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Feral Interactive Creates Mac App Store Splash: 'BioShock', 'Borderlands', and More
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Stupid pricing of these old games aside, I just don't see the point of buying a $50 game through the app store.
When I finish a game, Im finished with it and sell it put funds towards something new to play.
So with this business model they have my $50 bucks and I can't even sell it secondhand.
Sorry but thats a deal breaker for me.
When I finish a game, Im finished with it and sell it put funds towards something new to play.
So with this business model they have my $50 bucks and I can't even sell it secondhand.
Sorry but thats a deal breaker for me.
Yes, and no ...
I think they're too expensive ... but at the same time, it's not fair to demand they have equal pricing to heavily discounted pricing on older PC or console versions of the games either. That would be NICE, but in many cases, these are NOT just cider ports (as someone claimed). The games Feral (or Aspyr) releases are all coded natively, and were usually developed and released a lot later than the original versions for other platforms. If they could only get $10 for an effort to bring a major title like Bioshock to OS X, they wouldn't even bother.
The point is, some people would really rather have a game designed to run on their platform of choice, instead of being inconvenienced by having to reboot the whole system into Windows (which costs extra for a license, too, if you're doing it legally), or having to buy/own a separate console to use them. That's worth paying a little more for.
The REAL solution to this problem is to get companies to get serious about doing an OS X version of a game at the SAME TIME they're working on the other versions. If they'd release them simultaneously, then they could ask the same price across the board and have more success.
I think they're too expensive ... but at the same time, it's not fair to demand they have equal pricing to heavily discounted pricing on older PC or console versions of the games either. That would be NICE, but in many cases, these are NOT just cider ports (as someone claimed). The games Feral (or Aspyr) releases are all coded natively, and were usually developed and released a lot later than the original versions for other platforms. If they could only get $10 for an effort to bring a major title like Bioshock to OS X, they wouldn't even bother.
The point is, some people would really rather have a game designed to run on their platform of choice, instead of being inconvenienced by having to reboot the whole system into Windows (which costs extra for a license, too, if you're doing it legally), or having to buy/own a separate console to use them. That's worth paying a little more for.
The REAL solution to this problem is to get companies to get serious about doing an OS X version of a game at the SAME TIME they're working on the other versions. If they'd release them simultaneously, then they could ask the same price across the board and have more success.
The only joke is this post, because clearly you don't know what you are talking about. Feral only does native ports as each of these games are.
And comparisons to Steam prices vs. App Store prices are not a comparison of App Store pricing specifically being overpriced compared to other places selling Mac games. None of these games are offered on Steam so the Steam pricing only reflects PC pricing, which in general is cheaper than Mac versions even before the App Store. Seeing Mac porting companies, particularly native Mac porting companies have to cover their cost of doing the port plus the lower levels of retail competition, I can understand why the Mac version might not see the levels of sales and discounts that PC versions get. That said, if the App Store offer the competition to make pricing of Mac games comparable to PC games, that's all the better.
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed this. Those games are very old, and way overpriced, not to mention crappy ports that will run at sub-par.
Prices are too high for the old games but I'm glad to see them coming to the Mac App Store. If more developers start offering full featured games then maybe Apple will bring their libraries up to date and we can start seeing some real gaming take hold for Mac. The added bonus that developers could easily create iOS versions to compliment their main game should be a draw.
Evidence? The guys at Feral do good ports, AFAIK. And Borderlands GOTY was released last october on Steam. It's more expensive there.
Steam will have its place for serious and savvy gamers. The ability to "play anywhere" with your purchase and the social aspects separate it from the App Store for now and they will continue to cater to gamers in ways that distinguish it from the App Store. I think Apple should allow Steam to be distributed via the App Store. It helps bring gaming legitimacy to the Mac in many ways including directly between Valve and Apple.
Pricing is tough, but I am believing more and more in the lower price for higher volume approach. It's a little tougher when dealing with the smaller, less energetic user base on Macs, but the success of Pixelmator is a good indicator.
The question these guys have to ask is if you cut the price in half will you get more than twice the sales? Also, if you WAIT to lower the price, do you squander the immediate attention your product gets when it is first introduced. I wonder how fast these prices will come down.
Pricing is tough, but I am believing more and more in the lower price for higher volume approach. It's a little tougher when dealing with the smaller, less energetic user base on Macs, but the success of Pixelmator is a good indicator.
