There’s been a renewed faith in continuing the Star Wars movie saga when Disney purchased LucasFilms a few months ago. Before that, this game was released so you could say this was a catalyst perhaps?

Angry Birds Star Wars ($0.99) 

“Join an epic adventure with the Angry Birds in the legendary Star Wars™ universe! Use the Force, wield your lightsaber, and blast away Pigtroopers on an intergalactic journey from the deserts of Tatooine to the depths of the Pig Star — where you’ll face off against the terrifying Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Pigs! Can you become a Jedi Master and restore freedom to the galaxy?”

Presentation

Angry Birds fans should know by now that although the core mechanics of the game usually stay, the title describes the location of the game. In the case of ‘Space’, the game was set in space, and in ‘Rio’, it used its licensing of ‘Rio’. And in this case, you guessed it, it’s Star Wars. And it fits right in with the movies. There are 40 Tatooine levels, 40 Death Star levels, and a recently released Hoth level pack.

Whether it be at one point or another, most of the main characters will appear as you play, with a special ability tied into the movie. For example, Obi-Wan uses the force, Hans shoots his blaster, and so forth. To complete the experience, the game is filled with Star Wars music and sound effects.

Controls

It’s an Angry Birds game, what can you expect? You pull back on the bird, and release to shoot him. Pretty easy right? Some birds have special abilities, which you can usually activate by doing something as simple as just tapping on the screen when you think the timing is just right. Gravity also takes its tow, but we’ll get more into that below.

Gameplay

The game plays out like your regular Angry Birds game, unless you are in space. When you’re in space, the same rules apply as those in Angry Birds Space. You’ll keep drifting in a straight line unless you enter a gravity bubble. The game still follows the same simple concept though: use the birds to kill the pigs. And just like before, the birds are still angry.

Some of the birds (read: characters) have special abilities, as mentioned above. Some of the ones not mentioned above include R2-D2 shocking nearby enemies, etc. The game completely incorporates the Star Wars universe to the last detail, including the Mighty Eagle. This is replaced by Millennium Falcons that will wipe out the pigs.

Conclusion

Angry Birds Star Wars is yet another entry into the Angry Birds universe. This time it’s buttered up and aimed at Star Wars fans, and hey, you can’t blame them, there’s a lot of them. The game is just as fun as any other Angry Birds game, and it’s well made. I would recommend you pick it up.

This game is a big undertaking. You may see the large areas and think “I’ll never get to explore that”, but guess what, you’re wrong. So ha!

Ravensword: Shadowlands (Universal: $6.99) 

“Ravensword brings unprecedented visuals to the role playing and adventure genre. Explore a vast and richly detailed world, gather powerful weapons, collect hundreds of items, increase your skills, and follow a deep storyline to solve the mysteries of the Kingdom of Tyreas. ”

Presentation

Almost everything that you see can be explored. And let me tell you, there is a lot to explore. Whether it be the outdoor areas, or the indoor areas, both are very large and detailed. Granted, it depends on what device you’re playing, but the game will still look great.  The environments vary greatly, from forests, to jungles, to mountains.

And that’s not even mentioning the indoor areas, or the enemies (there’s goddamn dinosaurs guys!) The main difference? Draw distance. On the iPhone 5, you can enable the maximum draw distance, which combined with the rest of the game looks fantastic. Playing on an older device? No problem, the draw distance will just be reduced. The amount of work put into polish on this game is amazing.

Controls

Not that controls were a problem with the original Ravensword, but the developers have passed on that legacy into the latest installment, with controls that suit the touchscreen devices just well. As with most games nowadays, movement is taken care of on the left side, while camera is on the right, and combat with buttons on the right. The buttons take care of the things you can expect in a game: attack, jump, etc. On top of the attack button, there is also a button to cast spells. To run, double-tap the screen. For all there is to do in this game, the controls surprisingly won’t overwhelm you.

Gameplay

If you’re feeling intimidated by the fact you didn’t play the previous Ravensword game, don’t sweat it. You don’t need any previous knowledge of the first game to play this one. You start off as the last survivor of the battle of Heronmar, a clash between humans and dark elves that ends up with everyone dead. So you’re a VIP. So long story short, you’re now trying to get the three Ravenstones, which will reveal the Ravensword to you.

