July 22, 2009 6:00 AMMac|Life has published a new review of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. The popular real time strategy title follows the action as the Allies face off against the Soviet war machine and the Empire of the Rising Sun in a fictional futuristic setting. Mac|Life gave the game a score of 4 out of 5.From the review:Real-time strategy basics comprise Red Alert’s core. Like nearly every RTS game that has come before--and will undoubtedly follow—you harvest natural resources to generate income. This income lets you create buildings and then buy tanks, helicopters, infantry, and other units that those structures can produce. In the game’s basic pattern, you’ll build up this infrastructure and income while defending from incoming attacks. Then when your forces are big enough, you’ll charge out to overwhelm enemy bases. But even though this premise repeats, there was enough variety to hold our interest. Each unit often has multiple uses, such as helicopters that can transport vehicles in addition to firing on targets. You can only make the most powerful units after building special, costly structures. And you’ll charge up superpowers during battles for overwhelming, rare strikes, such as bombardment from satellites. The three factions, with differing technologies and units, add even more of this variety within the core structure. In an alternate-reality version of the mid-20th century, Russian, Japanese, and allied U.S. and British forces vie for global domination. You’ll get to play many missions from each perspective, and you can capture enemy structures within a battle to add that technology to your own—exhausting all the possibilities would take a seriously long time. Plus, online multiplayer options let you team up with a friend against the computer or enter typical skirmishes.Read the full review at the link below.Mac|Life: C&C RA3 ReviewTransGamingElectronic ArtsCommand & Conquer Red Alert 3

June 25, 2009 6:00 AMMacworld has published a new review of the recently released The Sims 3. The game adds customizable personalities, goal oriented gameplay, movie creation and editing, and an online community to the familiar lifesim formula. Macworld gave The Sims 3 a score of 4.5 out of 5 mice.Will Wright, the man behind The Sims, is a smart guy, but even I’ll admit that I was impressed by how true to life The Sims 3 is. You can fully customize a person’s—err, I mean, a Sim’s—life, from housing to a career to relationships, everything down to the wallpaper and everything up to life goals. You can throw parties, go fishing, paint, write, read, play chess, cook, drive, jog, workout, swim—there are simply too many different things to list. Jobs are varied, from being a part time bookseller to being a doctor. The second character I played started out as a toddler and became a well-dressed woman who happened to be a master criminal. She and her girlfriend threw a well-attended party before she went back to work as a hired thug. In addition to life goals that can be accomplished through interpersonal relationships, leveling up skills, and your career, every day a Sim’s life requires upkeep. The easy to understand panels help let you know both by icon and by text what your Sim desires at the time. Food, sleep, relaxation, etc. are all there. These affect a Sim’s mood, which in turn affects their overall happiness, effectiveness, and ability to be controlled by the player. While it makes sense (and can even be fun) to prepare your Sim a meal everyday, you’ll get frustrated that, like you, your Sim needs a solid amount of sleep each day. While they sleep (or work) you can fast forward time. The needs of a Sim are realistic, to a point (you can unlock a steel bladder eventually) but you’ll find the gameflow is broken up by everyday tasks a great deal. In fact, that’s one of the biggest problems I had with the game: you only have so many hours in a given day and there’s so much to do. It’s a shame that most of your day will be taken up with paying bills, retrieving newspapers, eating, peeing, and sleeping. What’s the point of a creating a limitless sandbox-style world when you’re tethered so strictly by bodily functions?Read the full review at the link listed below.Macworld: The Sims 3 ReviewElectronic ArtsThe Sims 3

