Role-playing games

1. Dragon Age: Origins

Company: Electronic Arts
URL: www.ea.com/uk/mac
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.2, Intel Core 2 Duo, graphics card with 256MB VRAM
Price: £14.95

It’s a few years old now, but – in the absence of a Mac version of Skyrim – Dragon Age: Origins is still probably the best role-playing game ever released on the Mac. It’s all standard RPG stuff – dungeons and dragons, warriors and wizards – but it has much more depth than simple click-and-slash games such as Diablo and Dungeon Siege. As well as the epic central story that pits you against an invading army of demons, there’s a great cast of supporting characters including a comedy golem and Alistair, a medieval sex symbol and illegitimate heir to the throne. Many of these characters also have strong subplots and quests of their own that help you to feel really involved in the game.

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2. Dragon Age II

Company: Electronic Arts
URL: www.ea.com/uk/mac
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.2, Intel Core 2 Duo, graphics card with 256MB
Price: £14.95

Like its predecessor, Dragon Age II is set in the fantasy world of Ferelden, but it introduces an entirely new cast of characters and a new storyline as your hero – known only as Hawke – rises from obscurity to become a mighty champion. The focus on politics and intrigue means that DAII lacks the epic good-versus-evil story of the original, but other aspects of the game are genuinely improved. The graphics are even more spectacular, and the combat is fast and furious, with characters leaping around the screen, waving their swords and firing spells all over the place. There are also two expansion packs that you can download for about £6 each.

3. World Of Warcraft Cataclysm

Company: Blizzard
URL: eu.blizzard.com
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5.8, Intel Core 2 Duo, graphics card with 256MB VRAM
Price: £29.99 (plus £8.99 per month subscription)

Its cutesy graphics aren’t to everyone’s taste, but World of Warcraft is still the game that rules the massively multiplayer online scene, with over 10 million subscribers playing as wizards, priests, warriors and rogues. Part of that success is down to the release of regular expansion packs, such as last year’s Cataclysm, which – quite literally – shakes up the landscape, destroying some old areas and introducing new zones for you to explore. There’s plenty of new material to keep experienced players happy, and to attract new players, Blizzard has recently announced a Starter Edition of the game that allows you to play for free until your characters reach level 20.

4. Borderlands – Game Of The Year Edition

Company: Blizzard
UK sales: The Mac App Store
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5.8, Intel Core 2 Duo, graphics card with 256MB VRAM
Price: £20.99

If you’re not turned on by the Dungeons and Dragons style of role-playing game, then you should definitely try Borderlands. The futuristic world of Pandora is a wasteland populated by fortune hunters and mercenaries, and it’s your job to fight your way through them all in order to locate The Vault – a treasure trove left behind eons ago by an ancient alien race. The game has a distinctive cartoon-style graphics – with exaggerated cartoon violence and humour to match – and allows you to play as one of four different characters, each with their own different combat skills. You can play solo, but there’s also a four-play co-op mode that’s great fun too, and this Game Of The Year Edition for the Mac also includes four extra add-on packs, such as The Zombie Island Of Dr Ned, to keep you going on those cold winter evenings.

5. Knights Of The Old Republic

Company: Aspyr
UK sales: The Mac App Store
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5, 1.8GHz Intel processor, graphics card with 128MB VRAM
Price: £13.99

Originally launched in 2003, KOTOR has bounced back since Apple launched the Mac App Store, and is now one of its top 10 grossing games. The action is set 4,000 years before the Star Wars films, at a time when the Jedi are being hunted down by the armies of the Sith. You play one of the last Jedi Knights, leading an army of freedom fighters on a series of missions across planets such as Tatooine and the Sith home world of Korriban. Your choices affect the outcome of the game, deciding whether you save the galaxy or fall to the dark side of the Force. 

