The Angry Birds movie is real, not coming until 2014 ... at least

According to former Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel, the Angry Birds movie is, in fact, happening. In an interview with Variety, Maisel revealed that franchise creator Rovio has hired him on a adviser and said, "There has been so much chatter about an Angry Birds movie, but now it's real. The process is starting now."

Rovio's recent purchase, a Finnish animation studio known as Kombo, will man the project. But first, the studio will create several short films starring the irate avian creatures that will act as foundation for the feature film.

And, according to Variety, Rovio has been clear in its intent to become the next Pixar. However, Rovio and Maisel don't expect the flick to release before 2014, according to The Telegraph.

This all begs the question: Will Angry Birds even be relevant three years from now? We've already seen mobile gaming (and Facebook game) hits come and go--Zynga pushes its own games out of the limelight regularly. While Rovio invests far more in expanding its brand, we're just wary of whether the company can sustain the fandom for another 1,095 days ... at least.

Angry Birds worth at least as much as FarmVille, Rovio exec says

The Mighty Eagle has dollar signs in its eyes, as Rovio chief marketing officer Peter Vesterbacka said recently to Finnish magazine Kauppalehti Optio that his company is worth several billion dollars, MSNBC reports. And by, "several million," Vesterbacka means somewhere in the FarmVille range--he noted to estimates that Zynga was worth $20 to $25 billion (which sounds a bit inaccurate to me)--according to MSNBC.

But Bloomberg recently reported that the Angry Birds creator was worth at least $1.2 billion, and this valuation would mean Rovio is 100 percent viable to compete with Zynga. I've never read it being discussed seriously, the two being competitors, but perhaps those talks will start now. Rovio could be the second major company of the new age of publishers to combat the first. (And here we thought the birds were looking to get bought.) Rovio is looking for 1 billion users, and fast. Perhaps Zynga was more of a motivation to the birds than previously imagined.

"We are not selling though - unless somebody offers enough," Vesterbacka was quoted saying in the interview published on Thursday, according to MSNBC. The exec went on to say that Rovio plans to list on the New York stock market within three years. If Rovio can enter new territory with the Angry Birds and take full advantage of the freemium model, then there is no reason it can't be a viable competitor to Zynga.

The more Rovio attempts to introduce the Angry Birds to new media (and sources of revenue), the further it will inch toward defeating Zygna, which only is within a single, though massive market. What I'm getting at is to warn you that there is more swiping and harvesting in your gaming future where the first three years of it came from.

[Via Zap2It]

Do you think Rovio could really be worth around $11.5 billion? If true, how do you think Zynga will respond, and which mode of gaming will come out on top?

Halloween Guide for FarmVille, The Sims Social, CityVille & more

Folks, Halloween is so underrated. Not only does it kick off the holiday season, but Halloween is an excuse for all of us to dress up, eat tons of candy, carve pumpkins, and watch scary movies. In addition, Halloween has infiltrated all our favorite Facebook games. FarmVille, The Sims Social, and CityVille have all received special Halloween promotions, Halloween items, and new Halloween features.

And that's just the beginning. Expect to see more Halloween-themed goodies from the other Facebook games right here. Check out our entire Halloween Guide below.

More recent Halloween updates appear at the top of each game list.
FarmVille Halloween | CityVille Halloween | The Sims Social Halloween
Pioneer Trail Halloween | Empires & Allies Halloween | Angry Birds Halloween
Cafe World Halloween | Other Halloween Updates


farmville halloween
FarmVille Halloween

    FarmVille Mystery Game (10/30/11): Halloween items take a final stand
    FarmVille Trick or Treat Goals: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille Trick or Treat: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille Halloween Items: Witch Costume, Halloween Candle Tree and more
    FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Pirate Bonus Goals: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille Halloween Items: Black Cat Fence, Pumpkin Fountain and more
    FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Halloween Pirate Goals: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille Huge Jack-O'Lantern Goals: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille Halloween Items: Dark Peach Tree, Black Guinea Pig and more
    FarmVille Huge Jack-O'Lantern: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Ghost Bonus Challenges: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille Halloween Items: Black Mini Unicorn, Haunted Farm House and more
    FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Ghost Goals: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille: Plant Black Tulips for Halloween
    FarmVille Count Duckula's Castle Goals: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille Halloween Items: Cookie Tree, Pumpkin Snowman, Mad Scientist Lab and more
    FarmVille Count Duckula's Castle: Everything you need to know
    FarmVille Halloween Items: Zombie Gnome, Bat Dog, Mossy Tree and more
    FarmVille: Free Skeleton Cow making the rounds
    FarmVille Halloween Items: Dark Apple Tree, Batwing Horse, Bat Pumpkin and more
    FarmVille Halloween Items: Nightmare Unicorn, Fire Peach Tree and more
    FarmVille: Halloween Black Belgian horse available for coins
    FarmVille Halloween Model Farm offers free Arborists and more
    FarmVille Halloween items: Candy Corn Tree, Halloween Cottage, Jack-O'-Lantern and more



