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Yesterday Blizzard announced public test realms for the upcoming 1.8 patch of their popular MMORPG World of Warcraft. Interested players are encouraged to either create a new character for the test realm or make a copy of an existing character.

The Public Test Realms are live! Players can now experience, and help us test, all the changes and additions coming in patch 1.8, including four outdoor raid dragons, completely revamped Silithus, Druid talent improvements, and many other exciting features.

Test Realm Character Copy Page

WoW 1.8 Patch Notes

Test Realm FAQ

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IGN recently posted a review of Black and White 2, developed by Lionhead Studios. Black and White 2 allows players to assume the role of a god vying for control of the world of Eden. Unlike the original, the sequel focues more on warfare, the AI system, and moral choices. IGN rated Black and White 2 and 8.8 out of 10. From the IGN article:

Personally, I didn't love the original Black and White as much as some others did. I certainly admired the basic concept and the core mechanics but there was something about the game that seemed a bit rough -- like it was hinting at some better game to come. And while I don't think that Black and White 2 is the best that it could be, it's certainly a step in the right direction. Using your preference for civic improvement or warfare as a determinant of alignment gives players a bit more latitude this time around. That you can manage being a god simply by using the mouse is commendable.

To read the review, click the link below.

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IGN Review - Black and White 2

Old hands at Mac gaming swear by Marathon, while greener gamers do not even realize that Halo wasn't Bungie's first game. IMG takes a quick look back at the game that was inspiring enough to have an active map-making community even today, and delivers the Marathon Primer.

To check out the feature, follow the link below.

IMG: Marathon Primer

The Apple Developer Connection has published two brand new feature articles as part of its Developer Transition Resource Center (DTRC), the central source for information on Apple's transition to Intel-based Macintosh computers:

Scoping Your Transition Projects
What does it take to make your application ready for Intel-based Macs? Read this article to determine your transition path and learn what you'll need to do for your application to be ready. For complete details, visit the following URL:

http://developer.apple.com/transition/projectscope.html

The Transition to Intel-based Macs: An Introduction for Testing and QA Engineers
Get your QA team ready for testing your applications for universal binaries that run on both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macintosh computers. Read this article on creating a test plan for the transition. For complete details, visit the following URL:

http://developer.apple.com/transition/testingqa.html

CBS News GameCore recently posted a preview of Stubbs the Zombie. The preview starts off with how exhuberant America was feeling in the 1950s, then it seemed everything went wrong. Besides overviewing the game, the preview delves into the gameplay, artifical intelligence and similarities between Stubbs and Halo. However, don't get confused, Stubbs uses the Halo engine, but has a completely different story and gameplay behind it.

By using a tongue-in-cheek view of our past "innocence" and a thorough knowledge of everything zombie, Stubbs is both entertaining as hell and a bizarre commentary on where we are now. Video games might be the new rock 'n' roll. The fact that they’re besieged on a regular basis by know-nothing, vote-crazy politicos might be enough to raise them to rock’s previous subversive standing.

CBS News GameCore: Stubbs Preview

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Applelinks recently posted a review of Enlight Software's X²: The Threat. Brought to the Mac by Virtual Programming and distributed in the U.S. by Freeverse, X² is a complex spaceflight simulator with a dash of exploration and entrepreneurism thrown in. The game's open ended style wasn't enough to conquer more than a 2 out of 5 from Applelinks, however.

From the review:

Like, well, all sim games, how much fun you'll have playing X² is dependent on how much time you're willing to put into it. Until you work with the interface so much that it becomes intuitive, you're going to feel like you're fighting the game, rather than Xur and the Ko-dan Armada.

I never got to that point. I felt X² could be an intriguing game, but the command system was so Baroque that I didn't care. An example: in the training mission, I suffocated in my space suit while trying to find the command to enter a ship I'd captured.

Applelinks: X²: The Threat Review

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