Not to toot my own horn, but I totally (almost) called this earlier today. Sure, I guessed The Eagle instead of Rio, and I was being sarcastic, but I'm going to go ahead and add yet another point to the ol' Hodapp crystal ball score board regardless. What's all this madness about anyway? Well, moments ago Rovio Mobile unleashed a new Angry Birds trailer to the world, revealing that the next installment of Angry Birds is going to be Angry Birds Rio, which will come packed with 45 exclusive levels which sound like they're going to be set in the Rio universe with more content coming via updates.

Rio is an upcoming movie from the creators of Ice Age. The movie follows the adventures of two blue macaws who go on an adventure, get captured, and do all those other things that typically happen in animated movies where animals talk. OK, I admit, I actually kind of want to see it because I enjoyed Ice Age (specifically, Scrat the sabre-toothed squirrel) a little more than an adult probably should. Check out the trailer. After you watch that, get a load of this all new Angry Birds Rio trailer, which arguably is even better than the Rio trailer:

No word yet on whether this is going to be free or paid, but since Angry Birds Rio is basically a marketing tool to promote a multi-million dollar movie, I'm going to lean towards the free side of the spectrum. That's purely speculation on my part, but the Hodapp crystal ball has been freakishly accurate lately.

Not to toot my own horn, but I totally (almost) called this earlier today. Sure, I guessed The Eagle instead of Rio, and I was being sarcastic, but I'm going to go ahead and add yet another point to the ol' Hodapp crystal ball score board regardless. What's all this madness about anyway? Well, moments ago Rovio Mobile unleashed a new Angry Birds trailer to the world, revealing that the next installment of Angry Birds is going to be Angry Birds Rio, which will come packed with 45 exclusive levels which sound like they're going to be set in the Rio universe with more content coming via updates.

Rio is an upcoming movie from the creators of Ice Age. The movie follows the adventures of two blue macaws who go on an adventure, get captured, and do all those other things that typically happen in animated movies where animals talk. OK, I admit, I actually kind of want to see it because I enjoyed Ice Age (specifically, Scrat the sabre-toothed squirrel) a little more than an adult probably should. Check out the trailer. After you watch that, get a load of this all new Angry Birds Rio trailer, which arguably is even better than the Rio trailer:

No word yet on whether this is going to be free or paid, but since Angry Birds Rio is basically a marketing tool to promote a multi-million dollar movie, I'm going to lean towards the free side of the spectrum. That's purely speculation on my part, but the Hodapp crystal ball has been freakishly accurate lately.

No need to lead you on here. I think Puzzle Quest 2 [$4.99] is a fantastic game and a must-have if you're a fan of the first game, match-3 or even loot-based RPGs. It's even universal, and plays great on every device. I realize I'm tossing out a huge net, but it's just that good of game. And now, for a limited time, it's just about half off on the App Store, down from its original $9.99 price point.

I know there are only three people left on the planet who haven't seen or checked out Puzzle Quest. The game is, you know, popular (and available on basically ever platform capable of playing a modern video game on). But in the interest of those three poor, poor souls out there, here's a basic rundown via our review:

"Puzzle Quest 2 is a match-3 title drenched in RPG trappings. You'll start the game by picking from a crop of traditional fantasy classes, each with their own abilities, and then be thrust into a medieval world with a lot of problems. People will want you to fetch them items, explore places, or kill monsters.

You can level up, equip weapons and items, craft even more, and navigate dungeons one grid at a time. Like in the previous Puzzle Quest, movement is restricted to following a developer-created path. You do not have complete control of your dude. But, really, that never matters. This is a game about killing, not meandering."

So, yeah, feel free to pick it up. In the notes, publisher Namco isn't giving up when this sale will end, but I have feeling � and it's just a feeling � that it'll last through this coming weekend.

I'm not entirely sure what to say about all this. On one hand, I'm a massive Monty Python and the Holy Grail fan, on the other, I'm terribly tired of Angry Birds [99�] clones. That being said, Monty Python has existed since the late 1960's and has built of a fairly fantastic reputation for amazing parody over the years, so if anyone can put a funny spin on the Angry Birds formula, it would be them. (Hey, I'm cautiously optimistic.)

In the game, you play the role of the French defending their castle, which should be instantly familiar to anyone who has seen the movie. If this doesn't ring a bell, you should seriously Netflix Monty Python and the Holy Grail immediately, or, I suppose you could just read the synopsis on IMDB (although that doesn't seem like much fun). In the game, you'll be able to fend off the daffy English knights (with the "k" pronounced, of course) in 80 different levels. Your ammo consists of six different types of farm animals, and it sounds like you can even upgrade your catapult.

I have no clue whether or not Monty Python's Cow Tossing will be any fun or not when it actually launches, but I'm hopeful. Admittedly, it really does have the odds stacked against it in the fact that it's not only a game based on a movie (which often can be the video game kiss of death) but it's also an Angry Birds knock-off. Hopefully they're able to cram enough Monty Python humor in to the game that it's at least funny to play. I've got my fingers crossed, anyway.

Cyan Worlds is currently running a limited time, half price sale on Riven [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Riven, the best selling game of 1997, the year of its release, is, as its name suggests, a followup to Cyan's famed 1993 surreal graphical adventure Myst (which is also available in the App Store [link]).

In Riven, the player resumes the role of the first game's protagonist, The Stranger. Atrus, author of the linking books that provide access to the various Ages, needs The Stranger's help in rescuing Catherine, his wife, who is held captive by the evil Ghen in the dying Age of Riven.

Like�Myst that came before it, Riven is a point-and-click adventure, but with far more lush scenery and animations. The iOS version of the game features Cyan's new "Shake-A-Hint" system, that highlights action points to help the stuck player along.

Riven HD, a native iPad version of the game,�is expected to be released sometime later.

Lima Sky's Doodle Jump [99�] is no stranger to crossovers. In fact, there was a time where the current trend of the App Store was either including Doodle Jump in some way, or getting Doodle Jump to include an element of your game. Pocket God [99�], for instance, featured a mini-game similar to Doodle Jump while Doodle Jump included the pygmies as a secret playable character.

According to our bros over at Pocket Gamer, Lima Sky has just inked a deal with Universal Pictures to include the main character of the upcoming movie "Hop", likely as part of their somewhat inevitable Easter-themed update. Doodle Jump has become surprisingly mainstream over the years, and it has been featured in a number of places including Lady Gaga concerts, The Jimmy Fallon show, and even on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Or, as Lima Sky front man Igor Pusenjak says, "To have Doodle Jump involved with the launch of a major motion picture demonstrates how influential apps have become in just a few short years."

Sure, this isn't the most remarkable iOS news to hit the scene lately, but it's still really cool to see major movie studios like Universal Pictures taking an interest in iPhone apps. Also, sponsored content like this only leads to more free updates for players. The only question that really remains is which game will fall under the crosshairs of the next big-budget marketing push? An Angry Birds [99�] tie in with the upcoming drama "The Eagle"? (I hope so, that would be awesome.)

[via Pocket Gamer]