Slowly but Surely: Mac Games

By Jonathan Berohn

Back before there was Windows, the Mac used to have some of the coolest and most innovative games around.  Anyone who can remember Wizardry and Dark Castle will surely know what I mean.  Everyone else-well, you'll have to take my word for it.  I'm sure, though, that given the more recent state of Mac games your might be a little reluctant to believe me.  If there's one thing has kept Mac users feeling inadequate compared to their PC brethren, it's been a serious lack of games.

From a Few Lonely Options...

That's not to say there have never been any games for the Mac.  Blizzard has always made a point of releasing Mac versions of their games.  Fortunately for Mac users this means such hits as the Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcraft series have offered Mac users some of the best games out there.  More often than not, though, Blizzard was the exception to the rule.  These days, though, things are finally starting to look up for Mac gamers.

...To Actual Choices

A quick perusal of the Apple Store shows how the Mac game offerings have exploded recently.  Now, instead of tired old afterthoughts, you can find the latest PC and console hits such as Halo, WWII Online, Unreal Tournament 2004, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.  For the first time, Mac gamers can buy the most popular single player games, Internet games, and MMORPGs as well.  Sony even came out with a Mac version of Everquest.

Still the Afterthought

Despite all these advances in Mac gaming options, there are still a lot of holes in the Mac gaming world.  EA sports, for example, doesn't offer its signature Madden or NHL franchises for Mac, or its popular SSX snowboarding title.  And most of the other Mac titles I mentioned have come out months (years in the case of Everquest) after the PC version has been wowing fans.  While the waiting itself is no fun, the real problem is that if you play with friends who have PCs, they are more likely than not to always be one game ahead of you as you wait for the Mac versions to crawl onto the marketplace.