To download the demo, head over to Macgamefiles.com. IMG Pro users be sure to download it off our speedy servers through your Hot Downloads page.

Haven't pre-ordered your copy of Nascar Racing 2003 yet? Follow the link below to place your order through the IMG Store.

MGF: Nascar Racing 2003 Demo

Aspyr Media

Nascar Racing 2003

Buy Nascar Racing 2003

Click to enlarge

Today, IMG has posted an interview with members of the team at Terminal Reality regarding the Mac OS X version of their well received console title, BloodRayne. Conducted by Michael Phillips, this interview covers what went into the making of BloodRayne, as well as talks of a sequel.

Here's a clip:

Mike Phillips: What was the deciding factor when it came to bringing BloodRayne to Mac OS X?

Brett Russell: When I was negotiating the contract with Majesco for BloodRayne, I made sure to secure the Mac rights thinking that we would self fund the port to Mac (this is easy to do with our proprietary Infernal Engine) and team up with Aspyr to get it out to our fans in the Mac community. The reality is there isn't a lot of money to be made off of the Mac sales for an independent developer, but we are big Mac fans here at TRI so we do it to keep the Mac gaming community happy. We also believe that Aspyr is heading down the road to really big things, so we want to be a part of that momentum.

IMG Interview: BloodRayne

Aspyr Media

BloodRayne

The 3DO Company has issued a press release, which can be found at Yahoo! Finance, stating that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This news follows a financial statement earlier this year in which 3DO's net revenues for the last quarter did not meet expectations.

Trip Hawkins, CEO of 3DO, notes that though 3DO will continue to pursue opportunities, the main focus right now is on selling either the company itself or its assets. Under Chapter 11, 3DO will still be able to operate as usual:

The Company will continue to manage their properties and operate their businesses in the ordinary course of business as "debtors-in-possession" subject to the supervision and orders of the Bankruptcy Court pursuant to the Bankruptcy Code.

Yahoo! Finance - The 3DO Company Files Chapter 11

3DO

Click to enlarge

Gaming site Ritualistic has posted the 2nd half of a two-part Q&A session discussing the upcoming Star Trek: Elite Force II FPS. The focus of the interview is on the multiplayer apsect of the game, which has been creating a bit of a buzz in the fan community due to some interesting new additions.

A host of optional modifiers are planned for the multiplayer aspect, including Action Hero, Auto-Handicap, and Control Points. Auto-Handicap in particular should raise a couple of eyebrows, as it's main focus is to curb dominant players:

Auto-Handicap: In this mode, the game automatically handicaps players who are outscoring others by a large degree. That player?s hits will do less damage.

The rest of the interview covers topics such as game types, level creation tools, and power-ups.

Ritualistic - Star Trek Elite Force II Multiplayer Interview Part 2

Ritual Entertainment

Aspyr Media

Star Trek Elite Force II

Buy Star Trek Elite Force II

Click to enlarge

Blizzard announced today that Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, the long-awaited expansion set for Warcraft III has gone gold. Blizzard also announced that it will be shipping the game on July 1 and that it already has over 2.5 million initial orders for the expansion set.

Here's more from the official press release:

"We're very excited to announce that development on Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne has been completed," said Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder. "When we set out to create the next installment of the Warcraft series, we wanted to increase the strategic gameplay possibilities and depth of the Warcraft universe by introducing a wide array of new Heroes and units specifically designed to enhance each race. We're extremely proud of these new additions, and we look forward to sharing them with players."

Following in the tradition of previous Blizzard expansion sets, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne provides gamers with a vast new chapter in the epic Warcraft saga. In the single-player campaign, players revisit the war-torn world of Azeroth. Several months have passed since Archimonde and the Burning Legion were defeated at the battle of Mount Hyjal, yet a new threat has arisen throughout the land.

The evil Lich King Ner'zhul has been imprisoned inside the Icecrown glacier, deep within the arctic continent of Northrend. Although the former Orc Shaman lacks physical form, his soul lives on, forever seeking a means to escape his icy prison. As the saga continues, it is revealed that both the Night Elf renegade, Illidan, and the traitorous Death Knight, Arthas, seek the Icecrown glacier and the mysterious powers found inside. To save all of Azeroth from the forces of darkness, players must traverse uncharted lands and battle treacherous new enemies while uncovering the schemes of these nefarious beings.

