Holiday 2005 best bets for Mac gamers

Hahahaha, Civilization III just now? Poor mackies.

on my list:

call of duty: deluxe edition ~ (i must have played the demo and finished it like litereally 40 times. wtf, this game rocks)

stubbs the zombie ~ i'm really glad to see this coming out, finally a simultaneous mac-pc-xbox release for a game. i'm not sure how this will run on my ibook 14" though.

Hahahaha - Call of Duty 1?! We're playing Call of Duty 2!

Hey Jason, Civ III Complete just came out for the PC over the summer. Another ignorant PC user.

Civ 3 came out like 2 years ago you idiot (mac_man).

Again, Call of Duty Deluxe was a March 2005 release for the PC. Not as far behind as you think, Andy. ;)

Hey Andy,
Learn how to read: "Civilization III Complete"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00029QR7O/qid=1134333059/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-4663359-4359011?v=glance&s=videogames&n=507846

Who's the idiot?

Hey Mac Man, you're a dumbass. According to Gamespot "Call of Duty (PC)" was released on Oct. 29, 2003.

Hey Andy,
Learn how to read: "Call of Duty Deluxe"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000922E0S/qid=1134333563/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_unbuck_1/103-4663359-4359011?v=glance&s=videogames&n=229534

Who's the dumbass?

According to Gamespot, Civilization III Complete (PC) was released on Sept. 14, 2004. That's more than a year, and Civ III was released on Oct 30, 2001.

This is truly hilarious. Call of Duty (PC) came out about 2.5 years ago and is only now available for the Mac and this idiot mac_man is celebrating with joy. Yay!!

you really degrade what you say by using the word 'like'.

I do not use my mac for games. Thats why I have a Gamecube and DS. I use my mac for uber fluid production, a reason why my laptop PC gathers dust.
I do play the original Dooms, though I was playing that on my laptop... and still on my Xbox. Soon as the PC has a game worth spending any real time on then I'll use my laptop more. no OS will ever be as good as OSX, except OSXI+. not even that horrible clone of OSX... what's it called again? Vista? *giggles*

Who cares what GameSpot says? Amazon is a retailer and they usually list things early for pre-order. Go by the availability date on Amzaon to get a better sense of when the game was actually available for purchase.

What's hilarious is Andy doesn't know how to read.
Andy, take a break from your WWII shooters and try reading a book about the subject.

Well Andy while you're gloating about dates, im happy that Macs actually have games to play so stop being a 4 year old.

Key piece of information there:

"...this roundup looks like last year’s PC shopping list..."

----------------------------------

"Call of Duty Deluxe was a March 2005"

All that "deluxe" combo is is just the original CoD and CoD Expansion being sold together.

Civilization 3 btw came out on the PC in OCTOBER 2001. Civilization 4 just came out on OCTOBER 2004.

Call of Duty (PC) release date: October 2003
Call of Duty: United Offensive (PC): Sept. 2004

Call of Duty (Mac): October 2004
Call of Duty: United Offensive (Mac): November 2004

Still need proof that Mac "gaming" is delayed?

Hey Andy, if the Mac is so lame, why were the G5s used as dev kits for the 360? Why are PowerPCs in the next-gen Xbox and Nintendo? dufus.

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20040703

While Andy may be a little bellicose in his comments, I think he's spot on.

Compare Amazon's list of PC games versus those available for macs.

PC http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/12508701/ref=br_bx_c_1_1/102-7835982-6878503

Apple
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/1065980/ref=br_bx_c_1_0/102-7835982-6878503

Almost always gets the title first, more selection, lower cost for hardware and an identical experience tilts the argument to the PC for gaming in my book.

its funny, even without games the mac is still the better platform.

And I thougth the fights with 360 and REV fans were funny.

I didn't get this thing so I could play games on it. It's the best at everything else, though.

The situation is in reverse for PC's.

Instead of gloating, maybe we should be pitying the poor Mac users for their plight. The Macintosh platform has bar-none the best operating system, with the best GUI, and hands down the best user experience on a personal computer that money can buy. They just can't play too many new games. We should be repudiating the commercial systems that restrict software to particular platforms, rather than calling people out on decisions that happen to have inherent disadvantages.

Here's a little Devil's Advocate.

