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In the June Aspyr update, the company surprised us with the annoucement that they bringing the highly acclaimed thriller FPS Clive Barker's Undying to the Mac. Westlake Interactive has confirmed they are already underway with the port (which was listed as 'Peroxide' on their status page), and it is hoped to reach beta as early as Macworld New York next month. How could it be ported so quickly? The game is based on the Unreal Tournament engine -- which Westlake has a ton of experience with -- and so we'll hopefully see something later in the summer.

Undying is not a game for the kiddies, as Clive Barker is adept at horror, and reviews of the PC version indicate the game is quite scary. You fight against the spooks with a mix of mortal and arcane weaponry. Fans and critics looking for a thrill have given much praise to Undying as a successful and freaky title. Here's an excerpt from the newsletter with more info:

1899-At the Island of the Standing Stones, Jeremiah Covenant and his
four younger siblings read aloud a dark ritual, little knowing that
their childish game would set loose an unimaginable horror upon the
world.

Creepy, eh? This prologue sets the stage for our latest announcement.
Clive Barker's Undying is in the works for Mac gamers. Conversion is
being done by Westlake Interactive. This game is a horror movie of
your own creation. Rumor has it that the Westlake guys won't play this
game in the dark.

Aspyr June 2001 Newsletter

Westlake Undying News

Official Undying Web Site

Aspyr Media

Westlake Interactive

Clive Barker's Undying

Buy Clive Barker's Undying

Following our review of Myst III: Exile yesterday, today IMG has posted a little help guide to get you through the game. Entitled "A Spoiler-Free Cure for Fear of Myst", the article offers a few general tips, how to solve puzzles, and more. Here's a brief snippet from the article:

What to do

The flipside of all this peaceful wandering, with no guide and no one to fight, is that quite often you have no idea what to do next. There’ll be miles of corridor, a door or two that won’t open, some switches that don’t seem to do anything, and maybe a complicated machine with innumerable controls and no apparent function. To quote the late Mr. Douglas Adams, don’t panic. Follow these simple guidelines instead.

Stop, look, and listen

This might seem obvious, but in a game that’s mostly a series of still pictures, you have to look at things very carefully. From each step along the way, you can see in several directions. Useful information might be in the far background, or in the placement of a shadow, or a side path may be hidden except from one particular angle. Blow thru the worlds along the obvious routes first, if that’s your style, but eventually you’ll have to stand in every spot and look in every direction to be sure you haven’t missed something.

Sound is also important. Frequently, what you can or can’t hear constitutes a major clue. Sounds can even be the very elements of a puzzle. Wear headphones or turn up the volume.

Myst III: Exile Review

A Spoiler-Free Cure for Fear of Myst

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Today Strategy First has announced they will be publishing the Mac version of their massively multiplayer online war sim World War II Online with a ship date of July 10. IMG has brought you continual news on the progress of the PC version, which had an admittedly rocky start, but is now getting to a more playable point. By the time July 10 rolls around, the game should be much more stable since they will have had time to resolve some of the server and client issues. Here's a clip from the press release:

June 14th, 2001 - Strategy First (www.strategyfirst.com) announced today that it is publishing the Mac version of WWII Online™ scheduled to ship to stores nationwide July 10th, 2001.

"Strategy First is very pleased to be publishing both the PC and Macintosh versions of WWII Online™," says Don McFatridge, President for Strategy First. " It is one of the first games of its kind to be available for Mac users. Now, they too will be able to take part in this unique gaming experience."

"Everyone here at Playnet, especially the development and production teams of Cornered Rat Software Studios, is excited for the Macintosh users who can now enjoy the fun and immersive gaming experiences of World War II Online™", says Jim Mesteller, President and CEO of Playnet, Inc. "Now both Macintosh and PC gamers can join the war effort for their side of choice, even as members of the same organized squad."

