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Limited Origin for Mac alpha client launches, includes free copy of Bookworm
EA has announced an alpha version of the Origin client for Mac is available for testing to a limited number of users in the US and UK. Origin for Mac will eventually evolve, offering a similar experience for Mac users as already seen on PC. In its current form, however, the Mac client does not include the ability to stream gameplay directly to Twitch or purchase software. According to the Origin FAQ, those features will be added soon.Origin for Mac requires OS X 10.6.8 or newer, with an Intel Core Duo 2 processor or better.As a reward for those willing to test the client, EA is giving away a copy of Popcap's Bookworm to all downloaders, so log in and download it while you can. Spaces are limited.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: Bookworm
If you're into word games, today's Daily Mac App will be right up your street. Bookworm, from PopCap, is a word game that combines Boggle-style word making with Bejeweled-style tile removal. You're presented with a board of tiles filled from the top that's seven columns wide and seven to eight tiles high. You link adjacent tiles to make words with a minimum length of three letters and for each word you make you get points based on its length and letter types. Each word removes those used tiles from the board. The "Classic game" is simple enough, but as you progress you must deal with "burning tiles" that burn through letters, dropping down one tile per turn. If they reach the bottom of the board it's game over, so you have to use them in a word pretty fast. Other special tiles come into play as rewards. Green tiles appear randomly and will increase your word score if you include them. Gold tiles are earned by creating words with five letters or more, and are worth even more. Diamond and sapphire tiles are also available for massive scores. You can boost your score by creating the suggested bonus words that pop up too. There's also an "Action game" that drops many more burning tiles requiring you to match words as quick as you can to survive. It's a great game for word game fans and can get pretty addictive as you level up at the end of each round. Bookworm is available for US$6.99 from the Mac App Store, directly from PopCap if you're not on Snow Leopard or Lion and is available in the browser for free too.
PopCap looses 13-game Mac pack for $50, free time mysteriously disappears
In a thinly veiled attempt at free time domination the world over (at least with regards to Mac users), PopCap is currently offering its "Complete Pack" for the significantly lowered price of $50. All of our favorite time-thieving addictions are present -- from Plants vs. Zombies to Bookworm to Bejeweled 2 -- as well as a handful of other games totaling 13 in all. There's no cutoff date given for the bundle's sale, but we'd suggest snapping it up sooner than later. That is, if you're looking to say goodbye to everything for a little while.
A whole bunch of PopCap games offered at half-price
You've probably got plenty of games from the present-receiving ceremony of your holiday of choice -- unfortunately, they're all about to get brutally neglected. Casual gaming juggernaut PopCap is offering 15 of its games for half-price; for most of these titles, that knocks the cost down to $9.95. Sadly, there won't be any opportunities to sink time into that still-fresh copy of Dragon Age: Origins once Peggle Nights snaps its colorful, unrelenting jaws down onto you.
NintendoWare Weekly: Tales of Monkey Island, Bookworm, The Combatribes
If you thought last week's NintendoWare Weekly update was huge, well ... you'll probably think the same thing about this week's update! That's mostly because Nintendo provides quite the overweight offering this time, with a total of ten new titles available for your post-Thanksgiving download. Loosen that belt and make some room for more by heading past the break for the full list of this week's releases.
Bejeweled, Bookworm coming to DSiWare
If you've been trying to convince your casual-minded significant other that you don't just want, but rather need, a DSi in addition to the DS you own, your moment may have just arrived. PopCap has announced that it'll be bringing its stupefyingly popular puzzle titles Bookworm and Bejeweled Twist to DSiWare this month and the next, respectively. Sure, they'll be out later on retail shelves (December 1, 2009 for Bookworm and Q1 2010 for Bejeweled Twist), but if you're going to score yourself a new DSi, your significant other can never know this. They can never, ever know.
PopCap following Peggle: Dual Shot with DS Bookworm, Bejeweled Twist
Until now, perhaps the only people to be safe from PopCap Games have been DS owners: we have plenty of excellent, short-session, portable puzzle games that seem to preclude the need to seek out stuff like Peggle. But now Peggle: Dual Shot has found us, and PopCap isn't stopping there. The company told Forbes that it is planning DS versions of Bejeweled Twist, the latest iteration of its hit block puzzle game, and Bookworm, a block/word puzzle game about creating words from fallen tiles, for release this holiday season. No specifics were given, but these two small, casual puzzle games would certainly be killer apps for DSiWare. [Via Shacknews]
Popcap's Bookworm now available on mobile phones
Good news for word nerds: Popcap's Scrabble-esque casual game Bookworm is now available for mobile phones in the UK and US. Boring Thanksgiving gatherings can now be ameliorated with hours of word-forming fun on your cellphone, while your Aunt tells her "funny story" for the umpteenth time.Previously only available on PC, Mac, and Blackberries, the new Bookworm Mobile incorporates control schemes specifically tailored to the limitations of cellphone interfaces. The game also now references the Oxford English Dictionary, and can recognize nearly 140,000 words. T-Mobile will be providing the title in the UK, and all major mobile carriers in the US carry the game.Apologies in advance for the impending and/or relapsed addictions. Bookworm was bad enough when it was tethered to PCs. Now that it's portable, the dependency is only going to get worse.
