Spiderweb Software has released a new update for Avadon: The Black Fortress. The patch brings the game to version 1.0.4 and includes improved support for Apple magic trackpads.

The first chapter of a new saga, Avadon puts players in the role of a spy and warrior tasked to defend the homeland from its many enemies. The game features four different character classes, dozens of sidequests, hundreds of items to discover, and many different possible endings.

We have updated Avadon: The Black Fortress for the Macintosh to v1.0.4. This update fixed a number of glitches and improves performance with Apple magic trackpads. You can get the newest version here. Just download and install it. Your saved games and registration won't be affected.

Check out the links below for more information.

Avadon Patch
Spiderweb Software
Avadon: The Black Fortress

A new post on Aspyr Media's GameAgent Blog offers a collection of tips and tricks for success in Feral Interactive's Tropico 3: Gold Edition. Developed by Haemimont Games and published by Kalypso Media for Windows, Tropico 3: Gold Edition is a re-imagining of the classic construction and management simulation Tropico.

General Tips:

• Faction respect is negligible and you need not worry about it so much when creating your avatar because if you are doing well, everyone will like you anyways.
  
• Make a custom avatar to fit your play style. Don’t be afraid to change styles if things are not working out for you.
  
• Give speeches from the palace to increase the respect of those listening but don’t become speech happy or else your people will stop working, sleeping, and entertaining just to listen to you.
  
• Your teamsters and construction workers are vital to your town. Make sure the workers live near work, have healthcare, markets, and entertainment nearby so they stay in the same area other than work and worksites. They do not need a garage.
  
• Micromanage fees and wages because it will help you in the long run with housing and people’s happiness.
  
• It is inefficient to house everyone in the same type of housing.
  
• Price your initial housing buildings at the very beginning of the game so that only married couples and your high school students can afford them. This ensures that the great number of people will stay out of shacks and minimize the discontent of your pre-high school educated. If you have any leftover space after all the married couples move in, lower the price so single people can fill it.
  
• Never have more than 10 buildings being constructed at the same time. It confuses the workers. If you do pause some of them, so the workers can focus on other buildings first.
  
• If you’re playing a randomly generated map and get an island split in two by a body of water. The map still may be playable.. See if you can place a tourist dock on the inside edge of the island. If you can’t then the body of water separating the island is not considered ocean and strangely enough construction crews will walk underwater to get to the other side and build what you want if it is not ocean.

Read more at the link below.

GameAgent Blog: Tropico 3 Tips & Tricks
Feral Interactive
Tropico 3: Gold Edition

Aspyr Media and id Software have released Rage: Campaign Edition for Mac. The post-apocalyptic action game combines elements of racing and shooting titles with a dash of role playing thrown in for good measure. The Campaign Edition also includes bonus equipment from the Anarchy Edition and the bonus Wasteland Sewers Missions.

Can you survive the Wasteland?!

From the makers of Doom and Quake, RAGE is a groundbreaking first-person shooter set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, leaving a ravaged world behind. You emerge into this vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as bandit gangs, mutants, and the Authority – an oppressive government regime that has a special interest in you in particular. Featuring intense first-person shooter action, breakneck vehicle combat, an expansive world to explore and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id’s revolutionary id Tech® 5 technology, RAGE promises an experience like no other.

RAGE: Campaign Edition features the full, unaltered RAGE single-player campaign; bonus equipment formerly exclusive to the Anarchy Edition, including double barrel shotgun, rat rod buggy, fists of rage, and crimson elite armor; and the bonus Wasteland Sewers Missions.

Features:

• Visceral 1st-person gunplay and exploration: Take on bandit gangs and hordes of mutants using an arsenal of exotic weapons and special items, such as Wingsticks, personal turrets, sentry bots, and remote-controlled bomb cars.
  
• Frenetic 3rd-person vehicular mayhem: Burn rubber across the wasteland in your very own super buggy! Upgrade and customize your car with special parts, paint jobs and weapons, then test your skills as you battle four-wheeling bandit clans and participate in deadly races.
  
• An expansive experience: Beyond the first-person action and vehicle combat, RAGE offers a world open to explore, with unique characters, side quests, and a compelling storyline.
  
