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Steam Play for Linux now lets you play Windows games
This week, Valve announced a new beta version of Steam Play that includes a Windows emulator for Linux. This project is part of Steam's effort to bring more compatible games to Linux, allowing those users to play a larger subset of the service's back catalog. The team also hopes that this new feature will make it easier for developers to create Linux-compatible versions of their games.
Valve may offer tools to play Windows games on Steam Machines
Valve's Steam Machine platform hasn't really taken off, and it's not just because of the hardware. When few developers are willing to release Linux-native versions of games to run on Steam OS, there just isn't a lot to play. Thankfully, the company may have a way to bring more titles to the platform... sort of. Reddit users have pointed out that Steam's graphical interface files now include a section with not-so-secret references to a Steam Play feature that would auto-load "compatibility tools" to play games "built for other operating systems." In other words, Steam OS might include some kind of emulation.
Metro: Last Light's nuclear horror creeps to Mac in September, Linux later this year
Developer 4A Games is spreading Metro: Last Light's bleak vision of a nuclear future (is there any other kind?) to new digs starting September 10th. Next month it'll be available via Steam -- with Steam Play support -- and the App Store for Mac, but Linux fans have to wait until "sometime later" this year to play another high-profile title on Valve's favorite OS. If add-on content turns your crank, the extended love the Windows and console versions got will be available at launch, with future releases arriving simultaneously for all systems. If you haven't played Last Light's prequel on one of those other platforms and want to catch up on the story, give the book it's based on a shot in the meantime. You've finished all your feel-good beach novels by now, yeah?
Jack Lumber now available on Steam
Jack Lumber is an excellent game that arrived on iOS last year. It's reminiscient of Fruit Ninja, in that you drag your finger around the screen to chop through wood, though I think it's an improvement on Halfbrick's formula -- it's got a more complex meta game, and the mechanic is a little deeper as well (the action slows down when your finger touches the screen, allowing for different types of cuts and slashes). Jack Lumber is still available on iOS, but just in case you'd rather use a mouse than your finger, the game has just arrived on Steam as well. The Steam version will work on your Mac, or on PC or Linux as well, and it's SteamPlay-enabled, so if you buy for one platform you own them all. Currently, the game is on sale for just $5.02, and while there's no new content, the game has been re-tweaked to work with a mouse (though it will also work with a stylus if you'd rather do that). Jack Lumber is a great title, so definitely grab it on Steam if you're interested in that, or just give it a look on iOS if you didn't before. Update: I was wrong -- the game does have a new "Infinitree" mode to play. So go enjoy that!
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy enrolls in Mac App Store, cross-platform on Steam
Aspyr has ported Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy to Mac, available today through the Mac App Store or as a cross-platform Steam Play game. Tuition for the Jedi Academy will set Padawans – and whatever the Sith equivalent of a Padawan is – back $9.99.Of course, if you've already purchased the Windows version on Steam, you get access to the Mac port as part of that initial purchase. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy requires OS X 10.7.5 or higher – if you're looking to enroll in a real Jedi class, you should probably think about moving to New York.
Witcher 2 on Mac via Steam right now, reports say GOG coming too
The Witcher 2 is available for Mac on Steam right now, and it's even on sale for 25 percent off, just $22.50.The Witcher 2 is dropping for Mac on GOG today as well, Eurogamer reports -- which suggests that from today, GOG will support Mac games.CD Projekt Red and GOG have a conference today at 2 p.m. ET, set to stream live from the Witcher Facebook page and on GOG. This may have been one of the surprise announcements scheduled for the event, but there should be plenty more. CD Projekt Red plans to announce the official name of its Cyberpunk game and show off the REDkit mod tools program.
Dear Esther comes to Mac on Steam, is half off through Thursday
Dear Esther has finally wandered across the barren PC wasteland to end up on Mac as part of the larger Steam island system. Dear Esther, developed by current Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs team thechineseroom, now supports SteamPlay and is half off for Midweek Madness, through May 17.
