Grounded

Mobile developer Rovio has announced that it is delisting the original edition of its smash hit mobile title Angry Birds, due to the "wider impact??" the legendary title has on the st??udio's free-to-play portfolio.

"We have reviewed the business case of Rovio Classics: Angry Birds, and due to the game's impact on our wider games portfolio, we have decided that Rovio Classics: Angry Birds will be unlisted from the Google Play Store on Thursday, 23rd February," reads ?an official statement posted to by Rovio to Twitter. "Additionally, the game will be renamed to Red’s First Flight in the App Store pending further review."

"We understand this is sad news for many fans, as well as the team that has worked hard to make Rovio Classics: Angry Birds a reality. We are extremely grateful to the Angry Birds fans who have shown their love of the brand and this game from the beginning. We hope those fans can continue to bring that passion to our live Angry Birds slingshot games such as Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds Friends, and Angry Birds Journey, where our goal?? every day is to craft the best possible experience for player??s."

//t??witter.com/Ro??vio/status/1627956351002443778?s=20

As noted in the above statement, the physics-based puzzler will be removed from the Android store entirely, while the iOS edition will be retitled Red's First Flight, seemingly a way to ensure that it no longer appears on ?the top of search results for "Angry Birds". Anybody who has previously picked up a copy of the game will b??e able to re-download the title at any point in the future.

In comments to VGC, Rovio states that it is vital to the company's growth that some of the latter Angry Birds releases are allowed to f??lourish, noting that "the outlook of the entire company changes" if these newer titles are not a success. It should be noted that Rovio itself has recently been looking for a sale, with the studio in preli?minary talks with a number of potential new owners.

Notably, the three titles referenced above are all free-to-play, microtransaction-driven releases, whereas the original Angry Birds title was a single-purchase release, initially sold for 99 cents, with several expansion packs offered up post-release. Over 12 million copies of the game would be sold in its launch year, with the Angry Birds name becoming synonymous with what w??ould be deemed "casual gaming".

The post Rovio delists the original Angry Birds due to ‘impact’ on free-to-play variants appeared first on Destructoid.

The classic title makes a return

Being there to witness the rise and fall of the original Angry Birds game was a sight to behold. It was a series that took the mobile gaming platform by storm, and even expanded into the mainstream zeitgeist in the 2010s. It felt like you couldn't go anywhere without seeing Angry Birds merch, which is why it's so funny to look back at it now. After a seemingly endless number of sequels and spinoffs, the franchise was delisted from mobile storefronts in 2019, and it was curtains for Angry Birds... or so we thought.

Last summer, Rovio, the series' developer, put out a letter on their website announcing that they were going to be bringing the beloved series back. Apparently, the issue had not just been that the games had fallen in terms of popularity, but that they had actually been created in proprietary game engine??s back in the day. However, now that?? engines like Unity have seen some major updates over the years, Rovio decided to delve back in and give the games some sorely-needed updates so that they could run on modern platforms.

As they say in the letter, "10 years in game years is like 100 in human years �that’s how quickly the indust?ry advanc??es."

//twit??ter.com/AngryBirds/status/1509436708089221121

Well, they finally finished it, and Angry Birds is now available to play again on iOS and Android devices. That's right, every part of the original game, including all the stages, Easter eggs, and extras, are all available to play now as Rovio Classics: Angry Birds. The game will run you $1 to purch??ase, but after that, it's entirely free of adds and microtransactions. Even better, the Mighty Eagle upgrade is also included now, which was previously a separate DLC purchase, and unlocks a whole new difficul??ty challenge for players.

Personally, I'm super excited to dive back into this game, for nostalgia's sake, and just because it's fun to play. Angry Birds is simple, satisfyin?g, and perfectly utilizes touchscreen controls �in my opinion, it's about as good as mobile games can get.

The post The ?original Angry Birds has made a return to mobile platforms appeared first on Destructoid.

...they're dangerous

In today's contest you can win a copy of Wingspan for Nintendo Switch!

Apparently, Wingspan was a pretty big hit in the realm of board games. Who'da thunk that a gam??e about collecting birds would wind up as such a banger? It's wild.

Anyway, ??enough stallin' -- ?we've got some Switch copies of the official video game adaptation to give away!

This is blowing my mind, so read about it while?? I try to figu??re out how to get this roadrunner to hang out with my cockatiel.

You are bird enthusiasts -- researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors -- seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves. Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats. Each habitat focuses on a key aspect of the growth of your pr??eserves.

In Wingspan up to 5 players compet??e to build up their nature preserves in a limited number of turns. Each beautiful bird that you add to your preserve makes you better at laying eggs, drawing cards, or gathering food. Many of the 170 unique birds have powers that echo real life: your hawks will hunt, your pelicans will fish, and your geese will form a flock.

