EA finally delivers four Mac gaming titles

After a few weeks of delays, Electronic Arts on Friday evening finally announced that some of its much-anticipated Mac OS X games will be available later this week, while others are expected to ship later this month. Since EA's public announcement at WWDC, the company was very coy about the delays. Four titles are available now for order: Battlefield 2142, Need for Speed Carbon, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (trailers of which are available on Apple's website) are the "first games ever" published by EA for Mac OS X, according to release. The games are now available for order via the Apple Store and at Apple's retail stores nationwide later this month: Need for Speed Carbon and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be available on Tuesday, August 21, and Battlefield 2142 and Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars will be available on Tuesday, August 28.

The company also said that Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 08 and Madden NFL 08 are expected in the "September/October window."

Earlier this month, the company refused to answer emails and questions about missed release dates of the Mac version of its promised gaming titles and the company's website did not carry any sign of the Mac platform. The company has finally updated the site with the "Mac" platform link, indicating official support for the platform and display a list of the five Mac titles (curiously, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 is not among the titles listed).

EA's games, however, are not native Mac applications, but instead use the Cider portability engine, which allows Windows games to be run on Intel Macs "without any modifications to the original game source code." The games may not run at full native speed, and may exhibit other issues, as noted by other Cider gaming conversions.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts is shaping up to be his most exciting yet. Fearing that Hogwarts' venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about the return of Voldemort in order to undermine his power, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge's ministry-approved course leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared, so Hermione, Ron and Harry form "Dumbledore's Army" with the goal of preparing themselves and other courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that looms against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Need for Speed Carbon

What starts in the city is settled in the canyons as Need for Speed Carbon immerses you in the world's most dangerous and adrenaline-filled form of street racing. You and your crew must race in an all-out war for the city, risking everything to take over your rivals' neighborhoods one block at a time. As the police turn up the heat, the battle ultimately shifts to Carbon Canyon, where territories and reputations can be lost on every perilous curve.

Battlefield 2142

Earth, 2142. As a new ice age depletes the planet's resources, two massive multinational coalitions wage a brutal war for the only cause that matters—survival. Armed with a devastating arsenal of futuristic weaponry and gear, including active camouflage, EMP grenades, and sentry guns, plus Battle Walkers and vast airborne bases called Titans, you must coordinate the efforts of your teammates to win the war for Earth's last fragile pieces of livable land. With extensive improvements to the groundbreaking Battlefield 2(TM) ranking and upgrade system and the new Titan gameplay mode, Battlefield 2142 brings the franchise's award-winning online warfare into a harsh and desperate future.

Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars

The year is 2047. A massive nuclear fireball explodes high in the night sky, marking the dramatic beginning of the Third Tiberium War and the long-awaited return of the most groundbreaking Real-Time Strategy franchise of all time. Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars unveils the future of RTS gaming by bringing you back to where it all began: the Tiberium Universe. With the corrupt substance Tiberium blanketing most of the Earth, the infamous Kane is back to lead his Brotherhood of Nod in a massive global assault on the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the few remaining livable Blue Zones left on the planet. Only you can stop him. Featuring state-of-the-art next-generation graphics, an epic story, and truly innovative features such as the ability to transform online battles into a spectator sport, Command & Conquer is about to reinvent RTS gaming ... again. Welcome back, Commander.

In addition to the games, other EA titles available for Mac (from Aspyr) include The Sims 2, The Sims 2 Open for Business, The Sims 2 Pets, The Sims 2 Nightlife, The Sims 2 University, The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff, The Sims 2 Seasons, and The Sims 2 Life Stories.

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