Andy, you are celebrating a platform that pays less attention to the user experience or corporate ethics than the Mac platform you're trying to put down. The development tools aren't free. What, are you so stupid and incompetent that you'd rather wait for wealthy development houses to develop programs for you, rather than coding your own? The Macintosh also offers higher stability. What kind of idiot uses a platform that flat-out breaks on such a frequent basis? The only advantage Windows offers over MacOS is the game selection; most people use their PCs for work anyway. Andy, don't you have a real job, or constructive things to do with your time rather than childishly clicking at imaginary monsters alone in your parents' basement?

Mac users have been found to be overall more intelligent and computer-savvy than their Windows counterparts. Maybe it's because they actually do things with their time and tech.

End Devil's Advocate.

I personally use Windows XP Pro on a Compaq laptop, and yes, I am also an avid gamer. I think it's sad that Mac users have such a limited gaming library, otherwise I might have switched a long time ago. Andy is clearly taking a very strange stance here.

Macheads are just like the Linux crew, convinced of their own supremacy over the unwashed Windows Masses.

For Gods sake people, lets look at this objectively - you are attatching your egos to peices of plastic. Let go!

You guys do realise, by arguing like this you just put more people off the product you rally around? But forget I said that...flame on! Seeing you argue is just more amusing for everyone else.

I love the Mac and use mine daily, but I got a PC just for gaming. It's not that I buy PC games right after they come out, but if you wait 8-12 months, you can get PC games on the cheap.

Just got Dungeon Siege for $10 and the Morrowind collection for $18. Plus, Neverwinter Nights Diamond is $20 for 3 games and 3 modules. The Mac version of NWN and its expansions still have to be purchased separately for $110 combined. The games are 2-3 years old!!

Once the Mactel systems come out, Jobs should institute a "Games for Mac" campaign like MS is doing for Windows.

Thanks for the even-handed Mac story, Joystiq.

Your coverage of ALL gaming topics is appreciated.

i'm a mac guy
they are superior to PCs in every sense of the word except games.Mac gaming sucks.
At least blizzard gets it right all the recent Blizzard games are on MAC/PC hybrid discs
world of warcraft
warcraft3 + expansion
starcraft + expansion
will all work on your mac exactly like your PC with the exact same disc

"if the Mac is so lame, why were the G5s used as dev kits for the 360? Why are PowerPCs in the next-gen Xbox and Nintendo? dufus."

PowerPC CPU's were used for those 2 platform SDKs b/c both systems have CPU's created by IBM. The PowerPC CPUS are manufactured by IBM...not Apple.

Also the majority of game development in general is done on the PC. 3dsmax is a PC-only program and they hold a pretty tight grip on the game market.

As for people who still say "OMFG!!!!1!!! PC's crash all the time!!!11!!!" are complete idiots. Ever since Windows XP came out, stability has been less of a n issue. I fix PC's on the side and EVERY PC I have ever had to clean out that crashed alot had nothing to do with it being Windows XP. The machines crashed b/c that person(s) downloaded and installed viruses, spyware, etc. If you are responsible computer user, then you will have no problems. I'd also like to point out that Macs also crash too...they aren't perfect.

I use my PC for internet, gaming, working in Photoshop & Illustrator and modeling/texturing in 3dsmax. The ONLY times when the machine has ever crashed has been b/c of a defective driver...and that has no happened for years and also across various upgrades.

Not really sure what the deal is with Civ III. I bought it years ago for my mac. According to Inside Mac Games, it was released Jan 7, 2002. I bought, played it to death and put it away years ago.

Civ3 complete as far as I can tell is just a bundle w/the expansion packs. BFD. Warcraft Battle chest was released long after the original games came out.

So claiming civ3 is just now coming out on Mac is frankly, retarded.

Having said that, gaming on the mac is pretty lame. Thing is though, other than MMO's, fps, and maybe rts, pc gaming is becoming the same way, getting ports of console games long after they've been released on a console. Halo, Fable, GTA and others come out for the pc months after they've been released on a console.

So I'm not sure what all the PC gloating is about, since the same thing that happened to mac gaming is happening to PC gaming.

I was strongly tempted to buy a pc just for games. But with 2 consoles and a handheld, I have more quality games available than I have time to play.

And whatever, when the intel macs come out, you'll just be able to load up windows and play any pc game you feel like. And have the ability to still get work done in osx and avoid all the instabilities and malware of winxp.

"I'd also like to point out that Macs also crash too...they aren't perfect."

