CodeWeavers recently announced the upcoming release of CrossOver Mac, an application which will allow Intel mac owners to run Windows programs. Based on WINE, CrossOver sets itself apart by not requiring users to own a copy of Windows and by allowing the emulated applications to run within OS X.

While CrossOver is mainly intended to run business software, it supports graphics hardware and upon release should be able to run games such as Half Life 2.

CodeWeaver's Rob Parshall commented on the upcoming application in an interview with Macworld:

Gamers have a strong interest in Boot Camp, as it allows them to play games that won’t run natively on Mac OS X — Parallels Desktop has disappointed gamers because it doesn’t include native graphics driver support so it isn’t suitable for running 3D games. CrossOver Mac won’t suffer that problem, though Parshall cautions that CodeWeavers’ specific area of focus isn’t on games.

The company said it hopes “to offer support for a limited number of games,” but hasn’t yet determined the final mix of supported applications. Parshall told Macworld that the popular shooter Half-Life 2 is on the list, and while he said that it isn’t technically on the supported list of applications, the new 2K Games-published FPS Prey also works well.

Another benefit of CrossOver Mac’s approach to running Windows software is that it’s much less susceptible to infection by Windows-based viruses or malware than a true Windows-based solution, according to Parshall.

“A virus needs to affect the guts of Windows,” he explained. “Theoretically, if you were really, really good you might be able to get your virus to run under WINE, but we’ve yet to hear about anyone who has, even in the laboratory.”

Parshall said he expects that this protection will extend to CrossOver Mac as well.

Macworld: CrossOver To Be Released

CrossOver Mac

CodeWeavers

Today IMG posted the first installment of a new feature, Classic Mac Gaming. Every few weeks we'll be highlighting a different classic mac game and what made it great. This week Chris Noble tells us a little about Total Annihilation.

No other RTS is quite like Total Annihilation and it remains a great game, even today. Loads of units, great gameplay, and pretty graphics keep this classic game really fun to play. With so many different routes to victory there are plenty of excuses to enjoy TA for some time to come.

IMG Feature - Classic Mac Gaming: Total Annihilation

MacSoft

Battlefront.com and TBG Software have announced the availability of a DropTeam Multiplayer Demo, of the recently released Sci-Fi themed real-time armored vehicle combat simulation. The Demo replaces the currently hosted Dropteam "Public Test"  Demo as it contains many new game enhancements and updates.
 
DropTeam combines accurate physics and ballistic systems, intelligent and realistic unit and weaponry capabilities with fast paced action set in a stark future of humanity. This DropTeam Multiplayer Demo is being offered in three different formats. One for Mac, one for Windows and one for Linux. This marks the first title published by Battlefront.com to offer Linux support! 

DropTeamT Multiplayer Demo details:

This DropTeam Multiplayer Demo has the following important restrictions:
 
1. Single player is disabled. You can only play network games with this release. The full version of the game includes single player skirmish games and single player campaign games.
 
2. This release only allows you to play 1 of the game's many scenarios. The full version of the game includes 21 scenarios with more available for free download after release.
 
Apart from these restrictions, this is a fully functional release. Players can use all of the dozens of vehicles and deployable items in the game. The included scenario is "Raid". It takes place on an inhabitable moon called Hopewell. Hopewell orbits a gas giant in the Wolf 9773 star system. Almost half of the moon's surface, called "The Scorch", is a radiocative Hell created by the destruction of an antimatter station that used to orbit the gas giant. The remainder of Hopewell has recovered from this disaster and is once again beginning to flourish with vegetation and a growing human population.
 
This DropTeam Multiplayer Demo includes everything needed to connect to servers and play on the Internet or on Local Area Networks on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X Tiger. It also includes everything needed for players to run their own public or private servers.
 
A stripped down version of the game's manual is available in PDF format. This abbreviated manual explains everything players need to know about running the game and also what administrators need to know about running their own servers.

MGF: DropTeam Multiplayer Demo 1.0

Click to enlarge

Ricochet: Lost Worlds, an arcade action game from Reflexive Entertainment, was recently reviewed by Applelinks' ShareAware. Ricochet is another in a long line of ball and paddle titles in the tradition of Breakout, and adds its own powerups and gameplay twists to the mix. ShareAware recommended Ricochet: Lost Worlds to fans of the genre.

From the review:

The moment you start your game, robotic arms unfold from the sides of your screen and place sculpted blocks on the board in front of you. You almost have time to register the depth of the velvety blue-hued background in constant motion (optional - based on the speed of your computer, you might want to tone this down) before it is time to blow things up. Your "paddle" is a custom-painted PT Cruiser with an expanded bumper. Your "ball" is an aluminum-covered soccer-ball-esque dodecahedron. A variety of blocks are poised on the screen, some moving, some unbreakable, and some containing power-ups.

Applelinks: Ricochet Lost Worlds Review

MGF: Ricochet Lost Worlds 1.3

Reflexive Entertainment

Ricochet: Lost Worlds

Buy Ricochet: Lost Worlds

Ron Gilbert, known for his work on game classics such as Maniac Mansion and Secret of Monkey Island, recently sat down for an interview with Gamespot. Gilbert discussed gaming's past and present, his own experiences, and whether or not he'll ever reveal the real secret of Monkey Island.

Gary Kasavin: And speaking of Monkey Island, did you ever plan on revealing what exactly the secret is?

Ron Gilbert: I had definitely planned on doing that in the third game, yes. There's no question about that, but, you know, and then when Jonathan and Larry made Monkey Island III, which is a great game...I think they did a fabulous job on that. They didn't know what the secret was. I told nobody. So, you know, they weren't really able to kind of reveal that, but I would love to make another Monkey Island game. If I could make another one...I have this whole story mapped out in my head for how I want to tie it all together with the other two games, kind of bring it all back to the original thing, and that would just be a dream of mine.

GK: So, you want to hold on to the secret just in case?

RG: Yes. You know, I should probably write it down and give it to my lawyer to reveal on my death. I keep saying that, but then I think, "God, do I really want that?" Because you know, some crazed fan is going to figure, "Well, you know, I know how to get the secret. I know exactly."

Gamespot: Ron Gilbert Interview

Orderedbytes has updated Controllermate, a utility program used to customize functionality in keyboards, gamepads, joysticks, etc. This latest version is Universal Binary and adds a few enhancements.

Fixes/Changes

• Universal Binary -- ControllerMate is now compatible with Intel-based Macintosh computers.
• LED Building Block -- Building blocks which turn device LEDs on and off.

MGF: Controllermate 4.0.2

Orderedbytes

Controllermate

Click to enlarge

Last week Blizzard Entertainment added more realms to the list of those eligible for their new Paid Character Transfer service for World of Warcraft. Mainly intended to lessen the stress on overcrowded realms, the service allows players to transfer their characters from participating realms for a small fee.

Here's a list of the most recent additions to the realms list:

Burning Blade
Durotan
Earthen Ring
Elune
Laughing Skull
Lothar
Medivh
Shadow Moon

WoW: Eligible Realms for Paid Transfer Service

Blizzard Entertainment

World of Warcraft

Buy World of Warcraft

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