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With Civilization IV just a few weeks away from completion, Aspyr Media today announced the final system requirements to the hotly anticipated Mac port. The latest installment takes the franchise to new heights with the addition of new ways to play and win, new tools to manage and expand your civilization, all-new easy to use mod capabilities and various multiplayer modes and options.

Here are the final requirements:

Minimum System Requirements
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later
CPU Processor: PowerPC G5/Intel chipset
CPU Speed: 1.8 GHz or faster
Memory: 512 MB or higher
Hard Disk Space: 3.5 GB free disk space
Video Card (ATI): Radeon 9600 or better
Video Card (NVidia): GeForce FX 5200 or better
Video RAM: 64 MB or higher
Disc Drive - DVD

Multiplayer
Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play supported.  Internet play requires
broadband connection.

*Supported Video cards: NVIDIA GeForce 5200, 6600, 6800, 7800 ATI Radeon
9600, 9650, 9700, 9800, X600, X800, X850, X1600

Recommended System Requirements
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later
CPU Processor: PowerPC G5/Intel chipset
CPU Speed: 2.0 GHz or faster
Memory: 1 GB or higher
Video RAM: 128 MB

Macgamestore.com is currently taking pre-orders for the game for $49.95.

Aspyr Media

Civilization IV

Buy Civilization IV

Mahjong Towers Eternity is now available as a digital download from Macgamestore.com for $19.95. A free demo is available.

The 3rd installment in this award-winning Mahjong Solitaire series -- Mahjong Towers Eternity -- is here! Choose from three play modes, make your own tile sets, create boards that can be shared with others, and chat with players using in-game messaging.

The following Toybox Games titles are on sale through the store. Regularly $19.99, they are now available for $9.99:

Ancient Tripeaks
Ancient Trijong
Ancient Spiders Solitaire
Maui Wowee

Macgamestore: Mahjong Towers Eternity

Macgamestore: Ancient Tripeaks

Macgamestore: Ancient Trijong

Macgamestore: Ancient Spiders Solitaire

Macgamestore: Maui Wowee

Publishing Perfection has deals on a wide variety of Mac compatible products including; get pre-designed layouts with photos and artwork, royalty-free and fully editable with StockLayouts for Adobe InDesign Vol. 3 for only $485.95; need some fresh ideas? Get over 300 professional-quality templates  with the InDesign Ideabook from Logic Arts for only $59.95!; discover new levels of of creative freemdom with InDesign CS2 from Adobe for only $695.95!; learn how to adapt your workflow to embrace Adobe's next-level layout program with Making the Switch from QuarkXPress to InDesign from Total Training for only $49.00!; enjoy advanced creative control with the 7.1 megapixel Olympus SP-310 digital camera for only $289.95!; and much more.

Ramjet has Hot Deals exclusive pricing on Mac compatible RAM including; get the most out of your MacBook Pro with a 2GB RAM Upgrade Kit (2x/1GB DDR2 PC2-5300 RAM modules) for only $244!; or upgrade your new MacBook with a 2GB RAM Upgrade Kit also for only $244.00!; upgrade your G4 iBook with a 1GB RAM upgrade module (1x/PC-2700 DDR) for only $182.00; upgrade your new Mac Mini w/Intel Core Duo with a 2GB RAM Kit; give your original iMac G5 new life with a 1GB RAM upgrade (1x/1GB DDR400 DIMM module) for only $97.00!; and much more.

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Aspyr Media today announced that the popular WWII first-person action game,
Call of Duty 2, has arrived in retails stores in North America. Call of Duty 2, a Mac OS X Universal application, runs natively on both Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macintosh computers and is licensed from Activision and was originally developed by Infinity Ward.

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 they¹ll 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

Buy Call of Duty 2

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Charlie Knight of Charlie's Games recently released his first shareware game, Bullet Candy, a top-down perspective true 360º shoot-em-up game. IMG's Tuncer Deniz recently talked with Charlie, who is just 23, about his first game, his inspirations, and much more.

To check out the full interview, follow the link below.

IMG Interview: Bullet Candy's Charlie Knight

Bullet Candy

Buy Bullet Candy

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MMORPGDot has posted a review of the beta version of A Tale in the Desert III, the latest chapter in the cooperative multiplayer title. The game takes a non violent approach to the online multiplayer experience, asking players to aid one another in solving various puzzles. The puzzle solving eventually leads to the conclusion of a chapter with the creation of various monuments.

Players start out as peasants who must work to fulfill a prophecy that states that if people can perfect themselves, then they will become immortal. Tepper explained that while a person may not be able to live forever, a society could. Players work to create monuments to various disciplines. If a certain player focuses on a certain discipline over all others, then he/she may become the oracle of the discipline by completing all tests for a discipline. There are 49 tests in all in the game, 7 per discipline. The oracle will lead construction of the various tests and monuments to the discipline. The disciplines are: Architecture, Music, Thought, Body, Leadership, Worship and Harmony. Players who build monuments for each discipline are actually creating tests for the next tale in the series, so are playing a role in designing the game. As Tepper puts it, this is, essentially, the grand prize. In challenging the next generation, players are ensuring that the society will live forever.

In working to build these monuments, players endure social mini puzzles in the various disciplines. Each of the disciplines involves different types of puzzles that are judged in different ways. Architecture, for example, includes a challenge to build the tallest obelisk and Art & Music includes challenges to create fireworks and other in-game works of art. Each test within a discipline forces a player to demonstrate appropriate social qualities as follows: capitalism for architecture, impressing and beautifying for Art & Music, exploration for Body, bending others to your will for leadership, cooperation for worship and creating in-game puzzles for thought.

MMORPGDot: A Tale in the Desert III Review

eGenesis

A Tale in the Desert

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Wolfire has updated their development blog to reflect the beginning of character texture modeling in Lugaru 2. The character being textured is Turner, the long-eared hero from the first original game.

Here is the Lugaru 2 version of Turner! This is his base model; we haven’t added any fur shaders or other effects yet.

Wolfire Blog

Wolfire Software

Lugaru 2

In a recent interview, SPOnG talked to John Carmack, the legendary president of id Software. Carmack discussed the technology behind the upcoming Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and mentioned an all new project id hopes will launch a new franchise.

Is the next project a joint one with other developers, as with most recent id games?

No, this is just our core title. At work right now, we have Splash Damage on Enemy Territory and Raven working on a Wolfenstein sequel that’s just under way, and this project is going to be a brand-new title. We don’t currently have anyone working on a Doom follow-on – I’m sure there will be one at some point, but it’s not in production right now. We are hoping to diversify a bit more. We have our Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake franchises, which are all very successful, but we’re trying to make a new high-end franchise. We’ve also got the cellphone work that I’m doing, which is a new franchise also.

Will that be a bit like the original Wolfenstein?

It’s going back to about that kind of level – the technology is in between Wolfenstein and Doom. It’s interesting to have the freedom to be able to go in and do something in six months, rather than four years. I miss that, because when it takes four years to make a game, like it did with Doom III, you just don’t get to learn your lessons and pay attention to them on your next title.

SPOnG: John Carmack Interview

id Software

IMG's resident artist, Brad Custer, has delivered another desktop inspired by the realm of Quake 4 from Aspyr Media.

Here's what he had to say:

Since my last visit to the realm of Quake 4 from Aspyr Media, the Strogg lovers have been demanding a little respect for our alien friends. I am an equal opportunist when it comes to my creations so this week I return to this great title to honor our would-be conquerors. I was able to design this week's wallpaper with the help of Apsyr Media and my trusty cable modem.

IMG Desktop: Strogg

Aspyr Media

Quake 4

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