Feed: Inside Mac Games - AggScore: 88.3

Civilization V: Gods & Kings Announced

February 17, 2012 5:00 AM

Aspyr Media, in a GameAgent Blog post, has revealed that the Civilization V: Gods & Kings expansion pack is in development for Mac. Among other things Gods & Kings will feature 27 new units, 13 new buildings, 9 new wonders, and 9 new playable civilizations.

Straight from Aspyr Media, they are excited to tell us that they are confirming their support for the upcoming Civilization V expansion, Gods & King for the Mac. Theyll be working hard on the expansion to bring it to you around the same time as the PC release. The expansion is slated for release late Spring 2012 for the PC so you can expect the Mac version to come out shortly afterwards.

For those of you who dont know what this expansion adds (quoted straight from 2K Games announcement):

• Tons of New Stuff. I know I just mentioned it, but I want to draw attention to just how many new things weve got here: 27 new units, 13 new buildings, 9 new wonders, and 9 new playable civilizations. Among the new civilizations are the Netherlands (William I, Prince of Orange), the Celts (Boudicca), and the Mayans (Pacal the Great).
  
• Religion. Thats right; quite possibly the most requested major addition to the game is coming in the Gods & Kings expansion. Using the new Faith resource, youll be able to found your own religion and grow it from a simple Pantheon of the Gods to a world-spanning fully-customized religion.
  
• Reworked Combat System. The expansion has a reworked combat system along with an AI that places more emphasis on balanced army composition. Among the changes to the combat system is the addition of melee naval units, which will force you to really rethink the way you execute your naval assaults.
  
• Enhanced Diplomacy, with Espionage. In addition to being able to establish embassies with your rival civilizations, spies will now be an important part of how you conduct your foreign affairs. Surveilling foreign cities, stealing advanced techs, and garnering influence with city-states are some of the things youll be able to do with this new powerful mechanic.
  
• New City-States. With religion being added to the game, it only made sense to introduce Religious city-states which will interact with your religion in special ways. In addition, Mercantile city-states will be attractive for those of you who love to grow your civilizations treasury. All city-states will use the greatly expanded quest system, making city-states more dynamic and diplomatic victories more challenging, while decreasing the importance of gold when dealing with city-states.
  
• New Scenarios. Three new scenarios will be coming in Civilization V: Gods & Kings. Experience the fall of Rome, explore the medieval era, and my personal favorite: a unique scenario in a Victorian science-fiction setting.

The Civilization V: Gods & Kings expansion is scheduled for release to Windows PC users in late Spring, with the Mac version to follow shortly after.

Civilization V: Gods & Kings
Aspyr Media
Civilization V

Drox Operative Storm And Hive Monsters Revealed

February 17, 2012 5:00 AM

Soldak Entertainment has published more new information about features in the upcoming Drox Operative starship action RPG. The update this time reveals two monster races: the Storm and Swarm, just two of the many beasties populating the void between worlds. Drox Operative will put players in the role of an elite starship captain and will feature warring alien races, fierce space battles, a dynamic and evolving galaxy, and co-op multiplayer.

Unlike many space games, the galaxy where Drox Operative takes place is not empty. For various reasons there are numerous monsters flying about in space. The reasons of their existence and why they attack on sight might vary tremendously, but they are all extremely dangerous. The following may contain spoilers.

Check out the new monsters at the link below.

Drox Operative Monsters
Soldak Entertainment
Drox Operative

IMG Reviews Jurassic Park: The Game

February 17, 2012 5:00 AM

Inside Mac Games has posted a new review of Telltale Games' Jurassic Park: The Game. Based on the book and movie series, the five part episodic adventure title drops players into the dangerous environs of Isla Nublar, where they will struggle to survive confrontations with dinosaurs as they seek a way to escape.

As an interactive movie, the quality and success of the game, just like any movie, depends largely on the plot and characters, and here I have to give the creators credit. Theyve come up with a nice scenario (which I will do my best not to give away much of) based on events in the first movie. Basically it involves the eggs Nedry was trying to steal in the movie and various characters trying to get off the island, but the writers do a nice job of integrating various elements into this basic plot. I tended to find myself drawn back to the game not for the gameplay but to see what was going to happen next.

Read more at the link below.

IMG Review: Jurassic Park The Game
Telltale Games
Jurassic Park: The Game

Double Fine's New Point & Click Adventure Coming To Macs

February 17, 2012 5:00 AM

In a YouTube update Double Fine's Tim Schaefer revealed that the company's next point and click adventure title will be available for Mac, Linux, and Windows PCs. The game is described as a "classic point-and-click adventure" and is currently in development as a Kickstarter project, with more details to be released in the coming months.

