You’ve got your new Quadra 840av you bought at Macworld Boston (held the first week of August) all hooked up and ready to go. Oh, and on a whim you also decided to pick up one of those little (and not to mention buggy) Newtons at the show, figuring, heck — I’ll need something to play with on the plane back from Boston. You’ve played around with the 840’s speech recognition, text-to-speech conversion, and incredible speed, but all you could think about was all the cool, new Mac games you’ll be able to play on it. Soon!
Eric Parker, of Hellcats Over the Pacific fame, showed off Parsoft’s latest creation, A-10 Attack!, based on the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, affectionately known as the Warthog. The new simulator was shown in a ThrustMaster cockpit mock-up complete with HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) flight control and weapon systems. A-10 Attack! promises a few technological breakthroughs including a new Virtual Battlefield Environment (VBE) network protocol. VBE will allow combined land/sea/air operations between multiple players and simulators. Future simulators released by Parsoft will serve like plug-ins that add to and enhance prior simulators. A-10 Attack! is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 1994.
3-D Astro Chase is probably one of the more anticipated products of the year. Due out in the 4th quarter, 3-D Astro Chase is space combat game in which the player controls a spaceship. Your mission is to save the Earth from destruction from the Invaders' Mega Mines, which are traveling toward Earth. To destroy the mines, your Ultraship is equipped with powerful static solar plasma beams, cosmic energy weapons, energy seeking missiles, space decoy mines, and warp speed. You also use these weapons against the Invaders' attack fitghers which are programmed to destroy you. 3-D Astro Chase is the first game to use S.A.G.E. or Software Accelerated Graphics Engine, that manipulates bit-mapped graphics quickly in highly detailed and realistic environments. According to First Star, the developer, the game will run at about 20 frames per second on a IIci. Move over X-Wing, here comes 3-D Astro Chase!
MacPlay announced that it will be releasing Castles: Siege & Conquest in the fourth quarter of 1993. MacPlay had previously announced that it would be releasing Castles II for the Mac. However, since then MacPlay has decided to combine the original PC version of Castles with the upgraded strategic elements of Castles II. The game itself is a game of medieval diplomacy, treachery, and power. The story begins with the death of King Charles, who has died without a successor to the throne. In the players’ attempt to capture the crown they must scout the surrounding territories, defeat the native militia, subjugate the land with castles, feed and maintain their subjects, appease the church and unite the land under their rule.
In addition to Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat (previewed in August IMG), Electronic Arts is rumored to be working on PGA Tour II, which should be released before the end of the year. The updated version of this classic golf game is reported to include a better looking interface, four different golfers to choose from, a “skins” game, new courses, speed improvements, and possibly 13” monitor support. Sources also report that EA is working on Populous I & II, Showdown (a poker game), Power Monger, and Syndicate for the Mac.
At the Inline Software booth, Expo attendees were shown a sneak peek of FireFall. Designed by Bloodsuckers’ authors Brian Greenstone and Dave Triplett, Firefall is a modern-day implementation of the classic game, Centipede. The game features exciting gameplay, a raucous soundtrack, and custom 3-D rendered graphics (including eye-catching sparkle-like explosions). If you’ve been itching for a centipede-like game, look no further, because FireFall is expected to be released in October. Hot stuff!
GameTek announced that it is entering the Mac market with the release of several new software products. Leading the line-up are two of GameTek’s more popular titles, Wheel of Fortune featuring Vanna White (available now) and Jeopardy! featuring Alex Trabek (available October 1st). Also available in October will be MacAttack, a 3-D shoot-’em-up game much in the same tradition of the old coin-op game Tempest. The game will feature 30 levels of game play, five different skill levels, and support for any size monitor. In November, GameTek will be releasing Valkyrie, a 3-D helicopter simulator written by Donald Hill, Jr. (remember P-51 Mustang?). Mission objectives include protecting ground forces and their supply lines. At the front line you must destroy the enemy tanks before they reach the oil tank farm. You also will be able to coordinate with your wing man as you engage the enemy in a dogfight. The game will ship with ten flight missions and features seven selectable viewing angles, a full size cockpit, and full-screen display. And if that’s not enough, in time for Christmas will be Air Warrior, which will allow you to go head-to-head against a buddy in a modem-to-modem battle or sign on to GEnie and launch yourself into exciting on-line multi-player combat. You’ll choose from one of eleven different planes from either World War II or Korea.
