Updates to the Feral Interactive site this morning include new information on the newly announced Chessmaster 9000, as well as status on both Worms 3D and the cell-shaded shooter XIII.

It seems a number of chess fans have been asking Feral about Chessmaster 9000, which was just announced at this year's Macworld San Francisco, and they have obligingly answered a few of the most popular ones:

• Yes it is coming!!
  
• Release is planned for the second quarter of this year.
  
• It's not decided whether it will support OS 9 or not.
  
• The old bloke on the packaging is not Gandalf moonlighting for some extra moolah.

Next up is a new QuickTime video showing off the Mac version of Worms 3D, the next-generation warfare/strategy game played entirely with these cute, ground-dwelling creatures. The 8MB download shows off much of the impressive new weaponry, as well as giving you a feel for how the game runs on OS X. Fans of the series are encouraged to head over and give it a look. While there is no specific release date yet for Worms 3D, they are hoping to have it ready in Q2.

Lastly, the third and final teaser for XIII is now available, giving you a look at some of the characters in this highly stylized FPS. XIII is expected out sometime midway through April.

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Pangea Software today announced that its upcoming game, Nanosaur II: Hatchling, will be shipping on March 10th. In addition, the company announced plans for support for 3D glasses in Nanosaur 2. In addition to being able to play the game in a normal video mode, Nanosaur 2 can also be played with 3D glasses. The missiles, laser beams, and explosions all come popping out of the screen at you in true stereographic 3D.

Here's more from the official press release:

Both “red-blue” anaglyph glasses and LCD shutter glasses are supported by the game, and Pangea says that they will be including two pairs of custom-made anaglyph glasses in each box. “We’ve had custom 3D glasses made which are specifically calibrated for Apple LCD displays,” says Brian Greenstone, President of Pangea Software, “These custom glasses work incredibly well and give a seriously impressive 3D effect! This is going to blow people away when they see it! I especially like playing the 2-player battle modes with the glasses on since there’s so much weaponry flying around in those levels.” 

Pangea has set March 10th as the release date for Nanosaur 2. That is when the download version (both demo and full) will be available for $24.95, and pre-orders will be taken for the boxed CD version for $34.95 which includes the two pairs of 3D glasses. The boxed version is expected to ship sometime around March 22nd.  Users who buy the download version of Nanosaur 2 will still be able to get the custom-made 3D glasses, since the company that makes them will be selling them on their web site - 2 pairs for $5.00.

A special web page has been posted on the Pangea Software site which details additional information about the anaglyph and LCD shutter glasses, and information on where to buy them. The page also includes some 3D screenshots from the game which you will need red-blue or red-cyan anaglyph glasses to view: www.pangeasoft.net/nano2/3dglasses.html

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The latest expansion pack for The Sims, Makin' Magic, is now in stock in the IMG Store. Add a little magic to your Sims' lives. Cast spells, hypnotize friends, and even turn a neighbor into a frog. Perform magic, quest for ingredients, and unlock spell recipes. You can craft charms, animate minions, and add magical decor. But watch out, spells can go haywire if you're not careful. Either way, the neighborhood will never be the same.

The expansion pack is available for $29.95. To order, please follow the link below.

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Raven Software, developers of the popular first-person shooter Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy have released a new map called Siege Star Destroyer. The new map was released to give thanks to gamers for making the game a success.

Here's what Raven's Kenn Hoekstra had to say about the new map:

As a special thanks to everyone in the community for making Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy such a success, the Jedi Academy team is happy to release a new Siege Vehicle Combat map and tutorials to show mod makers how to create their own Siege Maps and Vehicles.

Update: Aspyr has released a Mac-friendly version of the map complete with a Mac installer. Download now from MGF.

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MGF: Star Destroyer Map

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Responding to inquires regarding upcoming patches to Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield, Aspyr's Glenda Adams assured Mac gamers in the IMG forums that a patch is in the works. Here's what Glenda had to say about the upcoming 1.4 patch:

We are planning to update RavenShield to 1.4, mainly to get some extra net play fixes. We looked at the 1.5 patch but from our talks with the original PC developer most of the fixes in it are very PC specific.

We don't have any major Mac-specific issues we're addressing in 1.4, since from public response the game seems to be running well.

For more information on the game, check out IMG's review of the game, linked below.

IMG Review: Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield

Rainbow Six 3 Patch Plans

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It's Friday, and you know what that means, right? Yep, a brand new desktop from yours truly. This week's desktop features Breakthrough, the upcoming second expansion pack for Aspyr's popular World War II first-person shooter, Medal of Honor Allied Assault.

Here's a little snippet about my latest creation:

I've been wanting to do another desktop for MOHAA. With the upcoming release of this new expansion pack, I have been presented with the perfect opportunity. Each opportunity to create a desktop for the game has been enjoyable and being able to include a patriotic theme is also critical to me. I took the soldiers from the cover art of Medal of Honor Allied Assault: Breakthrough and incorporated them into a new scene. Then I layered the American flag overtop for a nice effect. :) This wallpaper was created with the help of Aspyr Media, Electronic Arts and the internet. I simply entitled it, "Breakthrough", and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.

IMG Desktops

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