The question these guys have to ask is if you cut the price in half will you get more than twice the sales? Also, if you WAIT to lower the price, do you squander the immediate attention your product gets when it is first introduced. I wonder how fast these prices will come down.
First of all it's great to see triple A games available and visible to more users via the App Store. I do however find it frustrating to see all the complaints
I own many Feral titles and all are native Mac applications. They also add Mac only extras when possible. Not only that but they have taken the time to patch older titles to run on newer systems and processors so their track record in customer support is excellent.
As most of the top game developers don't make an in house Mac OS X version porting companies have to pay huge sums for the rights to produce a Mac version - gambling on enough sales to turn a profit. This gamble won't always pay off and it means the pricing can't just match the Windows one.
Bootcamp many be popular with many but not everyone wants to buy and maintain Windows and put up with reboots. Any trade of in performance is worth the flexibility of running with our other Mac OS X applications for some of us. Of course we would all like to see price parity and simultaneous releases one day but it is only by supporting Mac OS X versions that the market may grow towards that as developers see the value in making a Mac version.
I own many Feral titles and all are native Mac applications. They also add Mac only extras when possible. Not only that but they have taken the time to patch older titles to run on newer systems and processors so their track record in customer support is excellent.
As most of the top game developers don't make an in house Mac OS X version porting companies have to pay huge sums for the rights to produce a Mac version - gambling on enough sales to turn a profit. This gamble won't always pay off and it means the pricing can't just match the Windows one.
Bootcamp many be popular with many but not everyone wants to buy and maintain Windows and put up with reboots. Any trade of in performance is worth the flexibility of running with our other Mac OS X applications for some of us. Of course we would all like to see price parity and simultaneous releases one day but it is only by supporting Mac OS X versions that the market may grow towards that as developers see the value in making a Mac version.
Yep, I own the games in Steam and these ports should be released there as well. Won't be buying them from the App Store in case they eventually do come to Steam and I can download my copies there.
The thing is, if they'd release Borderlands on Steam, it would actually give me an excuse to go back and buy the DLC. As is, they get nothing. Doesn't make a lot of sense to finally write a port and then only offer it through one service.
You people act like Steam the best thing next to water.. I hate to break it to you but none of them games are able for the Mac on Steam.. Steam is a joke when it come to the Mac.... So if people want to play games on their Mac without needing to run windows Steam is not the way to go in any form..
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/software/games?mco=MTY2MTY4NDc
The same prices if you go to the store to buy the games for the Mac..
wow
I was all like YAY. then I saw the prices and I was all like ...Nah i'd rather eat this month.
I was all like YAY. then I saw the prices and I was all like ...Nah i'd rather eat this month.
Steam breaks multiple Mac App Store guidelines such as the following:
2.5 Apps that use non-public APIs will be rejected
2.14 Apps must be packaged and submitted using Apple's packaging technologies included in Xcode - no third party installers allowed.
2.15 Apps must be self-contained, single application installation bundles, and cannot install code or resources in shared locations
2.17 Apps that download other standalone apps will be rejected.
2.19 Apps that require license keys or implement their own copy protection will be rejected.
2.21 Apps may not use update mechanisms outside of the App Store.
2.26 Apps that are set to auto-launch or to have other code automatically run at startup or login without user consent will be rejected
2.27 Apps that request escalation to root privileges or use setuid attributes will be rejected (Steam will use AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges() during an update if it can't write to its own application bundle).
2.28 Apps that add their icons to the Dock or leave short cuts on the user desktop will be rejected (possibly).
2.30 Apps that do not comply with the Mac OS X File System documentation will be rejected (writing config files, log files, cache files, etc. to application bundle, etc.).
7.2 Apps that create a store inside themselves for selling or distributing other software (i.e., an audio plug-in store in an audio app) will be rejected.
Steam actually is brilliant. Those problems stem from the publishers.
Steam is so good to consumers that any PC game that is ported to Mac Steam has to be part of something called SteamPlay - which means anyone who already owns the PC version will own the Mac version. Of course publishers and developers alike won't like that system.
GTA3 series, Bioshock, Borderlands.
All with ties to greedy publishers. Self published and indie games, you know, the poorer ones, all happily sell SteamPlay enabled titles.
