-player mode allows you to unlock additional weapons, weapon attachments, and camouflage schemes as you progress.

Although I’m disappointed by this temporary setback, I’ll happily purchase it for my MacBook Pro once it is available.

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We said it had been confirmed a week ago, and here it is today, shipping. This is one of many mainstream video games coming to the Mac - although this is technically still a “port” from Windows - Aspyr has done a great job with their previous “ports” like The Sims and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. The game is now on store shelves and costs $79.99. It comes on hybrid disc for Mac and Windows and includes one “X-Plorer” guitar controller. Guitar Hero III is the latest in the series of best-selling games on the PlayStation and XBOX consoles. It hasn’t been such a success on the PC, but that’s not to say that it won’t be on the Mac.

The Mac version has been included in new hybrid boxes now shipping to retailers from Aspyr, so remember to check the box contents before you purchase the game to make sure you have the right version. Only the Mac and PC versions are bundled together. Mac system requirements are: Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later (including Leopard), Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz or faster, 1GB RAM, 5.1GB hard disk space, ATI Radeon X1600 or Nvidia GeForce 7300 or better 3D graphics with 128MB VRAM or more, DVD-ROM.

Via [Macworld]

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