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Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launch lineups bolstered by Angry Birds Star Wars
Forget Knack and Forza 5 and the first next-generation Battlefield game -- it's all about Angry Birds Star Wars next month when the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launch. The game's headed to both consoles on their respective launch dates, November 22nd and 15th, for an undisclosed price (we're guessing $10 - $15). We'd also wager that it'll arrive digitally on both platforms, as stiff competition for the much-anticipated Peggle 2. The game is otherwise available on current-gen and handheld consoles, as well as the the Wii U, as of today. There's a trailer below for that version, and we expect to see video for that next-gen version fairly soon.
Daily iPhone App: Space out with Angry Birds Star Wars II
The original Angry Birds Star Wars title was a blissful marriage of two iconic IPs, and as a dedicated Angry Birds fan, it remains one of my favorite games in the series. With Angry Birds Star Wars II, Rovio tries to recapture that same magic, and while the core mechanics remain largely unchanged, your enjoyment of the game will depend on how well you stomach in-app purchases. When the original Angry Birds Star Wars was released, its in-app purchase options were limited to a few bonus training missions. Over time, a plethora of microtransaction options were added, giving the experience a bit of a cheap feel. That same emphasis on purchasable upgrades permeates Angry Birds Star Wars II from the very start, and a pulsing shopping cart at the top of the game screen is a constant reminder that the game would love to sell you some overpowered goodies. The gameplay itself is the same time-tested Angry Birds excellence we've come to expect, with a ton of fantastic destruction puzzles, great music and ridiculously gorgeous background art. Rovio really gives the Star Wars characters and locations a ton of flair and attention to detail. If you're a Star Wars fan, there's a lot to love here. The airborne assassins at your disposal range from Jedi-themed birds that wield lightsabers to newcomers like a Yoda character that spins and bounces off of everything in sight. You can also play as the Dark Side (or "Pork Side") characters for the first time, which adds an evil angle to the mayhem. Every level is fun to play, and the boss levels can seriously test your skills, which is a pleasant change from many of the so-called "casual" hits on the App Store. You can absolutely best every level in the game without spending anything on the bonus characters -- and I'd argue that doing so is more challenging, as well as more fun. However, with the game constantly reminding you that there are purchasable bonus characters available, it can be easy to feel like you're missing out on something by not throwing down the extra cash. It's not a deal breaker, but it definitely adds an unwelcome layer of annoyance to the experience. If you love Angry Birds, this one is an easy recommendation, and with so many levels and new characters to play, Angry Birds Star Wars II offers a lot of content for just US$0.99. If you've not played an Angry Birds game before, or if you have, but you skipped the first Star Wars iteration, I'd suggest going back and checking out the original crossover title before agreeing to take on its bigger, darker brother.
Angry Birds Star Wars II hits the App Store
Lost in all the noise about the iOS 7 launch was the fact that some pretty big games were released today, including Infinity Blade III and the latest in Rovio's beloved Angry Birds series: Angry Birds Star Wars II. In the sequel to the original Angry Birds Star Wars, this time around gamers play through levels inspired by the Star Wars prequels Episodes 1-3. However, unlike the first Angry Birds Star Wars, this time players have the option of being a baddy: The Force is strong with this one. Get ready for Angry Birds Star Wars II – the epic follow-up to the #1 smash hit game! Based on the Star Wars movie prequels, use the Force for good against the greedy Pork Federation or choose a much darker path. That's right; for the first time ever you can "Join the Pork Side" and play as the fearsome Darth Maul, Emperor Palpatine and many other favorites! Besides being able to play the big bads listed above, players will actually be able to play more than 30 Star Wars characters including Yoda, pod-racing Anakin, Mace Windu and Jango Fett. Additionally, this time around you can swap which characters are in the slingshot out at any time, so you have a choice in the order you launch them in. Angry Birds Star Wars II is a universal app for US$0.99.
