Valve launched a Mac version of its Steam store/gaming community client, a move we hope will prove to be a real boost to Mac gaming. Here's a direct link to the actual Steam for Mac installer or go to Steampowered.com to view system requirements first.
GrrlGotGame and I used to be avid Mac gamers ourselves and even published an e-zine in the '90s called MacDoom Review, which delved into the sub-culture of a gaming sub-culture (what is it with us and niche audiences?!). It seems that Mac gaming has fallen off in recent years though it's always lagged behind the PC.
Is Steam the cure? A promising launch line-up that features Portal (free until May 24 for both PC and Mac!) and Torchlight certainly seems therapeutic. As a bonus, titles marked as SteamPlay (so far all of them!) allow cross-platform gamers to buy once and play on all supported platforms. It's not clear if you previously purchased a SteamPlay title for PC if you'll get access to the Mac version for free.
Here's the full list of Mac launch titles (check Steam on Wednesdays for new releases):
- Atlantis Sky Patrol
- And Yet it Moves
- Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
- Bob Came in Pieces
- Bookworm Deluxe
- Braid
- Brainpipe: A Plunge to Unhumanity
- Chocolatier: Decadence by Design
- Chuzzle Deluxe
- City of Heroes: Architect Edition
- Civilization IV
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
- Civilization IV: Colonization
- Civilization IV: Warlords
- Civilization IV: The Complete Edition
- Cooking Dash
- Diaper Dash
- The Dig
- Diner Dash: Hometown Hero
- DinerTown Detective Agency
- DinerTown Tycoon
- Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child
- Escape Rosecliff Island
- Fairway Solitaire
- Fitness Dash
- Football Manager 2010
- Galcon Fusion
- Gemini Lost
- Hotel Dash: Suite Success
- Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- KrissX
- Loom
- Luxor
- Luxor 3
- Luxor Mahjong
- Machinarium
- Mahjong Roadshow
- My Tribe
- The Nightshift Code
- Nightshift Legacy: The Jaguar's Eye
- Osmos
- Parking Dash
- Peggle Deluxe
- Peggle Nights
- Portal
- Professor Fizzwizzle and the Molten Mystery
- Quantz
- Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse
- Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 1-5
- Toki Tori
- Torchlight
- TriJinx: A Kristine Kross Mystery
- Unwell Mel
- Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal
- Wandering Willows
- Wedding Dash 2: Rings Around the World
- World of Goo
- Zenerchi
- Zuma Deluxe
oh wait I DO have a mac I can use. I'll see if my Orange Box version of Portal will count. I also have Torchlight and I think that's it. If I find out I'll be sure to let everyone know.
so I bought torchlight during one of their $5 sales a ways back and it's downloading as we speak. I also have my game library (orange box and Indigo Prophecy) listing. Portal gives me an install option and nothing else. So i think it's safe to say if you've previously bought a steampowered game you're good to go. I'll throw a heads up if there are any problems.