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Aspyr Media has announced the Civilization IV: Warlords expansion will be coming to OS X this November. The add-on for the popular strategy series will add new scenarios, leaders, wonders, and a powerful new "warlord" unit to the game.

Here's a breakdown of the expansion's features:

* Warlords – A new great person type called the Warlord will be an indispensable asset to any player bent on world domination.
* Vassal States – You no longer need to obliterate an enemy to defeat them. Conquer your enemies and subjugate them to your rule.
* Game Scenarios – The expansion will deliver eight new historical scenarios spanning Alexander's conquests through Genghis Khan's dominance of Asia, in addition to other scenarios that challenge the way that you currently play the game.
* New Civilizations – Six new civilizations will be included, giving you even more options when planning your domination of the world.
* Civilization Leaders – Ten new leaders will be provided, including leaders for the new civilizations as well as additional leaders for existing civilizations.
* Leader Traits – In addition to the many existing leader traits in Civilization IV, two new leader traits accompany the expansion.
* New Wonders – There will be three new awe-inspiring wonders, all contributing new benefits and culture to your civilization.
* Unique Buildings – Players will now be able to construct buildings unique to each civilization.
* Units, Resources, & Improvements – Many new items not available in the core game will be introduced in the new scenarios.

Civilization IV: Warlords

Buy Civilization IV: Warlords

BeachWare and Macgamestore.com have teamed up to offer Vegas Jackpot Gold as a digital download game. Previously only available on CD, Vegas Jackpot Gold lets you play over 50 casino games and 200 distinct slot machines, making it the largest collection of computer casino games in the world. Gamble your virtual cash on Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, Keno, Roulette, Money Wheel, Poker, Bingo, and even the Lottery. Customize your slot winnings by choosing betting amounts from a nickel to $1000. That's 1,800 different ways to play!

Wander into the interactive Bar and order up a drink, select your dream come true at the Wedding Chapel or visit Guido's Easy Loans when money gets tight. Take a break and play Moon Lander at the Arcade. Browse the Gift Shop and spend your virtual winnings on real casino wallpapers, screen savers or lucky charms that really work!

Vegas Jackpot Gold is available through Macgamestore.com for $24.95. A free downloadable demo is available on the web page.

Macgamestore: Vegas Jackpot Gold

Apple has lowered the price on the ATI Radeon X1900 XT for both Build-To-Order and upgrade kit prices by $100.

Browsing the "Customize your Mac" page at the Apple.com store shows the new pricing for the video card as a $250 upgrade from the base Nvidia 7300 card. What is also interesting to note is that Canadian shoppers on the Apple.ca web store, will find that the price is also only $250.

You can also still purchase the video card seperately (listed as ATI Radeon X1900 XT Graphics Upgrade Kit for Mac Pro under the Apple store) which has also dropped in price to $399. The Canadian store however shows a price of $479. The wait time for ordering an upgrade kit is still 3 to 5 weeks.

The X1900 XT requires a Mac Pro with available double-wide PCI Express slot or two standard slots. 

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IMG has posted a review of Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa. Here's a clip from the review:

The African plains is one of the most exotic locations on earth where large herds of animals have roamed since primordial times. For Mac gamers attracted to virtual world-building what better location to tinker? Wildlife Tycoon Venture Africa advertises itself as a fast paced simulation game, the ultimate sandbox, where the challenge is to create a unique ecosystem by introducing plants, water, and animals into the environment, building populations, and finding a natural balance.

IMG Review: Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa

Pocketwatch Games

Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa

Buy Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa

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Today IMG released the thirty-third 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 features Blake Buck, commander of cookies, William Miller, a Harmonix goon, Justin Ficarrotta, of Kill Monty Fame, and Tuncer Deniz, the founder of the Inside Mac Games Network.

On the show this week's show:

It's the last episode of the podcast with Blake Buck, William Miller, or Justin Fic as hosts! The shock! The horror! But Tuncer and Andy Largent will keep the show rolling, and you can check out the old crew's new podcast at BEST DAMN PODCAST EVER.COM.

Weekly News

• Apple Unveils Mac Pro Desktop
  
• Apple Adds ATI X1900 XT to Online Store
  
• MacSoft Announces Age of Empires III
  
• Spiderweb News: GeneForge 4 in Beta
  
• IMG Reviews WingNuts 2
  
• Phantasia Arcade Game Released
  
• Are 40% Of WoW Players Addicted?

Weekly Features

• Listener Emails
  
• Contest
  
• BATTLE
  
• Listener Line
  
• Stump Buck

IMG Podcast Episode 33

BEST DAMN PODCAST EVER

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Blizzard Entertainment has released part one of a spells and talents preview for The Burning Crusade, the first expansion for World of Warcraft. The preview features all new spells, abilities, and talents available in the expansion to the mage, paladin, rogue, shaman, warlock, and warrior classes.

To view the preview, which includes new spells and abilities available to characters beyond level 60, click on the link below.

WoW: Burning Crusade Talent & Spells Preview

Blizzard Entertainment

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

Buy World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

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GameProducer.net recently posted an interview with Jesse Smith, a producer with Firaxis Games. The interview offers insight into the creation of Civilization IV, the experience of working at Firaxis, and the responsibilities of producing a popular game.

GameProducer.NET: Responsibility comes hand to hand with leadership - one of the skills or qualities that game producers need to have. What leadership means to you, and what have you learned about leadership in Civ4 production?

Jesse Smith: The importance of leadership ability in a game producer cannot be overstated. Once you have a huge team working on a project everyone must understand the direction the project is heading and the role they play in getting the project there. A good leader listens to the team and watches the flow of the project and makes decisive decisions which keep everyone moving toward the final goal. Without good leadership the quality and timeliness of the product is at great risk.

While working at Activision as an Associate Producer I was managing managers. This was very different from what I am doing now as a Producer at Firaxis, which involves direct interaction with the actual content creators. Managing and motivating creative individuals requires a vastly different approach!

During the final six months of Civ IV I was the only Producer on the project and this was pretty overwhelming: it was my first triple-A title as a development producer, and I was working with the largest team the company had ever assembled! Finding myself becoming overwhelmed, I went to my bosses to ask for assistance, and they brought Barry Caudill, producer of Sid Meier’s Pirates!, onto the project as Senior Producer. This turned out to be an excellent decision for everybody. With Barry as my mentor I honed my game production skills, and I really came to understand what it means to produce games at a cutting-edge studio like Firaxis. In the end the project came out on time, under budget, and to rave reviews from the critics and audience alike!

Asking for help is never easy but it is an important part of being a leader. You always need to be willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure the success of the game you are working on.

GameProducer.net: Jesse Smith Interview

Aspyr Media

Civilization IV

Buy Civilization IV

Aspyr has released a patch for Star Wars: Jedi Knight II that adds Universal Binary support for the game. The patch will allow owners of Intel Mac owners to run Jedi Knight II at native speeds on those machines. The patch also adds Open AL support.

Here more from the read me:

This is an official update for Jedi Knight II. It will fully update any previous version of Jedi Knight II to version 1.03 / 1.04 Rev C. It is recommended for all users.

This update contains the following changes:

• Jedi Knight II is now a universal binary. Mods that use code DLLs will likely have to be rebuilt as Xcode-based universal binaries.
• Now uses Apple's version of OpenAL, which allows for true 3D audio.

MGF: Jedi Knight II 1.03c

Aspyr Media

Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Buy Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

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