Angry Birds Star Wars adds 30 Moon of Endor levels
Rovio today has released an update to the wildly popular Angry Birds Star Wars game. The update adds a new locale -- the Forest Moon of Endor, as seen in Return of the Jedi. The saga continues on the Moon of Endor with 30 furry new levels! Help the Rebel Birds disable the Death Star's deflector shield before it's too late. Take on Stormtroopers, Speeder Bikes and two-legged AT-ST walkers in the dense forests of Endor. And look out for those loveable fur balls -- the Ewoks! Users can fight the Empire's evil forces on Endor with the help of Ewoks, by bouncing birds off Ewok drums, and, ultimately, by disabling the Death Star's deflector shield. The update also includes ToonsTV, the home of the Angry Birds cartoon series. What's especially nice about this update is the Endor levels are free instead of being a new in-app purchase. Angry Birds Star Wars is US$0.99 for iPhone and $2.99 for iPad.
Hands-on with Angry Birds Star Wars 2 and Hasbro's Telepods (video)
Rovio recently announced a sequel to its Angry Birds Star Wars game, and the Finnish company was on hand to demo its latest title here at Comic-Con. Coming to Android and iOS on September 19th (and to consoles a month later), the app features more than 30 playable characters and -- most notably -- works with Hasbro-designed "Telepods." If you've heard of Skylanders -- not to mention Hasbro's zAPPed line of add-ons for iPad games -- the concept will be quite familiar: the Angry Birds Star Wars 2 Telepods give players access to additional characters and superpowers. To get started with the Telepod figures, we simply had to place them (attached to their plastic stand) over the demo iPad's camera. The tablet recognized the characters in just a second or two, and then we were able to play with new birds and their associated abilities (hint: more explosions). Rovio's VP of marketing Philip Hickey says the Telepod collaboration with Hasbro allowed the company to make even Jar Jar Binks' character interesting -- and we have to admit, that's quite an accomplishment. The Telepods will be available in stores for about $20 shortly before game launches in September. The live-action telepods may be the upcoming title's most novel feature, but that doesn't mean the game doesn't have several software-based goodies as well. You can choose to play on the dark side ("on the pork side," as it were), and there are new two-player cooperative and two-to-four-player multiplayer modes. Be sure to check out our video hands-on after the break to see the sci-fi birds in action.
Angry Birds Star Wars coming to most game consoles on October 29th (video)
Angry Birds Star Wars has invaded virtually every major mobile and desktop platform; as of October 29th, it will have a footprint on nearly every modern game console, too. The sci-fi bird flinging title will ship to the US that day for the 3DS, Wii, Wii U, PS3, PS Vita and Xbox 360, with international customers getting their turn on November 1st. Regardless of the platform, there's a few rewards for patient gamers -- the console editions will carry a raft of competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes, as well as 20 exclusive levels. We're slightly surprised that there aren't PS4 and Xbox One ports just to complete the picture, but the launch is still good news for those who'd rather play ABSW on the big screen than give its sequel a try.
Angry Birds Star Wars 2 to launch September 19th
Rovio has announced that Angry Birds Star Wars 2 will hit the App Store on September 19th. The game is a follow-up to the massively popular Angry Birds Star Wars released earlier this year (and currently the Free App of the Week). Here's what Rovio had to say about the sequel: Rovio and Lucasfilm have teamed up again to bring you even more adventures from the Angry Birds Star Wars universe! Experience the legendary story of the Star Wars prequel movies with dozens of your favorite characters with all-new powers! For the first time ever, you can even choose to "Join the Pork Side" and play as one of the villainous pigs! Fling your favorite characters, including a young pod-racing Anakin, Mace Windu, General Grievous, Darth Maul and yes... even Jar Jar Binks! Unlock more than 30 characters in game, or scan your favorite Angry Birds Star Wars II toys directly into the game using Hasbro's amazing new TELEPODS technology! Can't wait? Check out the trailer below.
