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Report: Aspyr lays off majority of staff

by Justin McElroy { Dec 10th 2009 at 4:50PM }

In what's apparently the latest game industry victim of a down economy, Big Download reports that, according to its sources, Austin, Texas-based publisher Aspyr has laid off more than 50 percent of its employees. Though you likely recognize the Aspyr name from its PC-to-Mac ports, the company recently published the Call of Duty Classic port on XBLA and PSN, as well as Fighting Fantasy and Treasure World on DS.

We've been in contact with Aspyr in attempt to clarify the situation over there. We'll keep you posted.

Star Trek D-A-C coming to M-A-C

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 20th 2009 at 4:00AM }

Paramount has announced that it's bringing the downloadable Star Trek D-A-C -- based on the recent film -- to the Mac. The game will be released with the help of TransGaming, meaning it will utilize Cider, software that allows PC games to be run on Macs. In other words, your hopes of experiencing the mediocrity of Star Trek D-A-C in an Apple native format have just been dashed. Sorry.

The game is scheduled to launch this December and is currently available for pre-order at GameTree Online.

Warhammer Online jumps to the Mac realm, free for current subscribers

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 28th 2009 at 10:20PM }

Though Mythic's Warhammer Online has been fueling the ceaseless Realm vs. Realm skirmish for more than a year on PCs, a new breed of gamer is about to gain access to the MMO: The guy whose computer is way cooler than yours.

According to a recent Mythic Entertainment press release, the MMO is now available on the Mac platform, and can be digitally purchased from GameTreeOnline for $19.95. Current subscribers to the PC version of the game can get the Mac version for free on the official WAR site. If you're apprehensive about using your sleek multimedia machine to play video games, you can also download a free, 10-day trial of the game. You might just enjoy it as much as you enjoy belittling John Hodgman.

Point-and-click your way to the ever-charming Machinarium

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 18th 2009 at 3:30PM }

We know you're likely still occupied with the past week's pair of major blockbusters, but it'd be a shame if the release of a certain Small Wonder went unheralded by this blog. Enter: Machinarium, an impossibly charming, jaw-droppingly gorgeous adventure title for Windows, Mac and Linux which, after wooing us last month at PAX, is now available to purchase for a cool $20.

Not sure how you feel about hand-drawn adventure games featuring the misadventures of an adorable, mute robot? We suggest checking out the free demo of the game hosted on the game's official site. If you're still not enticed, we suggest getting a chest x-ray, because it sounds like there's a small chance that your heart is missing.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Balloon Boy takes game form with shocking speed

by Justin McElroy { Oct 17th 2009 at 1:00AM }

As with every soon-to-be-forgotten, media-baiting pseudo-story of the past five years, the Balloon Boy saga (in which a young boy in Colorado was thought to be floating precariously in a giant weather balloon until it turned out that he wasn't) has become a game. A terrible game, yes, but a game none the less.

It's hard for us to approach this post with our usual jocularity, due to the speed with which Balloon Boy has taken game form. We can't keep ourselves from envisioning a grim future where events are actually pre-dated by the games based on them, turning the whole of Newgrounds, Kongregate and Pogo into a bizarre, Flash-based Nostradamus. A grim future indeed.

[Via GamePolitics]

BioShock opens Rapture to Mac owners October 7

by David Hinkle { Sep 24th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Finally, two years after the original release of BioShock, Mac owners get a chance to see what all of the fuss has been about. Andrew Ryan opens the doors of Rapture again on October 7, inviting Mac gamers (yes, they exist ... somewhere) to spend $49.99's worth of ADAM (£34.99 in the UK, €39.95 throughout Europe) for entry into the aquatic kingdom full of genetic abominations and pipe-powered electronics. With a description like that, who could say no?

The port is being handled by London-based dev Feral Interactive. We spoke with Brad Gibson, director of Marketing/PR at Feral, who told us the port "does not use Cider," the current go-to portability technology to get Windows games running on Intel-based Macs. We've put some more questions in to Feral to see if BioShock is the first native Unreal Engine 3 game on the Mac platform.

The Joystiq Free Game Club: Time Fukc

by Justin McElroy { Sep 18th 2009 at 9:15AM }

Yes, the Free Game Club is back -- only for one man would we resurrect this classic feature. While we wait not-so-patiently for Super Meat Boy, creator Edmund McMillen has given us Time Fkuc (yes, all orders of the second word's letters are acceptable) to gnaw on.

As with most of McMillen's Flash platformers, explaining its gameplay is almost as difficult as understanding its meaning (if there even is one). Suffice to say the game's mechanics play with time, dimensional shifting and forms part of, according to the release, "an allegorical game about stuff you've never experienced."

McMillen continues to have an incredibly fresh perspective that hasn't disappointed yet: Time Fkuc is no exception. It's lovely, with better animations than the art would suggest, and a really cool soundtrack. Plus, it's free! If you're still not convinced, there's a trailer after the break, placed there because it contains a bad word and is ... well, it's kind of unsettling.

