5 Incredible Mac Compatible Games available in 2008

As the Mac market share grows, game publishers are beginning to realize that it's worth it to spend the extra money developing Mac versions of their games. All of the games mentioned in this article will run native in the Mac OS when they are released. These 5 games do not necessarily constitute enough of a reason to forsake your beloved PCs, but they are reason enough to have your gaming itch satisfied if you are a current Mac owner and don't want to dual boot! If you like it, digg it!

Starcraft 2 | Release Date: 12/3/2008 | Source: EBgames

StarCraft II is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game currently under development by Blizzard Entertainment as a sequel to the award-winning 1998 video game StarCraft. First announced on May 19, 2007, in Seoul, South Korea, StarCraft II is being developed for concurrent release on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X. While the release date is not completely certain, retailers like EBgames are taking preorders for its expected release in late 2008.



StarCraft II continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival. Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II will present a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard will again offer unparalleled online play through Battle.net, the company's world-renowned gaming service, with several enhancements and new features to make StarCraft II the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.

Spore | Release Date: Sep 7, 2008

Spore is a PC game under development by Maxis and designed by Will Wright. The game has drawn wide attention for its promise to simulate the development of a species through open-ended, on-the-fly, user-guided evolution.



At first glance, Spore is a "teleological evolution" game, or "god game". The player molds and guides a species across many generations, growing it from a single-celled organism into a more complex animal. Eventually, the species becomes sapient. At this point the player begins molding and guiding this species' society, progressing it towards a space-faring civilization. Spore's main innovation is the use of procedural generation for many of the components of the game, providing vast scope and open-endedness. Wright said: "I didn't want to make players feel like Luke Skywalker or Frodo Baggins. I wanted them to be like George Lucas or J.R.R. Tolkien."

World of Warcraft: Wrath of Lich King | Release Date: Fall 2008 (Possibly 11/03/08?)

Blizzard Entertainment's latest expansion to World of Warcraft "Wrath of the Lich King" adds a host of epic content to the existing game world. Players will achieve soaring levels of power, explore a vast new continent, and battle other high-level heroes to determine the fate of Azeroth.



The Lich King Arthas has set in motion events that could lead to the extinction of all life on Azeroth. With the armies of the undead and the necromantic power of the plague threatening to sweep across the land, only the mightiest heroes can oppose the Lich King's will and end his reign of terror for all time.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Release Date: July 7, 2008

Call of Duty 4 is the fourth installment of the Call of Duty video game series, excluding expansion packs. The game breaks away from the World War II setting of previous games in the series and is instead set in modern times.



The story is centered around a fictional near-future conflict involving the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia, who are fighting against Russian ultranationalists in civil war torn Russia, and rebels that have staged a coup d'état in a small Middle Eastern country. It is told from the perspectives of a United States Marine and a member of the British SAS, and is set in multiple locations, including the Middle East, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Prypiat, Ukraine. The multiplayer portion of the game features various game modes, and contains a leveling system that allows the player to unlock additional weapons, weapon attachments, and camouflage schemes as they advance. The game was in development for two years. It uses a proprietary game engine, and includes features that include true world-dynamic lightning, HDR lighting effects, dynamics shadows, and depth of field.

Neverwinter Nights 2 | Release Date: 3/3/2008

Last on the list is Neverwinter Nights 2. Though the PC version has been out for a while now (since October 31, 2006), the Mac version was released in March. In the game, players rise from a peasant to a full-fledged hero as you defend the Realms against one of the greatest threats of the age.



Build a character that suits your style of play - good or evil, chaotic or lawful, with any number of skills, feats and professions available at the click of a button. Whether lobbing fireballs and researching forgotten spells as a powerful Wizard, hacking a trail through legions of orcs as a Fighter armed only with a battle axe and your courage, or taking on the role of a Rogue that can slip into the shadows at a moment's notice, the choice is yours. Choose your alignment, your allies, your companions, and how you want your character to develop? design the character you want, role-play the way you want, and carry the battle to the enemy.