May 9, 2008 6:00 AM

Digital River, a provider of global e-commerce solutions, has announced that it signed an e-commerce agreement with Aspyr Media. Digital River will build, host and manage an online store to support the sale and digital delivery of select Macintosh and PC based products in North America. Aspyr expects the online store, called Game Agent, to launch during the summer of 2008.

“Gaming publishers continue to choose Digital River as an e-commerce partner because of the depth and breadth of our world-class e-commerce system and our deep domain expertise, ”said Joel Ronning, Digital River ’s CEO. “We are pleased to be working with Aspyr, a company that industry reporting experts have ranked among the top 15 largest game publishers in the United States. With our experience, we intend to deliver a solution for Aspyr that will make a measurable difference for the company and its customers.”

“Digital distribution of computer games is a proven business model and an option that more and more gamers are seeking, ”said Ted Staloch, executive vice president of publishing for Aspyr. “Aspyr has long been the dominant player in the Macintosh gaming space and we want to build on that leadership and create the best possible online solution for our customers. Digital River will deliver a secure and robust online store that will give gamers a satisfying experience when downloading great titles from Aspyr and its partners.”

For more information about the two companies follow the links below.

Aspyr Media
Digital River

May 9, 2008 6:00 AM

3D Realms has marked the 16th anniversary of Wolfenstein 3D's release with a discussion of the game and a collection of W3D related trivia. Created by id Software and released by Apogee Software (an earlier incarnation of 3D Realms), the shooter played an important role in the creation of the first person shooter genre.

Since it is Wolf's birthday, we wanted to bring you a few small tidbits to mark the anniversary. First up is a recreation of the Episode 3 Boss battle with Adolf Hitler from the game. The unique thing here is that it was done in Lego! There is a current craze in doing things (especially games) in Lego, so why not recreate a classic game? This was done by Wolf fan Ciamoslaw Ciamek.

Second up is an old piece of video. It's a TV interview from 1992 by Byron Harris for NBR with Scott Miller & George Broussard of Apogee as well as John Romero (then of id ). It talks about the two companies, and shows some of the background development of Wolf3D. We originally posted this video back in the summer of 1998, you can read that old news story for some background on the video.

Wolfenstein 3D is still an item we sell 16 years later. The game has been ported from its PC original to a ton of platforms, including the 3DO, Super Nintendo, the Game Boy Advance, the Macintosh, the Atari Jaguar, and the good old Apple IIgs.

Head over to the site below to read more.

3D Realms: Wolfenstein 3D's Sweet Sixteen

May 9, 2008 6:00 AM

id Software has confirmed that production has begun on DOOM 4, the next journey into the legendary DOOM universe. The company is expanding its internal team and is currently hiring new staff work on the highly anticipated title.

"DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. "It's critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles."

The DOOM franchise is one of the most recognizable and important in gaming history, having been named "one of the ten most influential games of the decade" by PC Gamer and "the #1 game of all time" by GameSpy. DOOM 4 will join the award-winning series which has consistently topped sales charts throughout the world.

We are looking for talented, ambitious and passionate individuals eager to join our accomplished team of developers working on the industry’s most innovative and anticipated games. For a complete listing of available positions, visit our id Careers page . Resumes can be submitted via email. All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

There is no word yet on the possibility of a Mac version of DOOM 4. For more information head over to id's homepage at the link below.

id Software

May 9, 2008 6:00 AM

Droid Assault is the latest in a series of modern-retro arcade shooter games released by Puppygames. The game attempts to capture the feel of 8-bit games such as Paradroid and Quazatron, with modern graphics and sound. It's available to download now for Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

Droid Assault harkens back to 1985 for its gameplay and style, with Puppygames’ signature stylised retro graphics and superbly atmospheric sound effects. Players control a droid infiltrating the Omni-Corp warehouses, in which all of the battle droids have accidentally been switched on and are running amok. Destroying droids earns transfer points, which in turn enables the player to capture more droids using a transfer beam, or capture fixed gun turrets and turn them to his or her own advantage.

