Rediscovering Mac Gaming
Posted by: simX on Dec 30, 2003 - 10:06 AM
Entertainment    3744 Reads   
A runthrough of great Mac games, both new and old, and how to get them running smoothly on modern Macs


Lately, I've been a little frustrated with gaming on my Mac. And this isn't just a little bone to pick about how Macs are always second fiddle to PCs when it comes to game developers. I have a fundamental problem with the games that are coming out on ALL platforms these days. They're just... well.. boring! And that has been driving me back to rediscover old games that I have given up on in the past.

I'll admit it up front.. I've never been an avid fan of first person shooter games, and maybe that's a large part of why I don't play games much anymore. First person shooter games seem to make up a large part (if not the majority) of the commercial games out there on the market. Besides, I tend to go for more shareware games that aren't necessarily in the FPS genre -- adventure games, puzzle games, god games. I've played my share of FPS games, too. The biggest recent splash in FPS gaming has been Halo; I haven't played it myself, but I will definitely play it in demo form or on someone else's computer before buying into the hype.

Of course, unless it's a really intriguing game with a continually evolving storyline, a game can't hold a person's attention forever, and so I had lost interest in the old games that I used to play a lot. I was expecting that I'd always find some sort of new game to replace the old, even if I didn't like the FPS genre that has dominated the gaming landscape in the past few years. But that hasn't happened for me: none of the recent games have really caught my interest.
 



If you're into puzzle games, Lode Runner will be sure to capture your attention. Like Flashback, you need to complete a series of levels by utilizing all the tools that are avaliable, even while avoiding the enemies. In Lode Runner's case, however, the level is encapsulated in a single screen, so you can see everything at once. All you need to do is collect all the coins, and once you do, get to the exit. It's deceptively simple, but the monks that try to get you make many of the levels very difficult. You have a bunch of tools at your disposal: jackhammers, monk traps, laughing gas, as well as your natural ability to make some of the ground that you walk on disappear for a short time. It's a game that makes you think on your feet, and if you don't, the monks will get you.


Running from the monks in Lode Runner


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