Jago, I've been using OSX (Puma, Jaguar, Panther) on the same two G4 Macs since 2002 and guess what - they've NEVER crashed (froze, hung up, etc.). OS9 and earlier crashed occasionally (twice a year maybe?), but OSX has been flawless in that regard.

My mac has never crashed either.

a good comparison is our university. the buildings that use only Mac computers have 1 technician. The buildings that use only PC's have a team, usually about 8-12.

Of course its down to opinion. but some things are facts; Macs do not crash or get viruses, Windows has more games. if you want to deny either then you've either hacked OSX so much that it crashes or have no graphics card on your PC.

While others are pointing at the laughable list, I'm glad to see games are still being developed/ported to the Mac machines.

Even though I'm not a Mac user to begin with(I only see it as a multimedia publishing tool), old games are better than no games. PC users should at least show some respect.

Plus the games are actually good games, not some cheap 10 year old game.

Wow, a lot of people can't read.

"Call of Duty: Deluxe Edition" is not "Call of Duty".

"Civilization III Complete" is not "Civilization III".

Civ3 came out for Mac and PC a long time ago. But we aren't talking about Civ3, dummies. We are talking about "Civilization III Complete", which includes all the expansions and was RECENTLY released on PC and now Mac. The EXACT same can be said for Call of Duty. The Deluxe Edition includes extras and the expansion. Call of Duty vanilla was released for PC and Mac long ago. The Deluxe Edition is something new. That's why it's on this list. Duh.

No kidding Mac gets less games and the ones they do get they usually get a bit later. That's not news. But to say "LOL YOU JUST GOT CIV3 AND COD?!" is moronic. Learn to read. Idiots.

Remember, PC fanboys -- macs never crash. Ever. Even if many mac users post their system problems about their mac's crashing online -- their mac never really did crash. Got it? Good.

nice to see some mac coverage, I think of it, taking a focus on indie games for mac & pc, much like the OMG cup article you guys had a bit ago might be a great idea, especially as large as you're reader base is, the occasional indie game article could really encourage the community, thus creating more high quality games!

Um, I just play games on a console. It's a bigger screen and better sound, and just more comfortable to sit on the couch and play.

Hunch over a PC/Mac if you want, but to me, that's just lame.

Holla!

Oh, since it apparently matters, I use a mac.

"Thing is though, other than MMO's, fps, and maybe rts, pc gaming is becoming the same way, getting ports of console games long after they've been released on a console. Halo, Fable, GTA and others come out for the pc months after they've been released on a console."

Actually I'm pretty sure there are more PC games/franchises being ported or adapted to console than the other way round. Think Doom 3, Far Cry, Half Life 2, Quake 4, Pirates, CoD, Battlefield 2, Serious Sam 2, Worms 4...
And despite all this, the PC still gets lots of excellent *exclusive* games like FEAR, Civ 4, Age of Empire 3, WoW, Myst 5... And there are a lot more to come : BioShock, Ennemy Territory : Quake Wars, Savage 2, SiN Epidodes, Rise of Legends, Heroes of Might & Magic 5, Warhammer : Mark of Chaos, Rise & Fall : Civilizations at War, Spore, Spellforce 2, Age of Conan, Hellgate : London, Gothic 3, Neverwinter Nights 2, Dreamfall, Broken Sword 4...
So I'm really not worried about what's "happening to PC gaming" ;)

Macs are so overrated. Mac users are, for the most part (similar to Linux users, in fact) elitist whores with a superiority complex and their nose up the company's ass. "Oh, our OS doesn't crash. Our mp3 players are better. Blah blah blah."
Seriously, it gets annoying. Every OS sucks. And the reason people don't make viruses for Macs is because it isn't worth making a virus for.

Do people really have that much of a problem with XP crashing? Are they just idiots who dled a bunch of spyware? I don't get it. My computer runs 24/7, aside from rebooting occasionally when some Windows update wants me to (and I admit that that's kind of annoying), and I haven't crashed over the last year and a half. If it weren't for games, I'd probably be running some form of Linux, but for now, Cygwin will have to do.

38: If it weren't for PC gaming, I wouldn't have had a chance to play some of the games I've enjoyed the most over the last year (I'm thinking specifically of Civ IV and Guild Wars (loved gvg in that)). Sure, consoles have their perks, but so do PCs.