Eventually the player builds up a small army to assist in clearing out the factory warehouses. The droids you capture run off and start destroying enemies for you! Along the way, droids can be modified with a whole plethora of upgrades and powerups.

Droid Assault features:
• 50 different levels to blast through
• 48 unique enemy robots to capture or destroy
• 20 different weapons including disruptors, laser beams, rockets and flamethrowers
• 17 powerups to augment and enhance your captured squad
• 4 giant boss robots
• Online hiscores table

Droid Assault requires Mac OS X and costs $9.95. Click over to the link below for more information.

Droid Assault
Puppy Games

May 9, 2008 6:00 AM

In a recent forum post Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel revealed some new information about the upcoming Geneforge 5. The final game in the RPG saga will allow players to bring the war between Shapers and Rebellion to an end. G5 will feature five different factions, six character classes, and a complex storyline.

I have done a lot of work on the interface. Geneforge 5 now supports OpenGL and will tap some of the power of your graphics card.

In Geneforge 5, you can play the game on any size of monitor and you can play the game in a window. If you have a huge monitor, you can see a huge chunk of the terrain around you. It really makes a big difference.

There are a lot of new graphical frills that make things look quite a bit nicer. Of course, these can be turned off on older machines. I fully intend for old machines to be able to run Geneforge 5, though you might need to shrink the play area a bit.

There is now customization for the keyboard shortcuts. You can also customize the game area somewhat by moving around or minimizing the party roster and automap.

You will not be surprised to learn that many major characters from earlier in the series are returning for a final hurrah (or destruction). You will also get to meet and deal with the mysterious Shaper Council. The chaos of the previous years have caused the leaders of the Shapers to become ... erratic. Perhaps this can be exploited for your gain.

Vogel is still working toward a November release for the Mac version of Geneforge 5. Read the rest of his comments at the link provided below.

Geneforge 5 May Update
Spiderweb Software
Geneforge 5

May 9, 2008 6:00 AM

Macgamestore has announced the release of The Scruffs for the Macintosh on its web site. Developed by Sweet Tooth Games, The Scruffs is an original seek-and-find challenge.

After Mr. Scruff loses his job, the Scruffs believe they have no choice but to sell their house and move on. But, Grandpa Scruff reveals that he's hidden valuable artifacts throughout the Scruff home and if they can locate them all they won't have to sell their family home! And, in a surprising twist, Grandpa reveals he's hiding something else too - a shocking family secret! Join the Scruffs on a scavenger hunt that will not only save the day, but will also uncover the secret that will change their lives forever.

Features:
• Thousands of Hidden Items to Find
• 20 Locations to Explore
• Innovative Mini-Games
• Original Story and Characters

The Scruffs for Mac requires Mac OS X 10.3.9+ and is available for $19.95 USD through Macgamestore. A free 60 minute trial Universal Binary demo version of the game is available for download.

Buy The Scruffs

Apple has improved the graphics card in the latest iMac, but that won't make much difference for die-hard gamers, and Apple doesn't seem to be anxious to fix that perpetual problem, according to Peter Cohen at Macworld on Thursday.

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Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Apple's Mac OS X 10.5, "Leopard" has matured into a solid operating system, according to Computerworld on Thursday. While some thought it was released too early, and there were some early snafus, debates about Leopard as a worthy upgrade have vanished.

A newly published patent filing has revealed that Apple is considering a 3D remote control system for Apple TV that combines features found in the Wiimote and their own multi-touch technology. According to the filing, the system could detect the position of the remote control and be used to manipulate objects as well as "zoom into and out of an image or a portion thereof based on the absolute position of the remote control in the third axis"—features that Appleinsider believes could be destined for Apple TV.

References to gaming in the filing also serves to rehash old rumors about gaming and Apple TV as well as how a controller like this might fit into such plans. Naturally, I have my doubts about such theories given Apple's stance on gaming over the years, but as with all rumors and patent filings, we will just have to wait and see what comes of it. [Appleinsider via MacRumors]