Aspyr Media, the company responsible for the porting of a number of Windows games to the Mac platform, has taken the notable step of embracing Apple's Mac App Store, potentiality leading the way for a surge in gaming interest that could drive growth on the new app marketplace. For its debut, Aspyr is offering Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Civilization IV: Colonization, two notable titles from the company's library of games. Aspyr has told us that it is planning to bring "many" of its titles to the Mac App Store, although some of its games do not meet Apple's current requirements for Mac App Store offerings and will thus be unable to make the transition in the immediate future.
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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4 made its debut on the Mac platform in September 2008, but remains a popular first-person shooter title among Mac gamers. Weighing in at a massive 6.85 GB in the Mac App Store, Call of Duty 4 offers players an immersive gameplay environment and a well-regarded storyline.
Featuring a tense storyline, filled with plot twists, Call of Duty 4 thrusts players into battle like never before. With amazing special effects, including rim-lighting, depth of field, texture streaming and character self-shadowing, players are enlisted into one of the most photo-realistic gaming experiences imaginable.
The community-oriented Call of Duty 4 multiplayer gameplay features a robust leveling system, variety of unlockable perks, hot-join and matchmaking, as well as create a class and party capabilities to ensure that players of all skill levels can join in the fun. Additionally over 100 challenges and a host of new game environments and modes deliver unlimited possibilities. Infinity Ward has also included Kill-Cam, a fan favorite feature that they created in Call of Duty 2, which allows for spectator instant replays.
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Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
Civilization IV: Colonization is an updated remake of the original 1994 Colonization turn-based strategy game, with the Mac version of the new game having seen its first release in January 2010.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization is the fifth offering in the award winning Civilization IV series for the Macintosh. A re-imagining of the classic Colonization strategy game Sid Meier created in 1994, this provides a new game experience in which you lead a European nation on a quest to colonize the thrive in the New World. Explore, trade, fight, and guide your people from the oppressive motherland. Ultimately you can battle for your freedom and independence!
One issue with the two new releases may turn out to be pricing, with Call of Duty 4 going for $49.99 on the Mac App Store. While this is below the standard $54.99 list price for the game, boxed copies of the Mac version of the game are currently going for only $32.56 on Amazon, although some users may prefer the instant access and easy installation on multiple machines permitted with Mac App Store purchases. Civilization IV: Colonization is currently priced at its standard list price of $29.99 in the Mac App Store, but Aspyr itself is currently offering the title at a promo price of $23.96 through its own GameAgent store and Amazon is offering boxed copies for $19.27.
Aspyr and other developers are of course subject to Apple's policies of taking a 30% cut of revenue from Mac App Store sales, making it more difficult for developers to match pricing found through other channels such as Amazon that take smaller profits. But the convenience of the Mac App Store's purchasing, installation, and updating capabilities may serve to draw in users and help drive the growth of the gaming market within the store.
Update: Call of Duty 4 is currently the top-grossing game on the Mac App Store, beating out the popular Angry Birds. Civilization IV: Colonization currently ranks as the fourth-highest grossing game.
