Rovio

Today’s a big day for Windows 8 games, what with Temple: Run Brave finally releasing (not to mention Dr. Pickaxe’s indie pinball action). On top of that, it also happens to be a great day for Angry Birds on Windows 8 AND Windows Phone. Why? First of all, I heard some pigs got knocked over and crushed by blocks. You know how Angry Birds love that.

More to the point: on Windows Phone 8, both Angry Birds Classic (still free till next Tuesday!) and Angry Birds Star Wars just got updated. On Windows 8 and Windows Phone 7, Angry Birds Star Wars got its long-delayed update too. That’s four Angry Birds games caught up!

Head past the break to find out what’s been fixed or added in each game.

When we didn’t hear from Microsoft about an Xbox Windows Phone release this week, we feared that there wouldn’t a new game today. It turns out that we should have had faith, because a new release did quietly slip out, and it’s an interesting one!

Following on the heels of their early April release, Amazing Alex, Rovio now breaks in the month of May with the game that started their rise to fame: Angry Birds. We’re not talking about a new Angry Birds sequel or the oft-requested spin-off Bad Piggies. No, a Windows Phone 8-exclusive version of the original Angry Birds (now called Angry Birds Classic) has just arrived with all the content missing from its unloved Windows Phone 7 predecessor. Windows Phone 7 gets a new, updated version as well but without the Xbox features. And best of all, both versions are free until May 15!

Things have certainly been picking up for Xbox on Windows Phone lately. Not only do Nokia and Chillingo continue pumping out exclusives like Vampire Rush and Storm in a Teacup, but there have been two non-Nokia Xbox releases for several weeks now. The trend continues today as the long-awaited Ms. Splosion Man from Iron Galaxy Studios finally debuts alongside Amazing Alex. That’s the good news.

The bad news? Just like Chaos Rings last week, Ms. Splosion Man is only available for Windows Phone 7 devices! It staggers the mind to think that a Microsoft-published game would launch without Windows Phone 8 support in 2013. Color us all highly disappointed. Of course, Rovio’s Amazing Alex is actually a Windows Phone 8 exclusive, so things sort of balance out… Sorta.

There isn’t exactly an abundance of Windows Phone 8-specific Xbox Live games out there. Since the launch of Microsoft’s latest mobile OS, we’ve only had two such games to choose from: Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds Star Wars. As we reported last week, more Windows Phone 8 games are coming, but at least a few are mired in certification woes.

We have both good and bad news to share about this week’s Xbox release. The good: it’s a Windows Phone 8 game! It's not even a Nokia exclusive. Depending on who you ask, the identity of the game is the bad news. It’s Angry Birds Seasons. Yes, after all this time, we get another Angry Birds game instead of something different. But hey, history has proven that people love throwing birds at things, so let’s just be glad another mainstream game has come to our growing platform.

When Angry Birds Star Wars appeared on Windows Phone 8 back at the beginning of November, early adopters of the new mobile OS had reason to celebrate. The latest installment in Rovio’s hugely popular franchise launched simultaneously on WP8, iOS, and Android, whereas most Windows Phone Xbox games appear months or even years after debuting on the other mobile platforms.

However, another group of Windows Phone owners wasn’t quite so happy about ABSW’s WP8 status: Windows Phone 7 users. Nokia quickly announced that ABSW would soon come to Windows Phone 7 too, but with no time table we couldn’t be sure if it was an empty promise or not. As it turns out, Angry Birds Star Wars has just appeared on Windows Phone 7 – exactly one month after Nokia promised it.

Today’s news that Angry Birds Star Wars launched on Windows Phone 8 at the same date and the same price as the iOS and Android versions is a landmark event for Microsoft’s new mobile OS. Such parity has long been the hope and dream of Windows Phone 7 gamers. Speaking of which, said gamers who are unable to switch over to Windows Phone 8 in the immediate future might be feeling left out now that such greatly-desired titles are launching on WP8 but not 7. We’re seeing that sentiment in our article comments and forums already.

As it happens, Nokia has commented on the possibility of Angry Birds Star Wars coming to Windows Phone 7. Check out their quote and our analysis after the break.

Windows Phone 8 gamers are in for a treat this week. Not only can they play the delightful WP7 game Cut the Rope, but they get a WP8 release too. Rovio’s Angry Birds Space is now available for Windows Phone 8. It looks like an excellent port, although at least one reader has found the Achievements to be decidely unusual.

Lost in the fuss over the launch of Windows 8 news we overlooked this the other day. Angry Birds in space is now available in the Microsoft Store.

Can you be an “app store” without at least on version of Angry Birds being present? If that’s the yard stick then many will breathe a sigh of relief to see the game pop into the store right from launch day!

Windows users will be helping pigs fly shortly

Rovio, the makers of the ever popular IP Angry Birds, has released a new game called Bad Piggies (www.badpiggies.com). In previous Angry Birds games plays had to use multiple types of bird to knock out pigs who stole their eggs. The pigs return in Bad Piggies (hence the name), but are in fact the protagonists this time around.