[Peter Cohen]

I haven't seen my review copy yet but I've heard from other gamers who say they've seen it in stores, so I think that Age of Empires III is indeed in circulation.
I also have a 20-inch iMac (Intel Core Duo variety). If yours is the same as mine or similar, I'd recommend taking a look at Aspyr's Civilization IV and Civilization IV: Warlords, both of which are excellent.

[hagen]

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Macs are not meant for gaming the way PC's are,

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Ah, no. PCs and Macs are identical following the same arguments you raise in your post. And as you also point out in your post, it's only due to the larger market forces that there are the expansion options that are availabe on the PCs that are currently not available on Macs. So, no, PCs are not meant for gaming either using your own arguments.
I've been playing games on my Mac Pro now since they shipped with the X1900XT. I buy any top flight game that is universal on the Mac side, and if there is no chance of it coming, I buy it and play it on the BootCamp WinXP side: examples I have include Half Life 2, Oblivion, FEAR.
For me, I will only ever have one machine to do it all: work, web, create, play. I don't want to have lots of different devices all over the house even if overall they cost less and are more focused (yes I do have a stereo (don't play it much now but it's hooked to the TV with surround sound). One major point that bugs me about consoles is that select games are restricted to a specific console: buy PS3 and you can't get Halo for example. So, PC/Macs allow for a common ground there.
Anyway, my 2c.
Hagen

[patriotusa]

I enjoy playing Chessmaster 9000, Hardwood Hearts, and Absolute Backgammon on my Mac. Not to mention Legion and other strategy games. You just don't have the same sort of gaming experience on consoles with those sorts of games. Also, a lot of them just aren't available on consoles or portables. On the other hand, I prefer consoles for playing Star Wars Battlefront and other types of action games because I don't have to worry about constant hardware and software compatibility issues the way I do on my computer or laptop.

[doh123]

Civ4 is great for a strategy game, although i still play Master of Orion 3 also. Both are extremely time consuming games. At times i still play Age of Mythology, and Age of Empires 2, and Rise of Nations.
The only of the above that are universal is Civ4, the rest run fine on my MBP with Rosetta, cant really even tell there is any emulation taking place.
Id like to grab AoE3, but the only place i can seem to find it is the online Apple Store which want $55 for it. I think right now ill just pick up the Civ4 expansion and waste a few more weeks of my life away having fun with that.

[Peter Cohen]

Addendum: My review copy of Age of Empires III just showed up a little while ago, so I can say without reservation that it's out in the world. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Look for it at Apple retail stores and Comp USA -- barring that, mail order catalog companies or Macgamestore.com should have it as well.
And, obviously, look for a full review soon. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[jedi228]

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Addendum: My review copy of Age of Empires III just showed up a little while ago, so I can say without reservation that it's out in the world.

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hmmm, I was checking their website all last week waiting for it change. Still no changes. Has anybody found it at a store?

[melonhed]

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MAC GAMING IS DEAD AS A DOORNAIL.

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Dude, you're trippin'...Relax...Sweet Jesus...
Most of the gamers who've posted here seem to have A LOT more free time than I do...I ONLY ever play games on my Mac, and I can't get around to all the great games that I want to play...Maybe I should be more selective...To me, both Avernum 4 and Doom 3 kick ass in equal measure. Mac games really are the best, in every way.
Is it just me? I work 40 hours a week (on a G5 PowerMac!), commute 10 hours a week, have a family, a dog, a cat, a house, a yard, clothes to wash...I can't imagine running out of Mac games and sitting down in front of the TV to play PS2...Eeewwwh...
How can Mac gaming possibly not be enough? Do I need a different lifestyle?

[Peter Cohen]

FWIW, I've gotten confirmation from the guy who runs Macgamestore.com that they do indeed have it in stock and ready to ship, so yeah, it's out there.

[Peter Cohen]

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How can Mac gaming possibly not be enough? Do I need a different lifestyle?