Bastion gets Steamplay support, on limited sale
Months after winning numerous end-of-year accolades, Bastion can append one more teensy triumph to the list: Steamplay support. If you purchase Supergiant's vibrant action-RPG through Steam, you'll be able to play it on PC or Mac.Bastion is on sale for six bucks through Valve's service for a limited time (until May 3). The discount also applies to a game and soundtrack bundle, which can be had for $9.98. And if you must have a physical copy ... try Afghanistan.
PSA: Serious Sam 3: BFE has an encounter with Mac today
Sam has traveled through time and space, and now he's traveling across platforms. Serious Sam 3: BFE is now available for download on Mac.If you already own the game through Steam, the Steamplay functionality – which lets you play select games on both Windows and PC – is also unlocked today. If you prefer to save money on games where exploding, screaming dudes run right at you, you'll be happy to learn that Serious Sam 3: BFE is also marked down to $13.60 on Steam until April 30.
Witcher 1: Enhanced Edition now on OSX, Witcher 2: EE gets free backup on GOG.com
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut is now available for OSX via Steam for $9.99, CD Projekt has just announced. The port requires OSX 10.6.8 or newer, an Intel Core 2 Duo (or better) and roughly 11 gigs of free space. Since it's a SteamPlay title, users who have purchased The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut from Steam on PC will automatically receive the OSX version, and vice versa.CD Projekt also announced that every copy of The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition includes a complimentary, DRM-free backup copy at GOG.com, regardless of where the game is actually purchased. Said backups also include any extras that may have been included with whatever version of Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition you purchased, such as art books and soundtracks.
Limbo celebrates one million in sales with Mac OS release by 'end of the year'
After a half-price XBLA sale sent the excellent indie Limbo to the top of the best-sellers list last week, developer Playdead has announced that it's sold one million copies of the punishing platformer across three platforms, including PSN and PC. To celebrate that milestone, Playdead is adding an additional platform to the mix: Mac OS. The Mac release is currently "in the works" and "will be released before the end of the year." Playdead CEO and co-founder Dino Patti told Joystiq that the Mac release will support SteamPlay, for those of you who've already purchased the PC release, and will also be released on the Mac App Store, if that's more your speed. The one million milestone also provided Playdead an opportunity to discuss its recent actions to ensure its own independence by "fully acquiring the company from early investors." Patti says, "We are grateful to everyone who supported us over the past few years, and look forward to forging new partnerships that will both let us reach new heights as a studio and give our director, Arnt Jensen, room to grow creatively."
Valve makes Team Fortress 2 free-to-play
In case you missed it last night, Valve has turned its excellent team-based shooter Team Fortress 2 into an entirely free-to-play experience, so even if you haven't picked up the game yet, you can head over to Steam right now and download and play it completely free, forever. The game was one of the biggest titles Valve brought over when Steam was made compatible with the Mac, so it's 100% OS X seaworthy -- just install Steam and you're good to get the game. Valve says it will be monetizing the title through the purchase of in-game items, but they're all cosmetic or conveniences at this point, so you only need to pay if you want to wear a fancy hat or don't want to wait to build up an item. In short, Team Fortress 2 is a great game that now anyone can download and play for free. That's reason to celebrate this weekend, so jump on in, and I'll be the Medic right behind you.
Portal 2 on PS3: How to redeem the free Steam copy for your PC
So you've got a brand new PS3 copy of Portal 2 and you're ready to snag the included free Steam copy, compatible with your PC or Mac. Now what? As it turns out, it's ridiculously easy to redeem -- especially if you already have a Steam account. Check out the video after the break to see how it's done.