Linking to the Apple store? Yeah, they're not renowned for their low prices.
wow!... those prices are crazy, better off Bootcamping it
you can get Rome: Total War - Gold Edition = 3.95 download ($13.50 disc)
Bioshock = 12.97 and you can go and play Bioshock 2 right after - no wait
for 12.97 download
even if you want to include the initial cost of buying a windows license (107) at these prices for old games you would save money in the long run anyway
you can get Rome: Total War - Gold Edition = 3.95 download ($13.50 disc)
Bioshock = 12.97 and you can go and play Bioshock 2 right after - no wait
for 12.97 download
even if you want to include the initial cost of buying a windows license (107) at these prices for old games you would save money in the long run anyway
NO! I hate to break it to you, but you are wrong!
You make it sound like Steam is incapable of running those games on a Mac, but that is simply not true. There is clearly a licensing issue that prevents Steam from having access to the Mac version. I suspect it has something to do with Feral, because they probably want to make the most money they can. If it was on Steam with support for Steamplay, then there would be tons of people who already own the title (the PC version) who would suddenly gain access to the Mac version without paying a single penny. Feral wants to force these people to repurchase the game for the Mac which might be valid, but is also a giant slap in the face to people who already own it on Steam (like myself).
Steam is not a joke on the Mac, I already have more games on Steam than I do off the MAS. I mean real games, not Angry Birds or Flight Control (which is also on Steam anyway). I am talking about Left 4 Dead (1 & 2), Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2 (and episodes), Assassins Creed, Civilization V, Torchlight, and Braid.
Okay so some of those games are also available on the MAS now, but they were available on Steam for months before the MAS launched. Plus every single one of them uses Steamplay, so I can run them in Windows as well. Which is something I used to do before Steam for Mac launched, and suddenly I was able to play all these games without having to repurchase them. That is a huge bonus considering how much money I have spent on Steam games in the past. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of money it has saved me.
The only thing that I can say is a negative about Steam is that the interface needs some work, but it is such a minor gripe. You get automatic updates of games, none of this "Oh hey there is an update available, but you have to launch the MAS to check for it, and then click on the updates tab, click install, type in your password, blah blah blah" stuff that the MAS does.
It's completely seamless, and Steam has a lot more support from developers, including achievements, friends list, server browsing, cloud support (save games can be accessed from anywhere over the internet), etc. It is a billion times better than the MAS when it comes to games, which has NONE of that stuff available for developers to use.
I have no clue why you are so anti-Steam but my only guess is that you really don't know what you are talking about. The MAS is nice, and it is cool that you get games on it, but Steam has way more features that real gamers want, and so the MAS will continue to be only for the Angry Birds fans (and games like that).
I know myself and many people are not going to bother paying the absurd prices for BioShock or Borderlands on the Mac.
How am I wrong when Steam dose not have all the games made for Mac or Bioshock, Borderlands GOTY, Lego Harry Potter . Until Steam has all the that are for Mac then Steam will be a joke for the Mac.. Also you can get them games from other places other then Mac App Store.. Steam only works if they have the games for the Mac and as of right now there is only a hand full of good games on Steam but it still to limited when it come to Mac games..
So again I am not wrong because them games ARE NOT ON STEAM FOR THE MAC
Again your statement saying I am wrong is wrong.....
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My problem with these games isn't the price. I'd be willing to pay $50 for Borderlands, as I found it worth it. Instead my problem is with the lack of announcement about the Mac versions until it's nearly ready. I bought and played Borderlands on Steam for Windows 6 months after it came out. At that time there was no sign of a Mac version.
If these Mac developers would establish better relationships with the original game developer, it would help a lot. Then things like SteamPlay might be used more often, and revenue splits could be set up based on the percentage that play on Windows vs OS X. Instead, they try to sell standalone versions limited to OS X only, months, or even years after the game first came out.
As much as I'd like to see OS X be a viable gaming platform, I'm not going to wait an unknown amount of time to see if a game is coming out.
If these Mac developers would establish better relationships with the original game developer, it would help a lot. Then things like SteamPlay might be used more often, and revenue splits could be set up based on the percentage that play on Windows vs OS X. Instead, they try to sell standalone versions limited to OS X only, months, or even years after the game first came out.
As much as I'd like to see OS X be a viable gaming platform, I'm not going to wait an unknown amount of time to see if a game is coming out.