http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/features/oh_the_games_youll_play/ en webmaster@macobserver.com Copyright 2009 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:33:14 -0400 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/iphone_3gs_3g_ipod_touch_could_make_apple_a_major_mobile_gaming_player/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/iphone_3gs_3g_ipod_touch_could_make_apple_a_major_mobile_gaming_player/ In a little over a year, Apple has gone from an after-thought in mobile gaming to a major force that could dramatically change the direction of that market segment, according to a few industry folks I spoke with recently. The new iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod touch could fuel major market share gains for Apple, especially when considering their technical specs, which now rival the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play, Reports, Games, iObserver, App Store, iPhone, iPod Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:45:38 -0400 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/pangeas_brian_greenstone_app_store_far_exceeded_my_expectations/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/pangeas_brian_greenstone_app_store_far_exceeded_my_expectations/ Brian Greenstone, founder and president of Pangea Software, has been around the block more than a few times since releasing his first commercial Mac game 20 years ago, but even he had no idea how big the App Store could be when it launched in mid-2008. "I thought it had potential," he said in an interview, "but I grossly underestimated just how much potential that was. It far exceeded my expectations." Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play, Reports, Games, iObserver, App Store, iPhone, iPod Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:00:01 -0400 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/gendai_talks_iphone_game_creation_with_gamesalad/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/gendai_talks_iphone_game_creation_with_gamesalad/ Gendai Games on Wednesday announced its GameSalad iPhone Early Access Program, which lets users of its software development kit (SDK) create and publish iPhone games at Apple's App Store. In an interview, Gendai president Michael Augustin stressed that GameSalad is "a tool for those getting started developing games but who don't know how to program. It's a robust toolset for game building." Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play, Reports, Games, iObserver, App Store, iPhone, iPod Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:45:55 -0400 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/gameranger_founder_scott_kevill_reflects_on_the_past_decade/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/gameranger_founder_scott_kevill_reflects_on_the_past_decade/ Online gaming service GameRanger recently celebrated ten years of existence, so I got in touch with founder Scott Kevill, who's based in Australia, to get his thoughts on the past decade and see what the future has in store. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play, Reports, Games Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:15:14 -0400 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/growth_in_the_mac_games_market_depends_who_you_talk_to/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/growth_in_the_mac_games_market_depends_who_you_talk_to/ Last year saw the beginning of a shift in the Mac games business: Aspyr Media and MacSoft throttled back on their output, at least when it came to major releases aimed at hardcore gamers, while Feral Interactive and TransGaming, via its GameTree Online portal, stepped up their production. So does that mean the Mac games space is growing or shrinking? It depends who you talk to. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:46:41 -0400 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/redline_revisited/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/redline_revisited/ There's always something new around the corner in the world of videogames, so many of us wring all we can out of a title before moving on to the next one. When I recently revisited Ambrosia Software's Redline, however, I found not only a thriving community of modders but also plenty of people who still race online. A pair of unique multiplayer variants, Bad Love and Smugglers, continue to be popular. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play, Reports, Games Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:37:19 -0500 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/feral_ceo_explains_the_impetus_behind_the_feral_legends_series_of_games/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/feral_ceo_explains_the_impetus_behind_the_feral_legends_series_of_games/ Feral Interactive CEO David Stephen explains why he came up with his new Feral Legends line of games, what criteria he looks for in that series, and how he's avoiding the dreaded "budget" tag. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play, Reports, Games Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:45:00 -0500 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/oh_the_games_youll_play_a_deeper_look_at_the_worlds_vs._ncsoft_lawsuit/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/oh_the_games_youll_play_a_deeper_look_at_the_worlds_vs._ncsoft_lawsuit/ There's an old curse, purported to be Chinese in origin: "May you live in interesting times." For senior executives at MMORPG developer NCsoft, it was an interesting holiday season indeed: As the company was preparing to release the Mac version of its MMO City of Heroes, it was slapped with a lawsuit by Worlds.com. Unfortunately, trying to get to the bottom of the lawsuit's merits is much like trying to figure out the true origins of that curse, but M. Scott Boone, associate professor of law at Appalachian School of Law, helped me sort it out. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play, Reports, Games Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:30:03 -0500 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/oh_the_games_youll_play_whats_the_2009_tide_line/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/oh_the_games_youll_play_whats_the_2009_tide_line/ Conventional wisdom says that a recession doesn't hurt the entertainment world as hard as other sectors, but recent events have confirmed that the steep drop in consumer spending has finally caught up with the videogame industry. So what does that bode for 2009 when it comes to Mac, iPod and iPhone gaming? Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play, Reports, Games Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:30:25 -0500 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/oh_the_games_youll_play_ambrosia_the_little_publisher_that_could/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/oh_the_games_youll_play_ambrosia_the_little_publisher_that_could/ When Ambrosia Software released Aquaria last month, it marked the publisher's 36th entertainment release, including iPhone versions of existing games and titles that were updated to run in Mac OS X. Join us for a look at the company's history, its future, and "el Presidente" Andrew Welch's thoughts on Mac and iPhone game development. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:25:06 -0500 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/cider_gametree/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/cider_gametree/ Gaming on the Mac remains moribund, with some prolific publishers scaling back their efforts to concentrate more on console and Windows games, but TransGaming has seen success with its Cider portability engine, which has enabled several game releases in recent months. Earlier this year, TransGaming launched GameTree Online, a digital delivery service that could also help spark growth in the Mac gaming market. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:15:51 -0500 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Other_MMOs_Doing_Just_Fine_Thanks/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Other_MMOs_Doing_Just_Fine_Thanks/ Despite the juggernaut that it is World of Warcraft, other MMOs continue to do well, including this week's subject, CCP Games' EVE Online, which also saw an expansion pack released this week. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:00:40 -0500 http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Blizzard_Talks_Wrath_of_the_Lich_King/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Blizzard_Talks_Wrath_of_the_Lich_King/ Blizzard is shipping their second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, next week, so I took some time to speak with production director J. Allen Brack about a game whose worldwide pool of subscribers is now over 11 million, which is on par with the population of Ohio. Columns and Opinions, Oh the Games You'll Play Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:00:40 -0500