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Aspyr Media, Inc. today announced a Mac trailer for their upcoming popular WWII first-person action game, Call of Duty 2 has been posted to Apple’s Web site. Licensed from Activision and originally developed by Infinity Ward, the title is scheduled to be released for Macintosh at the end of this month.

Call of Duty 2 re-defines the cinematic intensity and chaos of battle as
seen through the eyes of ordinary soldiers fighting together in epic WWII
conflicts. The sequel to Call of Duty, the 2003 Game of the Year and winner
of more than 80 awards, Call of Duty 2 offers more immense, more intense,
more realistic battles than ever before, thanks to the stunning visuals of
the new Call of Duty 2 engine.

Call of Duty 2 provides an amazing experience with all-new enhancements,
ranging from stunningly realistic graphics to seamless gameplay, a new
engine, groundbreaking AI, and choice-based innovations that allow players
to experience the closest thing they’ll ever get to real warfare.
Beautifully rendered snow, rain, fog, and smoke, combined with dynamic
lighting and shadows, make this the most intense WWII first person action
title yet.

Aspyr Media

Call of Duty 2

Apple: Call of Duty 2 Trailer

Buy Call of Duty 2

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Macgamestore.com has begun selling Jack's Crazy Cong as a digital download. Ported to the Mac by RuneSoft, the game is a fast paced platform game, with many challenging levels and enemies.

You become Jack in his latest adventure “Jack´s Crazy Cong”. Your job is to catch Cong, the big ape. To do so, you have to collect all bananas you can find. But beware and do not get too close to the always nasty bees or the rolling fire. In addition you have to pay attention to the rolling barrels that crazy Cong is throwing in your direction. But there are many collectables that can help you acchieve your goal. “Jacks Crazy Cong” will challenge your physical abilities as well as your brain. All in all, a fun challenge!

Buy Jack's Crazy Cong

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IMG has posted a review of the iMac Intel Dual Core 1.83 GHz (17 Inch). Written by IMG's Tuncer Deniz, the review covers the ins and outs of the new iMac. If you're looking to upgrade or are new to the Mac platform, be sure to check out the review.

Here's a clip:

If you're looking for a computer that is simple yet powerful, then look no further than the iMac. From a novice to moderate consumer point of view, the iMac is an eye catcher. It's simple yet elegant and can fit virtually anywhere in the house or office. The 17 inch model I tested fit comfortably on a small desk in my office and has just one cable, the power, coming out of the back. The only other cables you'll have to deal with are the keyboard and mouse.

Like the previous iMac G5, the new iMac sports a clean, white look with the "big chin" on the bottom and the Apple logo in the bottom. Although some may be bothered by the "big chin" look, it is something you eventually get used to.

IMG Review: iMac Intel Dual Core 1.83 GHz

Apple

Apple Store Special Deals has exclusive pricing on a variety of Apple Certified refurbished products; put a thousands songs in your pocket and leave room for money with an Apple Certified Refurbished 2GB black iPod nano for only $169.00!; get an Apple Certified refurbished Mac mini 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo computer for only $699.00; get an Apple Certified refurbished 15" 2.0GHz MacBook Pro w/SuperDrive & built-in iSight for only $2199.00!; need a great desktop computer? Here's a great deal on a Apple Certified refurbished 17" iMac G5 for only $999.00!; and much more.

AudioMidi has great deals on a variety of Mac compatible products; Antares Kantos synth for only $49.00; get BIA Peak LE 5 free with purchase of BIAS SoundSoap Pro for only $499.00; get a free Bass PODxt Live from Line 6 when you buy Variax Bass 700 for only $1199.00!; Novation Remote 25LE 25-key USB keyboard controller for only $99.63; get a free copy of FM7 Sounds V2 with the purchase of Native Instruments FM7 for only $149.00!; Amplitube 2 for only $249.00!; get a free Trigger Finger bundle with the purchase of Ableton's Live 5 for only $399!; and much more.

CDW Macwarehouse has great deals on a variety of Mac compatible products; capture those special moments with the Olympus SP-350 8.0 megapixel digital camera for only $299.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate!; Brother HL 2700CN Color Laser Printer for only $499.99!; create a wireless network with the D-Link DI-624 Xtreme G wireless router for only $57.99 after $15 mail-in rebate!; Got iMovie? Need camera? Get the Canon ZR600 MiniDV Camcorder for only $349.00; be a one-man party where ever you go with the Logitech mm50 portable speaker system for the iPod for only $149.99!; and much more.

