What to play on your Mac in 2018? Part 2. Action, stealth, shooters

We continue to introduce you to the best games available on Mac. Today we'll talk about three genres at once: action, shooters and stealth.

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Part 1. Adventure

Part 2. Action, stealth, shooters

Alien: Isolation – The Collection

Developer: Feral Interactive

Where to buy: Mac App Store or Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.5 or higher, 2-core processor Intel 2.0 GHz, 4 GB RAM, video card with 1 GB VRAM

Price: 2,990 rubles. (Mac App Store) or 1,759 rubles. (Steam)

Most of the games in the Alien franchise were downright disgusting. It is significant that after the release of Alien: Colonial Marines in 2013, disgruntled buyers filed a lawsuit against the developers for the mismatch of advertising with the final game. Fortunately, Alien: Isolation is an exception and one of the rare good games in the series.

Originally released in 2015 on PC, Alien: Isolation then made its way to the Mac. The developers perfectly managed to convey the tension and atmosphere that we saw in the first film. The game takes place 15 years after the original “Alien” and begins with the discovery of the black box of Ellen Ripley's ship “Nostromo”. Ripley herself, of course, is still listed as missing, and her daughter Amanda is about to retrieve the black box from the space station that discovered it. It is the role of Amanda that the player tries on.

It hardly needs explaining what awaited Amanda and her team upon arrival – of course, this is the toothy xenomorph in person, which immediately began to destroy your comrades one after another. Your task is not to arm yourself to the teeth and try to shoot the monster, but simply avoid it by all means in order to save life. To do this, you will have to hide in lockers or make decoys to distract the alien for a couple of seconds, which can be critical in this game.

Again, the tension in Alien: Isolation is clearly felt – this is achieved primarily by the fact that the computer-controlled xenomorph is smart enough to be an interesting and dangerous enemy. The Collector's Edition also includes several bonus missions. Crew Expendable is especially interesting here – it reproduces the events of the very first film “Alien”, ideal for xenomorphic nostalgia. It's important to note that the game's system requirements are high, so check the specs of your Mac before purchasing.

Assassin's Creed 2

Developer: Ubisoft

Where to buy: Mac App Store

System requirements: OS X 10.5.8 and higher, processor Intel, video card with 256 MB VRAM

Price: 1,890 rubles.

The Assassin's Creed franchise is a bit like a medieval version of the Batman story. In the second part, you will try on the role of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a nobleman from 15th century Italy who became an assassin to avenge the murder of his family. You will have to sneak in the shadows and attack with a jump on the roofs, destroying your enemies with all kinds of weapons and gadgets. Also, you can use your skills to blend in with the crowd and avoid being chased. This is the real Middle Ages we deserve: you can ride a horse, ride a gondola and even fly a medieval helicopter designed by Leonardo Da Vinci!

Another game of this series is available on the Mac – Brotherhood – and it is even cheaper to download it on Steam than the second part.

Batman: Arkham City

Developer: Feral Interactive

Where to buy: Mac App Store or Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.7.5 and higher, 2-core processor Intel 2.0 GHz, 4 GB RAM, video card with 256 MB VRAM, 16 GB hard disk space

Price: 1,490rub. (Mac App Store) or RUB 419 (Steam)

The previous installment in the franchise, Arkham Asylum, was confined to the famed mental hospital. It is also worthy of attention, and if you have not yet completed the first part, we strongly recommend that you do this, but we would like to focus on Arkham City, where events take on a much larger scale and spread over a large territory. Part of Gotham is surrounded by high walls, and this place has turned into a prison, which houses all of Batman's main enemies.

Moving the action outside the hospital walls was a great decision for game designers to showcase the atmosphere of Gotham, full of both Gothic architecture and narrow, dirty streets. The game mechanics have also been expanded here, allowing you to both glide over rooftops and wade through tight alleys in search of clues.

It is also worth noting that the developers have already confirmed the release of the next part of the game, Arkham Knight, on the Mac.

The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth +

Developer: Nicalis, Inc

Where to buy: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.9 and higher, processor Intel i3, 2 GB RAM, 500 MB hard disk space

Price: 857rub.