Over a six-to-eight month period, a small team under Tim Schafer's supervision will develop Double Fine's next game, a classic point-and-click adventure. Where it goes from there will unfold in real time for all the backers to see.

Player Productions will be documenting the creative process and releasing monthly video updates exclusively to the Kickstarter backers. This documentary series will strive to make the viewer as much a part of the process as possible by showing a game grow from start to finish, with all the passion, humor, and heartbreak that happens along the way. Double Fine is committed to total transparency with this project, ensuring it is one of the most honest depictions of game development ever conceived.

There will be a private online community set up for the backers to discuss the project with the devs and submit their thoughts and feelings about the game's content and direction, sometimes even voting on decisions when the dev team can't decide. Backers will also have access to help test the game once a beta is available. Once the game is finished, backers will receive the completed version in the available format of their choice.

For fans of adventure games, this is a chance to prove that there is still a large demand out there for a unique medium that inspired so many of us.

Check out the video and link below for more information.

Double Fine Adventure Project
YouTube: Double Fine Adventure Update #1

The Walking Dead Website, Online Talk Show Unveiled

February 17, 2012 5:00 AM

Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman, the creator/writer of The Walking Dead, have announced that the first episode of Playing Dead, a new online talk show discussing their upcoming game, The Walking Dead, is now live and available to view on the games' newly released official website.

The game is a five part episodic Adventure Horror game that will be available for digital download beginning in spring of 2012 for all major gaming platforms, including Macs.

"Telltale has always believed in sharing and interacting with our fans as much as possible as we head towards the launch of a game and Playing Dead is an exciting evolution of that process," said Dan Connors, Telltale co-founder and CEO. "I don't think any other developer or publisher has created anything quite like this before and we really hope that people will enjoy it."

"Collaborating with Telltale on The Walking Dead continues to be a fantastic process. They understand the world and the characters that I created and what it takes to make a game out of them. What's really exciting is that they're telling a new story with new characters, so you'll get to see the same world Rick Grimes did, but now from a different point of view," added Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead. "Playing Dead is going to be an awesome way for fans to learn about the game and how it was made. It makes sense that Telltale are talking to people in this unique way because The Walking Dead is going to be a unique zombie game."

Based on Robert Kirkman's groundbreaking comic book series, The Walking Dead is an episodic Adventure Horror game series set during the same apocalyptic period witnessed by Sheriff Rick Grimes. Telling the story of a new group of survivors as they struggle to flee the horror of Atlanta and the surrounding communities consumed by the undead, The Walking Dead offers players the chance to experience the very first days of the apocalypse, meeting people and participating in events that intersect with the story seen in the comic books.

Playing Dead is an online talk show that takes fans behind the scenes to reveal what has gone into making the game. Hosted by AJ LoCascio (the voice of Marty McFly in Telltale's Back to the Future: The Game series), the nine-part show will feature guests including The Walking Dead creator/writer Robert Kirkman and Gary Whitta, screenwriter for The Book of Eli and story consultant for the game.

After a 24-hour period of exclusivity on the official website, Playing Dead will also be available to watch on YouTube, iTunes and soon after, other online outlets including Xbox LIVE and PlayStationNetwork.

Telltale also released 3 new screenshots from the game, inspired by the work of The Walking Dead comic book artist Charlie Adlard.

Click over to the link below for more.

Telltale Games
The Walking Dead

City Of Heroes Darkness Control Powers Detailed

February 17, 2012 5:00 AM

NCSoft and Paragon Studios have posted a new Intrepid Informer article detailing features in its super hero themed MMO, City of Heroes. This time the Informer focuses on the Darkness Control power set. The new primary power set choice for Dominators and Controllers allows the player to "harness the power of shadows and darkness to render their foes helpless."

Darkness Control excels in both area of effect crowd control (like most control sets), but also debuffing its targets' chance to hit. This means that enemies that are resistant to such control effects will still have their accuracy reduced. Another unique aspect of this power set is the two pet powers: Haunt and Umbra Beast. These pets give you an additional level of passive control and damage, meaning once your pets are out there you don't have to do anything, as they'll continue to damage and control your foes. Shades summoned by Haunt will harass their target dealing damage and inflicting Terrorize while your Umbra Beast tears its targets to shreds.