cityville halloween
CityVille Halloween

    CityVille Energy Ghosts: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Plagued Playground Community Building: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Haunted Library Community Building: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Halloween Monsters Act 3 Goals: Everything you need to know
    CityVille: More Halloween homes, decorations and community buildings hit the store
    CityVille Halloween Sweet Tooth Goal: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Demented Dentist Community Building: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Halloween Act 2 Goals made easier with smaller requirements
    CityVille: Crypt Keeper's Crib added to Halloween extravaganza
    CityVille Treats 'N Sweets Booth: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Zombie ER: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Tree of Enchantment: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Haunted Hotel: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Halloween Monster Mystery Game: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Forsaken Fortress helps you finish goals for a price
    CityVille's Halloween Decorating Contest offers big rewards for big scares
    CityVille Mausoleum Community Building: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Halloween Meet the Monsters Goals: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Halloween Monsters: Everything you need to know
    CityVille Governor's Run Vampire Goals: Everything you need to know
    CityVille: Halloween Monster Ship shows up in city waters
    CityVille Hometown Halloween update gives your city the spooky touch



the sims social halloween
The Sims Social Halloween

    The Sims Social sets a spine-chilling scene with new Halloween images
    The Sims Social Haunted House Week items punish friends' pranks
    The Sims Social finally gets spooky in The Ultimate Horror Movie Week
    The Sims Social celebrates Halloween with Werewolves vs Vampires week



frontierville pioneer trail halloween
FrontierVille Pioneer Trail Halloween

    Pioneer Trail Ghost Town: Purchase limited edition items for a free Ghostly Horse
    Pioneer Trail Halloween on the Homestead Contest: Walk away with 2,000 Horseshoes!
    Pioneer Trail Trick or Treat Goals: Everything you need to know
    Pioneer Trail Spook Shack: Everything you need to know
    Pioneer Trail Haunted Homestead: Everything you need to know
    Pioneer Trail Family Secret Goals: Everything you need to know
    Pioneer Trail Halloween Store: Stock up on scary supplies in one place
    Pioneer Trail Halloween Hutch: Everything you need to know
    Pioneer Trail Ghost Town Haunted Garden: Everything you need to know
    Pioneer Trail Ghost Town Giant Cauldron: Everything you need to know
    Pioneer Trail Ghost Town Goals: Everything you need to know
    Pioneer Trail Ghost Town feature coming soon [Video]



empires allies halloween
Empires & Allies Halloween

    Empires & Allies: Halloween items now available in the store



angry birds halloween
Angry Birds Halloween

    Angry Birds Halloween horror movie spoof channels Hitchcock [Video]
    Angry Birds Seasons Halloween update means a new bird is in town
    Something is a brewin' for the Angry Birds this Halloween [Video]



cafe world halloween
Cafe World Halloween

    Cafe World Trick or Treat Party Catering Order: Everything you need to know
    Cafe World Witch's Cauldron: Everything you need to know
    Cafe World Halloween Siggy's Tricks Goals: Everything you need to know
    Cafe World Halloween Amelia's Treats Goals: Everything you need to know
    Cafe World Halloween Candy Bowl - Everything you need to know



Other Halloween Game Updates

    The Top Five Spooky Facebook Games to Play Halloween Night
    Adventure World Creepy Crypt Expedition: Everything you need to know
    Adventure World Halloween Sneak Peek: Halloween Volcano coming soon
    Nexon's next social game, Zombie Misfits, looks for brains on Facebook
    Meteor Games makes Island Paradise an island terror for Halloween
    PopCap says 'Happy Halloween' with pumpkins, zombies and ... a rave?
    The Killer Pumpkin assaults Pocket God on Facebook this Halloween



Make sure to check back for more Halloween Facebook game updates! Which Halloween update was your favorite? Vote here!

