June 2013 News Combo Megapost

How have you been?

I’ve had a grand old time on holiday with only as much Internet as would fit into my excessively screened carry-on luggage. But I have been diligently collecting news of Mac gaming’s continued rise to power in my absence. Here’s some things that you might have missed:

Ubisoft’s security “update” (aka screwup)

Ubisoft have proved that they’re as incompetent as web security as they are at making functioning Mac versions of their own games, by having had their servers hacked:

We recently found that one of our Web sites was exploited to gain unauthorised access to some of our online systems. We instantly took steps to close off this access, to begin a thorough investigation with relevant authorities, internal and external security experts, and to start restoring the integrity of any compromised systems.

During this process, we learned that data were illegally accessed from our account database, including user names, email addresses and encrypted passwords. No personal payment information is stored with Ubisoft, meaning your debit/credit card information was safe from this intrusion.

Change your passwords, Assassin’s Creed/Splinter Cell fans.

Apple to introduce App subscriptions

Poking around into Mavericks revealed that there’s a provision for apps installed through the Mac App Store to use a subscription payment plan rather a one-off payment. This could mean we’ll start to see MMOs make their way to the Mac App Store after 10.9’s release, although most of them are now using the free-to-play model, so maybe not.

(via Macrumors)

Satellite Reign Kickstarter launched

As much as I dislike writing posts about Kickstarter, I do love the classic Syndicate Wars, and so Satellite Reign, coming from one of its creators rather appeals to me:

Satellite Reign is a real-time, class-based strategy game. You control a team of four agents, each with distinct and unique abilities, collectively battling for control of afully simulated, living cyberpunk city.

The game world is designed to facilitate emergent gameplay, giving you the tools and freedom to play how you want to play, so you can create strategies and scenarios that not even we had anticipated!

(via RPS)

Rezzed 2013

UK-based PC-centric gaming show Rezzed happened. Although I was planning to be there in the flesh, the call of duty to the ocean was simply too strong. But Mac Gamer HQ’s Mark Gregory was, as you can see in the video below. Sadly there’s scarce Mac gaming-related information that got revealed that we didn’t already know.

Google are betting on an Apple console

Although Apple haven’t announced that they’re working on a console to compete against the likes of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo just Sony and Microsoft, Google are aiming to scupper Microsoft’s Sony’s Apple’s scheme for console domination in a two-stage plan, which sees them first predict what an Apple games console will be, and then design something to b better than that:

With the watch and game console, Google is hoping to combat similar devices that Apple Inc. may release in the future, the people said.

The people briefed on the matter said Google is reacting in part to expectations that rival Apple will launch a videogame console as part of its next Apple TV product release.

(via Macrumors)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown on Steam

A couple of weeks ago we discovered that XCOM: Enemy Unknown could be heading to Steam. It turns out this was indeed the case, and was released officially on June 27. Whilst this news has been met very positively by Mac gamers, I’ve been thinking a lot about the implications of this, and the outlook is rather bleak. More on this later today.

Cobalt now available for Mac

Though still in alpha, Mojang’s Cobalt now has a Mac version. But what is it?

Cobalt is a game about cyborgs, weapons and super slow-mo evasive manoeuvres, including combat rolls, rail slides, rocket punches and wall jumps. When your robo is under threat – thanks to incoming bullets, grenades or boomerangs – time slows down, giving you a chance to pull off some super slick badassery without requiring the reactions of a star-nosed mole. You can play in single player, co-op, and local multiplayer for as many players as you have gamepads.

30 minutes of Dragon Commander

Divinity: Dragon Commander is still in production and is a game about both being a dragon that commands as well as a commander of dragons. Although a Mac release has been confirmed, no release date has been set. But that barely matters when you can watch 30 unedited minutes of it, below.

(via RPS)

Valve’s Source SDK released for Mac OS

Valve’s Source SDK, used for making games and mods based on the Source engine, has been released for Mac OS:

We have released an update to the Source SDK, bringing support for Mac OS X and Linux to mod developers and exposing the ability for virtual reality support in your mod. The biggest change with this update is that we are using github to host the source code. You will find the code here.

Perhaps the most prevalent implications of this are that we’ll finally be able to play many of the wonderful Half-Life 2 mods (such as the inimitable Black Mesa) that have been hitherto restricted to running on Windows (although that’s not the case as of right now).

(via IMG)

OS 10.8.5 includes Haswell support

As noted by the tireless netkas, the beta version of OS 10.8.5 has support for Haswell CPUs, as well as a driver for the Intel HD5000 GPU.

Tiny Tina DLC released

Borderlands 2 Dungeons & Dragons-themed DLC “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep” has been released (simulataneously on Mac and Windows, I might add, meaning that Aspyr are actually besting their own target of two weeks between the two). More on that later, but there’s a charming trailer below.

25 minutes of Folk Tale’s sandbox mode

The developers behind ambitious fantasy strategy and city management game Folk Tale (currently available via Steam’s Early Access programme) gives us a glimpse of what’s to come in its forthcoming “sandbox” mode in a 25-minute video, below.

Gun Monkeys now available

Size Five Games have released Gun Monkeys, a procedurally-generated 2D multiplayer shooter on Steam:

In Gun Monkeys, players take charge of a modern-day power company. In the distant future, a catastrophic experiment into Perpetual Energy obliterates all human life, leaving the world choc-full of free-for-the-taking energy. Your job is to send a legion of pleasingly-expendable monkeys forwards in time to collect Power Cubes and return them to present-day, all from the comfort of your PC. Sadly, it looks like one or two other entrepreneurs have had the exact same idea…

Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded now available

The Kickstarter-funded re-remake of the classic mild adult humour adventure game Leisure Suit Larry has been released on Gog and Steam. According to Rock, Paper, Shotgun’s Richard Cobbett, it’s a pretty solid revamp of the game, with only some old-fashioned mechanics and tired puzzles diminishing its appeal in 2013.

Gog.com
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