6. Two Worlds II

Company: Zuxxez
URL: www.zuxxez.com
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.3, 2GHz Intel processor, graphics card with 512MB VRAM
Price: £34.99

The original Two Worlds wasn’t released on the Mac, so you’re kind of coming in halfway through the story in this sequel. That won’t matter too much though, since the story isn’t particularly original. You start the game by breaking out of prison and then setting off on a quest to rescue your sister, who has been enslaved by an evil emperor. What rescues the Two Worlds II from cliché is the sheer quality and scale of the game. The world you travel across is vast, and depicted with excellent 3D graphics. There are stacks of quests to keep you busy and help you gain in wealth and experience, and the combat and skill system gives you great freedom to develop your character.

Sports Games

7. Colin McRae: DiRT 2

Company: Feral
UK sales: The Mac App Store
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.7, 2GHz Intel processor, graphics card with 128MB VRAM
Price: £27.99

DiRT 2 is the best racing game we’ve seen on the Mac for a while, with great 3D graphics and responsive high-speed racing action. You start out as a rookie driver and then work your way up through dozens of events to take on the professionals in the X Games events. You can choose from 35 different cars, and customise them to handle different types of events such as rally cross and trailblazer. Locations range from Battersea Power Station to the Utah desert to the jungles of Malaysia, and there’s an online multiplayer mode too. However, the game is picky about its system requirements, so check the technical details before buying.

8. FlatOut 2

Company: Virtual Programming
UK sales: The Mac App Store
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.8, Intel processor, graphics card with 128MB VRAM
Price: £6.99

Racing games on the Mac have rather faded away recently, but FlatOut 2 is an old-timer that’s still a lot of fun. There’s no attempt to simulate real-world physics or recreate actual race tracks here – FlatOut 2 is an out-and-out arcade game in which you just drive like crazy and smash anything that gets in your way. The main Championship mode lets you choose from 34 different vehicles, and then progress through a series of increasingly difficult races set in locations such as the LA storm drains and Rocky Mountain forests. There’s also an online multiplayer mode, as well as a series of mini-games and Destruction Derby Arenas where you can really let loose.

9. FIFA 12

Company: Electronic Arts
URL: www.ea.com/uk/mac
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.8, Intel Core 2 Duo processor, graphics card with 256MB VRAM
Price: £29.95

A new arrival on the Mac, FIFA 12 provides the same features and game modes as the Xbox and PlayStation versions, including the new Impact Engine, which realistically mimics the way that players jostle each other for possession, and a Precision Dribbling feature that provides fine control of the ball. There’s also a Pro Player Intelligence system that allows computer-controlled players to react like their real-life counterparts (so Tevez will refuse to play at all, and Rooney will threaten to quit unless he gets another pay rise). The main Career mode will take you through the season, but there’s also an Online Friendly mode that allows you to play matches against your friends too.

10. Football Manager 12

Company: Sega
URL: store.steampowered.com
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5.8, Intel processor, graphics card with 256MB VRAM
Price: £29.95

As the name implies, Football Manager puts more emphasis on the management side of things. You can control any team from 50 different countries, and then sit on the bench to give instructions, make substitutions and generally shout and wave your arms around. You get to argue over transfers and contracts, and this version of the game includes a Tone System for team talks, which allows you to cajole players or get angry and throw stuff at them. There’s a free demo version to try out.

11. Let’s Golf 2

Company: Gameloft
UK sales: The Mac App Store
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.6, Intel processor
Price: £2.99

Let’s Golf is very much a family game, rather than a technically accurate golf simulation, but you can still challenge yourself in the main Career mode, which includes weird and wonderful courses in locations such as wintery Greenland and the Aztec Jungle. You can choose from four different players, who each have their own special golfing strengths, and there’s a multiplayer mode as well so you can play against family and friends.

12. Asphalt 6: Adrenaline

Company: Gameloft
UK sales: The Mac App Store
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.6
Price: £4.99

The Mac version of the popular iOS game is one of the best racing games on the Mac at the moment. One nice feature is that it allows you to drive both cars and bikes, including classic models from Ferrari, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. You can take part in 55 different events set in locations such as Los Angeles, Tokyo and the Bahamas, and fine-tune the performance of your vehicles to cope with different tracks and conditions. There’s an online mode for up to six players, and it’s great value at just £4.99.