• Relaxing strategy card game where your goal is to discover and attract the best birds.
• Single player and multiplayer modes for up to five players.
• Based on the award winning, competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game.
• Hundreds of unique, animated birds with their real life sound recordings.
• Multiple ways to accumulate points with birds, bonus cards and end-of-round goals.

Yo geese roll deep. Legit they'll get their boys on you ?and roll up to your crib with hate in their hearts. Y'all can keep the geese.

To enter to win your copy, comment below telling us your most feared bird, and why. Clearl??y, geese are on my shitlist. I had a friend back in ??VA who would check the street before leaving his house, because those assholes would bully the crap outta him if he wasn't careful. I thought Canadians were supposed to be nice?

We have five Switch NA copies to give away; we'll draw winners next Monday. Be sure to comment using a Dtoid account with your current email address on file. New users can sign up here to hate on geese with the rest of us.

Wingspan is available now via the Switch eShop. Head over to Nintendo Enthusiast for more chances to win!

The post Contest: Win Wingspan for Nintendo Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

These birds need to cool it

We've got a copy of The Angry Birds Movie 2 up for grabs in today's contest!

The only cell phone games I've ever really played were early versions of Snake on flip phones (puke) and the occasional Picross-style puzzle game on my curr??ent phone. How the hell the industry blew up like it did is beyond me, but mos?t things these days are. It's a consequence of getting older, for sure.

One of the biggest successes from mobile games is definitely Angry Birds. So big is the franchise that we're on the second feature-length film based on the games! That's crazy. So let's give this copy of The Angry Birds Movie 2 away and download some free-to-play games on our phones as it plays in ?the bac??kground, like a good modern human!

I accidentall??y flung my ability to summarize movies too far, so I'll let you read this press material about the movie real quick.

The flightless angry birds and the scheming green piggies take their beef to the next level in THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2! When a new threat emerges that puts both Bird an?d Pig Island in danger, Red (Jason Sudeikis), Chuck (Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride), and Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) recruit Chuck's sister Silver (Rachel Bloom) and team up with pigs Leonard (Bill Hader), his assistant, Courtney (Awkwafina), and techpig, Garry (Sterling K. Brown), to forge an unsteady truce and form an unlikely super team to save their homes.

That new threat they're talking about? ?GLOBAL WARMING. That's right, I said it. Good luck with that o?ne, piggies and birds.

To enter to win your copy, leave your? name and email in the widg??et below. You can enter daily. For bonus entries, follow Dtoid and Flixist on Twitter, and share our contest post with your friends.

While you're wa??iting, tell us why these birds are so damned angry. I know I ask you to do this every time we bring up Angry Birds, but I still don't have a solid answer. Someone, end the madness. Please.

We have one Blu-ray copy of the film to give away b??etween Dtoid and Flix??ist. You must have a United States shipping address in order to win -- winner will be drawn Monday, November 18.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 is available digitally, and at retail wherever movies a?re sold.

Contest: Fling some fowl with a Blu-ray copy of Th??e Angry Bird??s Movie 2

The post ?Contest: Fling some fowl with a Blu-ray copy of The Angry Birds Mo??vie 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Ice ice baby

This contest features a PSVR copy of The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure!

I'm usually pretty good at managing the several jobs I have. I've got a decent handle on keeping on schedule with things and juggling several tasks at once. Sometim?es, though, the act kind of falls apart and I get behind on everything, resulting in having to do a lot to catch up. As a result, we've got two contests today!

We have a PSVR copy of The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure, which might have the longest name o?f any game I've ever featured. Come win it, baby??!

The Angry Birds really need to take a chill pill. They're just always so...angry. Well, this time they've gone and teamed up with the pigs to take a submarine to a secret island, because now someone is out to get both species. The nerve! In this VR title you'll pilot said water vessel as you navigate the rough seas to reach Eagle Island to take on the threat. In single player mode, a single VR player will launch boxes, balls, and other debris around and outside the ship to keep things running smoothly and ??avoid giant octopuses and sharks and whatnot. Scary!!

There's also a co-op mode wherein up to three other players can crew the submersible using DualShock controllers and the TV. You can play with frie?nds! The VR player does all the shooting and slingshotting?? while their trusty crew has to run around and make sure nothing breaks. It's fun for the whole family! Minus the part where there are giant tentacles just popping up out of nowhere. That part isn't so much fun.

Ok, you know how this works. To enter to win, use the widget below to leave your name and email address. You can enter daily?. For bonus entries, follow Dtoid and publisher Perp Game on Twitter, and share our contest post with your friends.

In the mean??time, comment below telling us why these birds are still so dan?g angry. I can't figure it out, myself. You'd think they've have gotten counseling or something by now. They've been like this for like ten years. Get some help, birds.

We have one PSVR physical copy of the game to give away. You must have a United States shipping address to qualify. Winner will be dr??awn Thurs??day, September 12.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure is available at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and wherever games are sold.