If you're uncomfortable sitting at your desk, you might want to look into getting a better chair. If you're not pleased with your display, you could look into getting a GDM-FW900; you can pick one up for under $400 shipped on ebay. If you're dissatisfied with your speakers, you could, you know, buy better ones. You have to buy it all one way or another. Some people don't have much use for a nice television or couch, and so are better off spending that money on monitors and sound cards and such. It's not that hard to imagine, is it?

They are all tools, right? While I am not rich by any means, I am very appriciative for what I have... and they all have their place. P4 1.7Ghz desktop with dual displays (pc games, photoshop), iBook G4 1Ghz (internet, some games & wireless) and a PS2. I have also purchased a Kilpsch sound system that will run off any of my systems.

My WinXP does work best when it is rebooted daily, I haven't had to clean my PS2's lens since we stopped smoking in the house and my mac has never crashed... which is surprising considering I rarely reboot it.

There is no "one system" that does everything... for me at least. If you have one system that works best for you, then I say congrats. I wish I had an AMD system with SLI graphics, a G5 quad mac and an Xbox360 with all the games that I like to play, but I can not justify nor afford all of that.

...really, they are just tools. It sounds kind of sill to hear of a carpenter that hates a hammer because they like screwdrivers more.

This thread is asinine. It's really this simple:
If you're a hardcore gamer, bent on playing next-gen, cutting edge games, then a Mac isn't for you. If you're a designer, or simply someone who wants a cutting edge, *stable*, beautiful operating system, then Mac is for you.

Mac's are not gaming machines. Can they run games? Sure, but that's just a perk. If you want to have a gaming box, you have to settle for an ugly, insecure, unstable OS. Take your pick.

Or just wise up and go console already.

jc, it's obvious that screws are better. They never come out! I've been using them for years, and I've never had a problem. Well, you can occasionally have problems with flat-head screwdrivers, but if you stick with Phillips, nothing can go wrong. Only idiots use nails.

How do you get XP to crash? Does it happen often to you guys? I've owned a notebook xp system from hp since xp first came out and its never crashed nor have I gotten a nasty virus (but I know of people who have - from their own doing). I got a desktop from hp recently and its never crashed either. Do you think XP crashing also depends on who made the system? With the mac OS their is only one company.

Has anyone tried getting their Mac to crash, just to see what would happen.

So Pyrthas, you do prefer macs then...

;)

To all you idiots who said that "Mac's never crash"...you are the idiots. Just it hasn't happened to YOU doesn't mean it never happens. Saying that a computer never crashes, freezes, lockups, etc. is just plain stupid.

The school I had graduated from had 2-3 labs that the new G5 Mac shortly after they came out...and they were used by the graphic design and web design majors mostly and when I would use them there would be times when Microsoft Word, Safari, Photoshop, etc. would either lockup or just close with no warning. The same thing would happen on the previous 450Mhz G4's they had as well.

The last couple PCs I have had (which I have built my self btw) have only crashed, locked up, frozen, etc. when either a driver is faulty or if I am rendering a massive video in Premiere or modeling/animating something in 3dsmax. I use my laptop for the same purpose and it is an OEM (Compal) P-M 1.8ghz/2GB DDR/Radeon 9700 and it has NEVER crashed on me.

I just recently upgraded but the machine I had before was a P4 2.4ghz HT/2GB DDR/Geforce 6800 128MB and it NEVER locked up on me. My current machine now is a AMD Athlon64 x2 3800 dual core/2GB DDR/(2) Geforce 7800 GT (SLI) and the ONLY time has crashed on me is when the nVidia firewall software crashed. It was optional software and I no longer use and it has been rock solid...and I have it on (without a reboot) for 3-5 days most of the time.

If Mac's never crash, then why bother having tech support then? Part of Tech Supports job is to fix OS crashes or problems.

So the moral of the story is don't let Jago build a computer for you. Let Apple build it instead.

mac_man...you are an arrogant ass.

Did you not read what I wrote? I said the ONLY time a PC has crashed on me is when either a DRIVER has been corrupt or if I have pushed it a particular program too far.

Whats funny about this whole thing is that you Mac people are acting like Macs are superior yet a HUGE majority of all Mac games that are PC ports are created on *GASP!* PCs.

hahaha, couldnt agree more!,mac_man

It's okay, Jago.

You'd be arrogant and condescending too to make up for the fact you spent double the money for half the hardware that only runs one fourth the software a PC does.