Mac Source Ports

Developer: Toys for Bob
Release Date: November 1, 1992
Source Code Release Date: 2002

Frequently in the lists of best games ever made, Star Control II is definitely a popular game but the story behind its preservation is even more interesting.

It was released in 1992 for DOS and later ported to the 3DO game console in 1994. In 2002, the source code to the 3DO version was released as open source, and the content of the game was released under a Creative Commons license, so the source port project The Ur-Quan Masters was created as a result.

Effectively, this game is Star Control II but the history and logistics of copyright on the name has been fraught with controversy and litigation, so to play it safe this source port named itself The Ur-Quan Masters, which was the subtitle of the original game. I debated whether or not to list it as that or Star Control II so I compromised and listed it as the full name with the subtitle for anyone who knows Star Control II but wasn't familiar with the Ur-Quan Masters source port project.

Note that the original DOS version is available on GOG but this version is native to Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

Developer: Epic Games
Release Date: May 22, 1998

Also known as that game that convinced you to buy a Voodoo card, Unreal was released in 1998 after a lengthy development cycle. Although the name Unreal is primarily known today as a game engine licensing powerhouse, the original entry in the series is more than a tech demo, it's a fasinating glimpse in to what it was like to try and make a polygonal FPS game before most of the rules were well known. It's also a perfect example of a game where what you remember is much different than what you play today.

The OldUnreal team, responsible for bringing us the Mac port of Unreal Tournament have received permission from Epic to also release a build of the original Unreal for the Mac. Although the original game was available for classic Mac OS, this is the first Mac port of it in... nevermind how long it's been.

Note that we are labeling this an Early Access release since the OldUnreal team is labeling this build a pre-release. The original renderer has been replaced with a new Metal-based renderer and some glitches are to be expected, but the game is definitely playable.

Developer: Chris Sawyer
Release Date: September 2004

Another game from Chris Sawyer, Locomotion served as his spiritual successor to Transport Tycoon and like that game and Rollercoaster Tycoon the game has his signature isometric pixel art style and a hardcore group of followers willing to reimplement and reiterate on it in the form of open source projects. The OpenLoco team recently hammered out the issues necessary for their project to work on 64-bit operating systems so I've made a build of it available here.

  Buy Chris Sawyer's Locomotion on GOG.com

  Buy Chris Sawyer's Locomotion on the Humble Store

Developer: Troika Games
Release Date: August 21, 2001

Troika Games was one of those legendary developers, not only because of the pedigree of the founders but also because they didn't last very long and their games got the majority of their appreciation long after the fact. Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is sort of like Fallout and sort of like Baldur's Gate, but rather than be in a post-apocalyptic or fantasy setting, it takes place in a steampunk world which is a surprisingly uncommon theme in gaming.

Alexander Batalov, who did the outstanding reverse engineered source ports for Fallout and Fallout 2 is in the process of working his Community Edition magic on Arcanum. He's not finished with it, thus the Early Access label, but the game reportedly is playable from start to finish so I decided to offer a build of it here.

NOTE: at this time the port is not playing the intro video so you may want to watch it here to get the gist of what it's dropping you into.

  Buy Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura on GOG.com

Developer: Bullfrog Productions
Release Date: March 28, 1997

Famed Amiga developer Bullfrog released this second entry in the "Theme" series (following Theme Park) which allowed players to design and run a hospital. The name Theme Hospital may not make a ton of sense but the game was ridiculously popular. The CorsixTH project is one of the more thorough and well organized source port projects active today, and Mac Source Ports is handling the Mac build.

  Buy Theme Hospital on GOG.com

Developer: Ion Storm
Release Date: May 22, 2000

Yes, it's that game. Daikatana is the game known as much for its infamous advertising and the drama of its backstory as the content of the game itself.

Released in 2000 after a protracted (for the time anyway) three-year development cycle, John Romero's Daikatana was an ambitious game from an enthusiastic new developer that was unable to live up to the hype due to numerous issues at launch. Although some problems were addressed in patches, the Dallas branch of developer Ion Storm was unable to survive despite its pedigree (though their Austin branch would soldier on for a few more years).

Theorizing that the game's issues were not unsalvageable, a group of individuals online contacted the right people and were able to obtain the source under a non-open source license. Years later the Daikatana 1.3 Project released the first version of their attempt at fixing the game's issues with the years of what we've learned about game design as a guide (also the game used id Tech 2, same as Quake II).