One thing you'll notice right off the bat is that gone are the old tentacles and "skulls erupting from the player's face" as Tunnel Rat would say. Instead you'll see flowing shadows and inky effects that make Dark Control stand out from the other control power sets as something truly unique and special both mechanically and visually.

For more information head over to the site linked below.

Intrepid Informer: Darkness Control Powers
NCsoft
TransGaming
City of Heroes

GL Golf Available At Macgamestore

February 17, 2012 5:00 AM

Nuclear Nova's GL Golf is now available for download and purchase from Macgamestore.com. The frequently updated 3D golf sim offers a variety of features to sports enthusiatists including realistic physics, up to four players, 3 difficulty modes, and online tournaments.

>GL Golf is a 3D sports game for the casual gamer. With a realistic physics system and great simple graphics, you and up to four players can golf all 630 holes for countless hours. Everything in a real game of golf is included, such as water hazards, sand traps, trees, bushes, wind, four seasons, different time of days to play, and a driving range. Other great features include both an internet and individual high score list, game saving, great music, iTunes controls, 3 difficulty modes, mulligans, the ability to choose your set of clubs, match/stroke play, online tournaments, and much more.

Try the 6 hole demo course for free, and then register to unlock all of the course. GL Golf is constantly being upgraded with four new courses being released each year!

Requirements:

• Intel Mac
  
• Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later

GL Golf is available now for $14.99 (USD).

GL Golf

The Sims 3 Lunar Lakes DLC Released

February 17, 2012 5:00 AM

Electronic Arts has announced the release of The Sims 3 Lunar Lakes as digital download exclusively available from The Sims 3 Store. The DLC takes place on a foreign planet where survivors from a disabled spaceship have built a colony, and features a new world to explore, new items, new locations, new sims stories, and the new Tree of Prosperity.

Set on an intriguing new planet full of the eerie and unknown, The Sims 3 Lunar Lakes is one of the most unique and far-away worlds ever created for The Sims 3. Having settled on this foreign planet several generations ago after their spacecraft became disabled, Sims have been hard at work to establish a thriving society on Lunar Lakes. Now complete with fully functioning roads, schools, businesses and agriculture, Sims have settled into three areas of the world. The first location is a flat expanse of land called spaceship plain built on the disabled spacecraft area. The second area is a craterous colony where bohemian farmers live along the shores of freshwater lakes. The last locale is settled by a group of stragglers who inhabit the edge of society, pursuing their own creative dreams.

Players have the opportunity to explore the subterranean dwellings of Lunar Lakes and discover the mysteries that are waiting to be revealed on this planet. One of the prominent locations is the science lab, which has been built from the remnants of the crashed spacecraft. Many Sims work at the lab and have discovered a number of fascinating scientific findings about the planet. For one, the world is powered completely by alien crystals that are embedded into the planets rocks. Through excavation, Sims uncovered these crystals and the importance they bring to life in Lunar Lakes. Sims have also discovered the Tree of Prosperity an exotic plant that bares fruit which give Sims bonus skills when eaten.

Features:

• Explore a Unique New World - Meet new Sims, discover new locations, and experience the cosmos of Lunar Lakes!
  
• Exclusive New Items - Customize your game with dozens of all-new exclusive objects and clothing that are only available in Lunar Lakes.
  
• Exclusive New Locations Lunar Lakes is full of all new locations, lots, and venues. Where will your explorations take you?
  • Discover the secrets of this strange new world by joining the Science Career and working at The Perigee, the massive spaceship that brought Sims to the planet long ago.
    
  • Remember the worlds that were left behind by visiting bio-dome parks that invoke the feel of Sunset Valley, Appaloosa Plains, Hidden Springs, and more.
    
  • Explore the Crystal Mine and discover rare rocks and gems.
    
  • Help the colony prosper by tending vegetables at the Community Garden.
    
  • Bring the little ones to have a good time at the Umbra Playground and Park.
• All-New Sims and Stories - Stranded on an alien world your Sims must utilize the power of science to thrive! Will they create a utopian civilization, or quarrel over resources? What mysteries lie beyond the edges of the colony? Whatever the answers, one thing is certain: the Sims you meet in Lunar Lakes all have stories that are truly out of this World.
  
• All New: The Tree of Prosperity Expand your game with an all-new item that provides gameplay benefits. This exotic plant is made of floating crystals and changes shape throughout the day. Play with the Tree of Prosperity and your Sims can learn skills faster. Discover the secrets of this alien tree today!

Learn more about The Sims 3 Lunar Lakes at the link below.

The Sims 3: Lunar Lakes
Electronic Arts
TransGaming
The Sims 3