feral interactive
Latest
'Alien: Isolation' is coming to iOS and Android on December 16th
The 'complete survival horror experience' will include all seven DLC packs for $15.
'Total War: Rome Remastered' revives an RTS classic on April 29th
Rome: Total War, one of the best real-time strategy games ever released, is getting a remaster.
Disney's Castle of Illusion lowers the bridge for Mac this week
It's not a trick, Michael, it's Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, and it's out this week on Mac. The 2013 remake of Disney's classic platformer hits the platform on Thursday, July 24, courtesy of Feral Interactive. It's priced $15 in the US and £10 across the pond. In our four-star review, Danny Cowan deemed Castle of Illusion a "very successful remake." In his words, the new incarnation "captures the original's unique style while expanding on it in a meaningful way, without burdening the experience with unnecessary additions or other concessions to the Disney license. Castle of Illusion is blessed with a magic that transcends licensing, and 20 years after its initial release, it's still a damn fine platformer." [Image: Disney]
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut sneaks onto Mac
A Mac version of the Deus Ex: Human Revolution "Director's Cut" is available now from developer Feral Interactive. The version is available exclusively through Steam. DX:HR - Director's Cut overhauls the original RPG's boss battles, tweaks enemy AI and "upgrades" the game's textures, fog, shadows and lighting. Black and gold environments never looked so pristine! The Director's Cut also includes The Missing Link and Tong's Rescue Mission DLC, as well as the Tactical Enhancement pack. All content has "all been seamlessly integrated into the narrative flow of the main game." Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut is $19.99 on Steam, though as a Steam Play title the version is available to all whom already own the PC version of the game. The Mac version requires a 2.0Ghz Intel Mac with at least 4.0GB RAM, 512MB or better graphics card and Mac OS 10.8.5 or later. Deus Ex: Human Revolution supports the ATI 4850 series or better, Intel HD4000 series or better, and NVIDIA GT130, NVIDIA 9600 or NVIDIA 600 series or better. [Image: Square Enix]
Feudal Japan invades OS X this Spring in Total War: Shogun 2
Feral Interactive, a company best known for porting major PC hits to Apple's OS X operating system, has revealed plans to release Total War: Shogun 2 at some point this Spring. Developed by Creative Assembly and originally released for the PC in 2011, Total War: Shogun 2 is a strategy game that drops players into 16th century Japan, a time known as the "Warring States" period. Players will control one of nine clans, all of which seek to conquer their contemporaries and unite Japan under a single flag. Mass combat plays out in real-time, but those who prefer more subtle methods can avoid direct conflict by dispatching assassins or focusing on diplomatic resolutions. Though the Mac incarnation of Total War: Shogun 2 arrives long after its PC counterpart, it will include all of the DLC released for the prior game for free. No price point or specific release date has yet been established for Total War: Shogun 2 on OS X, though Feral Interactive claims these details will be coming soon. [Image: Sega]
Hitman: Absolution to get Elite Edition on Mac this spring
) If you're wondering what that gleaming sphere popping above the bushes is, veering closer and closer to your MacBook (why do you leave your MacBook out in the yard?), Agent 47 and Hitman: Absolution is coming to Mac this spring courtesy of Feral Interactive. No news yet on a more specific date for the 2012 stealth adventure, or how much will ring up on the till when you scan 47's neck. Feral notes all the game's additional content features in the codenamed "Elite Edition," including the standalone sharpshooting of Hitman: Sniper Challenge. [Image: Square Enix]
Tomb Raider, a reboot game that also reboots Mac gaming