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MacMall has great deals on a variety of Mac compatible products; take combat to a new level with Unreal Tournament 2004 from Destineer for only $39.99!; get complete laptop protection with the Incase black neoprene case for the 15" PowerBook/MacBook Pro for only $19.99! get protection for your 12" PowerBook/iBook with the MacCase charcoal/black Sling backpack for only $54.99; get pristine, high-quality sound from up to 33 feet away from your stereo with the Belkin Bluetooth TuneStage for iPod for only $124.99!; need big storage for your high quality digital device? Get the 4GB eFilm Pro compact flash card from Delkin Devices for only $293.99!; get that card and the Nikon D200 Digital SLR body kit for only $1679.99 and you're set for any photo shoot!; and much more.

B&H Photo Video has deals on a variety of Mac compatible products; get Nikon's new 10.2 megapixel D200 digital SLR camera kit w/18-70mm auto-focus zoom lens for only $1999.99!; Olympus Evolt E-330, 7.5 megapixel digital SLR camera kit w/14-45mm auto-focus zoom lens for only $1049.95; get ready for summer movies with the Canon ZR-600 Mini Digital Video camcorder with 25x optical zoom lens and color viewfinder for only $294.95; Lexar 1GB Secure Digital (SD) card for only $79.99; print your images like a pro with the Epson Stylus Pro 7800 large-format professional inkjet printer for only $3995.00!; and much more.

Small Dog Electronics has great deals on a variety of Mac compatible products; Sonnet Temp-X eSATA 4+4 8-port Serial ARA PCI-X Host Controller for only $182.00!; Ignitek's iCruiser iPod Speaker with 20GB iPod for only $299.00; add a 160GB/250GB LaCie FireWire mini drive to your Mac Mini for $125.00/$159.00!; Fujitsu ScanSnap desktop scanner for only $409.00 after $50 mail-in rebate!; protect your investment with an Axio Urban Titanium Silver backpack for your laptop for only $99!; raise the roof with the Klipsch iFi iPod speaker system for only $325.00!; Hewlett-Packard (HP) Photosmart 8750 USB wide format photo printer w/13"x19" fine art paper for only $519.00!; and much more.

Sweetwater Sound has great deals on a variety of Mac compatible products; get professional audio storage with the Glyph GT 050 120GB FireWire tabletop hard drive for only $249.00; the best beat-makers use the M-Audio Trigger Finger MIDI drum control surface w/16 velocity and pressure sensitive pads. Only $199.97!; get the latest professional Apple Loop collection with the Zero-G World Pack for GarageBand for only $154.97!; qualify for a Sweatwater exclusive free 7-day video training with purchase the Digidesign Mbox 2 Factory Bundle: audio/MIDI interface w/2-mic pre-amps; Pro Tools LE software, additional plugins and more for only $549.97; get Onboard DSP and FireWire Audio Interface with the Alesis MultiMix 8 stereo mixer w/28-bit DSP effects for only $299.97!; and much more.

Desktop guru Brad Custer is back with another awesome desktop today. This week's desktop features Runesoft's upcoming title, Cold War.

Here's what Brad had to say about his latest creation:

Last week it was officially annouced that Cold War from Runesoft was coming to the Mac and my inbox started to fill up immediately. It's obvious that a lot of you are looking forward to this upcoming title as much as I am. I truly enjoy games based on espionage that require you to use stealth instead of mindlessly blasting your way through the game. So, this week's creation is for me as well as for all the viewers. I was able to design this wallpaper with the help of Runesoft and my trusty cable modem.

IMG: Custer's Desktops

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3D Gamers has made available a new video trailer showcasing Nival's recently released turn-based strategy game, Heroes of Might and Magic V for the PC. The Mac version was announced back in January at MacWorld and is in development by Freeverse.

Please click on the links below to download the video trailer and to learn more information.

3D Gamers HoMM 5 Video Trailer

Freeverse

Ubisoft

Heroes of Might & Magic V

Buy Heroes of Might & Magic V

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Welcome to the twenty-second edition of the Inside Mac Games Podcast, the official podcast of Mac gaming. Each week we'll be covering all the news in Mac gaming in one tight package. This week's show is a tour de' force of Mac gaming, featuring Blake Buck, a writer for IMG, William Miller, an artist for Freeverse Software, Justin Ficarrotta, author of Kill Monty, and Josiah Pisciotta, producer and Owner of Chronic Logic.