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Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. One can argue that it's enough to sit down in front of a TV with rabbit ears and watch TV that way -- others might say that it's only when you add cable that it's enough. Others will say that satellite is the way to go. Others might counter that you really need a DVD player. And others will say that if you're really serious, you need a high-def DVD player.
Then there's the question of what you're watching TV on. Are you using a CRT-based TV? How 1980s! Step up to plasma! Projection! DLP! Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

[dac]

I've seen this before. All the games were on the Commodore 64. Then out came the consoles like Colecovision that just killed the games on the home computers.
Technology has advanced since then but the history is quite similar.
I don't see as many games being produced for PCs regardless of it being a PC or a Mac. But still, games will be produced for computers. Then there will be a turn in events and more games will be produced for PCs and not as much interest in consoles.
It's history. There will always be ups and downs as the market evolves. Nothing stays the same. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[sigma8]

I don't know if mac gaming is going anywhere, but I did just wile away my Atlanta to Boston flight by playing Half Life 2 on my MacBook Pro. It ran so nicely, I was so impressed. The only thing that impressed me more than its performance on the MBP was how well I was able to get by using the trackpad to shoot (even headshots).
However, I predict the majority of my mac gaming will be in Boot Camp. So it's not really mac gaming. Notable exception: World of Warcraft.. And to any mac game developers out there: if you get your game to market in a reasonable timeframe and it performs on par with the Windows version...and it's a game I want in the first place...I'll definitely get the mac version.
I couldn't wait for Civ4, and plus the performance issues sounded troublesome. So I have the windows version of that. But I'm still holding out for KotOR 2 on Mac. Games like Rome: Total War and now Medieval 2: Total War.. don't appear to be heading to Mac anytime soon, so they're just a few more things that I'll be booting into WinXP for. Alongside Oblivion, Dreamfall, et al.

[chirobliss]

Oh my God!! You have three game consoles, each of you have your own computers and the way you achieve interaction is through multiplayer websites? You can't ride a train without a miniconsolehave you never heard of a book? You can't do your work without playing a game? I hate to criticize someone's family life but you did mention how you relate to each other.
Man, get a life, and while you are at it grow up. Adults don't spend their lives playing computer games, if they are parents they spend their time parenting. You are not doing your children any favours. Do they ever read a book (that isn't a school assignment?) I'm sure you play ball, go for walks, go swimming, camping. You do don't you, come on reassure me. The real world is a far more interesting place than you seem to realize, and you need to do your bit to ensure that your kids don't think the neighbours are the people on the other end of the modem.
I expect I'm going to take some serious hits from the gaming masters but that only proves my point. Life is outside, go grab it.

[solipsism]

Two questions for anyone:

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I predict the majority of my mac gaming will be in Boot Camp. So it's not really mac gaming. Notable exception: World of Warcraft.. And to any mac game developers out there: if you get your game to market in a reasonable timeframe and it performs on par with the Windows version...and it's a game I want in the first place...I'll definitely get the mac version.

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1) I've been wondering this sense WIndows ran natively on the Mac last February. Does "Mac" refer to the hardware + OS oe just the hardware?
2) Does OS X running on Intel chips make it, in any way, easier for WIndows' software developers to make an OS X version?

[Peter Cohen]

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1) I've been wondering this sense WIndows ran natively on the Mac last February. Does "Mac" refer to the hardware + OS oe just the hardware?

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As far as I'm concerned, for software to be running on the Mac it needs to be Mac-native. Running in Boot Camp or Parallels is rather beside the point.

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2) Does OS X running on Intel chips make it, in any way, easier for WIndows' software developers to make an OS X version?

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In some cases yes, in some cases, no. The architecture of the CPU doesn't change the underlying operating system -- Mac OS X is still Mac OS X -- but having the Intel CPU does help when it comes to converting code that was originally developed to run on an Intel-based system, at least when it comes to byte order and other issues that historically have factored into the amount of time it takes to convert a product to Mac OS X. Ultimately it comes down to the experience of the developer and their comfort level working with the tools.