The iconic Lara Croft got a franchise reboot last year with the new Tomb Raider game was released for Xbox, PlayStation and PC. Now, Feral Interactive has brought Tomb Raider to the Mac and, after only a week of playing it, I'm certain it will be be the 2014 Mac Game of the Year. Here's a little background on Tomb Raider. This edition takes everything you know about Croft and throws it out of the window. Tomb Raider is a complete reboot of the series. Similar to how Batman Begins replaced the film Batman with a gritty, stark realism, so too does Tomb Raider. Gamers play a young (late teens) Croft on her first solo outing. This isn't the same rich brat from earlier versions of the game, flirting with danger for kicks. Instead, young Croft is insecure, weak and very, very afraid of the situation she's gotten herself in to. The game begins with Croft on the Endurance, a boat carrying a crew of archaeologists trying to discover the lost kingdom of the Sun Queen on the island of Yamatai, and island that is part of the Dragon's Triangle near Japan. The boat is shipwrecked during a storm and things go from bad to worse. Almost immediately she is abducted and wakes up hanging upside-down from a cave's ceiling among several dead bodies. During her escape, she falls, is badly wounded and scared as hell. Unlike in previous Tomb Raider titles, she's not yet a world-class acrobat, nor is she any kind of fighter. It's the writers and animators of Tomb Raider that deserve the praise for conveying just how scared Lara is when she begins her adventure. And now let's talk about that adventure. Tomb Raider is a great mix of stealth, puzzles and first-person shooter. But unlike past editions, the puzzles are integrated into the story well, and don't come off as being set up by an ancient civilization whose favorite past time was apparently making puzzles for future adventurers. The tone of the story appears to be heavily influenced by Lost (stranded on a mysterious island with weird stuff going on) and a psychological horror movie. Without ruining anything, the game's makers do an incredible job of explaining why all these murderous cult members who are trying to kill you are insane murders -- you learn, in one of the creepiest parts of the game -- why they are so messed up. Another nice thing about this Tomb Raider is it's not entirely Croft's show. Refreshingly, the other members of the Endurance have survived the crash and they are as much as part of the story as she is, with Croft meeting up with various crew members throughout the game. Graphics-wise, this is the most beautiful game I've ever played on my Mac. I was running it on the latest MacBook Pro with Retina display at full resolution and the game didn't have so much as a hiccup. And those graphics -- I could hardly tell where a cut scene ended and gameplay began; the graphics are that good. Everything from the environmental effects to blood dripping from her body was as lifelike as anything I've ever seen on a Mac. Gameplay was also easy enough with the keyboard and trackpad, although I see why Feral advises users to use a gamepad. The one thing I do wish Feral would have done is give a few more cues earlier on in the game on how to perform a movement. When the cues first appear, they only show once and are so brief, I, at first, found myself getting frustrated trying to figure out how to do stuff. The game also has a few, limited bugs. One time the game froze and navigating the main menu system appears to lag sometimes when you are selecting submenus, but overall those bugs are minor and infrequent and can easily be fixed in a minor update. A game that is as graphically rich as Tomb Raider understandably has some hefty system requirements, so be sure you check to make sure that your Mac can handle it before you buy. The minimum system requirements are a Mac with a 2.0 GHz Intel processor, 4 GB RAM, 512 MB graphics and 14 GB of free space. However, Feral recommends a 2.4 GHz Intel processor, 6 GB RAM, 1 GB graphics and 14 GB of free space for best performance. Also note that the following graphics cards are NOT supported: ATI X1xxx series, ATI HD2xxx series, Intel GMA series, Intel HD3000, NVIDIA 3xx series, NVIDIA 7xxx series, NVIDIA 8xxx series and NVIDIA 9xxx series. At US$49.99, Tomb Raider isn't a cheap game, but it's the best one you'll buy on the Mac this year. Tomb Raider was meant to reboot an aging franchise, which it's done successfully, but in the process, thanks to the porting by Feral Interactive, it's also rebooted gaming on the Mac and set a new standard for Mac games yet to come. Tomb Raider is available on the Mac App Store.
Tomb Raider arrows onto Mac, out now
Mac owners can raid some rebooted tombs starting today, with Crystal Dynamics' 2013 edition of Tomb Raider out now on the App Store for $50. A word of warning: The App Store version doesn't feature online multiplayer, but Mac ports specialist Feral Interactive says other versions are on the way next week on January 30. PS4 and Xbox One owners are up next on January 28, with those platforms being treated to Definitive Editions. If you're wondering what exactly makes those versions Definitive, check out the graphical improvements which include improved texturing, a more detailed Lara model, and even silkier hair graphics - because she's worth it.
