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Angry Birds Star Wars - The Force Is Free With This One

Posted by Andrew Stevens on July 11th, 2013
iPad App - Designed for iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: BIRD FORCE :: Read Review »

Angry Birds Star Wars is free to download across the entire galaxy! In our review, Carter Dotson said, "the default red bird as Luke has a lightsaber to cut through blocks, the black bird as Obi-Wan has Force push, and the yellow bird as Han Solo shoots lasers." That's just awesome!

If you have not experienced the birds who have grown strong with the force, then now is the time that you must absolutely do so!

Tiny Thief Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on July 11th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: STEALS THE SHOW
There's a lot to love in this clever and adorable point-and-click puzzler.
Read The Full Review »

The Best App Ever Awards - 5 Years Worth of Winners

Posted by Rob Rich on July 8th, 2013

The Best App Ever Awards have been around ever since ever since the App Store first came into being five years ago. Each year the best of the best have been culled from hundreds (even thousands) of releases. This list represents five years worth of winners, as decided by Best App Ever readers. Five years worth of apps and games that have been chosen above all others due to their all-around awesomeness. Five of the Best Apps Ever.

Here they are.

2008


Shazam (Shazam Entertainment)
A lot of people were pretty excited when the iPhone first came out, and it was apps like Shazam that helped to keep them that way. In a time when smartphones were being scoffed at, being able to hold your phone up to a speaker and have it identify whatever song is currently playing was pretty freaking impressive. It goes so far beyond kitschy stuff like virtual lighters or photo booths. This is an app that serves an incredibly useful purpose; especially for those of us who enjoy finding new music.

2008 was the App Store’s first year, and even then there was no shortage of great apps and games for iOS users to enjoy. The likes of eWallet, Fieldrunners, Facebook, and Rolando were all exemplary nominees. However, in the end they just weren’t able to compete with the ability to identify any song that’s playing on the radio, in a store, or wherever else. It’s simply too handy.

2009


Pocket God (Bolt Creative)
I don’t want to be presumptuous, but Bolt Creative may very well be responsible for creating the current “Feel like something’s missing? Wait for an update!” environment that has overtaken the App Store. With 47 (47!!!) episodes released to date, Pocket God is just might be the most thoroughly supported app in the world. This funky sandbox of wrongness has seen so many tweaks and changes over the years that it provides users with mini-games that cover almost every single popular genre on the App Store.

2009 was very close, but Pocket God managed to take first place over apps like 2Do and Twitter, and some wonderful games like Real Racing and Flight Control. Perhaps it was due to all the diversity inherent in all those episodes, or maybe people just really like torturing small virtual islanders. Whatever the reason, Bolt Creative captured a lot of hearts (and probably zapped them with lightning or tossed them to the sharks) that year.

2010


Angry Birds (Rovio Entertainment Ltd)
Say and think what you will about Angry Birds and its current cultural phenomenon status; it’s still a clever game. Rovio’s little physics puzzler that could took the App Store by storm and has continued to do so with multiple spin-offs. Often duplicated, never replicated, this little bird-chucking game has solidified the genre as something synonymous with mobile gaming. There’s even one version that uses the “Star Wars” license. Honestly, there aren’t many other iOS games that can make that claim, and even fewer that aren’t directly affiliated with Lucasarts one way or another.

2010 saw the inclusion of a number of fantastic iOS games to the awards. Games like Infinity Blade, Real Racing 2, and Solipskier are all wonderful in their own right. That makes it all the more impressive so see them, and second place nominee Pocket Legends get edged out by a game about loading birds into a slingshot. Don’t underestimate the power of simple yet addictive gameplay.

2011


Jetpack Joyride (Halfbrick Studios)
Barry Steakfries wasn’t new to the App Store when Jetpack Joyride was released, but it is the game that cemented his mobile celebrity status. Barry’s hijacking of a jetpack made of machine guns wasn’t exactly groundbreaking in terms of gameplay (think a hybrid of endless runners and classic corridor flying games like Copter), but Halfbrick polished the heck out of all the mechanics and absolutely overloaded it with personality. To this day it’s still one of the best examples of “just one more try” games on iOS.

2011 was a great year for iOS gamers. Infinity Blade II, World of Goo, Tiny Tower, Where’s My Water, and a whole lot more all made the list. To see little ol’ Barry with his impossible flying machine sitting above them all is a great indication of just how powerful and compulsive an extremely well-made endless game can be. Especially on a mobile platform.

2012


Walking Dead: The Game (Telltale Games)
Telltale’s adventure games have been a bit hit-and-miss over the years, but pretty much everyone felt The Walking Dead was a major hit. Lee’s tale won over many a stone-hearted gamer, and the iOS release more or less cemented Apple’s mobile devices as viable gaming platforms. Making the tough choices isn’t any easier when it’s on a smaller screen, that’s for sure.

