Angry Birds Star Wars 2 launching September 19th with Skylanders-esque toy tie-in

Posted on 15/07/2013 by Ben Gilbert

In a wholly unsurprising move, Finnish game dev studio Rovio Entertainment is creating yet another entry in its prolific Angry Birds series -- Angry Birds Star Wars 2. As its name implies, ABSW2 is the sequel to the first Star Wars-themed Angry Birds entry, which launched on various mobile devices last November. Its sequel will arrive on September 19th, and apparently features "over 30 playable characters." There aren't set launch platforms just yet, but we're guessing "iOS and Android devices" is a pretty safe bet; Windows Phone 8 as well, perhaps.

What is surprising is that the newest Angry Birds entry has a physical twist that we've yet to see from the brand: something called "telepods." The Hasbro-created toy is a physical representation of an in-game character, and Rovio Entertainment's VP of marketing Philip Hickey tells us it works by using a mobile phone or tablet's built-in camera to read the toy and implement it in-game -- an interesting choice in a world where Activision's NFC-based Skylanders rules the toy-based game landscape. As such, the toys likely won't function on game consoles, making it likely that any non-mobile version of the game will require some custom work to adapt. Hickey also tells Engadget that the toys will be available at retail alongside the game's September 19th launch, and that Rovio's exploring the possibility of making them function with previous series entries.

Interested parties can get a first taste at San Diego Comic Con this week, and we've dropped the debut trailer just below for your viewing pleasure.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Handhelds, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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Feel the Force: Angry Birds Star Wars coming November 8th to iOS, Android, WP, Kindle Fire and computers

Posted on 08/10/2012 by Jamie Rigg

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.

Continue reading Feel the Force: Angry Birds Star Wars coming November 8th to iOS, Android, WP, Kindle Fire and computers

Filed under: Gaming, Mobile

Feel the Force: Angry Birds Star Wars coming November 8th to iOS, Android, WP, Kindle Fire and computers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 06:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Angry Birds sequel ‘Bad Piggies’ launches tomorrow, we go hands-on

Posted on 26/09/2012 by Ben Gilbert

Finnish game studio Rovio went from relatively unknown to center stage with the Angry Birds franchise. And in record time, too -- the first Angry Birds landed on Apple's iOS App Store in December 2009, less than three years ago, and has since become an international sensation. The birds spawned a flock of sequels, branded tie-ins, and tons of merchandise. All this adds up to quite a bit of chicken scratch for Rovio, and also quite a bit of pressure to keep the money train rolling.

Today marks Rovio's first true sequel to the original Angry Birds, and it's focused on the other side of the farm: the pigs. Enter Bad Piggies. Unlike Angry Birds, Bad Piggies isn't about flinging anything towards a complicated structure in order to knock it down. Instead, it's about moving one very green, goofy sounding pig to various points on a map to collect items and reach a goal -- it's much more Cut the Rope than Angry Birds. The same physics-based game mechanics are at play in Bad Piggies that made both Cut the Rope and Angry Birds so popular, and they're just as fun in this time around. But how do you get said piggy to the goals? You build a contraption, of course.

Each level starts with a build section, allowing players to create all types of vehicles in order to transport the pig from point A to point B (while grabbing collectibles along the way). Only a small handful of build options are available, keeping Bad Piggies just as speedy of a game -- to pick up and play while commuting or while waiting at the dentist's office -- as its wildly successful progenitor. It's hard to say if Bad Piggies will recapture the success that Rovio found with Angry Birds proper, but all the hallmarks are there: quick, fun gameplay, colorful characters, goofy sounds, and accessibility (we couldn't help but get all three stars on every level, but you don't have to in order to proceed, should it prove too difficult). Bad Piggies launches tomorrow morning for iOS devices, Mac, and Android.

Gallery: Bad Piggies (iPad)