This is one of those cases when you just want to write: “this is a classic, just play”, and end the review there. In fact, Isaac's adventures are a rather peculiar thing and definitely not for everyone. Who will love it? Perhaps for those who are not chasing graphics, they love platformers and really difficult and varied games, The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth + offers a huge amount of variability and opportunities for replayability. Given that this is a roguelike, the combinations of possible levels, enemies, bosses and loot are endless – which means you will never be ready for what awaits you in the next room.

Note that the original game here is The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. The latest version can be obtained by purchasing two add-ons: Afterbirth and Afterbirth +.

Bioshock Infinite

Developer: Irrational Games

Where to buy: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.8 or higher, 2-core processor Intel 2.2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, video card with 512 MB VRAM, 30 GB hard disk space

Price: 999rub.

In no other game have you seen a world like Colombia. This floating city is a stunningly beautiful and atmospheric yet violent place dominated by religion and cult of personality – and you are a private detective sent into chaos to rescue a girl with supernatural powers.

As in the original BioShock games, it combines a non-trivial plot with an unexpected ending, dynamic battles, stunning game design and elements of an era – set in an alternate universe in 1912 – to create a distinctive and unforgettable shooter.

Also, the game has two add-ons – Burial at Sea in two parts – which are also noteworthy.

Borderlands 2 Game Of The Year Edition

Developer: Gearbox Software

Where to buy: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.7.5 and higher, 2-core processor Intel @ 2.2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, ATI or NVidia graphics card with 256 MB VRAM, 13 GB hard disk space

Price: 1,499rub.

Borderlands 2 is a masterpiece and classic. It's a stunningly fast paced RPG with a gripping storyline, colorful graphics, and a ton of everything from humor to annoying robots and unique characters. The first thing you do is choose your class (each represented by its own character). Then you can go on an adventure in the open world – alone or with friends (up to 4 people in cooperative mode). Borderlands deeply blended memorable characters with a unique combat system, recognizable visual style and much more. In the process, you will be able to pump the class abilities of your character, improve weapons and get new ones.

Borderlands also merged shooter with RPG mechanics into one game, long before modern games like Destiny did. In general, this is an unambiguous must-have – especially considering that the GOTY version with many additional missions can often be found at a discount of 70%.

Borderlands – The Pre-Sequel

Developer: Gearbox Software

Where to buy: Mac App Store or Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.9.5 or higher, 2-core processor Intel 2.4 GHz, 4 GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD 2600 / NVidia Geforce 8800 / Intel HD 4000, 13 GB hard disk space

Price: 2,990 rubles. (Mac App Store) or RUB 1.958 (Steam with all add-ons)

Borderlands games stand out for both the comic graphics and the comic dynamics. The latest released game in the series is called Pre-Sequel, and takes place after the original Borderlands, but before the events of Borderlands 2.

It tells the story of the rise of Handsome Jack, the main villain of Borderlands 2, and takes place on the moon of the planet Pandora, where the previous games took place. This not only gives a pleasant change of locations, but also adds new game mechanics – low-gravity jumps, in which the character takes off into the air, and new vehicles to move around the lunar surface.

As with all Borderlands games, you can play Pre-Sequel alone or with friends – the co-op mode also supports four players. Pre-Sequel introduces four new character classes – including a cyborg and a gladiator who uses a shield like Captain America in The Avengers.

There are several things to look out for in this case. Firstly, the game is quite demanding on the characteristics, so make sure that your Mac is powerful enough not to waste money (on Steam, you can always return the game if you were unable to play it due to inappropriate characteristics, within a certain period time after the bidding successfully). Secondly, although the game is available on Mac App Store and we have added a link to it, we recommend buying the Steam version. It is much cheaper, and its multiplayer mode allows you to play not only with Mac users, but also with the owners of the Windows – version. This significantly expands the choice of partners for the game.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops

Developer: Aspyr

Where to buy: Mac App Store

System requirements: OS X 10.7.4 and higher, 2-core processor Intel 2.4 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 15 GB hard disk space

Price: 2,990 rubles.

Black Ops is an exciting and at the same time brutal and dynamic shooter, which is equally difficult and interesting to pass in both single and multiplayer modes. You play as a CIA agent named Alex Mason, who was sent on a mission to assassinate Fidel Castro. The game begins with the fact that you wake up in an interrogation room, where the hero recalls everything that happened fragment by fragment. It turns out that after successfully completing the mission, Mason was informed that he had killed Castro's double, while the real one is still alive thanks to the help of the USSR. Mason's assignment gets an unexpected continuation, and the events of the game stretch over memories from 1961-1968.