Although the main quests are well it’s at, there are also some side quests which you can do in the meanwhile. Although they aren’t as meaty as the main quests, the way I see it is “hey, more  content in the game!”. As for the main quests themselves, they’re very well done. Everytime you do one, it sends you to a different area of the map, and each one is more interesting than the past one. The combat, in turn, works out just fine in the game, with you spamming the attack buttons as you go. If I had but one problem with the game was that at times it felt like I wasn’t ready to handle a certain quest.

Conclusion

Nagging details aside, Ravensword: Shadowlands is a great game. When you step back and look at the scale of the game, running in the palm of your hand, it’s impressive. On top of that, it’s also one of the best looking games on iOS. Any RPG fan out there will be pleased with this title. Here is your Skyrim for iOS.

It seems that the NVIDIA conference at CES was *the* place to announce upcoming iOS and Android games. This time, we were able to catch a glimpse of Riptide GP 2 on the NVIDIA’s Project Shield.

And even though the game is not finished yet, the above footage already looks fantastic. Check it out for yourself.

PocketGamer has some details on the game, and it sounds promising. Some of the visual improvements mentioned, thanks to the new Vector Engine 4, are improved character models, water effects, and dynamic lighting. The game will also have a new career mode, allowing up to eight riders at a time and jet ski customization. Finally, multiplayer is on there too. There is no set date, but Vector Unit did give a “summer 2013″ date for iOS and Android. Stay tuned.

Oh man, all the time I spent playing the original Temple Run.I lost track of it at one point, but I remember it being the perfect toilet game. I also remember having the highest score out of all my friends.

But that’s a tale for another day. The good news right now is that the official sequel is out! You can go download Temple Run 2  for free right now!

The sequel to the smash hit phenomenon that took the world by storm!

With over 170 million downloads, Temple Run redefined mobile gaming. Now get more of the exhilarating running, jumping, turning and sliding you love in Temple Run 2!

Navigate perilous cliffs, zip lines, mines and forests as you try to escape with the cursed idol. How far can you run?!

FEATURES

★ Beautiful new graphics

★ Gorgeous new organic environments

★ New obstacles

★ More powerups

★ More achievements

★ Special powers for each character

★ Bigger monkey!!!

Unlike the original, this one even launched for free. So you have absolutely no reason why not to go download it right now.

Over at CES, Madfinger Games announced Dead Trigger 2, the sequel to it’s popular game. The game was first showed at NVIDIA’s press conference at CES 2013, optimized for the new Tegra 4 processor.

Not many details on the game were released, MadFinger is confident it will be on a different level, above that of the original Dead Trigger.

Marek Rebas, CEO, says that the sequel will be “even bigger, better, and much more addictive”. Speaking about their relationship with Madfinger Games, NVIDIA Vice President of Game Content & Technology said that the game “will provide an amazing portable experience”.

The only thing we know for sure so far about the game are graphical details. The game has new ragdoll physics, volumetric fog, and more realistic lighting and water. Dead Trigger 2 will be released for Android and iOS in Q2 2013.

[via IntoMobile]

Good news for Fruit Ninja  fans, the latest update is sweet! The HD version was updated with new blades, backgrounds, and challenges. What about the iPhone version you ask? Well guess what!

It received all these goodies, as well as being updated for the widescreen on the iPhone 5 and the new iPod touch.

Hey there Fruit Ninjas! We’ve heard your cries and answered the call – Fruit Ninja now supports iPhone 5! And the free content continues with new blades, extra backgrounds and fresh challenges! High scores are ripe for the taking so bolster your arsenal and get set for a Fruit Ninja bonanza

NEW BLADES:
Cloud Kicker – Predict your own weather!
Sakura Slicer – Let the petals fall in the wind

NEW BACKGROUNDS:
Cloudy Skies – Get some fresh air!
Cherry Blossom Background – Let the flower viewing festival begin!

NEW CHALLENGES:
Sharpen your skills and unlock awesome new swag!