Crysis 2 single player impressions: PS3

Graphical multiplat wunderkind Crysis 2 has been out barely a week and I've managed to play it a bit since getting hands on my PS3 copy on Sunday. Seeing as it's one of the biggest releases of the year so far, and definitely the biggest multiplatform release in this gamer's humble opinion since Red Dead: Redemption, I thought I'd offer my impressions on the games' campaign mode so far, including it's lauded graphics.

From the outset I'll say about Crysis is I'm really enjoying it so far. Forget about it's graphics- the gameplay definitely offers something I haven't experienced from a shooter since the likes of Far Cry 2; and that's freedom.

Every shooter that comes out these days- in single player modes at least, seems excessively linear. Not so Crysis. I've only done the first few levels however I've already found myself replaying them to approach them from a different angle. The combination of the nanosuit and the open nature of many levels means that there's numerous ways to tackle each one. When I say numerous, it really boils down to either stealth or frontal assault, but the variety comes from level design, such as where to spawn your attack, who you'll need to tactically eliminate first and so on. In short, mission and level design, thus far, are top notch.

Graphically the game is superior to any multiplat release I've ever played- but it's kind of a mixed bag type story. The game indeed has had it's moments but there are a few nagging issues I'm noticing claw back the experience.

Firstly it's buggy as hell. I've noticed some major bugs in pretty much every play session, and enough to become distracting. These seem to revolve around mainly NPC's AI and some collision issues with their environments. It's hard to explain exactly what these bugs are without actually seeing them. For example, in one section where I was stealthily making my way through a warehouse, I had an enemy on patrol warp through a wall then just die for no reason. A few minutes later enemies on a walkway that were supposed to be rappelling from it simply fell through the map. I've had enemies spawn in front of me stuck in the environment who then simply drop dead. Regarding the AI I've had enemies throw grenades at their cover to kill themselves, and others just running into walls and in circles. I've also had enemies spot me through walls and attempt to shoot me only to be firing at a solid wall for minutes on end.

The gameplay is hampered sometimes as well in hectic firefights by the frame rate, which can slow down quite noticeably. Anything with multiple explosions or enemies on screen can be a enough to slow the game down quite noticeably, and it is disappointing. I sometimes found myself wondering what the point of making Crysis 2 so pretty on console was if it didn't actually run smoothly? Finally regarding graphics, not being sure whether its purposeful or as a result of slower frame rate, but the blur effect seems to be overdone. If you stand still for example and turn 360 degrees, take a look at your environment and your gun to see what I mean.

Stadiums full of people become Angry Birds players with Uplause

Could the Angry Birds replace the proverbial demands of "Make Some Noise" at your next baseball game? Maybe not your next one, but soon you could be cheering to fling the irate winged beasts into their plump green enemies. Pocket Gamer reports that Uplause, a Finnish developer of crowd-based games, has rebuilt Angry Birds with its creator, Rovio, into a version controlled by noise.

The self-proclaimed "social game maker for big crowds" has created similar games for use in stadiums for ice hockey games, soccer matches and even music festivals. Over the past summer, Uplause worked with Rovio to create a version of Angry Birds that is controlled using noise as an input device. (Namely, cheering, clapping, stomping and perhaps even booing, we assume.)

"As in the original, there's about a four second period before firing," Uplause CEO Veli-Pekka Marin explained to Pocket Gamer. "For live events, we'd expect each gaming session to take a few minutes." But in that time, thousands of folks will play at the same time. If anything, it's terribly efficient.

While all we know about this seriously social version of Angry Birds is that noise generates power for the game's slingshot, Pocket Gamer guesses that aiming is done automatically. Rovio and Uplause will first test this massive version of Angry Birds at a Formula 1 race taking place in Singapore this weekend, and the company's CMO Peter Vesterbacka sounds excited for its imminent global expansion.

"Through social participation, our fans will get to interact with the Angry Birds in an entirely new way," Vesterbacka said to Pocket Gamer. "We think this new form of gaming will give fans a great opportunity to form a strong emotional connection with the characters." I think Vesterbacka is confusing "emotional connection" with "drunken, crowd-fueled stupor." Check out the video below to get an idea of how it might work. Who knows you might be doing the same thing at the next World Series.


What do you imagine a noise-controlled version of Angry Birds would be like? What other games come to mind when you think of this approach? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment