Hasta La Gadget!

Less than a couple days after Rovio teased a new update for Angry Birds Star Wars, the company has released the Escape from Hoth update, which adds 20 new levels to the game, as well as new types of enemies. Plus, there’s new bonus levels that introduce more boss fights. It’s a free update, so if you already have the game, it’s certainly worth checking out.

Most notably in this update is the infamous asteroid field that was featured in the movie, where the gang had to navigate their way through the whole mess. In the game, you make your way through the asteroid field while trying to take down the enemies as well, which now include the “mynock pigs,” which are essentially pigs with bat wings that can float in mid-air instead of simply sitting atop rocks and other surfaces.

The video doesn’t show us a lot of the new update, so if you really want to find out what you’ll be getting yourself into, we suggest firing up the game and checking out the new levels. However, we ended up checking it out for ourselves and we have to see we really like what we see. The mynock pigs are especially cute, and navigating the asteroid field is definitely a new experience that we find both challenging and exciting.

The update is available for iOS and Android versions as we speak, and it should be hitting Windows Phone and BlackBerry here shortly. The update will also be available for the Kindle Fire version, as well as on OS X and Windows. The game is free on Android devices, while it costs $0.99 on iOS, and $4.99 on the desktop.

Angry Birds Star Wars adds 20 levels in Escape from Hoth update [hands-on] is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

After hitting number one in the iTunes App Store after just 12 hours of availability, Temple Run 2 has now been downloaded over 20 million times over the past four days, six million of which happened on the first day alone. Not only is it number one in the App Store, but it’s also number one on the highest-grossed list, thanks to the game’s premium in-app purchases.

Imangi Games announced the news this afternoon, with co-founder Keith Shepherd saying that the company is “thrilled players want more of the Temple Run universe,” and the developer plans “to grow and expand the game over the coming months.” Temple Run 2 was arguably one of the most successful launches in iOS app history, with Angry Birds Space and Google Maps right up there alongside the new game.

If you’re not familiar with the Temple Run series, don’t worry, we’ll get you caught up (I only started playing the original just a couple weeks ago). The is all about making it as far as you can before you die. You take on the role of an explorer attempting to steal an idol from a temple while being chased by weird demonic monkeys. Along the way, you avoid various obstacles, but if you make a mistake and run into an obstacle or fall off the edge, you’re done.

The original Temple Run has been downloaded over 170 million times, and while the sequel is only available on iOS devices currently, an Android version is scheduled for release on January 24 — just a few days from now. We have no doubt that the Android version will be just as successful as the iOS version, so be prepared for even more downloads come later this week.

Temple Run 2 for iOS sees 20 million downloads in four days is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Back when Activision announced the first Skylanders game, a fair few people thought that offering collectible toys to use with a video game wasn’t a winning idea. Fast forward to today and Skylanders is easily one of Activision’s biggest franchises, perhaps second to only Call of Duty. Disney today introduced the world to its answer to Skylanders, officially pulling the veil off Disney Infinity.

With Disney Infinity, we’re seeing the same basic premise of collecting figures and then using them in-game, only Disney seems to have taken the idea one step further. Players will be able to adventure through famous Disney worlds – called “Play Sets” in Infinity – all the while solving puzzles, battling enemies, and collecting items and characters from Disney worlds. The items you collect get put into the in-game Toy Box, and it’s what players will do with the stuff in that Toy Box that’s especially impressive.

Using the items collected through gameplay, players will be able to build their own worlds for their friends to explore. So, think of Disney Infinity as something similar to Skylanders, only the Spyro characters have been swapped out for Disney’s line up and the company has added on a creative mode. What’s more, it appears that players will be able to transfer up to three characters into the game at a time using the portal, which is a feature that Skylanders lacks.

By moving a character into the game, you’ll unlock their world to explore. Disney Infinity will ship with a total of three characters: Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Sully from Monsters Inc., and Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles. Disney plans to release a total of 17 characters in this initial batch of figures, some of which can be seen in the announcement trailer above. Even better is the fact that the characters are cross-platform, so they’ll work with every version of the game regardless of the platform you’re playing it on. Disney Infinity will be arriving in June for Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, PC, and mobile devices, though we don’t have a price point to talk about just yet. Stay tuned for more details!

Disney Infinity announced to capitalize on collectible craze is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re a mobile gamer, there’s a pretty good chance you’re familiar with the MOGA pocket controller for Android. Born out of a desire to provide gamers with a better method than typically spotty touch controls, the MOGA controller has made a name for itself in the mobile gaming space. In fact, many of you will remember a little incident from late last year, in which PowerA decided to offer the MOGA controller free for 24 hours. The rush to claim one was so great that it ended up crippling PowerA’s website within minutes of the promotion’s kick off, so it’s safe to say that the MOGA controller has found success with Android gamers.

Not content with simply offering a physical controller for Android, PowerA today introduced the world to the MOGA Pro Controller, a new version of the MOGA that brings us even closer to console-quality controls. The MOGA Pro Controller is somewhat similar to the original MOGA, except this time around, PowerA seems to be offering even more features. With the Pro Controller, you’ll be getting “full-sized console-style grips,” four face buttons, a d-pad, dual analog sticks, two triggers, and two shoulder bumpers.

Little surprise there, considering a similar layout helped make the original such a success. With the MOGA Pro, however, PowerA is also offering rechargeable batteries, Bluetooth sync, and a tablet stand so you can game comfortably on larger devices that wouldn’t fit in the controller’s smartphone clamp. A USB cable is included to recharge your batteries, and of course, the Pro Controller comes with support for MOGA’s existing ecosystem.

It sounds like a pretty cool controller for mobile gamers, but we’ve got a bit of a wait ahead of us before this bad boy becomes available. PowerA says it won’t begin shipping the MOGA Pro Controller until sometime in spring 2013, so it’ll be at least a few more months before you can pick one up. PowerA also hasn’t announced a price yet, but considering the original MOGA comes with a price tag of $49.99, we can probably expect the Pro to be a bit more expensive. Stay tuned for more details, and be sure to keep it here at SlashGear for more from CES 2013!

PowerA goes pro with new MOGA controller is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

More bad news for Zynga today, as the social games maker has announced that it will be shutting down its Japan studio later this month. Zynga Japan is scheduled to go dark on January 31, 2013 according to Develop, and though there are a number of games shutting down with it, one in particular will remain supported after Zynga Japan closes its doors. That would be the card battle game called “Yin Ayakashi record,” which has found success on iOS and Android.

However, other titles like Montopia, Mojitomo and Machitsuku weren’t so lucky, with some of them already shut down and joining the other social games Zynga recently took offline. This particular branch of Zynga has been around since 2010, when Zynga and SoftBank purchased Japanese studio Unoh and renamed it Zynga Japan. Now, in just a few short weeks, it will cease to exist.

The dissolution notice delivered by Zynga Japan cited “various reasons” for its closure, but it isn’t hard to figure out the motivation behind shuttering the studio. Zynga has found itself in a bit of a financial rough spot as its casual gaming audience moves onto other games, so the company has implemented a number of cost-cutting initiatives that unfortunately include layoffs. This isn’t the first studio closure we’ve heard about either, as Zynga shut down its Boston studio last year.

The social games company has been looking to break into other markets, teaming up with different developers to help diversify its offerings. We’ve been seeing the product of those relationships already, so hopefully this new direction for Zynga will get it back on the road to profitability, despite the fact that studios had to be closed and people had to lose their jobs along the way. This certainly isn’t the last we’ll hear of Zynga’s financial troubles, so keep it here at SlashGear for more.

Zynga shuts down Japan studio is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.