June 25, 2009 6:00 AMVirtual Programming has announced the release of The Abbey, a point-and-click adventure game from Emilio de Paz. In the game players take the role of Leonardo who, with the help of his assistant Bruno, must unravel a series of mysterious crimes occuring at a remote monastery. The game features a complete reproduction of a medieval abbey, over 70 minutes of orchestral soundtrack, and an adventure spanning 20 hours of gameplay."Thou shalt not kill!" An old abbey is the scene of a series of mysterious crimes, and only one man can get to the bottom of them. Former royal advisor Leonardo and his assistant Bruno are on their way to the remote monastery unknowing of the strange goings-on surrounding a carefully guarded secret. Yet even before they arrive there, their quest is overshadowed by an attempt on their lives... A thrilling mystery story! Having reached the abbey, the two companions are confronted by one mystery after another, and the old walls stubbornly refuse to reveal their secrets. Piece by piece, Leonardo and Bruno uncover a plot that could shake not only the foundations of the monastery, but also those of the Church itself... "The Abbey" is a mystery story in the format of a classic point-and-click adventure game that has been penned by Emilio de Paz, who, among other games, was responsible for the highly successful "Clever & Smart". Using the mouse, the player guides Leonardo and his assistant Bruno through a faithful reproduction of a medieval abbey. Innovative technologies enable camera angles and sequences which, until now, have only been seen in movies. Overview of features:• Innovative cinematic presentation through a new method of combining 2D and 3D graphics unique in a point-and-click adventure game• A complete reproduction of a medieval abbey, with architecture, works of art, secret passages, and treasures vast amounts of camera angles and scenes in 20 locations promise 20 hours of gameplay• Cinematic sound: music, effects, and top quality voice output completely in Dolby Surround Sound Over 70 minutes of orchestral soundtrack played by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra Requirements:• Mac OS X 10.4.11 or higher• Any Intel CPU• 512 MB RAM• GeForce 7300, Radeon X1600 or Intel GMA• X3100 128MB• 3 GB Hard Disk space• Internet connection for product registrationThe Abbey is available for $19.95 (€19.95, £14.95). Learn more about the game at the links below.Virtual ProgrammingThe Abbey

June 25, 2009 6:00 AMSoldak Entertainment has released beta patch 1.015 for the Mac version of the action RPG, Depths of Peril. The update includes a variety of changes and bug fixes.In the game players take the role of a faction leader engaged in defending the barbarian city of Jorvik. Along the way players venture forth to complete quests and fight monsters while at the same time preparing to defeat rival factions in the race to rule the city.Here is a list of changes in the latest beta patch:fixed Cuastic Grotto spellingfixed localization issue on vendor and bookshelf screensfixed Ember Necklace not localized correctlymade Stats::increaseStat a bit safer from overflowscan now give food/potions to people from other covenants if adventuring with themnow recruits from other covenants keep their bonuses after deathfixed next target commandfixed treasure map quests to not get out of range of the worldmade kidnapping quest a bit easierfixed a rare item drop crash on Macfixed fire mastery not effecting Spontaneous Combustion correctlyfixed sweepingflames, ice storm, chain lightning, ball lightning mastery issuesfixed a way npcs could potentially get stuck casting Click over to the link below for more information.Depths Of Peril Beta PatchSoldak EntertainmentDepths of Peril

June 10, 2009 6:00 AMInside Mac Games has posted a new feature. Titled Inside iPhone Games, this feature will look at a few of the thousands of gaming titles available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This edition takes a look at three impressive titles for the handheld devices: Flight Control, A Robo Riot!, and Solebon Solitaire. Watch this space for future installments of the series, and follow the link below to read the current article.IMG Feature: Inside iPhone Games, Vol. 1

March 20, 2009 6:00 AMPlayFirst has officially announced the release dates for Wandering Willows, its upcoming new adventure role playing game tailored to the casual gaming market. PlayFirst PlayPass members can exclusively access the game for both Mac and PC now and the title will be widely available on Tuesday, March 24.   Wandering Willows presents an engaging new gaming experience where players embark on a series of exciting, interactive quests within a vibrant world and bustling ecosystem. The game is also filled with whimsical characters like gruff pirates and rocket ship commanders each presenting challenging tasks leading to intriguing adventures.       The engaging storyline begins as you find yourself marooned in a strange land after your hot air balloon malfunctions only to pave the way to a series of entertaining but challenging adventures designed to get you home again. Packed with a huge variety of game content, Wandering Willows allows players to tailor their adventure by selecting from over 150 quests in a highly customized experience including more than 40 adorable pets to gather and train, and over 200 recipes and 150 clothing patterns to complete.     “Wandering Willows is a unique title in PlayFirst’s portfolio as it offers a much more open ended experience and heightened interaction”, said Dan Chao, lead game designer. “Player progression and customization are the key elements that were crucial to our overall design process enabling a unique and more engaging experience for every player”.  The game also emphasizes collecting and crafting and offers task-based features allowing players to choose and train their own pets each with their unique abilities that enable you to collect important items. Players can also craft items to sell and trade by sewing, baking and gardening as part of their overall quest. More information on the game can be found at the website below.Wangering WillowsPlayFirst

March 20, 2009 6:00 AMBlizzard Entertainment has redesigned its Battle.net website and is offering World of Warcraft players the chance to merge their account(s) with a new battle.net account. The new battle.net will be the online starting point for World of Warcraft and any future titles, including StarCraft II and Diablo III.Q: What is a Battle.net Account?A: As part of our ongoing improvements to Battle.net, we are introducing a centralized account system that will let players manage all of their Blizzard Entertainment games, including World of Warcraft and future games, in one place without having to remember multiple sets of login information. Q: What are the benefits of creating and using a Battle.net Account?A: The new Battle.net Account allows you to log in to World of Warcraft, manage purchases at the online Blizzard Store, keep track of CD keys for your Blizzard Entertainment games, access our websites (such as the World of Warcraft Armory), opt in to upcoming beta tests, and more using a single login -- just your email address and a password. In the future, we plan to add more features, including tools to make it easier for friends to communicate between games and to help bring our community of players closer together. Q: How are World of Warcraft accounts related to Battle.net Accounts?A: Think of a Battle.net Account as a keyring that can hold up to 8 World of Warcraft accounts. To merge a World of Warcraft account with a Battle.net Account, visit the Battle.net / World of Warcraft Account Merge page and follow the instructions there. Repeat the process for each World of Warcraft account you wish to merge. Q: I already have a classic Battle.net account that I made for StarCraft, Warcraft III, and/or Diablo II. Can I just use that?A: No, the new Battle.net Accounts are separate from classic Battle.net accounts for StarCraft, Warcraft III, and Diablo II. To allow for the Battle.net features we have planned, we’ve built the new Battle.net Account system from the ground up for World of Warcraft and upcoming games such as StarCraft II and Diablo III. In order to play Warcraft III, Diablo II, and StarCraft on Battle.net, you will still need to log in using your “classic” Battle.net login information. Q: Why will Battle.net accounts be mandatory to play World of Warcraft in the future?A: With the upcoming releases of StarCraft II and Diablo III, having one unified account system allows us to ensure the highest-quality user experience and customer support for our players. In addition, the new Battle.net Account system will give World of Warcraft players access to certain future Battle.net service features and updates (as applicable). Click over to the links below for more information.Battle.netNew Battle.net FAQBlizzard Entertainment

March 20, 2009 6:00 AMFreeverse has announced that its hit strategy game for the Mac, Commander: Europe at War has been updated to version 1.06. This update allows players to play cross-platform multiplayer games, and also features a variety of other improvements and fixes.What’s New:• Cross-platform multiplayer play• Multiplayer bug fixes• Sound bug fixes• Improved load time• Improved frame rate• In-game Experience fixes• In-game Fog of war fixes About Commander Europe at War:Developed by the strategy captains at Firepower Entertainment and Slitherine Software, Commander Europe at War is a high level turn-based strategy game that offers plenty of depth to satisfy seasoned wargamers while presenting an interface that’s easily accessible to newcomers as well. Fans of the old Panzer General series will find themselves completely at home as they try to hold the Maginot Line, march on Moscow, or clear the shipping lanes of Sea Wolves! Research new technologies, manage your army, and manufacture tanks, subs, and bombers to bring about victory for your side. Commander: Europe at War includes realistic combat resolution that models supply, morale, terrain, leadership, equipment, training, strategic weapons and fog of war.Commander: Europe at War is priced at $49.95. Head over to the links below for more information about the game.FreeverseCommander - Europe at War

