2008 in Review: The Year in Mac Gaming
The iPhone stole much of the Mac's thunder in the past year.
Fri, December 26, 2008
Macworld — In some ways, the most exciting developments in Mac gaming in 2008 didn't involve the Mac at all. The iPhone, with its Software Development Kit enabling game-makers to bring their wares to Apple's hot-selling mobile devices, stole most of the Mac's thunder during the past year. But a hardware development toward the end of 2008 could mean a Mac gaming revival in the year to come.
Still, mobile gaming ruled the roost this year. Even before the iPhone's 2007 launch, game developers increasingly turned their attention to mobile games. Despite the low-graphics capabilities and small screen sizes, mobile gaming was a growing market.
Going mobile
With the unveiling of the iPhone SDK in March and the subsequent opening of the App Store in July, the iPhone emerged as an attractive option in the mobile game market, offering developers an adaptable platform, a bigger screen, and better graphic capabilities.
Ngmoco made a splash in 2008 with iPhone-exclusive games like Rolando.
In just six month's time, we've seen the iPhone take its first few steps into the world of mobile gaming. In addition to many quality games made by independent developers, big-name publishers such as EA, THQ, and Gameloft have launched games for the iPhone platform. These have debuted with mixed results—THQ WirelessStar Wars: The Force Unleashed failed to impress despite some strong graphics and the Star Wars pedigree, while Asphalt 4: Elite Racing proved to be entertaining (if immature at times).
With heavy hitters taking the platform seriously and some, like the newly formed Ngmoco, even launching iPhone-exclusive games, the iPhone is coming into its own as a gaming platform. Titles such as Real Soccer 2009 and Freeverse Softwares Flick Bowling and Flick Fishing sports games have taken advantage of the iPhone's tracking pad and motion sensors to offer new levels of game interaction.
For more on iPhone games, see our favorite iPhone games feature as well as the 2008 Game Hall of Fame
Not just the iPhone
On the Mac gaming side, the year has seen some blockbuster titles make good on their promises while others disappointed. While Call of Duty 4 didn't arrive on the Mac until several quarters after the initial PC release, the action-packed shooter delivered one of the most complete, cinematic, and engrossing experiences in recent memory.
While Call of Duty looked fresh, games like Prince of Persia: Two Thrones, Jade Empire, and Battlestations: Midway showed their age by coming out several months or even years after their initial PC releases. While these three titles provided solid platforming, role-playing, and action gameplay, respectively, the enthusiasm for each one among Mac gamers had faded by the time of their belated release.