Last 20 IMG News Articles on World War II Online

Strategy First News Page

Strategy First

Cornered Rat Software

World War II Online

VoodooExtreme got word from Rik Heywood of Synaptic Soup that the company will release a gameplay movie of their multiplatform 3D engine tomorrow. This tech video should demo the impressive effects of the Cipher engine as well as the work on their first racing game for it, Crazy Car Championship. Heywood has also given a little more info (as well as screen shots) on what will be shown. Here's an excerpt:

Next up are some shots from Synaptic Soup's upcoming racing game, Crazy Car Championship. Each of the cars is made from over 5,000 polygons and rendered using amazing shader effects, such as the detailed environment mapping and the pulsing animated shielding effect used when the cars are powered up. There is also a taste of some the amazing particle effects you can expect when Crazy Car Championship is done.

Cipher Movie Info at VoodooExtreme

Synaptic Soup Web Site

MythWolfAge has posted a new interview with Scott Campbell of Mumbo Jumbo Games, talking about his work on their latest original title Myth III: The Wolf Age. The Q&A is party written by fans who sent in some interesting questions about this third exciting 3D installment of the series. The game will feature an intruiging singleplayer mode telling the life story of Connacht, as well as the full multiplayer experience we've come to expect from the Myth games. Unfortunately, now that the game has shifted hands, there might be some confusion making the transition from Bungie.net. Scott explains more here:

jjotehmnki@aol.com: On the subject of multi-player mechanics, will the game have a similar feel to Myth I (carpet bombing, Dwarfs which were not heroes tended to suck, more melee based battles) or Myth II (balanced unit selections usually prevailed)?

Scott Campbell: Our multi-player will work very similar to Myth II. Unlike Myth II, your units will not be able to clump together as tightly. The good news is that we are attempting to solve pathfinding and collision issues that made unit movement and melee combat problematic in the previous games.

Wrock: Will we be able to reserve our current logins, as was possible from TFL, to Soublighter?

Scott Campbell: Our multi-player service will not be Bungie.net, so unfortunately, you will have to create new log-in names for MythIII. I think you will be happy with the newer layout and functionality of our new network interface.

Myth III Interview with Scott Campbell

New Myth III Screen Shots

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This month's Aspyr newsletter gave us some good updates on the status of their titles. Alice and Lara, their current leading ladies, should both be hitting shelves very soon. Tomb Raider: Chronicles is now at GM (Gold Master), meaning it's off to be put through production and shipping. This last saga in the current Tomb Raider series will include a level editor allowing you to build your own levels or download the hundreds available on the web. It will also be OS X ready, so there will be no need to boot back into OS 9. Look for more on Tomb Raider: Chronicles very soon from IMG.

The just-announced Tomb Raider: The Trilogy is also set for duplication soon. This set with repackage the original three games in the series, as well as many add-ons not before released on CD for the Mac. Here's a quick list of other improvements:

• New high-res movies for TR GOLD
  
• New Tomb Raider Trilogy Desktops
  
• Integrated installer for all games
  
• Each game will include the latest updates
  

Not to be outdone by Lara and her new movies, American McGee's Alice is getting very close to final as well. Aspyr reports the game awaits final approval, which is expected to happen later this month. Alice will take you through the twisted depths of Wonderland in OS X and Classic, thanks to the versatility of the Quake 3 engine (and Brad Oliver of Westlake Interactive). IMG just posted an excellent preview of the game, so be sure to check it out for more information.

Aspyr June 2001 Newsletter

Westlake Interactive TR5 News

IMG Preview of American McGee's Alice

Aspyr Media

Westlake Interactive

Core Design

Tomb Raider: Chronicles

Buy Tomb Raider: Chronicles

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Another tidbit of good news from Aspyr is news that The Sims: House Party should be finished in time for Macworld New York next month. This second expansion pack for the massively popular sim title will bring more than just new skins and objects to the game, it allows your Sims to group together as they interact in a party atmosphere. The system requirements have also been posted:

• MacOS8.1 or later
  
• G3 processor at 233 MHz or faster (333 MHz recommended0
  
• 64 MB of Memory (96 MB recommended)
  
• 2 MB VRAM (4 MB recommended)
  
• 8X CD-ROM (16X recommended)
  
• Hard Drive with 350 MB minimum free space (House Party requires an additional 255 MB)
  
• Monitor and video card capable of 800x600 and Thousands of Colors
  

Aspyr June 2001 Newsletter

IMG News: Sims: House Party for Mac OS

Aspyr Media

Maxis

Westlake Interactive

The Sims

Buy The Sims

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