Angry Birds Star Wars updated with free Hoth levels
Version 1.1 of the Angry Birds Star Wars app (US$0.99) dropped like the Mighty Falcon from the skies yesterday, bringing with it more fun levels to add hours of entertainment to your iPhone or iPod touch. The big news for this version is the addition of 20 new levels on the ice world of Hoth, as well as two new bonus levels for players to achieve. The pink bird highlights the game as Princess Leia, and a not-so-subtle hint says she has "an ATTRACTIVE new power". There are AT-ATs to destroy by hitting their weak spot, and pigtroopers to ruin your whole day. If you're a fan of either the Angry Birds or Star Wars franchises, there's a lot to love in this inexpensive and addictive update.
Daily Update for November 8, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Angry Birds Star Wars adds sci-fi flavor to bird flinging, available today, we go hands-on
Finland's biggest game studio is heading back into the coop, pulling out its Angry Birds franchise for yet another go on a whole mess of platforms -- this time, even Windows 8 and its mobile counterpart get some attention. Moreover, Rovio's teamed with the folks at LucasArts (now part of the Disney family) to craft an entirely thematic experience: enter Angry Birds Star Wars. But fret not -- just because Angry Birds Star Wars seems like a shameless tie-in doesn't mean it's a bad game (it is, however, a shameless tie-in, no matter which way you cut it). In fact, it's quite good, melding pieces of Angry Birds Space -- arguably the best and most creative entry in the Angry Birds franchise -- with new gameplay elements. Rather than birds which explode or other such modifiers, post-fling, Angry Birds Star Wars equips each of several themed birds with one weapon apiece. An Obi-Wan Kenobi-themed bird uses The Force to push enemies or blocks, while a Han Solo-themed bird fires three blasts from a space pistol, just to name a few. That Angry Birds Space component is little more than gravity effects, but it helps to mix up the often redundant level design -- if you've played more than one Angry Birds game, you've seen most of what's on offer here. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, per se, but be forewarned if you're expecting the kind of innovation we saw from Rovio's last Angry Birds spinoff, Bad Piggies. Angry Birds Star Wars launches today on iOS ($0.99 / iPhone, $2.99 / iPad), Android (Free SD version, HD is $2.99), Amazon Kindle Fire, Mac ($4.99), PC, Windows Phone ($0.99), and Windows 8 ($4.99). Go after the break to check out the cinematic and gameplay trailers, along with the PR.
Daily Update for October 8, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Angry Birds Star Wars coming to your galaxy November 8
A long time ago, in an iOS app far, far away.... Back in 2009, an iPhone-exclusive game called Angry Birds arrived and became an instant hit. The game has become a huge franchise, with five sequels generating over 1 billion downloads on a number of platforms. Now Rovio has released a trailer for Angry Birds Star Wars, to be released November 8 on iOS, Android, OS X and Windows. Angry Birds Star Wars follows on the heels of Bad Piggies, the spin-off game that lets players experience the viewpoint of the much-maligned pigs in the original game. There's no word yet on the price for the new addition to the Angry Birds universe.
Feel the Force: Angry Birds Star Wars coming November 8th to iOS, Android, WP, Kindle Fire and computers
Rovio teased a certain film-inspired Angry Birds picture a long, long last week, and as expected, it's another new game -- Angry Birds Star Wars. Our furious feathered friends are assuming the likenesses of characters from the epic saga, with the trusty Red Bird taking on Luke Skywalker's role. It wouldn't be the Rebel Alliance without a dark side to fight, which is where the Pigs fit into the storyline; even the music and levels for gravity-based play will hark back to the film franchise. In addition to the software, details of related merchandise have also been uncovered, including table games, toys and costumes. The game is out on November 8th for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Kindle Fire and computers, and if it follows the original storyline, we wonder how Red Bird's going to feel about his porcine family history.