April 14, 2008 6:00 AMA recent addition to the Twenty Sided blog features an analysis of the artificial intelligence powering Terran, Zerg, and Protoss computer players in StarCraft. While none of the three races seem to offer an overwhelming advantage in the hands of a human player the blog post explores which race is the most powerful under computer control.About a month ago I wrote a Starcraft scenario which allowed you to observe a game between AI players. I’ve been curious about the quirks in the Starcraft AI and I’ve wanted a chance to see them do their thing in a deterministic environment. I learned some surprising things about this ten-year-old gem. While the races themselves are very nearly balanced in the hands of humans, it turns out the AI is a lot better at using some races compared to others. The setup is this: Seven AI players. Randomized start locations. Using the Broodwar expansion. The last “player” is the human observer, who controls no units but who can see the entire map. The script in question runs on the map “The Hunters”, although it could easily be exported to other maps. There are two Protoss players, two Zerg players, and three Terran Players. The computer players are all set to “insane” level difficulty, informed that all other players are their enemy, and told to go at it. Mayhem ensues. I’d usually let the game run overnight and check on the results in the morning. (Yes! This was my solution for being too busy to play computer games, I programmed a game to play itself for me!) A game normally takes a couple of hours, although rarely one will end in an hour, and several became endless stalemates.For the rest of the analysis click over to the site linked below.Twenty Sided: StarCraft Bot Fight

April 8, 2008 6:00 AMG4TV recently published a new interview with famed game music composer Jeremy Soule about his award winning musical compositions for a variety of games over the years. His work is featured in games such as Total Annihilation, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Neverwinter Nights. The interview covers a broad range of topics including the difficulties peculiar to composing music for games, his musical background, and his current projects.For someone out there who is learning music, reverse engineering as you say, is that the most challenging part of the learning process? And what has been most challenging for you as you have emerged  in your career?The biggest challenge with music for me is having the kind of control to create something at 3 or 4 in the morning and wake up the next morning and still like it, like “hey, I wasn’t completely crazy and out of my mind at 4 in the morning! That was actually a good idea!” That extends beyond the 24 hour cycle. I look back at some of the work I’ve done, and I will say there’s a period of time in my career where just the economics of the business and scheduling worked against me where I wish I would have had a little more time to work on a couple of these games. To create something that stands the test of time not only in the composers mind but in the mind of the audience, that to me is the holy grail.I think the big challenge is being persistent. Calvin Coolidge, great president, I’ll paraphrase, he basically said “talent isn’t enough, intelligence isn’t enough, persistence is really the thing that gets through” and I think for anybody just getting started…once you’re far enough along in music you can do something. I think for the people just getting started, you have to find a way to have the sticktuitiveness, the diligence and get to the next stage.You mentioned the economics of the industry. You have a record expansion of the gaming industry last year. Are you doing anything special with Artistry to expand with the industry?I’ve heard from reliable sources that a Peter Jackson production can easily have a multimillion dollar music budget. And this is true of Hollywood. I think the video game industry as always been about ingenuity and sort of thriving with the tools you have to make something good. For me to make a living writing music for the video game business, I was really, really, really lucky in terms of being able to carve out a spot. I think we have to look at the video game business as a field of specialists. Music can no longer be an afterthought with video games; it’s never been an afterthought with movies, all the way back to the 30s. For me I follow the advice of J.S. Bach. He said if you want to be a great composer, compose every day. Specialization is absolutely key. The economics are starting to support more specialization, but we are a long way from having a million dollar video game music production, a long way from doing it. At some point the stakes will be high and they’ll[developers] realize that it’s money well spent.To read the full Q&A follow the link provided below.G4TV: Jeremy Soule Talks Music And Games