Contest: Win The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Press??ure for ??PSVR

The post Contest: Win The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure fo?r PSVR appeared first on Destructoid.

Feather, Fugl, and Falcon Age signal a new trend for the F-word

Limbo features a lot of deaths, but as many have written about before, these deaths can be interpreted as a protest to the lax attitude most games take towards violence. Back in the old days, if a parent caught one of their children smoking a cigarette, they might force their kid into a closet and refuse to let them out until they've smoked the whole pack, with hopes that it will turn the kid off from the habit. Limbo's consistent, oppressive murder scenarios feels the same way, though it didn't?? do much to turn peopl??e off from morbid indies.

The American Dream is also thoughtful about its destructive impulses. It is all about gun violence, but passes on death in favor of a more palatable parody of American gun culture. It's clear that the developers of the game love the mechanics of shooting, but aren't necessarily crazy about the concept of shooting people. Likewise, the team behind Monday Night Combat clearly had passion for gunplay-as-sport, but they never embraced the gritty, sadistic side of shoo??ters.

None of these games fully embrace the primitive, violent part?? of the brain. Maybe that's why man??y of the people who worked on them are making non-violent bird games now.

Feather comes from the team behind Screencheat and The American Dream. They've been working on it off-and-on for about three years, and it just saw release on Switch and Steam. It controls a lot like Star Fox, but instead of shooting, you can tweet. You also can't die. Crash into something too hard, and time ??rewinds a few seconds and you start right over. It's incredibly relaxing to just soar around and look for secrets. If that gets lonely, you can also jump online and join a flock of like-minded birdies who just want to take it easy.

Gorm Lai worked on the Mac version of Limbo, tasking him to get into the game's world in a very intimate way. I can only imagine how many times he had to experience each of the game's brutal deaths while in the coding and debugging process. That may be why Fugl, his current project, has no deaths at all. That's just one of the ways it resembles Feather.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that both Feather and Fugl have been in development for so long, it might be easy to think that one copied the other, in the tradition of the Antz vs. A Bug's Life blood feud of 1998. The biggest differences are Fugl has no multiplayer flock system, but it does give you the ability to transform into a dolphin. Also, everything is made of voxels, making it a totally different visual experience than just about any other game of its type. Fugl has also been ou??t in Early Access for a while, thou?gh the complete game isn't scheduled for launch until this year. 

Falcon Age differs from Fugl and Feather in that you don't actually play as the bird. Coming from some of the lead developers of Monday Night Combat, the game is more about getting to know and love a fine-feathered friend through thick and thin.?? It does have the option to make enemies completely ignore you though, which makes it much more of a soft-puzzle and pet sim. The fact that it's set for release in 2019, right next to two other no-kill fowl-focused adventures was too interesting of a happenstance not to take note of. 

The post After making violent games, devs cleanse their palettes wit??h pacifist b??ird sims appeared first on Destructoid.

Birds fly, pigs die

There have been 22 Angry Birds games since 2009, which is a fact that Wikipedia just told me. That's a lot of mileage out of hucking birds at pigs, swine-icide and demoliti?on by avian?? assault. For its next game, players will have a much closer view of the carnitas carnage.

Rovio just announced Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs. It's being developed by Resolution Games, a Swedish studio that specializes in making VR titles for casual audiences. Angry Birds VR is set for a release in "early 2019," and no price has been set. I?t'll launch on "all major VR platforms," but none were explicitly mentioned; we can probably expect Oculus Rift, Vive, and Google Daydream at a minimum.

This isn't the first time Angry Birds has dipped its talons in the waters of non-mobile. A couple months back, Resolution Games released a trailer for an Angry Birds "first-person slingshot" -- an AR attempt at Angry Birds. It's unclear if that's still ??in production, but there's obviously a decent working relationship between Rovio an??d Resolution. In a few months, we'll see if the addictive nature of the mobile games transfers over to virtual reality.

The post Angry Birds is getting a VR adaption early next y?e??ar appeared first on Destructoid.

Team supporters cry fowl

The UK's Premier League is now allowing teams to print sponsor logos on their shirt sleeves This is, surprisingly, a first in British football. But Everton, home to International star Wayne Rooney, have seemingly scored an own goal with their logo choice, that of mobile-game phenomenon, Angry Birds.

The game's title design will now be emblazoned on the team's jersey sleeve, in conjunction with Everton FC's partnership with de??velopers Rovio Entertainment, who published the first title in the world-renown franchise way back in 2009.

Of the new promotional deal, Everton’s Chief Executive Robert Elstone stated: “We’re delighted that Rovio Entertainment has become Everton’s first shirt sleeve partner. Angry Birds is one of the best-selling game apps of all time and is also a remarkable success story in terms of the way in which the brand has cros??sed over from gaming to become part of popular culture."

However, team supporter Mister_Balloon_Hands c??ountered this statement on Everton's Reddit with his own view of t??he situation: "That shit has to go."

