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Virtual Programming recently announced that the OS X native port of X3: Reunion will be available this Friday, June 11. Originally brought to Mac users via Transgaming's Cider Portability Engine, the sci-fi title has been reengineered in an effort to improve the game's performance.

“We weren’t happy with X3: Reunion’s performance when using Cider, and it turned out many of our customers weren’t either. As a gesture of goodwill, we reengineered the game as a native port that’s a free update for existing customers. New X3: Reunion customers will receive the non-Cider version of the game," said Virtual Programming CEO Mark Hinton.

The sequel to the award winning X: The Threat introduces a new 3D engine as well as a new story, new ships and a new gameplay to greatly increase the variety in the X-universe. The economy of X3: Reunion is more complex than anything seen in the X-universe before. Factories are built by NPCs, wars can affect the global economy, NPCs can trade freely and pirates will behave far more realistically.

The Story
What happened so far: While the Argon fleet is stretched almost to breaking point by the continuing attacks from Khaak, a new enemy is stalking the X-universe. What links a mysterious ship with the power to disappear, the ruthless Yaki pirates and a machine left by an ancient species? Its time to strap yourself in, warm up your laser cannon and get some answers.

Virtual Programming

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Soldak Entertainment has announced the release of the version 1.002 demo for the action rpg Din's Curse. In the game players take the role of an adventurer cursed to walk the lands in a quest for redemption. The game features 141 possible class combinations, an infinite number of dynamically generated towns, and a game world directly impacted by player choices.

Din, champion of the gods, has cursed you into a second life of service because you selfishly squandered your first one while causing misfortune to those around you. To redeem yourself, you must impress Din by building a reputation for helping others. Travel the spacious western plains of Aleria and save desperate towns from the brink of annihilation. Until you're redeemed, you're doomed to wander the earth alone for all eternity.

In Din's Curse, you will explore an extensive underground, slaying dangerous monsters, solving dynamic quests, dodging deadly traps, and in your spare time, plundering loot. Quell uprisings, flush out traitors, kill assassins, cure plagues, purge curses, end wars, and complete other dangerous quests or the danger WILL escalate. Not all is as it seems though, traitors will gladly stab you in the back, renegades can revolt against the town, spies can set up ambushes, and items might even curse or possess your friends.

Choose one of 141 class combinations and journey to an infinite number of dynamically generated towns with vastly different problems. Every game is a surprise! Your actions have real consequences in this dynamic, evolving world. Your choices actually matter!

Din's Curse Demo

Soldak Entertainment

Din's Curse

Buy Din's Curse

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Feral Interactive has release a new video showcasing one of the ninjas from the upcoming Mini Ninjas game. The trailer features Hiro, and is the final video in the series revealing characters from the game. Developed by Io Interactive, Mini Ninjas follows the young ninja, Hiro and his friends as they travel through spellbound lands to do battle with a magical army of animals-turned-samurai.

Greetings, followers of the Ninja way! From your training here at Feral’s private mountain you’ll know that Mini Ninjas follows Hiro’s quest to defeat the Evil Samurai Warlord, but he’s not going to get very far without help from his friends! The problem is, his friends have been missing for quite some time now.

But who are these half-pint heroes? Just as the Ninja Master sent them out one by one to investigate the strange occurrences throughout the land, we’re going to be introducing the Ninjas one-by-one, each with their own trailer – you’ll find a new video every Wednesday and Saturday until we release the game.

Mini Ninjas Trailers

Feral Interactive

Mini Ninjas

Buy Mini Ninjas

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Blizzard Entertainment has released some new preview information from its upcoming Cataclysm expansion for the popular MMO, World of Warcraft. This time Blizzard unveiled Twin Peaks, a new multiplayer battleground similar to Warsong Gulch.

Capture the Flag
Twin Peaks is a new 10 vs. 10, capture-the-flag-style battleground. Much like in Warsong Gulch, players must work to dominate variable terrain, infiltrate the enemy base, and steal the enemy flag, returning it to their fortress while remaining in control of their own flag. The first faction to capture three enemy flags before time expires will win the battle.

Dominating the Terrain
Although the Wildhammer and Dragonmaw bases are virtually identical, the terrain surrounding each base is not. Players will need to work to control an asymmetrical field where the mountain peaks are divided by a valley river. A single bridge over the river serves as a choke point in the center of the map; although deep, the river can be crossed. On either side of the river sits an outpost where temporary character enhancements can be claimed. In addition, tree stumps and rocks throughout the valley create strategic points for you to use line of sight to your advantage. To prevent absolute domination by one faction through its control of the enemy graveyard, the Horde and Alliance players resurrected in Twin Peaks will spawn from one of two graveyards per faction.

WoW Cataclysm: Twin Peaks Battleground

Blizzard Entertainment

World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm

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Inside Mac Games has posted a new review of Tales of Monkey Island from Telltale Games. In the adventure game players must help Guybrush Threepwood as he confronts a variety of amusing puzzles in his quest to defeat his arch-nemesis LeChuck.

Here's an excerpt from the review:

A game like this depends heavily upon its graphics. It is fun wandering around this world. It all appears surreal, like being in a child’s pirate book. But this doesn’t mean the game play is necessarily easy. Jungle scenes are repetitious. The careful observer will notice that areas often include an audio byte as well as an image. The sound of a jungle bird, monkey, buzzing of bugs and other audio clues tell you that this place is different from another. Audio clues are also used to help navigate a few of the puzzles. Another way information is provided is through watching a video scene play out. Often this interaction provides any number of clues as to what you are expected to do next.

I found navigation a little awkward. There are both mouse and keyboard controls. With the mouse, you click and hold, and a little circle with a red arrow of direction appears around Guybrush. He heads in the direction of the arrow. The problem is getting the arrow pointed in the correct direction isn’t an easy task. As soon as you click it on, he starts moving. I found that this was usually in the wrong direction. Keyboard control uses the WSAD keys. But the keys always do the same thing, even if the orientation of the camera changes, which I found a bit confusing. Also, while the controls are only in straight lines, the scenery doesn’t follow a straight line. You need to schootch Guybrush around to get from one place or another. Camera view position changes on its own, sometimes providing odd viewpoints that don’t always make sense. Guybrush may be hidden behind a tree or some other object, or the scene is so close up that you can’t make sense of where to move next. Which means that navigation can be tricky. Luckily, there are no time limits, so you can get lost all you need to!

IMG Reviews Tales Of Monkey Island

Telltale Games

Tales of Monkey Island

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