To place your pre-order, head over to the IMG Store. IMG will be posting a preview of the full version of the Neverwinter Nights shortly. Be on the lookout for it.

Note:We usually don't like to rehash news stories over and over, but folks, it's baren out there! Someone, please, send us some Mac gaming news already!

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MGF: Neverwinter Nights Tech Demo 1.0

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GameSpy's latest Mac-based article is now up, this time seemingly talking more about the strengths and weaknesses of Macs and PCs more than just Mac gaming. The article is written by Raphael Liberatore, who some may know is from Clan MacGaming.

Here's a snippet from the article:

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For all intent purposes, I understand the home computer market is dominated with Wintel and AMD boxes. This is reality. Estimates show Macs hold only about 5% of the market. Depending on your sources, it could be as high as 8%, or as low as 3%. But let's not get bogged down with figures, and move past debating the reasons behind Apple's lower market share values. It is not the purpose of this column. What matters are those users belonging to my quaint circle of relatives, friends, military buddies, associates, neighbors, and fellow Mac gaming clanmates at Clan MacGaming, the figure rests near 35-40%. If you consider the hundreds of computer-related issues I've dealt with over time, of which, only three belonged to novice Mac users, there's something worth trumpeting here.

GameSpy talks Mac Gaming

IMG has posted a review of harman/hardon's JBL INVADER speakers, which first debuted at MacWorld San Francisco 2003. The JBL Invader is a 4.1 system: four speakers, two placed in front and two placed in rear, surround the listener with sound, while a subwoofer provides rumbling bass and a full bottom-end. Here is an excerpt from the review:

The Revolution drives the Invader much better than Apple's built-in sound controller. The balance and clarity of the sound was very noticeably improved. High frequencies suddenly became tamer, complimenting the still-resounding bass. The audio quality when driven by the Revolution may be good enough to justify the $180 price tag. However, if one is willing to spend $100 on a sound card, it's likely one can find a more high-end speaker system to compliment it.

IMG Review: JBL INVADER

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Altec Lansing has introduced the VS4121, a compact 2.1 speaker system. The VS4121 is powered by a set of three micro drivers in each satellite and a 6.5" long throw subwoofer. The system has 31 Watts RMS of total system power; 6 Watts RMS per satellite and 19 for the subwoofer. Controls for power, volume, treble, and bass have been placed conveniently on the right speaker.

The VS4141 is scheduled to ship later this month for a retail price of $129.95. Look for a review on IMG when the speakers are available.

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Altec Lansing VS4121 Specifications

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IGN's RPG Vault has posted a firsthand account of a character quest that took place in Shadowbane. Put in place by the developers at Wolfpack but largely guided by players, the quest involved a search for treasure:

This is where the quest begins. Two travelers from a different mirror world arrived on the Death shard. They were searching for the ancient signet ring of Tir Tilentheril, an item that showcased the power of the elves in their full glory. The ancient guild House Lok'ri had once possessed it, but no longer. As explained by Vorgen, the lord of House Lok'ri, the artifact had been lost along with many other ancient relics. However, the voyagers were not so easily discouraged. They could sense that the band was present somewhere, and furthermore, they also believed they knew of a witch who could tell them its whereabouts.

Shadowbane is an MMORPG that bases its architecture off of player vs. player combat. More information can be found at the official site.

RPG Vault - Shadowbane Feature Character Quest Report

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For those eagerly awaiting news on the latest Tomb Raider game, Angel of Darkness,Computerandvideogames.com has released an article stating that Core has delayed the game again. The game was originally scheduled to ship this Friday for PS2 and PC. They also note, however, that this is a minor delay, and the game should still be shipping by the end of the month.
Here's a sample of the article:

So close yet so far... Just when Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness was within spitting distance, it slips away once more, teasing us on the horizon. Originally due for release this Friday, June 20 on PC and PS2, we can reveal that retail was briefed this morning that the game has slipped.
But before Lara obsessives sob their poor little hearts out, this delay should only be a minor one. Our source told us: "Eidos made it clear earlier today that the game wouldn't release this Friday - it now looks likely the game will release by the end of the month. It hasn't gone gold yet." Eidos's fiscal year ends this month, so it is vital the game makes it out of the door by then.

We contacted Eidos for clarification of the matter, but a spokesperson refused to offer comment. However, our source believes a concrete date should be revealed later this week.

Tomb Raider Delays

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Gaming site Doupe.cz recently got a chance to sit down and chat with one of Ritual Entertainment's producers, Jon Galloway. The interview mainly focuses on Ritual's latest title, Star Trek:Elite Force II, talking about everything from gameplay to some insight into the development process of the game.
Here's a snippet:

Doupe: What sort of gameplay experience should we expect from Elite Force II? Is it going to be a pure first-person shooter or do you try to stir in the game some kind of elements from other genres? What are the main differences between the upcoming sequel and original Elite Force?

J.G.: The primary gameplay experience is definitely that of an action shooter (FPS). In this respect it is pretty pure and stays true to the action gaming. We didn't spend a lot of effort trying to blend genres, but there are a lot of game mechanics and aspects of the design that do not strictly entail the use of weapons.

The missions aboard the Enterprise-E are more about information gathering, story telling and interaction with both your environment and the crewmembers aboard the ship.

The original Elite Force has been widely hailed as a great first-person shooter and was highly rated in reviews. For the sequel, our goals were to build on its successes. The gameplay experience and rich deep story in the first product was key for us in making the sequel. The areas we wanted to branch out in were to make the game larger in scope and to transition the game to a much greater variety of locales. Along the way, we also added many other touches unique to Elite Force II. Additionally we wanted to transition the product from the Star Trek: Voyager license to the Star Trek: Next Generation license. Overall I'm very happy with what we've come up with and it will be a very worthy successor to Elite Force.

Doupe: Can you describe the main plot of your game? What new members will the Hazard team have?

J.G.: The main plot concerns unraveling a mystery surrounding a dangerous and sinister attack and invasion of an alien menace of unknown origins.

There are several new hazard team members, including Korban a new Klingon recruit, Jack Franklin a security officer from the Enterprise, Jorge Gonzales who gets added later in the game and Sydney Stockman a pilot who just graduated from the Academy.

Elite Force 2 Q&A

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