Bethesda Softworks announced that Rage: Campaign Edition is now available worldwide for the Mac.
Like the title suggests, the game will let you play through the single-player campaign of id Software’s 2011 first-person shooter Rage. This time, though, you’ll be able to use items once exclusive to Rage: Anarchy Edition including Double Barrel Shotgun, Fists of Rage, Crimson Elite Armor, and Rat Rod Buggy.
Additionally, the Wasteland Sewers Missions — which I believe were locked out in the original game for those without an Online Pass — are now accessible in Rage: CE for more “looting opportunities,” according to the press release.
Published by Aspyr, Rage: CE can now be downloaded from Apple’s Mac App Store or other digital retailers like Aspyr’s GameAgent in either English, French or German.
“Aspyr has been a great partner, bringing id Software’s games to the Mac platform for years,” id’s president Todd Hollenshead said in the press release. “We’ve worked closely with them again to offer the amazing graphics and intense combat that RAGE is famous for to Mac gamers.”
Outcry ensued when folks learned that 2K Marin’s upcoming XCOM reboot was a shooter instead of a real-time strategy game like the original. But, folks can now calm down: an XCOM RTS game is in the works.
It’s titled XCOM: Enemy Unknown and it will be a turn-based strategy game, reveals Game Informer. As if that wasn’t good enough news, the game will be developed by Firaxis Games, the team behind the acclaimed Civilization series. And, not only that, XCOM: EU will be released this fall for the PC and home consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3).
“It’s been a dream of ours to recreate X-COM with our unique creative vision. We’re huge fans of the original game and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to re-envision a game that is as beloved as X-COM,” Firaxis’ president Steve Martin told GI. “We were careful to keep XCOM: Enemy Unknown true to the elements that made X-COM such a revered game while delivering an entirely new story and gameplay experience for both die-hard X-COM fans and newcomers to the franchise.”
Featuring turn-based combat with a mix of “real-time strategic view,” XCOM: EU will have players controlling a gun-toting anti-alien unit in “destructible tactical environments.”
More details are promised in GI’s upcoming February issue, which is said to hit next week. In the meantime, let’s see what we can do about the Syndicate reboot.
Electronic Arts revealed some impressive and interesting statistics for their recently-released Star Wars: The Old Republic. According to the press release (via Destructoid), the MMORPG reached over 60 million in-game hours with more users playing as Sith Warriors than Jedi Knights:
Additionally, EA touts that the game is the “fastest-growing subscription MMO in history.” With impressive statistics and claims like these, it makes you wonder if TOR will be a WoW killer.
[Pic]
Even with limited early access to the game for around a week, it seems players of the hotly-anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic are having to deal with long wait times for access to the game’s servers.
CVG reports that server wait times are ranging from 45 minutes, which seems to be the most common, to as long as two hours, despite Bioware’s efforts for a smooth game launch by letting pre-order customers gain early access to their MMORPG on a wave-by-wave basis.
“In order to ensure that the service would be smooth and stable, we staged how we brought people into the Early Game Access program, adding people in waves,” wrote Bioware’s Live Services executive producer Jeff Hickman on The Old Republic’s official forums. “As you know, there are a lot of folks who want to play the game right now and we want to make sure they have lots of people to play with. Balancing this with figuring out when to bring new servers online to help alleviate the size of the queues is part art and part science.”
“On one hand, you do not want people to wait too long – on the other hand, you want to make sure that people have a dynamic, engaging community to play with for long after launch. Either way, we have one clear objective – to make sure folks have fun.”
Continuing, Hickman added, “While we can’t promise that there won’t ever be queues, we can promise you that we are taking this matter seriously and constantly reviewing them to make sure that they are manageable and reasonable.”
That’s reassuring to hear, but if server wait times are this long during the early access period, I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like tomorrow when the game is available to all customers. Yikes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCFclriQtBU
Here’s a colorful look at Syndicate’s four-player co-op in action showing off a mission titled “New England.” According to the video’s YouTube description, there will be nine different co-op missions in the game.
Syndicate Co-op Gameplay Video (HD) – “New England” [YouTube, via VG 24/7]