For those of us who followed the 1990's Dallas FPS gaming scene, Daikatana has always been a fascinating case study in ambition versus expectations. Many critics agreed that there were genuinely good parts of the game bogged down by issues in the lesser sections. It's interesting to think what the gaming landscape might have been like had the game succeeded.

I first learned about this project via this excellent GManLives video and, upon learning that the game was also ported to Linux and Mac (the original release was Windows-only), I went to go download the Mac version to discover that it was years out of date and unplayable as a 32-bit executable. The reason was simple and a familar one: the (probably one) person who maintained it left the project years ago.

So, I wrote to the project and was able to get the source to work on it. I've been picking at it for months now and I finally got it working on Intel 64-bit as well as Apple Silicon. As mentioned above the source code is not available to the public but I intend to keep this one up to date.

  Buy Daikatana on GOG.com

  Buy Daikatana on the Humble Store

Developer: Altered Orbit Studios
Release Date: May 31, 2024
Source Code Release Date: May 31, 2024

It's impressive that the DOOM runs om everything. It's more impressive that the GZDoom project has turned the DOOM engine into an extremely versatile piece of software. There's a smattering of standalone games out there running on some variant of DOOM or GZDoom and one of the most amazing recent entries is Selaco.

Back when this game came out I and a few others tried building it for the Mac and there were graphical issues due to modifications made to the OpenGL renderer. More recently, CrowEater figured out the trick to building and packaging it for the Mac with MoltenVK to use the Vulkan renderer by default and the result is being able to play this frenetic boomer shooter on the Mac.

Note that this is an Early Access game both in the sense that the game itself is Early Access on Steam and also that this port is a work in progress and may have some issues, like how the opening splash screen is pink. But look past these and you'll find an excellent game to blast your way through.

NOTE: If you had a previous build of this app installed you need to upgrade to the data files from version 0.92a of the game (the latest as of this writing) as the relationship between Selaco's code and its data content is very strict, however upgrading may break your saved games so you may want to finish whatever run you're on before upgrading.

Developer: Epic MegaGames
Release Date: May 7, 1998

Although never as big as Mario or Sonic, Jazz Jackrabbit did well enough with a hungry PC gaming crowd to merit a second game in the series. It's your standard shareware sequel story: more levels, more twists, better technology. If you liked the original you'll like this one.

It also has a very confusing release strategy. The original game was shareware, when you bought it you got the full Jazz Jackrabbit 2 game. Later, it was re-released with an additional episode under the title Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret Files. Then came a release called Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Christmas Chronicles, which adds Christmas-themed levels. So when you get the game on GOG you might spot two entries, neither of which look like they're the base game, but both should work in Jazz² Resurrection.

  Buy Jazz Jackrabbit 2 on GOG.com

Developer: Origin Systems
Release Date: April 16, 1992

From the glory days of the DOS-based RPG 90's era, Ultima VII: The Black Gate is the seventh entry in the Ultima series that started out on the Apple II computer. You play as The Avatar and you must get to the bottom of a series of murders and figure out what The Guardian has to do with it. It was commercially successful and led to an expansion pack, Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue.

The Exult project was started in 2003 and has been going ever since, adding official signed and notarized Universal 2 macOS builds just recently. The project is one of the more well known third party efforts, even receiving praise from Lord British himself.

Note that modern game retailers like GOG almost always feature both games and their expansions under the collective title Uiltima VII: The Complete Edition or something to that effect, so buying one package gets you everything and Exult allows you to pick which one you want to play.

  Buy Ultima VII: The Black Gate on GOG.com

Developer: Origin Systems
Release Date: March 25, 1993

Continuing the glory days of the DOS-based RPG 90's era, Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle takes the "more is more" approach and is essentially more content in the same engine. I'd say that today we'd call this a standalone expansion pack, but believe it or not this sequel to a sequel also had its own expansion pack, Ultima VII: The Silver Seed. If you want Ultima VII we've got you fam.

The Exult project was started in 2003 and has been going ever since, adding official signed and notarized Universal 2 macOS builds just recently. The project is one of the more well known third party efforts, even receiving praise from Lord British himself.

Note that modern game retailers like GOG almost always feature both games and their expansions under the collective title Uiltima VII: The Complete Edition or something to that effect, so buying one package gets you everything and Exult allows you to pick which one you want to play.

  Buy Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle on GOG.com