Not all of the team's fans have been quite so incendiary. Some have taken the news in good humour, while others commented that the publicity and backing brought by Rov??io Entertainment will be great? for the team's financial future.

Angry Birds sleeve sponsor reveal [Twitter]

The post Angry Birds angers Everton football fans appeared first on Destructoid.

Striking that hot iron

Rovio Entertainment has announced that The Angry Birds Movie 2 will be launching onto?? the silver screen in Fall 2019.

Production for the sequel is currently underway, aiming to be out for September 20, 2019. While details are scant, the staff responsible for creating the sequel has been changed up. Thurop Van Orman, known for his work on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and other modern Cartoon Network classics, will be brought on as director. He'll be co-directing alongside John Rice, who has contributed to shows like The Simpsons and Rick and Morty. They'll be taking ove??r from Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly, who directed the first movie.

Given the original movie had a budget of just $73 million and made a total of $349 million at the box office, it's no surprise that a sequel was greenlit. If you're curious how the original was, our own Nick Valdez had the joy of reviewing it over at Flixist, which you can find here. To give a rough summary, i?t was just better than what you'd e??xpect out of a movie based on a video game, but was decent at its best.

The post Angry Birds sequel coming to theaters in 2019 appeared first on Destructoid.

Game with the Vermintoid Community!

Vermintide has released on consoles now! Let's all kill rat things and rub genitals! Well, let's at least kill rat things (call me about the genitals though). It's a damn fun game (think L4D, but more ratty and melee), and Parlock enjoyed it! Miss that guy. Oh well,?? I'll kill some rats in his honor.

New to FNF? Read this! Each week, a bunch of us Dtoiders get together to play videogames online! It's a 100% community-run event, so feel free to join in or even host something yourself! Need some friends? Check out the Dtoid master gaming contact list! Give Robo Panda Z props for all the hard wor?k put into it, as well!

The planning for FNF used to start in the forums, where community members signed up to host matches and post their pertinent details (game, time, Gamertag, etc.). Now, every Monday, posts go up in the community blogs where you sign up and it's all kept up thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers. I then recap it all here on Friday, on the front page to give?? it a bit more?? exposure.

To join in, simply send a fri??end request to the match host! If you'd rather host something yourself, sound off in the comments section below!

Tonight's Games:

• I didn't wish Mike a happy b-day, and I have a small cock
  Host: Mr Andy Dixon (GT: Mr Andy Dixon)
  Time: 8pm PST | 11pm EST

Check the XBOX FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

• Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide (PS4)
  Host: hlarge4 (PSN: hlarge4)
  Time: 8pm PST | 11 pm EST

Check out the PS FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

• Nekro da bess waifu? Yes. 
  Host: Nekro (PSN: NekroDungeon)
  Time: 3pm PST | 6pm EST

Check out the PS FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

• Something Dutchy
  Host: ShadeofLight (NID: ShadeofLight)
  Time: 12pm PST | 3pm EST

Check out the Nintendo FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

• Monster Hunter: Generations
  Host: Mike Martin (NID: 4828-3774-2570)
  Time: 11pm PST | 1am EST

Check out the Nintendo FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

•  Chucklefucks Revenge
  Host: Mike Martin (Steam: MikeMcPhil)
  Time: 12am PST | 2am EST

• Fuck you Birdman!
  Host: Mike Martin (Steam: MikeMcPhil)
  Time: 1am PST | 4am EST

Check out the PC FNF Blog for more info!

Free this weekend? Why not sign up to host something for Weekend Warriors?! It's like Friday Night Fights all weekend long! Sign up in the comments or Forum thread if you're interested!

Saturday:

• Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide
  Host: Mike Martin (PSN: MickGuerrera)
  Time: 2pm PST | 5pm EST

Sunday:

• Sign up to host below!

Chec??k out the ??Weekend Warriors thread for more info!

Want your channel featured here? Sign up in the Monday blog! 

• Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat (Every week) - Games (PS4)
  Host: GrumpyDad813 (Youtube, NOT TWITCH)
  Time: 4pm PST | 7pm EST (Mon - Wed) - Fri: 7pm PST | 10pm EST - Sat: 6pm PST | 9pm EST
• I think Thursday & Saturday I'll do Agar.io streams if ya'll wanna join those.

• Remember folks, hosts with a * by their name are streaming! Click the game title for the link

The post Friday Night Fights – The tide is vermin! appeared first on Destructoid.

During the credits

I uh...don't hate this idea?

So the Angry Birds movie (that hits theaters tomorrow) is actually doing pretty okay critically, and this extra tidbit involved that makes this video game adaption a bit more gamey. According to Rovio, attendees can unlock a special level called "Piggy Island" by whipping out their phones during the film. Thankfully the publicity stunt is limited to the credits, so that far future dystopian idea of texting during films is not quite upon us yet.