Super Meat Boy's PC level hub is 'days away,' Mac port to follow
In addition to the game's forthcoming level editor, Super Meat Boy devs Team Meat are planning a hub for user-created content: Super Meat World. The hub's launch is set for "very soon, days away even," according to tweets from Team Meat. Aside from allowing Steam players to share and download individual levels, Super Meat World will support sharing of full chapters -- at least those that Team Meat chooses to feature. And once Super Meat World is complete, the team says it'll get to work on the Mac iteration of Super Meat Boy, with a Linux version following that (seriously). As previously noted, Steam users who already purchased SMB won't have to repurchase to play on OS X, as the game features SteamPlay functionality.
Bit.Trip Runner's bits take the trip to Steam today
Bit.Trip Flux isn't the only release in Gaijin Games' abstract series to arrive today. While CommanderVideo's journey is ending today on WiiWare in Flux, his highly-choreographed run is just getting started on Steam with the debut of Bit.Trip Runner for PC and Mac. Gaijin announced the surprise SteamPlay port for release today, currently on sale for $9 (the price will bump up to $10 on March 8). The Steam version of Runner features a graphical upgrade over the original WiiWare release to better showcase the IGF-nominated visual design, along with leaderboards, achievements and new Easy and Hard modes. According to Gaijin, Xbox 360 and Wii (via Bluetooth) controllers are supported, too, which is good -- forced keyboard controls wouldn't have been the best way to alter the difficulty level.
Zen Bound 2 arrives on the Mac via Steam
Zen Bound 2, the second in the series of terrific iPhone and iPad games, is now out on the Mac platform as well, courtesy of Valve's great Steam platform. If you've ever played this one (and you definitely should), you'll know how it works -- wrap a virtual rope around a series of weird shapes trying to cover a certain percentage of the surface with paint. The gameplay's super intuitive and the whole experience is very zen, with solid colors and graphics backing up a great soundtrack and some intriguing realistic physics. The iOS version is universal at $2.99, and the Mac version comes in at just a little bit higher than that at $4.99. But the visuals have been upgraded a bit, and the desktop version will even make use of trackpad controls on the MacBooks and the Magic Trackpad if you want to play that way. Plus, the title has been released under the SteamPlay banner, which means that buying it once will get you access to both the Mac and Windows versions if you want to install and run it on a few different computers. Great game, and of course, it's always nice to support Steam's choice to step on over with us on the Mac, too.
Left 4 Dead 2 coming to the Mac this Tuesday
This is it -- the rumors were true! The last non-Mac holdout of Valve's Source titles is Left 4 Dead, the zombie-killing shooter featuring four survivors and a whole lot of undead, but that's about to change. The official site for the newest Left 4 Dead 2 downloadable content, "The Sacrifice," confirms that the game's sequel is coming to the Mac this very Tuesday, October 5th. Left 4 Dead 2 will be released, as have all of the Source games, under the Steam Play banner. That means if you own it on the PC, you also own it on the Mac, so all you'll have to do is download and start shooting zombies. Anyone who buys the game on Steam will get all of the DLC for free, which makes for the original five campaigns plus the three DLC levels to play through. That's an excellent deal for sure. Unfortunately, the first game is not yet ready for the Mac; apparently, it's taking Valve a little longer than expected to get it OS X-compatible. But Valve promises that when it is released, Steam owners will get the same deal -- all the DLC with the game itself. That's good stuff. Of course, with Left 4 Dead finally coming to our platform, which game will we be stuck waiting for next? Civ V, where you at? Thanks, Ben H!
Valve confirms Steam for Mac, debuts in April
Eager gamers have no doubt already seen the teasers, but Valve has now finally confirmed that its Steam game distribution service and Source engine will at long last be headed to the Mac. According to Valve, the company's current line-up of games (including the Half-Life and Left 4 Dead series) will be available to Mac users in April, while Portal 2 will represent the company's first simultaneous release for PC and Mac later this year. Better still, Steamworks for Mac also boasts a new feature called "Steam Play," which will let you buy a game once and, for instance, start playing it on a PC at work and then pick up where you left off on your Mac at home (we'll give you a moment to let that sink in). Game publishers will have to enable that feature themselves, but Valve says it expects most to take advantage of it.
