Click to enlarge

Following Tuesday's release of the PC version of Bungie Studios' Halo: Combat Evolved, Westlake Interactive has updated their project status page, and has officially upgraded their project of the legendary first person shooter to Beta.

As previously reported here at IMG, with the PC code locked, it is expected that programmers Duane Johnson, Ken Cobb and Phil Sulak will make quick work of completing the conversion and getting it sent off the game's final round of approvals. Although the PC version was released only Tuesday, Gearbox is already hard at work at coding a patch to resolve certain issues players have reported. We fully expect that this and any additional patches issued from Gearbox will be included in the Mac version of the game.

Also announced in Wednesday's status update, MacSoft's Age Of Mythology has also been upgraded to Beta. Ensemble Studio's mythological real time strategy game currently has the low requirements of a 450 Mhz G3 or G4 CPU, and a 16MB video card. The game will run in OS X only.

While the minimum system requirements of the game may change before its official release, what hasn't changed is the porting company's resolve to get the game finishes, approved, and sent off to duplication as quickly as possible in an effort to get the new game on store shelves in time for the Christmas season.

Also new in Wednesday's update - the expansion Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania has been declared Golden Master, and has been sent off to the original developers for the game's final round of approvals. Aspyr Media's The Sims: Superstar has also been declared Golden Master, a major feat considering the game was upgraded to Beta stage less than three weeks ago.

And finally, at the bottomw of their project status page, Westlake has quietly added a new port to their roster, code-named Chalk. Rumors have started flying regarding the new project's real identity - check out IMG's forums to add your two cent's worth, by clicking on the links below.

Westlake Interactive's Project Status Page

IMG Forums: Westlake's new project Chalk

Halo: Combat Evolved (add to watch list)

Age of Mythology (add to watch list)

Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania (add to watch list)

The Sims: Superstar (add to watch list)

Buy Age of Mythology

Buy Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania

Buy The Sims: Superstar

The IMG Store is now shipping three new Freeverse titles including Solace, Burning Monkey Solitaire 3, and Burning Monkey Mah Jong.

Solace: In the noble tradition of Axis & Allies, Freeverse Software unleashes an epic strategy board game that's so addicting, it will leave you sleep deprived and socially inept! Available for $19.95

Burning Monkey Soltaire 3: Just when you thought it was safe to pick up the cards again...the monkeys are back for revenge. The whole gang is back with more jokes, more antics, and most importantly, more solitaire. Available for $24.95.

Burning Monkey Mahjong: Monty, Jackie, and even more monkeys are heading to the Far East to challenge you in the most beautiful Mahjong Solitaire game on the market! Available for $19.95.

These fine games and more can be ordered through the IMG Store.

IMG Store

IMG's Jean-Luc Dinsdale recently had a chance to head to Seattle (from his native Vancouver, Canada) to check out the grand opening of the new Apple store in the city. He has written up a feature discussing the Apple store.

Here's a clip from the feature:

I had a chance this weekend to hang out in Seattle. As it happened, a new Apple Store was opening in the University Village mall, one block away from the hotel where we were staying, so I took the opportunity to check out the grand opening and see what all the hubbub was about.

IMG Takes A Closer Look At Apple's Retail Stores

Click to enlarge

Shacknews has posted an interview with Petri Järvilehto and Sam Lake from Remedy Entertainment on their upcoming Noir Action game Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, sequel to the now almost legendary game Max Payne. The interview discusses several topics, including the changes in storytelling from the original game to the sequel.

From the article:

In true Film Noir fashion the story is told in a flashback and out of sequence. The original Max Payne did this in a very simple way of starting from the end and then telling the events that led to that point chronologically from the beginning. This time around we play with time a bit more, going back and forth to piece this grim tale together. You even get to experience certain scenes from more than one angle to get a different view of the events. As with the first game, Max is the narrator, so you’ll follow his internal monologue as he tries to make sense of it all, tracing his own steps back to the scene of the crime, figuring out where he went wrong, and thinking about how it all went straight to hell again.

So far there has been no word on a Macintosh version of Max Payne 2, though the hopes are still high that we will get it. We got the original game thanks to MacSoft and the porting skills of Westlake Interactive. Stay tuned to IMG for more information about Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne and the possibilities of a Mac version.

Remedy Entertainment (add to watch list)

Max Payne 2 (add to watch list)

Shacknews: Max Payne 2 Interview

The developer of Active Lancer, the new arcade game due out soon from Freeverse, has posted some new screenshots and information on his new game.

Active Lancer is de software's first major game that has been released to the public. It is a fast and furious ship shooter game in the vein of the great classics such as Super R-Type, Gradius, and similar arcade games. These type of games are rare these days yet they are some of the most fun to play.

de software

Freeverse (add to watch list)

Our friends at the Apple games web site have posted a trailer of Sveerz, a new shareware game from developer Skunk Studios. The game, which is due out this fall, promises to "dazzle and hypnotize you with its rich graphics, melodic beats and colorful characters."

To check out the trailer, head over to the Apple games web site.

Apple: Sveerz Trailer

On Wednesday, always-expanding game publishers Aspyr Media released their September 2003 Newsletter, chock-a-block full of great news for the Macintosh gaming community.

As reported by IMG last Friday, Westwood's real time military strategy game Command & Conquer: Generals is coming to the Mac. The port, currently listed at the Alpha stage by porting house i5works, is expected to require a 1 Ghz G4 processor and a 32MB AGP video card. Aspyr is pleased to announce that a video trailer and a demo of the $49.99, "T"-rated game are in the works.

Aso announced in the letter, i5works' ports of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Raven Shield and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell have been upgraded to Alpha. The action-packed shooters both share similar preliminary system requirements: a 733MHz G4 chip, 32MB 3D video cards, 256MB of RAM, OS X 10.2, and a whopping 1.7 GB of hard drive space each.

Sports fans will be pleased to know that both the Mac and PC versions of Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer is currently in duplication. The game, handled by porting house Beenox, will feature 30 levels, or beaches, from around the globe. Players will be able to slid into the skin of one of nine pro surfers to tackle the waves. Players wanting to check out the title should view to the game's trailer, which has been posted on IMG sister site MacGameFiles.

And finally, Aspyr's versions of the previously console-only titles Indiana Jones And The Emperor’s Tomb, and X2 Wolverine's Revenge have both been updated to Alpha and Final Candidate, respectively. Trailers for both of these movies have been released, and are also available from MacGameFiles.

Looking at Aspyr's and other Mac publisher's lineup for the coming months indicate that this holiday season will be packed with quite the full roster of new titles for the Mac. Click on the links below to pre-order any of the titles indicated here from our very own IMG Store.

Aspyr's September 2003 Newsletter

Aspyr Media (add to watch list)

Command & Conquer: Generals (add to watch list)

Splinter Cell (add to watch list)

Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield (add to watch list)

Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer (add to watch list)

Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (add to watch list)

X2: Wolverine’s Revenge (add to watch list)

Buy Command & Conquer: Generals

Buy Splinter Cell

Buy Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield

Buy Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer

Buy Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb

Buy X2: Wolverine’s Revenge

Search for other Mac games news stories or browse our Mac Games News Archive.