I try not to go to theaters as muc??h as possible as our era of video-on-demand beco??mes increasingly more convenient, but little extras like this at appropriate times sound fun -- like a next-level post-credits scene.

The post The Angry Birds movie?? has a bonus level that involves using your phone in the theater appeared first on Destructoid.

At least the Rachet game was good!

The reviews for the Angry Birds film are out and although they started of dipping a bit, they eventually shot their way up, normalizing at 64% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing, which is above the 60% "Fresh" threshold. In other words, critically, it's not a complete disaster like say, Pixels was. Meanwhile, over in the other part of Sony land (they're both Sony, yep), the Ratchet & Clank movie is sitting at a woeful 16% "Rotten" rating.

Both are filled to the brim with stars (although Birds pushes an $80 million budget, whereas Ratchet somehow managed a tame $20 million), as each studio was clearly banking on them, but Birds pulled out -- it's already achieved $43 million at the box office and counting compared to Ratchet's $11.1 million.

It still has a ways to go before it makes up for its marketing budget (generally, double the production budget, so $160 million), but given the merchandise and game sales, I think it'll at least come out profitable even if it doesn't hit that mark. I...uh, kind of want to see it now after its stint in theaters? I also need to see Ratchet, as I ?hear that it's actually a competent, if dull film.

Angry Birds [Rotten Tomatoes]

The post Angry Birds film settles in on ‘fresh’ reviews while Ratchet & Clank remains rotten appeared first on Destructoid.

Game with the Hemorrtoid Community!

I am currently overworked and exhausted. I got nothing. I just want to play some Infamous Second Son and Destiny. I want that new Platinum Turtles game to hit too. I need to play through Transformers: Devastation again also. I think I have a hemorrhoid. I want some pizza and cok??e. The soda. Something with olives a?nd spinach, the pizza in that case. Not the soda. This ain't Japan. Man... where's Persona 5? I need that in my anus. After I get some cream. Mmmmm, sour cream on some super spicy, chicken tacos. I think I'll just eat the hemorrhoid. I need more caffeine first. Fuck you Warner Brothers Games. That MKXL/PC crap is crap on a crap cracker. With crap. I need to crap.  

New to FNF? Read this! Each week, a bunch of us Dtoiders get  together to play videogames online! It's a 100% commun?ity-run event, so feel free to join in or even host something yourself!

The planning for FNF used to start in the forums, where community members signed up to host matches and post their pertinent details (game, time, Gamertag, etc.). Now, every Monday, posts go up in the community blogs where you sign up and it's all kept u??p thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers. I then recap it all here on Friday, on the front page to? give it a bit more exposure.

To join in, simply send a friend request to the match host! I??f you'd rather host something yourself, sound off in the comments sect??ion below!

Tonight's Games:

• The Man Who Blew The World
  Host: Mr Andy Dixon (GT: Mr Andy Dixon)
  Time: 8pm PST | 11pm EST

Check the XBOX FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

• Call of Duty: Blops 3 (PS4)*
  Host: GrumpyDad813 (PSN: SgtFuzzyFace)
  Time: 6pm PST | 9pm EST

• Hunky, Whorey (PS4)
  Host: Nanashi (PSN: Nanashi707)
  Time: 7pm PST | 10pm EST

• Destiny: The Taken King (PS4)
  Host: Darren Nakamura (PSN: Dexter345)
  Time: 9pm PST | 12am EST 

• Destiny: TTK (PS4)
  Host: Me (PSN: MickGuerrera)
  Time: 12am PST | 3am EST

Check out the PS FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

• Diamond Clogs
  Host: Solar Pony Django (PSN: KAMaxamillianK)
  Time: 3pm PST | 6pm EST

Check out the PS FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

• Black Tie, White People
  Host: Shade of Light (NID: ShadeOfLight)
  Time: 3pm EDT | 8pm UCT

Check out the Nintendo FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

• Heathen
  Host: Smurfee McGee (NID: 4828-3774-2570)
  Time: 7pm PST | 10pm EST

Check out the Nintendo FNF blog for more info!

Tonight's Games:

• Team Fortress 2 (Early Game)
  Server: 68.232.163.42:27015
  Time: 5pm PST | 8pm EST

• Team Fortress 2 (Late Game)
  Server: 68.232.163.42:27015
  Time 9pm PST | 12am EST

Check out the PC FNF Blog for more info!

Free this weekend? Why not sign up to host something for Weekend Warriors?! It's like Friday Night Fights all weekend long! Sign up in the comments or Forum thread if you're interested!

Saturday: Sign up to host below!

Sunday:

• Rainbow Six: Siege (PS4)
  Host: Mike Martin (PSN: MickGuerrera)
  Time: Off and on.

C?heck out the Weekend Warriors thread for more inf??o!

Want your channel featured here? Sign up in the Monday blog! 

• Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat (Every week) - Games (PS4)
  Host: GrumpyDad813 (Youtube, NOT TWITCH)
  Time: 4pm PST | 7pm EST (Mon - Wed) - Fri: 7pm PST | 10pm EST - Sat: 6pm PST | 9pm EST

• I Pick Hardmode and Complain About It
  Host: LinkSlayer64 (Twitch: DickSlayer69)
  Time: 930pm PST | 1230am EST

• Remember folks, hosts with a * by their name are streaming! Click the game title for the link

The post Friday Night Fights – Go ninja, go ninja, go! appeared first on Destructoid.

Company trying to get leaner, more agile

Rovio Entertainment is parting ways with 2?13 employees, according to the developer.

The announcement follows months of "employee negotiations," which began in late August, when the Finnish mobile game giant revealed plan?s to cut up to 260 jobs.

"Fundamental changes are needed to ensure Rovio succeeds in its global ambitions to be the leading entertainment company with mobile game??s at its heart," said CEO Pekka Rantala in August. "This is personally a difficult decision. However, it is certain that a leaner and more agile Rovio is absolutely necessary to move forward and take the company to new successes in the future."

Rovio (which has offices in Espoo, London, Stockholm, Shanghai, and Tokyo) did not specify where job cuts are taking place, but did indicate the downsizing excludes "those working on the production of the The Angry Birds Movie in the United States and Canada."

The re??structuring, Rovio says, will allow the com?pany to focus on its three primary businesses: games, media, and consumer products, while it moves away from its educational efforts.

Rovio, attempting to rekindle its early success, launched Angry Birds 2 in August. However, the company has had trouble maintaining dominance in the rapidly-evolving mobile space. Despite its impressive reach, (over 30 million in the first two weeks alone) Angry Birds 2 isn't currently ranked among the top-grossing mo?bile games on the market today.

This comes on t?he heels of a similar move from late 2014, when Rovio laid off 110 employees.

Rovio concludes employee negotiations [Rovio]

The post Angry Birds studio Rovio sheds over 200 jobs appeared first on Destructoid.

'That's the joke'

I'm sorry, parents. Your kids are probably going to want to see ?thi?s.

You have until May 2016 to break their spirits.

The post This trailer for The Angry Birds Movie falls flat appeared first on Destructoid.

NOT some messed up erotic fan-fic

Something has happened to Sonic. It's been happening for years. Sonic is a weird porn figure, the sub??ject of countless adolescent Deviantart drawings and erotic fan-fics by kids still figuring themselves out.

Also, us, when we celebrated Sonic's 23rd birthday last year with some drawings and erotic fan-fic.

Point is, I couldn't help but imagining something gross and sexual when I read about Sonic popping up on Piggy Island, but it turns out it's just a harmless, soulless Angry Birds Epic (haha, angry bards) crossover. Actua??lly might be more gross than someone's weird, but innocent expressions of sexuality.

Well, nothing to see here, so please enjoy Stewart Lee's jungle cany??o?n rope bridges bit because that's where my mind went next and it's great.

The post Sonic’s next adventure takes him to Piggy Island appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm the angry one

As I've said a million times in the past, I have no real problem with the original Angry Birds and the initial string of sequels. Yes, it was a derivative of Crush the Castle, but Banjo-Kazooie was a derivative of Mario 64 -- and so on throughout history.

But with Angry Birds 2, the thirteenth game in the franchise since 2009, ther??e's a clear regression in many ways, despite the impressive art upgrade.

Angry Birds 2 (Android, iOS [reviewed on an iPhone 6])
Developer: Rovio Entertainment
Publisher: Rovio Entertainment
Release Date: July 30, 2015
MSRP: Free-to-play

Yes, it's still the same concept as before -- you'll take a handful of birds, and with the help of a slingshot, fire them into the path of evil pigs. Just like before, it's still really fun to unwind and fling things around, and actual designs of some of these forts and contraptions hasn't gotten stale. Sure it's mostly mindless, but there's a great degree of skill involved with Angry Birds as well, like identifying specific objects like TNT, and ce?rtain degrees of structural integrity to do the most damage.

This depth is aided by the fact that like in Angry Birds Star Wars II, you can choose individual birds to use in each level. Levels are much more interesting as you can now approach them multiple ways, not only in terms of figuring out solutions, but different methodologies in which to reach your end goal. It's also a beautiful game, and Rovio has mastered their craf?t to the point where it has production values much like a fully-fledged Disney experience. I love how bright everything is, and how charming the character designs are even to this day. Now here comes the bad news -- Rovio got greedy.

Unfortunately, it has heavily incorporated free-to-play elements into the game in just about every way possible. There's an energy meter, there are in-app-purchases (IAP), and it constantly nags you to connect to Facebook. Let me break it down though so you better understand exactly what went wrong. In terms of energy, players can thankfully continue to play levels without using up your stock of five "hearts," but if you fail a level once, you'll need to use some stock. This is an issue after level 20 or so, as stages become so c?omplex that you'll often need to give them a go a few times.