Haven’t gotten your fill of Spectre or Spectre Supreme? Well, you’ll be happy to know that Velocity will once again update Spectre and release it under the title of Spectre VR. This upgrade challenges you with a new generation of enemies and weapon systems and gives you the ability to fly. Spectre VR will include the new VRchitect, which allows you to customize or create Spectre matrixes. Spectre VR is scheduled to be released in fourth quarter 1993.
More CD-ROM’s On The Way!
Another eye-opener at the show was Brøderbund’s MYST, a surrealistic CD-ROM adventure game from Cyan, the creators of Cosmic Osmo, The Manhole, and Spelunx and the Caves of Mr Seudo. In MYST, you are magically transported to an alternate reality by reading an old, battered book that you’ve picked up. Once in the new world, it will be up to you to untangle the terrible web of deceit that has made disappear the man who created MYST and the people who once lived there. MYST features stunning 3-D photo-surreallistic graphics, non-linear game play, and original soundtrack, video, and animation. Look for MYST in the fall of 1993.
Jump Raven, an arcade adventure CD-ROM coming late fall from CyberFlix, was shown for the first time at this year’s Expo. The game puts you in a hovercraft high above New York City. But don’t worry, you won’t be alone. Your handy co-pilot will help you out in tough combat situations. Your hovercraft is equipped with the latest in combat gear including 24 different weapon systems. Trust me, you’ll need them to battle against the evil neo-Nazi Skinheads, Genetic Warlords, and Cyberpunks.
Creative Multimedia displayed, among other titles, The CHAOS Continuum and The Magic Death. The former is being touted as the first CD-ROM ever to incorporate images and special effects created on Silicon Graphics workstations. The story opens in the year 2577, where the Titan Colony is being held captive by a vast orbiting sentient supercomputer known as C.H.A.O.S. Trapped in a parallel continuum by the computer, the colonists who created the supercomputer are seeking help — from you (Hmm, sounds familiar). The CHAOS Continuum incorporates movie-style special effects, detailed story line and a comprehensive educational database.
The Magic Death is the second title in the Virtual Murder mystery series. The game features more than 100 minutes of full-motion color video, sound, and animation to present a murder case that player attempt to solve in the shortest time possible. The game also offers several different possible outcomes, each with a different killer. Both titles are scheduled to be released this month.
Art Sector One showed off Better Dead, a new CD-ROM scheduled to be released sometime in the fall. The story begins in the year 2323 (when else?) where nearly three-quarters of all human existence is already annihilated, and most of the remaining civilians are suffering untold misery and slavery. And you guessed it, you are civilization’s last desperate hope for survival. Better Dead’s cooler attributes include arcade style action and photo-realistic 3-D worlds, and is optimized for CD Playback.
Deal-A-Mania
MacPlay and Virgin Games announced a deal where MacPlay would obtain exclusive distribution rights to seven Virgin Games Mac titles. The agreement will provide MacPlay with the rights to market and distribute Virgin’s products under the MacPlay label. The products include Monopoly, Scrabble Deluxe, Risk, Kyrandia and Kyrandia II, Lands of Lore, and Caesar’s Palace. MacPlay also announced that it will also be distributing Alone in the Dark and Flashback for the Mac once the games ship.
Lastly, MicroProse Inc. in June signed an agreement to merge with Spectrum HoloByte Inc., in a deal giving Spectrum about a 60 percent stake in MicroProse’s outstanding common stock. To follow in Spectrum HoloByte’s footsteps, MicroProse has decided to cancel Rex Nebular (even though the product is finished) and Pirates Gold for the Mac. However, MicroProse still plans on shipping F-117/A Stealth Fighter this winter. Let’s just hope Spectrum HoloByte doesn’t buy out any other companies that develop for the Mac, and turn them into DOS game cash cows.
Hot Rumor!
Lastly, look for a MAJOR golf game next year for the Mac. Stay tuned to IMG for more information.
