Mac Gaming

I think Assassin’s Creed was one of the most divisive games to come out in 2007/2008. For some, it was one of the best games of the year; for others, the game was shallow, rigid, and repetitive and didn’t live up to its potential. I picked up AC last week from Steam since it was 50% off ($10 USD) and I’m really glad I did. Having just beat the game, I can safely say I really enjoyed it and I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel.

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Tags: assassin's creed, steam

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is one of the scariest, most atmospheric games I’ve ever played on the PC. I’m not a huge horror fan — not even a little horror fan — but that didn’t stop me from buying S.T.A.L.K.E.R. last July. In fact, two things overrode my instinct to not get the game: 1) Shawn Elliot repeatedly mentioning the game on the GFW Radio podcast and this article by Jim Rossignol on Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

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Tags: stalker, fallout 3

I picked up the Dungeons & Dragons-based Neverwinter Nights 2 and its expansion Mask of the Betrayer last summer in a desperate bid to quell my hunger for an RPG. I didn’t finish NWN2, but I mostly enjoyed what I played of it, slowly learning the D&D ruleset. In March, I was totally engrossed by MotB when my internal hard drive died, wiping out Windows and my saved games. I haven’t gone back to MotB, but I recently reinstalled NWN2 and the newly released $10 adventure pack Mysteries of Westgate. As they all use the same engine, the main game and add-ons run about the same on my iMac.

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Tags: nwn2, kotor, witcher, oblivion, fable 2

I’ve been making a few changes to the site over the last few days.

Firstly, I redid how categories are set up. The main four category groups — Genres, Release Years, Testing Environment, and Retailers — all have to do with games that have been tested and won’t be used for general blog articles.

Secondly, I removed the deals category and entries — a lot of other, far more popular sites cover game deals in a more thorough fashion and I just want to focus on the games I play and settings I use. The best deals site I’ve found (for digital distribution, anyway) is the Unnamed Wishlist it’s always up-to-date and covers all the major digital retailers.

Thirdly, I’ve added my iMac specs to each review/test.

Finally, I’ve uploaded my game library (via Delicious Library) so that you can see the PC games I have and request any tests that I haven’t done here.

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If you took Call of Duty 1 or 2 and mixed it in a pot with Rainbox Six: Vegas, you’d have a pretty good idea of what Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway is like — a linear FPS with tactical, squad-based elements. I picked it up a few weeks back on GamersGate for $7.50 USD and I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of it, though it took longer to download than for me to play through.

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Tags: brothers in arms, rainbow six vegas, call of duty, fallout 3, far cry 2

Pretty much unlike any game I’ve ever played (other than the first-person perspective), theHunter is a slow, meditative, and yet heart-pounding experience. It’s a hunting sim, yes, but so well done that you get lost in it — completely and utterly taken in by the atmosphere and the actual hunting (tracking, spotting, luring) itself. Did I mention it’s free? Well, it is. As long as you don’t mind hunting only Mule Deer, you don’t have to pay a cent — simply go to the website and sign up for the “Guest Pass,” which gets you a rifle, unlimited ammo, and all the Mule Deer you can bag.

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Tags: thehunter

This site is becoming more of a list of my hardware troubles than a game site, it would seem. The latest casualty is the internal hard drive of my iMac which has gone MIA, leaving only the flashing question mark of doom in its place. Fortunately, I have two external back up drives, so I didn’t lose any Mac-related data. On the other hand, my Boot Camp partition (which wasn’t backed up) is gone. D’oh!

I’m planning on taking my iMac apart and replacing the hard drive myself, a proposition that’s making my knees a little weak. I found some good how-tos online, though, and a couple videos on Youtube which should guide me through. I hope. Until then, no Windows gaming for me and no website testing in IE. See you on the flip side.

Tags: hardware, crash, failure, canadaram, seagate

Ah, anticipation. Sweet, sweet anticipation. I’m 32 years old and I still get excited about a new year’s crop of games. This year, there are seven games I’m particularly interested in so far. See below for videos and descriptions of these upcoming titles.

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Tags: age of decadence, alpha protocol, arma 2, operation flashpoint, riddick, dragon age, bg2, fuel, majesty, xbox 360, ps3

I know, I know — another RPG. What can I say? I like RPGs, and I came to the party kind of late. One of my friends had Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic a couple years ago and, while I didn’t really like that specific game, it got me hooked on role-playing games in general. So, in November 2007, I bought The Witcher and that game sealed my fate: I loved it and that began my quest to find other similar games. Since then: Oblivion, Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Neverwinter Nights 2 & Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, Fallout 3, and Gothic II. I also tried Baldur’s Gate 2 and Fallout 2, but couldn’t get past the dated graphics (if I had Windows on my EeePC 701, I’d give them a try again). Anyway, let me tell you about Drakensang.

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Tags: drakensang, kotor, witcher, oblivion, vampire the masquerade, nwn2, fallout 3, gothic series, bg2, fallout 2, stalker

It’s difficult to try and describe King’s Bounty: The Legend. As a game, it’s an interesting mix of light role-playing and turn-based strategy. The battles are almost like chess insofar as characters are placed on opposite ends of a field and you take turns making moves and trying to wipe out your opponent’s army. But that makes KB sound much more serious than it is. No, the glue holding everything together is the wonderfully ridiculous, fanciful, and insane fantasy world in which the game takes place. Do the bidding of frog royalty; resurrect dead pirates; marry a zombie — it’s all in here, plus a tonne more.

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Tags: king's bounty