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When I heard Rage was coming to the Mac I got excited. I wanted some more details so I got ahold of Elizabeth Howard over at Aspyr who answered my questions on how they Rage ported, what makes Rage special, and what we can expect to see from Aspyr in 2012.

Jon Carr: Rage came out for PC just a few months ago. How did Aspyr manage to port it over so quickly? Were there any particular challenges in bringing over Rage to the Mac?

Elizabeth Howard: Aspyr began development on Rage late last year, and because Rage is written natively in OpenGL we had a bit of a head start; in addition, id had actually done some work on the Mac version. Despite these advantages we still had quite a bit of work ahead of us, especially since Apple released the latest Mac OS during this time.  Over the past 15 years, we've invested in tools and technologies allow us to support content natively, and this technology continues to improve making our development times shorter. We are able to ship any major game simultaneously with any other platform. Typically our timing comes down to issues outside our ability to develop the game.

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

EH: 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. 

JC: Will PC saves work with the Mac version of Rage? Any possibility of Steamplay?

EH: PC saves will not work with RAGE Mac, and RAGE Mac does not support SteamPlay or SteamWorks.  Because of the business model and licensing requirements of SteamPlay and SteamWorks, we're unable to support either for RAGE Mac at this time.  

JC: Why should Mac gamers be excited about Rage?

EH: RAGE is by far the best looking shooter ever released on the Mac.  The environments are big, beautiful and incredibly detailed.  The player truly gets the sense of surviving in a harsh post apocalyptic world.  RAGE brings the best in fast paced, heart pumping action similar to previous id classics such as Doom 3 or Quake 4, but there is more of an RPG element, prompting players to develop their character and engage in their unique story while they make a name for themselves in the wasteland.
 
JC: Any hints on what goodness Aspyr has next in store for Mac gamers? :)  

EH: To be concise, lots of awesome games :D  But honestly… in our 15+ years of bringing AAA titles to the Mac platform, 2012 is shaping up to be the most exciting.  This year, Aspyr will bring some of the absolute biggest names in gaming to the Mac, along with fan favorites that have been on the wish list for some time.
 
We are also working on a complete overhaul of the Aspyr GameAgent Store which we think will have Mac gamers of all types very excited.  Simply put, 2012 will be a great year for Mac games and  Mac gamers. 

Rage is out for the Mac now and can be bought from a number of digital distributors including Macgamestore.com. For more on Rage check out our review and be sure to follow all the latest from Aspyr on the company's blog.

Jon Carr is an IMG writer who also hosts the MacGameCast and enjoys conducting interviews, previews and writing all the features he can think of. When not reviewing games or scheming world domination, he's probably playing a new game in Bootcamp or keeping up on all the latest game and tech news. He builds websites for a living but spends all the time he can furthering the Mac game community.

Related Links

id Software

Aspyr Media

Rage: Campaign Edition