To learn more about Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, be sure to check out our preview.

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is available for pre-order through the IMG Store for $34.95.

IMG Preview: WC3: The Frozen Throne

Blizzard Entertainment

WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne

Buy WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne

Click to enlarge

The IMG Store has begun shipping Virtual Programming's Europa Universalis II. The game is an historical strategy game simulating all aspects of world history from 1492 to 1792. Each player takes on the role of one of the major nations of the era, controlling diplomacy, economy, warfare, exploration and colonization. A number of unique features ensure historical accuracy, including period monarchs, military leaders, and technological gains.

Europa Universalis II is available for IMG Pro/MacGames CD subscribers for just $24.95. Non-subscribers can pick it up for $29.95. Head over to the IMG Store to place your order.

Virtual Programming

Paradox Interactive

Europa Universalis II

Buy Europa Universalis II

Click to enlarge

One of the more popular features on Inside Mac Games is the "Ask Feral" question and answer column that is updated every few months. In it, IMG readers get to send in questions to Feral Interactive for them to answer.

The concept is easy: send us your questions, and we'll submit the best of the best to Feral. We'll then post the answers on IMG at a later date.

So, if you have a question for Feral, email your questions to tuncer@insidemacgames.com with the words Ask Feral in the Subject field. You can ask questions about their games, games you'd like to see from Feral, or even of specific persons at Feral.

Feral Interactive

Click to enlarge

Will Wright, legendary game designer and creator of the popular The Sims and the Sim City franchise, is the subject of an interview being hosted over at British gaming website boomtown.net.

Snagged for an hour at this May's E3 convention, Will sheds some light on his upcoming sequel The Sims 2, explains content changes required for ports to different consoles, and gives us his take on the future direction of gaming:

I really do believe that a large component of future games will be more based on online play. With The Sims 2 we?ll have players being able to create items and share them online, with a built in connectivity, hopefully all in game, although at the moment that?s as close as we?re going to The Sims Online. The connectivity may also reach towards Sim City 4, perhaps so you?ll be able to import your Sims 2 family into the game. If there were no technical restrictions at all, I?d probably head towards creating an artificial intelligence with real sentience. Robots and AI were the things that really got me into computers.

Boomtown.net: Will Wright Interview

The Sims

SimCity 4

Aspyr Media

Buy The Sims

Buy SimCity 4

Click to enlarge

French game developers Fujeyla Studio have just released version 1.1 of their freestyle skiing freeware game Fakie Flair Challenge.

Fakie Flair Challenge brings Tony Hawk, console-style arcade gaming to the competitive world of freestyle skiing. The OpenGL-based game features a large number of spins, tricks, and grabs, which skiers can combine in an attempt to score as many style points as possible. Players get to chose between a number of pre-packaged tricks, slopes, and riders with which to hit the slopes in style. FFC even allows players to listen to their favorite mp3's while tackling the slopes.

Fujeyla Studio plans on posting additional tricks, slopes, and riders on their website in the upcoming weeks. The game designers are also planning on releasing a game editor, allowing players to fashion their own slopes and design their own tricks to their liking.

IMG's sister site MacGameFiles is hosting the 27 meg download. Click on the links below to grab the OS X game, or visit the Fujeyla website for screenshots, movies, and additional information.

MGF: Download Flakie Flair Challenge

Fakie Flair Challenge

According to a study conducted by the University of Rochester and published in the journal Nature, people who grew up with video games, considered themselves video game players, or were subject to preliminary video game training scored far better on visual quickness and analysis tests than their non video-game playing counterparts.

Here's a clip from an article about the study at the San Fransisco Gate news website.

Researchers at the University of Rochester found that young adults who regularly played video games full of high-speed car chases and blazing gun battles showed better visual skills than those who did not. For example, they kept better track of objects appearing simultaneously and processed fast-changing visual information more efficiently.

To rule out the possibility that visually adept people are simply drawn to video games, the researchers conducted a second experiment. They found that people who do not normally play video games but were trained to play them developed enhanced visual perception.

Head on over to the SF Gate at the link below to check out the full article about the study.

San Fransisco Gate on Video Game Study

Nature Scientific Journal

Search for other Mac games news stories or browse our Mac Games News Archive.