• Graphics that have to be seen to be believed: Powered by id’s cutting-edge new id Tech 5 engine, new Megatexture technology brings the vast wasteland to life in never-before-possible detail.
  
• Bonus Content: The Wasteland Sewer Missions and Anarchy additional content are included in the Mac release!

Requirements:

• Operating System: 10.7.2 (Lion)
  
• CPU Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (Dual-Core)
  
• CPU Speed: 2.4 GHz
  
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
  
• Hard Disk Space: 25 GB
  
• Video Card (ATI): Radeon HD 3870
  
• Video Card (NVidia): Geforce 8800
  
• Video Memory (VRam): 256MB
  
• Peripherals: Macintosh mouse and keyboard
  
• Supported Video Cards
  NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800
  NVIDIA GEFORCE 9600
  NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 120
  NVIDIA GEFORCE 330M
  ATI RADEON HD 3870
  ATI RADEON HD 4670
  ATI RADEON HD 4850
  ATI RADEON HD 5670
  ATI RADEON HD 5750
  ATI RADEON HD 5770
  ATI RADEON HD 5870
  ATI RADEON HD 6630M
  ATI RADEON HD 6750M
  ATI RADEON HD 6970M
  Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Not Supported:
  Integrated video chipsets are not supported (GMA 950 Mac Mini(2006,2007), iMac(2006), Macbook(2006,2007), GMA X3100 Macbook(2007,2008), MacBook Air(2008-2011))
  NOTICE: Apple Intel Chipsets only.
  NOTICE: This game is not supported on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case Sensitive)

Rage: Campaign Edition is available now for $39.99 (USD).

id Software
Aspyr Media
Rage: Campaign Edition

Macgamestore.com has announced the addition of IKIGames' NagiQ to its collection of game titles available for download and purchase. The puzzle title challenges players to fill the game board with English words, winning levels by including every one of the "mystic letters" on each board. NagiQ includes 135 levels, trophies to earn, and a hint system.

NagiQ is an original and family-friendly word game! You have to help Nagi to recover some mystic letters scattered troughout his world's islands. For playing, think of words in English, write them with the computer's keyboard or the onscreen keyboard, and place them on the board with your mouse. You can place your word horizontally or vertically. When placing your word, try to include the mystic letters which are on the board. You'll win the game when you have included all of the mystic letters in your words. Challenge and hours of gameplay are guaranteed as the game comprises 5 islands, and each island has 25 playable levels, amounting to 125 total levels of brain fitness!

Features:

• Help little Nagi recover his parent's mystic letters in this colorful Word game.
  
• Enjoy 125 levels in five uniquely-themed islands.
  
• Earn bonus points and cookies when doing a great job.
  
• Use a helpful hint system to earn trophies and climb the Hall of Fame scores.
  
• Share hours of brain fitness fun made for the whole family.

NagiQ requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later is and is available now for $6.99 (USD).

NagiQ

Recently The LEGO Group announced that the company's LEGO themed MMO, LEGO Universe is now closed. Company representatives stated the cause of the closure was an inability to encourage enough paying subscribers, despite positive player feedback for the game itself.

As was announced last year, January 31, 2012 was the last day of LEGO Universe. The servers have been shut down due to the lack of a satisfactory number of players to paying subscribers. As a result 115 employees at the Play Well Studios and the game's marketing function in Denmark had been laid off.

For more information check out the link below.

Worthplaying: LEGO Universe Closure
TransGaming
NetDevil
LEGO Universe

Inside Mac Games has posted a new interview with Aspyr Media's Elizabeth Howard about the company's release of Rage: Campaign Edition for Mac. The interview includes information about how long the company has been working on the project, what is different about the Mac version, and what gamers can expect from Aspyr in 2012.

JC: What is special or different about the Mac version of Rage? 

EW: RAGE: Campaign Edition includes the fully-featured single-player campaign of Rage and comes complete with a host of bonus content, including the Wasteland Sewer Missions and the special equipment previously exclusive to the Anarchy Edition.  In the Wasteland Sewer Missions, players will get the opportunity to explore the labyrinth of sewers that span the Wasteland in an effort to discover tons of great loot, all while defending themselves against scores of angry mutants.  Luckily, they'll receive some aid from the Anarchy Edition bonus equipment which includes the iconic double barrel shotgun, the Rat Rod buggy, the Fists of Rage melee upgrade, and Crimson Elite armor. 