On the show this week's show:

Weekly News

• American History Lux Released
  
• The Sims 2 Universal Binary Patch Released
  
• Islands Mini Golf Reviewed
  
• World of Warcraft Accounts Banned
  
• IMG Reviews the MacBook Pro
  
• Duke Nukem Forever Status Check
  
• Reflexive Seeks Mac Programmer
  
• Seven Days In Boot Camp
  
• Pangea Offers Free Scholastic Site License
  
• Bannister Updates Emulators for Intel Macs
  
• WAKFU, Dofus Arena, Expansion at E3

Weekly Features

• Listener Emails
  
• Contest
  
• Stump Buck
  
• Interview with Josiah Pisciotta

Episode 22 Homepage

THQ has officially announced it will be offering a Mac version of an upcoming game based on Pixar's soon to be released Cars movie. The game will feature 10 playable characters from the movie, 30 races and mini-games, and all the environments from the film including Radiator Springs and Ornament Valley.

A short synopsis of the movie:

Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. McQueen gets to know the town’s offbeat characters- who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies.

Apple: Cars Trailer

THQ

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The latest review from Macworld's Game Room focuses on Jets 'n' Guns, a 2D sidescrolling shooter from Rake in the Grass. Players pilot their space fighter through a variety of colorful levels, blasting enemies and collecting items to improve their ship.

Jets ‘n’ Guns starts with a basic premise: You’re a space pilot for hire, and you’ve been retained to save the universe from the evil dictator Xoxx and his minions. Xoxx has kidnapped Professor von Hamburger, who was working on the mysterious Quantum Cannon at the time of his abduction. Planned for peaceful purposes, the Quantum Cannon can be used for evil as well—it’s up to you to liberate the professor, destroy the weapon and stop Xoxx in his tracks.

You’re presented with a space fighter that looks like a mélange of high tech space weaponry bolted to a chassis that appears to be rescued from a World War II museum. Throughout, Jets ‘n’ Guns uses an imaginative and fun style that works through a variety of different environments, from outer space to jungles to water and more. The animation and gameplay remains fluid and smooth as you play.

Macworld Game Room: Jets 'n' Guns Review

Rake in Grass

Jets'n'Guns

MGF: Jets 'n' Guns 1.0 Demo

Buy Jets'n'Guns

Click to enlarge

IGN has posted a look at upcoming content for Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft, their amazingly successful fantasy MMORPG. The preview focuses on changes to the Mage talent trees which will free up talent points and allow for interesting new strategies in character design.

In a nutshell: Nine talent points have been freed up, thanks to several talents being changed from five increments to three or four. Arcane Explosion is now instant cast, and the talent that used to reduce its casting time now adds a critical hit boost. Evocation will be buyable from a trainer. A couple abilities have been removed, but those extra nine talent points mean you can max out a few abilities that were previously inaccessible.

IGN: WoW Mage Talents Preview

Blizzard Entertainment

World of Warcraft

Buy World of Warcraft

Fans of isometric role playing games which focused as much on interesting storylines as on flashy combat may have something new on the horizon. New developer Planewalker Games, created by former game modders determined to return RPGs to their story based past, has announced work on The Broken Hourglass. The game will feature a rich storyline, nine NPC companions (each with a unique personality) to choose from, and character creation options with elements of both class-based and skill-buy systems.

The production of story-focused CRPGs with a strong focus on character development and party interaction has slowed to a trickle, despite a significant market clamoring for more.

So we decided to take on the problem directly, rather than wait around for someone else to do it. But it isn't exactly a slam-dunk for a band of amateurs to convince a publisher to back a new project in a market they have proven reluctant to explore even with established studios. Sensible or not, we still believed we could do it, with or without the mainstream industry which has largely turned its back. We believed we could deliver a new CRPG worthy of its predecessors, and worthy of the attention of gamers who can choose from a library of literally tens of thousands of titles to occupy their time.

That brings us to the present. Self-funded, self-developed, and self-directed, we are committed to the under-served CRPG market, and to making The Broken Hourglass an engaging, memorable experience. We look forward to taking you to the world of Tolmira.

The Broken Hourglass

Planewalker Games

Blue's News has noted a recent press release from iEntertainment Network. Developer and publisher of the online flight combat WarBirds series, they have announced the imminent release of the next step in the series, WarBirds 2006, which is due on May 8th.

Like its previous incarnations, WB06 will run on both Macs and PCs, and includes support for Intel Macs. It will also be implementing a new RPG system where players can earn points to attain ranks:

The new Role Playing system in WarBirds 2006 features a brand new Scoring system for Fighter Pilots, Bomber Pilots, and Tank commanders to gain experience points by accomplishing game missions. These point totals allow players to earn military ranks from Cadet to Brigadier General and win Combat Medals up to and including the Grand Star!

More info can be found at the Total Simulation Series site. The Blue's News article itself contains a link to a player-created recruitment movie for those interested in getting a look at the upcoming game in motion.

Blue's News - New Warbirds

iEntertainment Network

Total Simulation Series

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