2014 has in store quite a number of hotly-anticipated games for the OS X platform. What was once considered a gamers’ wasteland, the Mac has eventually proved to be valid platform for the serious gamer and developing companies are creating more and more games compatible with Macs. Certainly there were plenty of games that were popular in 2013 – so how is it getting even better?
In this article we take a look at the 10 Mac games that will be on our radar during 2014. We can’t wait to get our hands on these titles, and here’s why you should be looking out for them too.
Banner Saga: Chapter 1
Developer: Stoic
Genre: Tactical Role-playing
Imagecredit: Wikimedia Commons
From a trio of former BioWare developers comes The Banner Saga Trilogy, a Viking-themed tactical role-playing video game that will see its first chapter released in mid-January.
The core of the game is to be a single-player campaign of turn-based combat, with the player controlling and being able to build up a party of characters with complementing abilities. One of the highlights of The Banner Saga is its artwork which will feature mainly hand-drawn animation sequences, characters and backgrounds.
Broken Age
Developer: Double Fine Productions
Genre: Point-and-click adventure
Imagecredit: brokenagegame.com
Broken Age is a point-and-click adventure game that aims to recreate the old-school approach to adventure games by using 2D computer graphics. At the time of production Broken Age was the largest crowd-funded video game on Kickstarter, pulling in almost $3.5 million in under a month.
The plot will be based around two young characters, a boy and girl, who are seeking to break from the traditions that govern their lives. The player will be able to switch between the two characters, playing as either the boy, who lives alone on a spacecraft, or the girl, who wants to avoid being sacrificed to a monster by her villagefolk. Broken Age will available primarily by download.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse – Episode 2
Developer: Revolution Software
Genre: Point-and-click adventure
Image credit: Revolution Software
This is the second episode from the fifth installment of the eagerly-awaited Broken Sword series. Broken Sword is a 2D adventure game that takes the player on the trial of a conspiracy involving the Gnostic Gospels.
The player will guide the main characters, George and Nico, to explore and manipulate their environment in search of clues that lead them to the next stage. Following some historical background, the game kicks off in a modern-day Parisian art gallery, where George and Nico witness a man steal a seemingly worthless painting and decide to follow him on a search that takes them around the world and deep into an ancient and mysterious conspiracy.
The AMC Walking Dead Slot Game
Developer: Aristocrat Technologies
Genre: Video game slots
Image credit: vegaschatter.com
The smash hit TV series The Walking Dead will be eagerly awaited for Mac gamblers next year in the form of an exciting slots video game. You’ll be able to win real money whilst fending off demented zombies from invading your reels. The slot game will probably uses Aristocrat’s Verve HD platform, so players can expect some eye-popping visuals and audio to make their gaming experience even more spine-chillingly frightful.
The Walking Dead Slot Game will be freely playable online on major casino sites and judging from the images released it will feature 6 playable reels and plenty of bonuses. You can try it out for free or try your luck for real money. Watch out for this one, it’s going to be bloody fun!
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey
Developer: Read Thread Games
Genre: Adventure
Image credit: redthreadgames.com
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey is a 3D point-and-click adventure game that picks up the story where The Longest Journey and Dreamfall left off. This game focuses on character interaction, exploration of the game world and puzzle solving.
Like the previous games, Dreamfall Chapters is set in two parallel universes: Stark, a dystopian future version of planet Earth and Arcadia, its magical counterpart. The main characters can travel freely between the two universes as they try to bring down the nefarious organisations that seek to dominate their respective worlds.
Choices made during the game will have far-reaching consequences to how the plot plays out. The game will have an online social feature that will allow players to discover how each others’ choices impacted their story.
Carmageddon: Reincarnation
Developer: Stainless Games
Genre: Vehicular combat/Racing
Image credit: carmageddon.com
Carmageddon: Reincarnation is the fourth installment in the Carmageddon series. This game reintroduces the original freeform driving gameplay that made the first game such a smash hit!
Carmageddon: Reincarnation puts you in the driving seat of a twisted mix of automotive killing machines. The game features both classic and new vehicles set in environments with incredibly realistic physics as you plow your way through opponents, pedestrians, and cows, for the highest score. You can also customise your cars to add that personal touch to your preferred rides.
Project Eternity
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre: Role-play
Image credit: eternity.obsidian.net
Project Eternity is an upcoming fantasy role-playing game that will see you become part of a motley crew of adventurers. You’ll be able to explore amazingly detailed worlds and battling ferocious enemies. The game lets you choose your character’s class, race, traits, skills and appearance and give the character its own personal background.
Project Eternity will feature 2D hand-drawn visuals that are just gorgeous to look at. It is already generating a buzz long before the release date since it became the highest funded crowdsourced video game on Kickstarter, collecting just over $4 million in a short time.
The Elder Scrolls Online
Developer: ZeniMax Online Studios
Genre: MMORPG
Image credit: Gameraddictions
The Elder Scrolls Online will be the first open-ended multiplayer installment of The Elder Scrolls video game franchise. Like previous installments, this game will be set in the continent of Tamriel and the storyline will tell of events that took place 1,000 years before those of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
The players will be able to explore most of Tamriel and expansion packs will make it possible to discover even more hidden areas. You can join any of the three warring factions battling over the throne of the Emperor: the Aldmeri Dominion, the Daggerfall Covenant and the Ebonheart Pact which all consist a mix of character types.
The Sims 4
Developer: Maxis/The Sims Studio
Genre: Life simulation
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
The Sims 4 will be the fourth offering from the wildly popular Sims series. The game was announced in May 2013. It will retain the same concept as its predecessors, where players will control their Sims in various life activities and form relationships with other characters like in real life.
The Sims 4 will be a single-player game that won’t require an internet connection except during the initial installation process. Among the new features in The Sims 4 are the improved Create-A-Sim mode and an emotion-based gameplay. Sims will also be able to do multiple tasks at once, such as talking and walking at the same time.
Marvel Heroes Slots
Developer: Marvel Studios
Genre: Video game slots
Image credit: slotsmarvel.com
The video slots based around the Marvel Heroes have taken internet gaming by storm. The addictive gameplay and incredible graphics have made these slot games a firm favorite with fans. There’s a slots game for every Marvel Hero to try out!
2014 will see even more Marvel Heroes slots games rolled out by the developers and we can’t wait to give them a good spin. You can expect more over-the-top bonuses and extra features, as well as plenty of games involving multiple characters from the Marvel Universe. As usual you’ll be able to try them out for free on your Mac and play with real money for the chance of an epic win.