It also exposes the "multi-tier" format of Angry Birds 2's stage design. In short, each individual world map level can have multiple arenas within it, so if you fail on a later tier, you'll fail the whole thing. It's act??ually a cool idea in theory, as you have to play conservatively and try to earn more lives constantly, but it all falls apart when you add in an energy scheme. IAP feels wholly unnecessary, as the game charges a ton of "gems" to continue mid-level after failing to come back to life. Gems are earned at a rate of roughly one continue per 45 minutes, lest you opt to buy them.

The sad part is that unlike most of the iterations in the past, there's no option for a premium version. Say what you will about the franchise, but Rovio has generally done pretty well in a sea of freemium-fests over the years, providing fans with a way to buy a game outright. But with Angry Birds 2, you'??ll have to suffer through all of the fixin's that Rovio forced into the game.

Angry Birds 2 proves that the Angry formula is still fun, but Rovio isn't doing itself any favors by gating that fun left and right. Angry Birds i?s supposed to be a series you can just pick up and play, and I have no idea what they were t??hinking here -- other than "more money."

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Flippin' the bird

Like a story Alfred Hitchcock once told, our fine, feathered friends aren't in a good mood today. The aviary community is up in wings over the launch of Angry Birds 2 on Android and iOS. They're irritated, up??set, pissed off, and every other synonym for angry. You can tell just how mad they are by their scowls; happy birds don't scowl??.

Fortunately for us homo sapiens, we know that these birds have no beef with us. Their beef (pork?) is with pig folk and the various construction materials they associate with. It's hard to idly stand by while this kind of h??ate-fueled violence is taking place, but carnitas comes from pigs so maybe it's? okay if we turn a blind eye in the interest of delicious burritos.

The post None of the Angry Birds 2 Angry Birds look like happy ??birds appeared first on Destructoid.

July 30

Wait, Angry Birds 2? I thought that Rovio had made like, 15 Angry Birds games in the past few ye??ars? Well you'd be mostly right, but the full sequel is coming later this month on July 30, the developer has announced. The series has reached over "three billion game downloads over the?? globe," and the new iteration is set to arrive on later this month.

Hey, I'll download it. Angry Birds was fun some time ago a?s a time waster, before it was completely oversaturated at?? double the rate of a typical Activision franchise.

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The birds need to be angrier

??Rovio has announced it is cutting some of its workforce. While the number was said to be 130 jobs, as of this week that number is now 110, with some employees going through renegotiations. The publisher is cutting down a branch, and the CEO will step down on the first of January next year.

I've always maintained that there's no problem with Angry Birds and I don't get the hate associated with it. They're cute, it's a time-waster, and it was never meant to be anything more. A lot of people like time wasters, hence the success. And I can't resist the plush toys, so I'm part of the problem??.

If they ever get into more trouble it'll be interesting to see what happens with Rovio. Nintendo's heads have stated multiple times that they love the series, and ?I think they'd be a perfect fit?.

Rovio employee negotiations concluded [Rovio]

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But is it actually going to be any good?

The Angry Birds movie is not only a real thing, but it seems as though production is well underway, with a cavalcade of celebrity voice talent just announced today. The Columbia Pictures film will be directed by Clay Katis of Wreck-It Ralph fame, as well as Fergal Reilly, who was responsible for The Smurfs.

Jason Sudeikis will take up the role of Red, with Josh Gad playing Chuck, the yellow bird, and Danny McBride stepping into the feat??hers of Bomb, the black bird. Maya Rudolph will play Matilda, the white bird, and none other than Peter Dinklage will be voicing the Mighty Eagle.

The rest of the cast, rounded out, includes Bill Hader, Kate McKinnon, Hannibal Buress, and Danielle Broo??ks, to name a few. The film is slated for a 2016 release on July 1 -- just in time to be the summer's big kids' movie.

Jason Su??deikis, Bill Hader, M??aya Rudolph, Peter Dinklage Lead 'Angry Birds' Movie Voice Cast [The Hollywood Reporter]

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Angry G1

With the complete global saturation of the Michael Bay era Transformers, you rarely see the classic series get any love these days. Say what you will about the franchise, but this Angry Birds Transformers trailer is adorably ??retro, complete with authentic visuals and soundwork.

Since the game will likely be free, I'll give it a shot based on this video alone. Angry Birds Transformers will drop on October 15th.

The post This classic 80s Angry Birds Transformers trailer isn’t bad appeared first on Destructoid.

Welcome to the confusing world of copyrights and trademarks

Years before the Angry Birds videogame franchise took the world by storm, pet accessory maker Hartz partnered with Seattle artist Juli Adams to release a line of cat toys going by the name of Angry Birds. A lawsuit filed by Adams this week accuses Hartz of unlawfully taking her trademarked designs and turning them into a licensing partnership with the developer of the Angry Birds videogame line, Rovio.