Rayman Origins makes a dash for Mac on December 12
It's taken a while, but the excellent platforming action of Rayman Origins will finally be available to Mac users this week. Feral Interactive is handling the Mac port of the game, which will release on December 12 for $20 on a variety of digital distribution platforms. Minimum system requirements include a 1.5Ghz Intel Mac running Mac OS 10.8.5 or later, with at least 4GB of RAM and a 256MB graphics card or better. The game does not support these graphics cards: ATI X1xxx series, ATI HD2xxx series, Intel GMA series, NVIDIA 7xxx series and NVIDIA 8xxx series. Developed by Ubisoft Montpelier, Rayman Origins – which we thoroughly enjoyed – first launched back in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, and tasks series star Rayman with saving kidnapped Nymphs from an evil witch who has plunged the world into darkness. Michel Ancel, Rayman franchise creator, oversaw development of both Rayman Origins and its recent sequel, Rayman Legends.
Tomb Raider plots journey to Mac
Feral Interactive is bringing the Crystal Dynamics reboot of Tomb Raider to the Mac later this year. Mac specialist Feral wasn't any more specific than that, but the good news is there are only 84 days left in the year, so the wait can't be all that much longer. We were fond of Tomb Raider when it hit PS3, Xbox 360, and PC earlier this year, doling out a healthy four stars in our review. Square Enix was infamously less fond of Lara's adventure, despite the game shifting more than four million copies as of August. Maybe the Mac port's [x] millions of sales will help to satiate the publisher's hunger.
Lord of the Rings: War in the North will hit the Mac on Aug. 29
Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and Middle Earth rejoice -- Feral Interactive will be shipping a Mac port of Snowblind Studios' The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (US$30) on August 29. Don't be surprised if you don't recall any of the events that take place in the title, which is an action role-playing game set in northern Middle Earth. About the only mention of the war in the trilogy came from Gandalf the White, saying "With his far-reaching right hand, Sauron might have done great evil in the North. Yet all that has been averted because a handful of heroes stood in his path." That small band of heroes consists of Eradin the Ranger, Andriel the Elf and Farin the Dwarf, who take on the forces of Sauron in the game. LOTR:WITN is playable in both single-player and co-op multiplayer modes, and requires at least OS X 10.7.5 (be sure to check the system requirements before purchase). [via MacNN]
XCOM: Enemy Unknown for Mac comes to Steam
The Mac version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is available now on Steam for $40. The news represents a curious turnaround for the Mac version's developer and general Mac specialist Feral Interactive, who told us back in May it "doesn't release games on Steam." A month later, Feral announced the arrival of the Mac version on Steam, which it says supports cross-platform multiplayer across Windows PC and Mac. Also, if you've bought the PC version on Steam, you'll have free access to the Mac version. XCOM: Enemy Unknown launched a full-scale invasion of our Top 10 of 2012 list, eventually notching a commendable second place behind Journey. Since then, Firaxis' extraterrestrial strategy game has hovered across to iOS, where it's currently available for $20.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Mac version not on Steam
Though XCOM: Enemy Unknown Elite Edition arrived on Mac on April 25, one place it didn't launch was Steam. A representative of the Mac version's developer, Feral Interactive, told Joystiq that it "does not release games on Steam." This isn't the only game that Feral has shipped on platforms not owned by Valve, as the developer is credited with creating Mac versions of BioShock 2, Grid and both Batman: Arkham City and Arkham Asylum, among many other games. When asked about whether any games from its catalog would launch on Steam at any point, the representative said they "do not talk about future products." Feral is offering XCOM: Enemy Unknown on the Mac App Store, among other online retailers listed on its site.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown headed to Mac in Elite Edition
Strategy game fans got some great news today with the announcement that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is coming to Mac (can we please call it "OS XCOM" now?) this spring. The highly rated game from Civilization developer Firaxis is being ported to OS X by Feral Interactive from last October's PC release. Dubbed the Elite Edition, the Mac version will include three DLC add-ons: Slingshot, Elite Soldier and Second Wave. Pricing and an exact release date will be confirmed closer to launch. A reboot of the classic X-COM: UFO Defense, which was released in 1994 by MicroProse, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a turn-based title that sees players commanding a squad of elite soldiers in combat against extraterrestrial threats. The game also includes a base building element where players expand their secret XCOM headquarters, research alien technology and train their forces before sending them into battle. [Via MacRumors]
Batman: Arkham City finally hitting Mac this month
Originally slated to arrive last month, it looks like the Mac version of Batman: Arkham City is on track for release by the end of December. In development at Feral Interactive, the game was released on consoles and Windows in fall 2011 and recently came to Nintendo's new Wii U. Feral was responsible for porting the original Batman: Arkham Asylum to Mac last November. It has handled other high-profile conversions such as BioShock, BioShock 2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The Mac version of Batman: Arkham City will sell for US$40 and features all of the DLC released for other versions of the game. This means the additional Harley Quinn's Revenge side story, plus the Catwoman, Nightwing and Robin packs are included. In other Mac game news, Aspyr Media has launched Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum on the Mac App Store, Steam and its own digital storefront, GameAgent. You can get it or any other title for 25 percent off on GameAgent using the discount code GameAgent25.
Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition headed to Mac
Feral Interactive has a lot of expertise bringing PC games to the Mac, but they haven't quite figured out how to do it quickly yet. Batman: Arkham City was one of the biggest console hits of last year, but Feral Interactive is only now releasing it on the Mac. The game's going to be available in November, so if you haven't played it yet and you've been waiting for the Mac version, the wait isn't quite over. There is a bright side, at least: This will be the Game of the Year Edition, which means that all of the downloadable content will be included -- the Catwoman content that came with the game plus the Harley Quinn's Revenge pack. The game features an open-world environment, lots of thugs to beat up with a really fun combat system and plenty of cameos from your favorite Batman characters. Arkham City's a great game, and it'll be nice to finally have it on the Mac, but man, it would have been even better to get it a little sooner than November.
Feral Interactive bringing two Sega Sonic games to Mac
I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Feral Interactive: They're a company that specializes in porting games from other platforms over to the Mac, and I'm more interested in natively developed and published Mac games. But I have to respect them nevertheless: Feral picked up an Apple Design Award for their port of Deus Ex: Human Revolution at WWDC last week, so they must be doing something right. And now Sega has chosen them to bring Sonic the Hedgehog to the Mac platform for the first time. Feral is going to be bringing Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing and SEGA Superstars Tennis to the Mac App Store, with both games arriving later on this summer. In addition to porting the games, they'll also be Game Center-enabled, because Game Center will be used in Apple's next OS X update, Mountain Lion. It's also interesting that Sega has already released one of these games, All-Stars Racing, on the App Store. So Feral can probably thank the iOS platform for Sega's interest in Mac gaming. I wouldn't be surprised if it's because of Sega's success on iOS that the company is dipping its toe into the Mac App Store as well.
Bioshock 2 for Mac (finally) out now
Better late than never, I guess. Bioshock 2 has finally (more than two years after the PC release) arrived on the Mac as a port from Feral Interactive. This one is the sequel to the classic title from Ken Levine (who's currently working on the next game in the series, Bioshock Infinite), and while it's not quite as good as the original, it does add some new elements to the gameplay, and if nothing else, will return you to Rapture, the ruined underwater city that's been one of the most fascinating settings in video games over the last decade or so. This version also contains the Fall of Rapture multiplayer game, so you can face off against other players online if you like. The price is $30.99, and you can grab the game from Feral Interactive directly, or pick it up on the Mac App Store.
BioShock 2 emerges on Mac today
BioShock 2 is out on Mac today, in just enough time for you to enjoy the entire game before playing BioShock Infinite on anything but Mac this October -- although if you enjoy waiting, we hear the Vita version still doesn't have a release date. BioShock 2 on Mac includes the multiplayer component, The Fall of Rapture, as well as the complete campaign.Irrational previously announced BioShock 2 would hit Mac in January, published by Feral Interactive. Turns out half of that statement was true, and BioShock 2 is today available for Mac download via the Feral store, Mac App Store, Gamersgate, Gamefly, Mac Game Store and Macgames.fr.
BioShock 2 brings dystopia to OS X in January 2012
It's been nearly two years since BioShock 2 first came out on consoles and PC -- but, oddly enough, the game's still not finished being released. Next month, the game finally gets ported to Mac OS X and, like the first BioShock, the work is being done by Mac dev Feral Interactive, who will also handle distribution of the game online. Maybe you're staunchly opposed to buying games from Feral Interactive's website, for fear of the game being untrainable and potentially disease-ridden? Gamersgate will also be offering the game as a bundle with the first, so you can totally chill out. BioShock 2 for OS X will become available at some point next month, but if you really want to give Feral your money early the company is already accepting pre-orders.
