Best Mac Games
November 17, 2014 9:30 AM   Subscribe

First world problems: I have a mid-line Mac Pro with maxed GPUs, 32GB RAM, and the 512GB drive; What are some games I can go nuts with? Difficulty level: absolutely no ongoing expenses.

Assume I have played absolutely no mac games in the last ten years.

I prefer RTS games like Warcraft II, Starcraft, or turn-based like Civilization or Baldur's Gate. I enjoyed the first two Diablos and Myth. I had fun with SimCity back on version 1.0 and got obsessive with the first Sims game (not really interested in doing that again).

I would prefer games I can fire up for a bit, then either pause for hours or return to days from now, but if it takes a dedicated block of time, that's fine as long as it's not hours on endless hours.

The learning curve has to either be fun in itself or not take months. I would like there to be offline and single user modes, but it would also be nice to play groups or one-on-one.

FPSers and driving games aren't my thing.

No monthly fees or "power up/item" fees. I want a one-time outlay of cash and that's it.

I am not what I would call a "gamer" in that zero percent of my identity is based around this. I won't be joining forums, participating in "clans," or going to conventions. I won't be reading strategy blogs or reviews.

I'm thinking more Spaceward Ho' and less EVE Online.

Fantasy/Sci-Fi a bonus, but not required.

Obviously mac based. If it matters I will be driving one of these: 34" Class 21:9 Ultrawide Curved Led Monitor so apparently I don't have the greatest refresh rates. It would be nice to have a game that takes advantage of the real estate. I will be using a magic pad and a magic mouse as inputs, but am not adverse to buying dedicated controls.

I prefer games that will be a distraction from writing and video editing and not a lifestyle choice.

Anything I left out just ask.
posted by cjorgensen to Computers & Internet (16 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
I just started playing Endless Legend over the weekend, it's basically Civilization mixed with Heroes of Might and Magic. Sounds like it would be right up your alley. As far as RPGs go, The Witcher 2 is still pretty much the best-looking game out there, at least until the new Dragon Age tomorrow.

Of course, if you're willing to bootcamp windows onto your Mac you've got the whole wide world of PC gaming at your fingertips.
posted by Oktober at 9:35 AM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm waiting (semi)patiently for Pillars of Eternity.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:35 AM on November 17, 2014


Minecraft with outrageously high draw distance could be a lot of fun. Definitely relaxing, can be played in short spurts.
posted by vogon_poet at 9:38 AM on November 17, 2014


I asked a very similar question two years ago! Complete with the Mac stipulation and the "pretend I've been in a coma for 10 years" bit:

http://ask.metafilter.com/209985/computer-games

If you're happy playing older games, as I am, check out that Ask; there were a ton of good recommendations there, many of which I ended up buying and some that I still play.
posted by andromache at 9:39 AM on November 17, 2014 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: I'm not interested in Bootcamping, since I would have to buy a Windows OS and I don't want to have to duck out of the booted OS or install a VM.

I did grab some of the older games on Steam, but the resolutions were embarrassing, so I am looking for modern mac games.
posted by cjorgensen at 9:42 AM on November 17, 2014


Oh and off the top of my head, anything in the Medieval/Rome/Shogun Total War-verse is pretty much excellent. I played Rome TW eight years after it came out and loved it. The TW games are what you're asking for: they are RTS (well, half that and half Risk-style campaign maps where you move your guys from place to place before fighting... The nice thing is you can basically outsource either one to the computer so if you prefer the fighting over the resource management, tech-treeing, diplomacy part, you can focus all your attention on the battles and the CPU will handles taxes for you. Or vice versa). And they don't need to become a lifestyle. That's also a concern for me, and Total War games pretty well fulfill that requirement. Save whenever, pick it back up whenever, no in-game purchases and no online play needed. Just take over a continent or two, twenty minutes or three hours at a time. I'm in the habit of playing two turns a day and then leaving it alone so I don't become a full time Daimyo/Czar/Emperor.

I'm doing Shogun Total War now on a 2013 MBP; graphics on low but on your setup it'd probably scream. You can download Empire for OSX on Amazon, I've gotten one from Steam I think and another from macgamedownloads.com or something like that. Anyway: give one of the older/cheaper ones a try and then buy the costlier/prettier/newer iteration if you like the Civilization-meets-RTS format.
posted by andromache at 9:53 AM on November 17, 2014


Quick comment about the Total War franchise--

Rome: Total War 2 is pretty, but the AI has some funky issues once you get into late game. The original is great.
posted by quaking fajita at 10:24 AM on November 17, 2014


Have you tried Diablo 3? It had a lot of problems when first released two ago but since then, and a few patches latter, it's become a really fun and well balanced game. I gave it another shot recently after the Reaper of Souls add-on was released and its been consuming much of my free time.
posted by cazoo at 10:32 AM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]


I know you said FPSes aren't your thing but consider Portal and Portal 2. They are first person, but they are puzzle games rather than shoot 'em ups. The learning curve is the whole game, and extremely fun. Portal 2 has a co-op mode you can play with a friend. Both games have the most hilarious writing you'll hear in the medium, and both garnered near-perfect ratings from various game rating venues.
posted by ejs at 10:33 AM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]


If you liked Diablo, Torchlight has also been ported to the Mac. Also another point for Diablo 3. For all the loot issues (which the expansion largely fixed), the moment to moment combat is the best in the genre, and the adventure mode added in the expansion is great for short bursts of playtime. It also segues between single player and multiplayer very fluidly, at least if you have some people on your friends list.