Read the full review at the link below.

Rage: Campaign Edition Interview
id Software
Aspyr Media
Rage: Campaign Edition

Inside Mac Games has posted a new review of Aspyr Media's Rage: Campaign Edition for Mac. Originally develped by id Software, the post apocalyptic shooter features the gunplay fans of the genre expect, as well as high speed combat racing and RPG elements.

For additional help IMG has also posted a list of useful tips and tricks for survival in the wasteland.

Here's an excerpt from the review:

Shooting is fun and perfectly done, as you can expect from id software. What keeps things varied and fun is the rather clever AI, which is unique to each bandit clan for example, and makes mutants surprisingly hard to shoot. They will leap, run, dodge, roll and crawl all over the environments to get at you, and larger fights will certainly keep you on your toes. The AI is also good at recognizing where the player is, and will even shout out things like "He's hiding behind that crate!" to their fellow bandits or gang-members. The Authority units are all heavily armored, but ironically the easiest to kill given how slow they are and their tendency to kind of pose before shooting you. They do come up with some shield units to give you trouble, but you have so many explosives and EMP devices it's easy to handle them.

Follow the links below to read more.

IMG Review: Rage Campaign Edition
Tips For Success In Rage
id Software
Aspyr Media
Rage: Campaign Edition

ZUXXEZ Entertainment's 3SwitcheD is now available for purchase and download from Macgamestore.com. The game combines classic match-three style gameplay with vibrant visuals and innovative glasses-free 3D. The new 3D-ETTM technology utilizes the common cameras found in most laptops, desktops and smartphones to give players 3D perspective control by tracking their eye and head movements.

Thanks to brilliant 3D-graphics and new technology, a cult classic has been transformed into a highly addictive masterpiece. "3SwitcheD" offers six diversified challenges and uncounted hours of gaming fun, including unlockable bonus levels and the never-ending chase for the elusive high score. The innovative 3D-ETTM Face-Tracking Technology takes your game to the next level: a camera will scan your movement in front of the screen in real time! The unique technology analyzes the position of your face in relation to the screen, and adjusts the playing field in real time as you target diamonds!

The hunt for the elusive Tania Diamonds begins! In the entertainment capital of Zeta Reticuli, TopWare Interstellar Entertainment has opened the hottest new Arcade in the galaxy. The Arcade has also installed the newest tech in the universe: 3D- ETTM Face-Tracking Technology. This unique innovation analyzes the position of your face in regards to the screen and adapts the perspective in real time! Special gravity conditions in the power field of the Arcade keep precious and rare Tania diamonds at your disposal. Send them off into orbit in six different game modes as you chase diamonds and online high scores!

Features:

• An innovative 3D-edition of a cult classic
  
• Six different game modes.
  
• Strategically move diamonds to gain access to score-multiplying bonus levels in Clearing Clusters.
  
• Sprint into high scores by quickly combining diamonds in Snazzy Swap.
  In Falling Stars, your only enemy is the clock. Make rows and columns of diamonds as long as possible, but be careful of overcrowding the playing field!
  
• In Pathfinder, move diamonds strategically to keep the paths open.
  
• In Moving 4-ward, bonus events will test your gem swapping strategies.
  
• In Gravity Switch, up is down and down is up! Use the changing gravity fields to your advantage and gain access to the bonus multiplier levels!
  
• Easy to learn gameplay with high replay value
  
• State of the art graphics guarantees optical bliss
  
• Choose between 2 harmonious sound tracks / music scores
  
• Professional voice recordings, with the option to choose between a male and a female voice
  
• Supports 3D-ET Technology
  
• Track your score against others online!
  
• Two modes with bonus-levels!

Requirements:

• Intel Mac
  
• Mac OS X 10.6 or later
  
• 128 MB VRAM

3SwitcheD is available now for $14.95 (USD).

3SwitcheD