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Mac OS X Classic Games Roundup

Alcimedes writes "Maybe I'm jaded as to the quality of games coming out these days, but I haven't found that much lately that really catches my eye. So it was with great joy that I returned to the SC2 project page to find out that my favorite game of all time, Star Control 2, has been ported to Mac OS X." Jay Brewer writes "Small Fry Studios will be releasing a Mac OS X version of our new shareware game, Hillbilly Whack! Save Winnie May! this fall. We've launched a small preview site with teaser trailers and screenshots of the classic-style-on-steroid game." Ambrosia has ported Escape Velocity and EV:Override (using the EV Nova engine) to Mac OS X, free to existing EV Nova customers. And Cliff Johnson's amazing The Fool's Errand has a sequel coming on Halloween Day, The Fool and his Money. You can go over now and catch the preview material, and download free copies of The Fool's Errand and 3 in Three (which work mostly fine in Classic mode on Mac OS X).

11 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Klondike for OS X! by mattkime · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Do Mac games get any more classic than Klondike?

    Version 7.7.1 runs on the 68k MacPlus with System 6 all the way up to the new G5s running Mac OS 10.2.

    By my count, that spans 8 generations of processors.

    Okay, that might not impress you command line folk, but thats quite a life for a GUI app.

    --
    Know what I like about atheists? I've yet to meet one that believes God is on their side.
    1. Re:Klondike for OS X! by .smoke · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Dunno about Klondike, but I remember playing the Fool's Errand and 3 in Three puzzle games mentioned in the original post on System 6! Another post mentioned Bolo - I played that on my Apple //e, so if that can still be played on newer hardware, there's a few more generations :)

      I've been contemplation hooking up my System 7 68k mac recently in order to play some of the earlier Ambrosia games. Hearing that Fool's Errand is freely available, I'm definitely going to do it, because I never got around to finishing that. (I never had a NIC for it, but in the past I've gotten it online using PPP over a direct serial connection to one of my linux boxes...)

      B*B,
      -Smoke.

    2. Re:Klondike for OS X! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      By my count, that spans 8 generations of processors. Okay, that might not impress you command line folk, but thats quite a life for a GUI app

      Windows 95 could run on 386es. Lemmings christmas is 12 years old, and I just rediscovered the 2 floppy version of Photoshop Mac :-)

  2. Apeiron baby! by salamander_sjv · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Forget the rest. Ambrosia is porting Apeiron to OS X. I get a shiver up my spine thinking about the relief I used to feel when the sparse whooshing sound of my standard bullets transitioned into the steady dull beat of the triple-shot power-up. I can hear it now... Bring it on baby!

  3. Re:What about Bolo? by megli · · Score: 4, Interesting
    now THAT is a game that needs to be ported to osx.

    ...although maybe it would be easier to port the linux clone than the original. too bad the linux version is only available as an executable. if only it were open source. it's gameplay is also a litte rough compaired to the original's. you can still open all your old map files though.

    i wish stuart cheshire had not stopped development on the game. it has always been a blast to play. -megli

    --
    ===== will post for karma
  4. Re:Nifty... by WatertonMan · · Score: 3, Interesting
    How many years has Return to Dark Castle been in development? A lot.

    Personally I wish the first two Dark Castles were available. Even though they were B&W with primitive graphics, they were great games. For those who never played them they were, for lack of a better description, something like Donkey Kong meets Joust meets a Prince of Persia. Very old school. But I have fond memories of playing it on one of the old all-in-one Mac+ systems with a meg of memory. (Ah that seemed like a lot at the time)

  5. Puzzles and Smut by cryptochrome · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's an interesting but true observation that modern gaming has almost totally neglected two genres that were previously kings: puzzle games and smutty games. Sure, there's a puzzle every now and then (ICO) and there's plenty of smut IN games (GTA, DOA, every female character design, etc), though few are actually about sex in the manner of virtual valerie or Leisure Suit Larry were. Too bad (especially with regard to the puzzles).

    I'm reminded about how Tetris was invented by a Russian programmer, who was strictly limited by the capabilities of his substandard hardware. Despite that it's arguably the best computer game of all time. I guess simplicity is out of style, and dirty thoughts (or at least acting on them in anything more serious than Maxim magazine) is out of favor.

    --

    ---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?

  6. Re:New World Order by chipset · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Balance of Power was a great game. Too bad not many people got the gist of it.

  7. Re:battle-girl by alices+ice · · Score: 2, Interesting

    oh god yes, it's my last real reason to fear the end of classic support in OSX. ..and provoke my first ever slashdot post after years of lurking!
    I'm skeptical about the chances of a port tho ;(

    "hey!" "cool!" "watch it!"

  8. Two words: Crystal Quest by swelling · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Does anybody know whatever became of this game? Many, many lost hours ...

  9. Icom games rocked! by capmilk · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A company named Icom Simulations created adventure games with a genuine Mac GUI: Deja Vu, Uninvited and my all time favorite: Shadowgate. Would love to play those again.