The new remake of XCOM is also on the Mac.

As far as old school RPGs, they made a Shadowrun game, and it's been ported. There is also a sequel to Wasteland!
posted by zabuni at 10:54 AM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]


Divinity: Original Sin is supposedly quite good, turn based RPG but with a really interactive environment (You can electrocute enemies standing in water, etc.) If you're at all interested in platformers, Batman: Arkham Asylum and its sequel Arkham City are both really good.

Actually, just check out this list, it's got most of the really good ones: http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac-software/best-mac-games-3484158/
posted by JauntyFedora at 10:55 AM on November 17, 2014


Hearthstone is free, and although you can spend money buying packs and playing arena games, it's very playable with the free decks and playing arena with the gold you earn from winning.
posted by empath at 11:00 AM on November 17, 2014


CrossOver should let you play a bunch of PC games without either buying a PC license or booting out of OSX.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 12:17 PM on November 17, 2014


We like the same sort of games, but I haven't played games in a long time. The new SimCity (basically SimCity 5) sort of blows, but SimCity 4 is available for Mac and is one of the best iterations of the series. I think many SimCity fans prefer to pretend SimCity 5 never happened and stick with SimCity 4. You may find that fun, especially if you haven't played since the original SimCity.

I know this is a decade old, but have you ever played Rollercoaster Tycoon? It does appear the version I'd recommend is only for Windows if you do ever set up your Mac to run Windows games. It's such a fun game. However, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 is available for Mac, but I prefer the original. RCT 3 is a 3D version that's based on the original games. It's still fun, don't get me wrong, but for me it doesn't match the original -- maybe it's because I know the original game designer wasn't involved.

Both those are a bit older (SimCity 4 and RCT 3), but I don't see why they wouldn't look decent on your Mac. If they didn't, I would question whether your screen resolution needs to be adjusted a bit. Both also got great reviews, so at least it's not just me saying they are fun.
posted by AppleTurnover at 1:23 PM on November 17, 2014


Endless Space is also amazing and gorgeous at a high resolution. Its kind of dry initially, but once you get into the details and trying out different factions the game gets pretty interesting. Like Endless Legend its really unique in the way it tweaks the genre. I've also found that the games are relatively short compared to other 4x games I've played.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is also an awesome game, kinda old i guess, but I bet it would be AMAZING on that monitor. Seriously its so much better than people say. You can turn the combat difficulty down all the way and still have the fun of exploring, sneaking and hacking. Personally it's my favorite game since... Morrowind maybe? Oblivion? Such a great game.

Shadowrun Returns/Dragonfall is a relatively recent rpg that plays a lot like Fallout 1 and/or 2, in that you control one character and not a whole party. The resolution scales up really well and the hand 'painted' graphics are amazing. Its a pretty light RPG and really easy to get started. I like it even more for that reason, because I often just want to play an interesting game and relax without worrying about build strength or second guessing every choice. I haven't played the Dragonfall expansion but its supposed to be bigger, better and more interesting.

I would also recommend the Eschalon series. I don't know how the first 2 scale up (I played them on a lap top) but the 3rd one is recently out and looks to be basically the same but with prettier graphics and a larger land mass to explore. This series is kind of like a minimal RPG. A cliche barebones plot, no direction, just big dungeons and tons of little details. I really enjoyed the first 2. Like Shadowrun and the first two Fallout games, its basically a single player RPG with streamlined stats/leveling. I really like this subgenre, compared to Baldur's Gate style party based CRPGs which I find to be stressful. Plus in Eschalon you upgrade your cartography skill and athe in game map gets more detailed. (its the little things)

But seriously, get Endless Space/Legend, its exactly what you are looking for. New, modern, gorgeous and with a lot of personality.
posted by kittensofthenight at 5:26 PM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]


Mac gaming is in a better state than it has ever been. SteamPlay has brought new life to the Mac platform, with a surprising number of games supporting Mac versions. The indie scene has converged on Unity, which works on Mac. And the big online games mostly all support Mac. It's still nowhere near as good as having a PC, but there's a lot of options.

I'd start with Steam games that run on Mac, sorted by reviews. If it's on Steam it runs well on Mac. I just had a fun new game of Civ V: get it with the expansion packs.

On top of that, I can specifically recommend two mainstream games: League of Legends and Hearthstone. Both are excellent top tier online games, work great on Mac, and are honestly fun. Both are free to play games, which depending on how you approach it are either completely free, a one time $20-$40 expense, or an ongoing trickle of $3 spent every week when you want a "hit". Hearthstone better matches a casual gamer life. LoL is a lot like an RTS game and worth a look. Seriously, both can be enjoyed for 100+ hours without spending a dime.

Avoid trying to go down the road of compatibility layers like Wine, CrossOver, or Parallels. It's just too painful. Rebooting to Windows with Bootcamp is viable but it's a significant hurdle IMHO.
posted by Nelson at 8:35 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]


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