Before buying, keep in mind that this is a very demanding game, and make sure it will work on your Mac.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Developer: Feral Interactive

Where to buy: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.13.1 and higher, processor Intel i5 3.0 GHz, discrete graphics card with 2 GB VRAM

Price: 649rub.

It's been five years since Deus Ex: Human Revolution came to the Mac, and the sequel, Mankind Divided, did not become available to macOS users until December 12, 2017, a year after the PC version was released.

The game takes place in 2029 – two years after Human Revolution – and the role of the main character is again assigned to Adam Jensen, who miraculously survived in “Indicent”. Of course, after what happened, people began to treat the augmented people differently, and in the course of working for Interpol, Jensen finds evidence that the government is preparing a bill that will separate people with augs (improvements that give superpowers) from the rest of society.

This is similar to the plot of almost every X-Men movie released in the last 20 years, so Mankind Divided's plot doesn't seem very groundbreaking. But just like the first Deus Ex game, what makes it cool is the quality of the workmanship, the atmosphere and the attention to detail. In addition, the open world is perfectly implemented here, which gives you complete freedom to complete the mission as you see fit. Most missions can be stealthy, hiding from enemies and getting to the target undetected, or hacking into the defenses of your opponents. There is, of course, a more straightforward path to victory: use weapons and body upgrades to destroy your enemies.

Perhaps one of the most interesting visual solutions here is the transformation of Prague, the main location, into a dystopian cyberpunk city, as if emerging from Blade Runner. This is another demanding game on our list, so check the specs you need.

Diluvion

Developer: Arachnid Games

Where to buy: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.7.2 or later, processor Intel i5 2.0 GHz, nVidia GeForce GT3000 or later

Price: 419rub.

A lot is mixed up in Diluvion: This challenging underwater game combines strategy, RPG, exploration and combat mechanics. Diluvion events unfold in the distant future, when the Earth was completely flooded as a result of nuclear war. This forced people to move to live under water.

There is a great ancient prophecy that tells of the Gift – a great treasure hidden in the depths of the ocean that will change the future of humanity. And the player takes on the role of one of the many submarine commanders who go in search of the Gift – and along with other treasures and loot that will come along the way.

You start the game by choosing a ship, which you can then upgrade to make it faster, as well as add and improve the weapons or armor you need in exciting underwater battles. You also need to recruit and train your crew and manage the ship's resources – distribute food and oxygen. In addition to finding the Gift, which is a key task of the entire adventure, you have enough freedom to simply roam and explore the underwater world, get treasures and useful resources, and sometimes bump into pirates and all kinds of sea monsters.

You need to get used to the controls – the three-dimensional navigation of the submarine at first seems very difficult, especially the aiming of torpedoes in battle. However, the underwater visuals are excellent and the soundtrack is great for the atmosphere of the game.

Don’t Starve Together

Developer: Klei Entertainment

Where to buy: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.7 or higher, 2-core processor Intel @ 2.2 GHz, discrete graphics card with 256 MB VRAM

Price: 349rub.

The original Don’t Starve came out on PC and Mac in 2014 and received great user reviews. The version for iOS, released later, was also popular – in fact, it is still one of the best games on the platform.

The plot of the plot is extremely simple. You find yourself in an incomprehensible wild place, and you must explore it and try to survive as long as possible. Add to this cute but deadly monsters – like the whole game, they are drawn in the style of Tim Burton cartoons – and the idea that death is here forever and after defeat will have to start from the very beginning (with some exception in the form of resurrection stones) – and get one of the most addicting games in the last few years.

The subsequent expansion, Shipwrecked, expanded the game's capabilities and added new content, but overall Don’t Starve was still a largely single-player game. The developers realized that players want to be able to survive together with friends, and added a multiplayer mode – it came out as a separate game Don’t Starve Together.

The plot is the same here, but now you can create separate worlds and play them together with your friends via the Internet. If all your friends are busy and you want to play, you can always find an open server and go on an adventure with strangers. It is important that the price includes not one, but two copies of Don’t Starve Together at once – the second one can be presented to a friend so as not to pay twice for the opportunity to play together.