2012 was another great year; with games like Punch Quest and Outwitters, and apps like Clear and Action Movie FX narrowly edged out. It’s a testament to how far the App Store has come to see so many great and diverse offerings listed. And it’s a testament to Telltale Games’ ability to craft an incredible story about equally incredible characters to see Walking Dead: The Game come out on top.

Angry Birds Adds New Egg Defender Mode, Gives Red New Magical Feathers

Posted by Andrew Stevens on July 5th, 2013
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: GREAT :: Read Review »

A new update has flown in, adding an all-new episode to Angry Birds. Red's Mighty Feathers has Red facing waves of Bad Piggies in the new Egg Defender mode, which throws 73 unique Piggie contraptions at players. In the 15 new levels, player's use Red and his newly acquired magical feathers to attack and stop the advancing pig army. Now go launch yourself into action in the new Egg Defender mode.

Rovio Stars - Angry Birds Developer To Publish Third Party Games, Announces First One, Icebreaker

Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 14th, 2013

Angry Birds developer, Rovio Entertainment, will begin publishing mobile titles under the name Rovio Stars. In a press release, Rovio’s EVP of Games Jami Laes says “Rovio Entertainment has positioned itself as one of the powerhouses of mobile entertainment, so moving into publishing is a logical step for us at this point”.

Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage will be the first game published by Rovio Stars. Pocket Gamer reports that Icebreaker has players slicing ropes and hacking big blocks of ice to help the Vikings return to their boat. Players will also face enemy trolls and traps throughout 95 levels. Release date has not yet been set, but it's expected soon.

Angry Birds Friends Lets You Challenge Your Facebook Pals

Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 2nd, 2013
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: PASSING ACQUAINTANCE :: Read Review »

Angry Birds Friends is the new, more social Angry Birds game you may or may not have ben waiting for. The game has you challenging Facebook buddies for the top prize in weekly tournaments that feature new levels every week. Daily rewards are also available along with the ability to send and receive gifts and, of course, brag about how good you are. Your tournament progress on the Facebook game and iOS app will automatically sync so you can play anywhere.

- Challenge your Facebook friends for bronze, silver, and gold trophies!
- Brag, send gifts, and invite your Facebook friends to play!
- Four classic power-ups, plus one exclusive to Angry Birds Friends on mobile!
- Daily rewards!
- Free bird-coins just for completing the tutorial!

Angry Birds Toons Launches This Weekend

Posted by Andrew Stevens on March 15th, 2013

The new Angry Birds Toons cartoon series premieres this weekend, March 17th, and you can watch it in all Angry Bird apps. Just download an update to your Angry Birds app and get them access on Sunday to a new in-game channel button. Angry Birds Toons will feature 52 episodes allowing us all to enjoy a new cartoon airing at the same time every weekend. Go update your apps and get ready to learn more about the Angry Birds and the Bad Piggies!

Rovio's The Croods - First Official Gameplay Trailer

Posted by Andrew Stevens on March 7th, 2013

Rovio just released the first official trailer to its new game, The Croods, which will be available next week on March 14th. Check out the trailer below to see just what this game, based on the March 22 movie of the same name, is all about.

Angry Birds Space Releases on Thursday. Here's What We Know So Far.

Posted by Carter Dotson on March 21st, 2012

This Thursday, another slot on the top 25 apps likely goes to a galaxy far, far, away as Rovio Entertainment prepares to launch Angry Birds Space. Pun semi-intended. Details and teasers have been slowly trickling out over the last few weeks, but the most substantial trailer yet has been released. This one shows off some actual gameplay footage, revealing some of the most radical changes to the core Angry Birds formula yet.

Gravity will be the big factor that comes in to play here. In particular, gravity will be going every which way, with gravitational fields that will reverse gravity and flip turn things upside down. Thought levels were hard before when they were on relatively flat terrain? Now prepare to launch around spherical planets! Good luck! Pigs will even be floating in space, suspended in bubbles, that players must hit to send to their doom. There are even new giant boss pigs that must be taken down as well. If pigs have developed space travel, why are they still going after the malcontent birds' eggs? Couldn't they just genetically engineer their own? Perhaps the game will explain this.

Many of the classic birds will be back, with two key additions. The Lazer Bird is the same basic idea as the yellow bird from the original game, but will change angle suddenly when the screen is tapped. The Ice Bird explodes and freezes everything in a nearby radius when it hits something. The Boomerang Bird is nowhere to be seen, thankfully.

Angry Birds Space releases this Thursday on the App Store, and while Rovio hasn't said anything about pricing, or if they'll finally release the game as a universal app, we'll know soon enough. As a starter, The Daily has also released a special Birds in Space app that features articles on the creation of the game, with behind-the-scenes details and concept art on the making of the game.