IPHONE 5 SUPPORT:
Fruit Ninja has never been crisper! We’ve gone over the entire game to give it that extra shine!

FRUIT STORE:
Check out all the awesome new Fruit Ninja goodies to purchase, located in the Dojo!

Make sure to download the latest update and start chopping fruit again. I mean, you must already own the game, you could have even gotten it free at a time. Don’t worry, the game never gets old.

Everyone knows that Apple gets a lot of their income with their iOS devices specifically iPhone and iPad. They have this market cornered, however they still make a dent on the notebook department with their MacBook line.

Proving they do still care about it, DigiTimes is reporting: “The report also claims that Apple will be refreshing its notebook lineup “at the end of the second quarter”, which could mean an introduction at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference expected in June.”

In addition to Macrumors reporting it, the MacBook line doesn’t look like it was that successful the past year. They point out to a modest single digit shipment growth. Assuming all three versions (Air, Pro and Retina) get refreshed, which one would you get?

What new features are you looking forward to?

We told you when Jordan Mechner’s Karateka  for iOS was released a couple of weeks ago. Feedback has been good for the Prince of Persia’s other game on Apple’s platform. You can now try the game for yourself at its sale price of $0.99!

“From PRINCE OF PERSIA creator Jordan Mechner, the original side-scrolling karate classic comes to the iPad and iPhone with stunning graphics and innovative gameplay.”

Features

Whether you are a nostalgic Karateka fan or new to the game, Karateka will charm you with its classic love story set in feudal Japan. Fight to save the lovely Mariko from the evil warlord Akuma and reunite her with her True Love!

BREATHTAKINGLY CINEMATIC

Karateka comes to new life with art by Jeff Matsuda (The Batman) and music by Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin (Civilization IV).

FANTASTIC FIGHTING

Easy to grasp yet challenging to master, the rhythm-based karate combat tells a simple human story. Three suitors vie to save Mariko: A fearsome Brute, a noble Monk, and her brave True Love.

HIGHLY REPLAYABLE

Download the game today before the sale price goes back up!

First reported on TechCrunch, Apple has rolled out a new feature on Newsstand that will allow publishers to be featured on a new “Read Them Here” section.

The first publisher to be feature is Hearst, with a whole catalog of magazines that will be available to download several days before the print edition, or even other digital editions.

The exclusive arrangement varies by individual publication in terms of how far in advance you’ll be able to get the various Hearst titles compared to in print and from other online storefronts like Amazon’s Kindle marketplace, but each will be available at least a few days in advance, I’m told. Existing subscribers will get early access, as well as those signing up for the first time.

While it is an added bonus to Newsstand, it seems unlikely that this will be the tie breaker for people to switch over to the iPad. It may however fuel Newsstand adoption for all that we know.

[via MacRumors]

You’ve probably heard of both Lala and Color, but what you may not know is that both of them were founded by Bill Nguyen, before being acquired by Apple.

We didn’t know much about these acquisitions until now, that Aubrey Johnson, a former Color employee, shares two stories.

If you never got to use Lala, let me summarize things for you. Just like Pandora, you could stream music from their huge (over 7 million songs) catalog for free. Songs could also be purchased, usually for a lower price than iTunes. As Johnson explains, it’s biggest strength is that it was at the top of many Google searches for some songs, thanks to a deal with Google. In fact, they had partnered on Google’s Music service.

He then explains that Nokia had made an offer, and that Bill turned to Google. However, they too lowballed them, which made Bill head over to Apple to see if they were interested in buying his company.

In late November [2009], Nguyen was seated at the dinner table in Steve Job’s home on Waverly St in Palo Alto. Also present were Eddy Cue and Tim Cook and other Apple executives. Steve led the conversation while eating a beet salad:

“I’m going to give you a number, Bill, and if you like it, let’s do it and just be done with this whole thing. Okay?” Bill agreed.

Jobs passed a piece of paper to Nguyen and Bill nodded. The deal was done.

After the Lala acquisition, many Lala employees left the company with Bill, to start Color, which was later also acquired by Apple. In the end, Apple got experienced engineers for a much lower price than originally bargained for.

[via MacRumors]