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Tales of Monkey Island's third chapter sets sail Sept. 29

by Justin McElroy { Sep 17th 2009 at 2:00PM }

If you've been breathlessly waiting for the return of Guybrush Threepwood and crew, you'll finally be able to inhale again on Sept. 29, when the third chapter of Tales of Monkey Island, "Lair of the Leviathan," will appear on PC. However, that's still 12 days away, so you should probably just just go ahead and start breathing, for safety's sake.

We can't tell you what happens in it, but If you'd like some crudely animated speculation on what might happen, we've got you covered. Unnervingly, that clip comes from Telltale who we'd hope actually knows what happens. It's all so meta!

Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 3 announcement not coming at PAX

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 4th 2009 at 4:30PM }

Those who were hoping to hear savory details about Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 3 during the Penny Arcade Expo (how appropriate!) are about to have said hopes dashed upon the rocks. During our recent interview with the comic's creators, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, we learned that no news regarding the game will come during the duo's Seattle-based gaming community event.

There's a reason for the game's non-appearance during PAX -- but Holkins and Krahulik were tight-lipped about what that reason is. Krahulik teased, "When you hear the announcement, you'll be like 'oooooh.' It'll make sense." Holkins articulately added, "You'll feel vigor in all of your limbs." We're fairly certain that's a good thing.

Quake Live adds support for Mac, Linux

by Justin McElroy { Aug 19th 2009 at 11:59PM }

Despite our best intentions, we at Joystiq have been pretty lax about sinking the hours we thought we would into the browser-based Quake Live. But perhaps we'll be more dilligent about it now that the whole gang can get involved. Via the game's forums, id announced Tuesday that support had been added to the game for Linux and Mac users

Currently, Mac players are limited to playing through Safari, though id says that the Firefox/Mac combo will soon be a workable configuration.

[Via Big Download]

Carmack says ad-based model not working for Quake Live

by Ben Gilbert { Aug 15th 2009 at 6:30PM }

In addition to announcing support for Quake Live on Mac and Linux, John Carmack admitted that the current ad-based model wasn't exactly working for the game. To assuage the problem, id Software will soon be offering a subscription model in addition to the free-to-play model currently in place.

"The in-game advertising stuff has not been big business .... [it's] not going to be able to carry the project," Carmack said. Dually, he noted that while a subscription service will be offered, the game will never go exclusively "pay-to-play." According to Shacknews, the subscription model will allow players to create and host private server matches.This all sounds good to us -- now maybe all the hardcore Quake Live players will play in private servers and allow us to get a single shot off.

Mac and Linux users joining Quake Live community August 18

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 14th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Has your ultra-hip, Justin Long-approved operating system kept you from joining in the Quake Live online gib-fest? 1UP recently reported on a recent QuakeCon 2009 announcement which should bring some joy to your empty, empty life -- on Tuesday, August 18, the title will be patched to allow Mac and Linux users to access the game's web-based bounty. Since the service's launch, this has by far been the most requested feature from free-to-play FPS lovers worldwide. It's nice to see id deliver on its promise to incorporate the non-Windows contingency.

Of course, we're still running a version of Digital UNIX circa 1995, so we might just be permanently S.O.L.

Hey, someone's making Two Worlds II

by Justin McElroy { Jul 3rd 2009 at 10:45PM }

So this is kinda confusing, try to roll with us. Developer Reality Pump announced that it's working on Two Worlds II, due this winter. Only ... it had already announced a sequel to Oblivion-esque FPS RPG called Two Worlds: The Temptation. We're pretty sure the team just decided to go with the number instead of the subtitle, but we guess we'll never know. (OK, so the story's a bit weirder than we thought.)

Set two years after the original, TW II promises "completely overhauled AI and balancing standards, experienced authors, [an] active combat system and the brand-new engine." Here's hoping the changes can make the sequel not so ... you know ... wretched?

[Via Eurogamer]

Mac users: It's time to play Braid

by JC Fletcher { May 20th 2009 at 2:00PM }

Mac owners can now travel back in time to August of 2008, thanks to Hothead Games. The developer's Mac port of the time-bending platformer, Braid, is now available, allowing Mac users to experience the authentic feeling of playing one of 2008's most unique games for the first time. (That is, if you didn't already play it on a Windows partition or something.)

The press release says that this is "the first in a unique collaboration between Hothead and other top-notch independent developers to bring their award-winning titles to new gaming platforms," although the company's PC release of The Maw predates this by several months. Braid is now available for immediate download via Penny Arcade's Greenhouse store for $14.95.

Mac users can now walk The Path

by Richard Mitchell { May 8th 2009 at 12:01AM }

Attention Mac users, if you were bummed that the latest game from Tale of Tales, The Path, was restricted to PCs, it's time to rejoice, for the promised Mac version is finally out. Yes, you too can experience the game that's so freaky and different that it's like being punched in the face by a centaur. The game can be had either as a download ($10) or in a special USB edition (€25) that includes a custom USB flash drive containing the game and plenty of extras.

If you're unfamiliar with the game, check out a new story trailer after the break.

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