According to a sta??tement issued today by the attorneys representing Ms. Adams, Hartz Mountain Corporation approached Adams after discovering her work at a Pacific Northwest art fair in the mid-2000s. Adams was asked to create a line of pet toys ba?sed on her unique style. The result was a line of toys that looked roughed up and angry with the knowledge that they were going to be dragged around by the cats. The name she came up with for the line was "Angry Birds."

The lawsuit dictates that Hartz entered into an agreement in 2006 that there would be no transfer of ownership of the Angry Birds property from Adams to Hartz. In March 2007, Hartz filed a trademark for the "Angry Birds" name as pertaining to pet toys which still stands today. The lawsuit claims that Hartz used its trademark to enter into a licensing deal with Rovio for an line of toys based on the Angry Birds game franchise in 2011. Adams's designs were swapped out with characters from the Rovio game and ??no further royalty checks were sent to her.

In addition to unceremoniously discontinuing her designs, Hartz also told her that she could no longer use the name ??"Angry Birds" due to the existing copyright Hartz had on the name us??ed for pet toys. Adams is now seeking compensation based on the revenue generated via the trademark.

Adams' lawsuit only targe??ts Hartz and she has no quandaries with the use of the name "Angry Birds" associated with the videogame franchise from Rovio. Her issue lies with the ??use by Hartz of her intellectual property to sign a deal with Rovio without her consideration and without giving her compensation.

Artist?? Sues Pet Toy Company Over A??ngry Birds Trademark [Kotaku]

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What won't Rovio do?

Rovio's temporarily trading warfare of the avian type for a more mechanized approach. Angry Birds Transformers&n??bsp;was revealed toda??y, much to the delight of eight-year olds that love wearing all of their favorite things on one t-shirt.

Apart from the tagline of "Birds disguised as robots in disguise," and that it's "coming soon to app stores" not much is known about Angry Birds Transformers. Then again, jud??ging solely from the title, we probably have all of the information we need??.

Angry Birds Transformers [Rovio]

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Extra levels in Stars Wars 2

I've always maintained that the Angry Birds series isn't bad from a gameplay perspective, but hot damn there are a lot of iterations of them at this point. The latest announcement is Angry Birds Star Wars 2: Rise of the Clones -- an extra set of levels for the sequel to Angry Birds Star Wars.

There will be 40 new levels in this update, including locations from?? Kamino and Coruscant. The? update can be nabbed today on iOS, and "soon" on Android.

The post Rovio announ??ces Angry Birds Star Wars 2: Rise of the Clones appeared first on Destructoid.

They might look a little something like this

Ever wonder what Flappy Bird or Angry Birds would have looked like in a different, much simpler time? A time like the early '80s and '90s? Dorkly has made it possible with these absolutely ridiculous vintage?? cove?rs.

You've got Candy Crush Saga (dat bulge), 2048, and Temple Run as well, each with gleefully retro covers. I especially like the Temple Run cover's faux shrinkw??rap. Also, the sheer anguish on poor? Flappy's face properly mirrors how we all feel about that game, I believe.

If Mobile Games Had Vintage Covers [Dorkly]

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BRB, launching a mobile studio

Helsinki-based studio Boomlagoon was founded a couple of years ago by ex-Rovio team members, coming off of their work on a little game called Angry Birds. They released a game called Noble Nutlings (great name!) last year.

Now they're working on new mobile games with the fat wad of cash they just pulled together. Their Series A, ann?ounced today, secured $3.6 million. The round was led by No??rthzone, with additional funding coming from Inventure and 360 Capital Partners. That's a pretty good pile for a studio of only eight members.

Boomlagoon has a new game coming very soon -- this month. All we know is that it's a "character-driven" title. I'm betting the folks that put up that $3.6 million are hoping that this game will be the next Angry Birds.

The post Ex-Rovio members form Boomlagoon, land ??$3.6 million in funding appeared first on Destructoid.

Honk if you hate geese

Here's this week's Farts 'N' Crafts! I'm a little burnt-out following GDC, so today's topic involves children attacking a goose with a broom. If you'd like to hang this on your wall, you can buy a print here. If you'd like to make your own picture of kids fighting a geese, go right ahead and drop it in the comments here, or shoot me an email.

The post Farts ‘N’ Crafts: Teens fighting an Angry, Flappy Bird appeared first on Destructoid.

Haha, what?

In case you haven't heard, the developer behind Puzzle & Dragons has crafted an Angry Birds-like game with RPG elements called Princess Punt. You'll control the titular hero as she attempts to slide into enemies and push them away, castle defense style. But apparently starting this week it'll also feature characters from Attack on Titan -- only in Japan, of course.

Based on the trailer it seems to feature the Female Titan, as well as t??he Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan -- which you've probably seen from the promotional material. Hopefully it'll make it westward!

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