- Happy means that Mac users have access to the same game during that same month.Lies
- Winston Churchill
First of all, remember that Statistics are far less honest than the worst lies! Statistics can be, and often are, made to say pretty much anything at all. There have been a great many different examples of Statistics being used to say horrible falsehoods. Some are on accidental; others do not look so accidental.
With that said, I am picking PC Data's Top 10 to look at because of the following:
Think of this as a report card showing how well the Mac game situation is improving. There is a lot of talk about games being available to Wintel and not to the Mac. I thought I would look at what the facts say. What I do is I look at PC Data's Top 10 Games and I see what the status of that game is on the Mac. You can judge for yourself how bad or good Macintosh is doing in games. However, I take the time to add my own personal comments and opinions.
It takes a while for PC Data to calculate the numbers so I make up the charts a couple months later. As time passes some titles that were not planned for release end up getting released, so expect time to prove some of this wrong. However, they are correct at the time they are made and so I believe it still makes an important statement about the state of Mac games compared to Wintel, especially when it comes to perception or what is available in the Game isles for Mac owners.
- Happy means that Mac users have access to the same game during that same month.
- Indifferent means that it is coming to the Mac or most likely is. It could be coming next month or next or later. Feel free to consider these happy faces, especially if they are coming soon. Do people consider this a win? Should I change it from indifferent to happily anticipating or something?
- Mad means that there are no known plans for a Mac release known during that month.
Our happy faces seem to be sliding off the Top 10 list. Then again 2/3 of our happy faces are over a year old on the Mac, so they are not exactly hot news items.
| June | July | comments |
| 1 | 1. Starcraft | Coming soon! |
| 2 | 2. Unreal | Very close!. |
| 5 | 3. Final Fantasy VII | Even after many, many months of campaigning, I don't know of any plans to release this on the Mac. Are they cracking yet? |
| 3 | 4. Deer Hunter | A few weeks from a happy face, I believe. |
| - | 5. Police Quest: SWAT 2 | I don't know of any plans to release this on the Mac. Another brand new hot seller that will probably never make it for Mac users. |
| 7 | 6. Rocky Mountain Trophy Hunter | Wow! I guess people can never get enough of the stare-at-the-screen-for-hours-and-then-shoot-a-shot type of game!! |
| 4 | 7. Cabela's Big Game Hunter | I don't know of any plans to release this on the Mac. |
| - | 8. Diablo | Back on the charts?? I wonder how many of these were Mac sales because it was a hybrid? |
| 8 | 9. Myst | Will Myst ever leave? Where are they finding customers? Is it given free anytime you buy some other game?? |
| 6 | 10. Titanic:Adventure out of Time | Been out for a long time! |
| 1. Starcraft | Coming soon! |
| 2. Unreal | Coming out soon; it is a couple months after Windows, but when it ships it will have the Windows bug fixes that have just came out as well. |
| 3. Deer Hunter | Released in August. |
| 4. Cabela's Big Game Hunter | I don't know of any plans to release this on the Mac. |
| 5. Final Fantasy VII | I don't know of any plans to release this on the Mac. |
| 6. Titanic:Adventure out of Time | Been out for a long time! |
| 7. Rocky Mountain Trophy Hunter | Wow! I guess people can never get enough of the stare-at-the-screen-for-hours-and-then-shoot-a-shot type of game!! |
| 8. Myst | What is wrong with people!?? Why would Myst still be selling well?? Too bad it is not Myth! |
| 9. X Files | Simultaneous release! See game companies. It can be done! |
| 10. Microsoft Flight Simulator | Microsoft used to say that they would not release any of their games on the Mac, but they are going to release Age of Empires now, so, who knows, it might be a possibility. |
| 1. Starcraft | Better be out before August ends! It is 4 or 5 months later than the Windows version. Heck! The Mac version is going to be at least 2 months after N64 release. |
| 2. Unreal | Coming out soon; it is a couple months after Windows, but when it ships it will have the Windows bug fixes that have just came out as well. |
| 3. Deer Hunter | Coming out in Q3. |
| 4. Titanic:Adventure out of Time | Been out for a long time! |
| 5. Myst | What is wrong with people!?? Why would Myst still be selling well?? Too bad it is not Myth! |
| 6. Might & Magic VI | They released Might and Magic I, II, III, IV and V on the Mac, but Mac users are no longer important enough to them to release Might and Magic VI on the Mac! |
| 7. Cabela's Big Game Hunter | I don't know of any plans to release this on the Mac. |
| 8. Army Men | I was hoping there for a while they would release it on the Mac. There were signs on their web site that they were at least considering the Mac. Who knows, the iMac may encourage them to change their mind. |
| 9. Star Wars:Rebellion | Lucas Arts is still snubbing Mac users. |
| 10. Microsoft Flight Simulator | Microsoft used to say that they would not release any of their games on the Mac, but they are going to release Age of Empires now, so, who knows, it might be a possibility. |