Mac/iPhone
Cecil-icious: Doctor Who: The Adventure Games Episode 1 Released **UPDATED**
Jun 2nd
The first episode of 'Doctor Who : The Adventure Games' (ugh) has arrived for PC (the Mac version is due on the 15th).
If you're in the UK, you can get it now, whilst everyone else will have to wait for some sort of retail release - details of which might well be forthcoming in July. In the mean time, some words from Charles Cecil can be read here, including...
So, here we are, with a week to go before release of 'City of the Daleks'. This week I played through the game many times, looking for minor tweaks that could be made - and then agreeing with the teams at the BBC and Sumo what could and what could not be changed. Clearly nothing could be done which could threaten the release date. And on Wednesday I had to stop, to let the final testing and master preparation conclude without my interference. I had to let go. And now I wait nervously.
We'll bring some thoughts once we play it!
**UPDATE**
MCV carries word from Auntie Beeb that the current release is essentially beta, with tweaks still being made ahead of the 'official' release on Saturday after this weekends TV episode.
“We’re testing the system with an almost-final version of ‘City of the Daleks’ ahead of the official release date,” Anwen Aspden, executive producer at BBC Wales, told MCV.
“The reaction so far has been overwhelming, but we’re still investigating whether we should tweak certain elements up to release on 5th June. So whilst those who’ve downloaded and enjoyed it in its current iteration have the advantage of playing through it early, there may be some minor tweaks coming.
"We’re running a launch trailer for the game immediately after Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who, that’s when we expect the servers to come under the most strain – we’ll let everyone know if the finished article is available ahead of then.”
Also, CNS can bring you Charles Cecil's response when asked whether he had any comment on the early release.
Not Really
Knock Knock – BBC announces episodic Dr. Who games
Apr 8th
A decent Doctor Who game has been a long time coming, not least because until ~2005 the licenses owners considered it a lost cause.
Out to rectify that, the BBC have announced that 4 episodic adventures will be released free* as companions to the new series starring Matt Smith.
Developed by perennial British development house Sumo Digital (nee Gremlin Interactive), with collaboration from Charles Cecil, featuring the likenesses of Matt Smith & Karen Gillen and canon stories written by Stephen Moffat 'n' co (a first for Doctor Who, which has previously branded all-but-televised material as mere fancruft), the first episode from 'Doctor Who: The Adventure Games' (eww) is due on PC & Mac in June.
The question is, will it top Dalek Attack?
* - presumably 'free' means 'free to British TV License Fee payers'. Whether this will involve some elaborate DRM or simply an geographic IP check on the website (like the iPlayer) is as yet unknown.
Press release after the cut...
Portal 2 outed – In other news, Cake Lie still popular meme
Mar 13th
Valve have been teasing us with an ARG since releasing mysterious new updates to their fantastic 2007 FPP (that's First Person Puzzler for you in the back who arrived late - yes, I saw you come in) last month.
Mysterious Transmissions... Party Escort Submission Positions... BSODs during GDC presentations...
What could it mean?
Topsy-turvy world… – Game on your Mac courtesy of TTG
Feb 13th
For the majority of the Mac owners out there, your gaming fix has been provided largely by one the following:
- a small cusp of developers (notably Blizzard or the odd indie) who realise that OpenGL is actually a better language than DirectX
- a porting company (probably Aspyr *spit*)
- using BootCamp, which begs the question, why did you buy an overpriced and static bit of kit just to play Windows games?
Well, strike me blind, Telltale Games (purveyors of all manner of jolly adventuring randomness) have joined the former and are planning to release their content on the Cult of Steve Jobs Cupertino OS.
Starting with Tales of Monkey Island (available now), the company is planning to release all content on the new platform, with the next game being decided by a community vote, found here. As an added bonus, one lucky guy/gal will be credited on the Mac release of said game, for some reason.
Oh, and if you already own a Telltale Games... er, game, you can/will be able to download it free of charge for your designer desktop.
Press release after the cut. Unfortunately, it's not a talkie - that's being saved for the CD-ROM release.
Machinarium Review
Nov 13th
Andrew Bryant has found the perfect solution to reaching that jar on the top shelf!
Less a Blizzard, more an Avalanche! – BlizzCon Deets
Aug 22nd
Blizzard don't do things by half, even though their penny-pushing paymasters at that hideous Activision Vivendi conglomerate would rather the obscene amounts of money just keep coming in rather than being spent on frivolous events.
Still, BlizzCon is running and it's giving us loads of Blizzard-related information.
This post will be updated as more crucial information comes to bear.
$4000 PC’s in wide circulation. Result = Force Unleashed: Sith Ed. for PC/Mac
Jul 25th
After famously making foofs of themselves by stating that the oh so mediocre Star Wars: Force Unleashed wouldn't run adequately on sub-$4000 home computers (but would happily run on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, nGage, Atari 2600, ColecoVision and C64 - among others), LEC have finally stepped up to the plate and have decided that the new super-version (branded Ultimate Sith Edition) of the material-bending Star Wars shooter will be hitting both PC & Mac along with its console bretheren.
The new release, which includes the original game, all existing downloadable content (including the Jedi Temple) and two non-canon bonus missions that borrow their setting & style from the Infinities AU - The first, set on Tatooine, will be available as paid-for DLC for owners of the standard Xbox 360 & PS3, whilst the second, set on Hoth and pictured above, will be exclusive to the new edition.
So, LucasArts, have you optimised the engine or were you just worried about piracy was it just a business decision?
Fighting Meta games goes portable: MyBrute heading to iPhone/iPod Touch
May 28th
Shameless self promotion alert! Challenge (and probably own) the CNS Brute here!
Right, now that's out of the way, Motion Twin have revealed that their popular online fighting meta-game is heading towards Apple's mobile App Store and will be hitting iPhones & iPod Touches soon.
Whether it will cost anything or not is unknown, but it does seem to be expanding on the limited website format by allowing, amongst other things, 8 Brutes per device/account, Facebook integration & unlockable arenas.
Pseudo-PR after the cut...