Fortnite

Developer: Epic Games

Where to download: Epic Games

System requirements: OS X 10.12.6 or later, 2-core processor Intel 2.4 GHz, video card Intel HD 4000 or later

Price: Free

Одной из самых популярных игр 2017 года, безусловно, стала PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) – игра, в которой вы и еще 99 случайных игроков с любых концов мира высаживаетесь на опустошенный остров и должны не просто спастись, но и избавиться от остальных, чтобы остаться последним survivors. Unfortunately, PUBG still hasn't hit the Mac. But for OS X Fortnite is available – perhaps the most powerful competitor to PUBG today.

Fortnite was originally conceived as an action game in which you have to fight monsters. However, now this branch of the game has become paid (1,199 rubles) and is called the “Save the world” mode. In it, the game is divided into day and night. During the day, you collect resources, improve your defenses and possessions and pump weapons, and at night you fight off the zombie-like monsters that have taken over the Earth. Due to the cartoonish graphics, this is not felt at all like PUBG. You can choose a character class and weapon, but a lot of attention is paid directly to crafting and improvements.

And here, in this case, PUBG? The fact is that after the success of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, the Fortnite developers released the Battle Royale mode. 100 players are fighting to be the last one alive. Battle Royale can be played without a paid version of the game – it serves as a kind of advertisement for the Save the World mode.

Hitman: Game of The Year

Developer: Feral Interactive

Where to download: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.12.5 and higher, processor Intel Core i5 2.0 GHz, 8 GB of RAM. AMD M290 or newer graphics card with 2GB VRAM, 68GB hard disk space

Price: 1,632rub.

Agent 47 is back in yet another awesome stealth action game. In Hitman, your task is to infiltrate closed locations full of secrets, weapons, camouflage spots and, of course, targets to eliminate. And like all Hitman games, this part gives you a break from standard shooter mechanics.

In most games, you have one task – to run and shoot at everything that moves, and it is desirable to stay alive at the same time. In Hitman, the task is completely opposite to remain invisible. Move unnoticed and destroy opponents before they notice your presence. In Hitman, you have to constantly think about how best to proceed, taking into account both the location and your opponents.

This is the sixth game in the series and the graphics are on a whole new level here. Everything looks great, and thanks to Feral Interactive, the Mac port will be decent.

If you are not sure if these games are to your liking, you can play several missions for free. The Game of the Year Edition includes additional missions, weapons, costumes, and contracts.

Hotline miami

Developer: Dennaton Games

Where to download: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.6 and higher, 1 GB RAM, 130 MB hard disk space

Price: 249rub.

Hotline Miami is unlike any other game. It's an amazing, incredibly brutal indie adventure with unexpected twists and turns. In the story, you are a hired killer, and you receive orders by phone from a strange masked man with an animal's head. After that, the massacre begins.

Prepare to die. Many and often. It will take a little time to get used to how easy it is to die in Hotline Miami. Each character (including you) can die from one weapon strike, which makes the fights lightning fast. After each death, you go back to the beginning of the level (or chapter), but the missions themselves are relatively short, so replaying does not seem tedious. More importantly, for all its weirdness, this game is fair. Every death is your own mistake, and you can always try to fix it.

The first mission will probably take you a lot of time to get used to the game system. However, soon enough you will be able to smoothly work your way through enemies using knives, cannons, doors and even just fists. After each mission, you get a score for the types of kill and creativity, but this does not affect the plot.

You can also wear different masks to make it easier for yourself to complete the mission. For example, one of them will allow you to kill with one blow of your fist, while the other will give you a weapon at the very beginning of the level. There are also masks with a negative effect – impairing your eyesight or prohibiting you from raising any weapon.

Great electronic music perfectly complements the crazy gameplay and is good enough for itself to continue listening to it in Apple Music after passing. If you missed this masterpiece, we advise you to fill the gap, especially since the system requirements are minimal here. The sequel released in 2015, by the way, also turned out to be worthy and deserves attention.

Mafia II: Digital Deluxe Edition

Developer: Feral Interactive

Where to buy: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.6.8 and higher, processor Intel with a frequency of 2.0 GHz, video card with 256 MB VRAM

Price: 1,499rub.

Mafia II is set in America in the 1940s and 1950s. You play as Vito Scaletta, a petty crook who seeks to become the head of the mafia family. To prove that you have everything you need for this role, you will have to demonstrate skills in hand-to-hand combat, avoiding car chases and shooting.

The game features an atmospheric soundtrack suitable for the era described, and the Digital Deluxe version is good value for money, as it includes both the game itself and the three add-ons that were released after it, with additional content coming at a discount of about 50%. The game is rather brutal, so it is more suitable for an adult audience.

Max payne 3

Developer: Rockstar Games

Where to buy: Steam or Mac App Store

System requirements: OS X 10.7.5 or later, processor Intel 2.4 GHz, GeForce 8800GT or Radeon 4870 or later with 512 MB VRAM

Price: 699rub. (Steam) or 1,490 rubles. (Mac App Store)

It was difficult to decide whether to include Max Payne 3 on our list or not. And the point is in its quality. No seriously, this third person shooter from the creators of Grand Theft Auto is a great game. However, the problem is with the port itself on macOS. Many users report bugs that can, at best, simply delete progress since the last save, and at worst, completely break the game before it needs to be reinstalled.

During testing, specifically in our case, no problems were identified, but keep in mind that you may not be lucky. As for the plot, here the player tries on the role of the former detective and vigilante Max Payne. As the game progresses, you have to kill. To kill a lot. But the coolest thing here is the variety of tools with which you will do this. Of course, you will have all sorts of weapons at your disposal, but the most epic here are special skills such as slowing down time and swimming underwater, which helps to hide from enemy bullets.

If you are concerned that Max Payne 3 will not work as expected on your computer, we recommend purchasing the game on Steam. In case you find bugs, or you just don't like the game, you can return it and get your money back. Plus, it costs half as much there as on a Mac App Store.

Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor (GOTY Edition)

Developer: Feral Interactive

Where to buy: Steam or Mac App Store

System requirements: OS X 10.10.3 or higher, processor Intel 2.4 GHz, video card with 1 GB VRAM

Price: RUB 1,148 (Steam) or 1,490 rubles. (Mac App Store)

Shadow of Mordor is a beautiful open world adventure game that not only looks great but is really addicting.

Set in the Lord of the Rings universe, Shadow of Mordor combines the mechanics of hand-to-hand combat, stealth, exploration and even parkour. At the same time, it is surprising that all this has been implemented at a really high level. Сражения так же хороши, как в Batman: Arkham City, а стелс и паркур на уровне Assassin’s Creed.Благодаря системе Nemesis взаимодействие с неигровыми персонажами выходит на новый уровень, поскольку она позволяет вашим противникам запоминать все предыдущие встречи с вами – и реагировать при новом столкновении respectively.

The graphics are on a high level here, and Feral Interactive has tried to keep it as good as possible when porting to the Mac. The result is not just a great picture, but also another game with high hardware requirements.

Superhot

Developer: SUPERHOT Team

Where to buy: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.9 and higher, processor Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, video card with 1 GB VRAM

Price: 449rub.

Surprisingly, it is still possible to create a truly unique first person shooter. In Superhot, time moves with the player. And if in most shooters you need to be as fast as possible and react with lightning speed to the appearance of enemies, then in Superhot, on the contrary, you will have to slow down your movements, practically stopping time and using it to your advantage. As soon as you learn to control your speed, you will have the ability, like Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix” – to dodge bullets flying at you and instantly destroy enemies.

It is not easy to adapt to this kind of gameplay, so let's say again: prepare to die a lot. However, once you learn, you will feel almost omnipotent. The unusual visual style of the game makes everything even better – opponents are made of something that looks like glass, and the way they are shattered by your bullets or fists is mesmerizing.

We've also covered the VR version of Superhot in our article on Cool PlayStation VR Games – if you missed it, you can read it here.

Team Fortress 2

Developer: Valve

Where to buy: Steam

System requirements: OS X 10.5.8 or higher, 2-core processor Intel @ 1.7 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce 8 graphics card, ATI X1600, Intel HD 3000 or newer

Price: Free

This is a free shooter from Valve – and it's so cool that it would be hard not to recommend it, even if the table game was several thousand. This is a team game in which you have to choose a character from 9 available classes. After that, you can join other players and fight in different modes – from capturing the flag to “king of the hill”. Regardless of the mode chosen, the main thing here is the ability to play for your class and use all the advantages of the character.

Valve has done an excellent job porting Team Fortress 2 to the Mac, and you can enjoy great graphics on any recent mid-range computer Apple (see required specs).