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Angry Birds is a game that means many things to many people. For most it represents a new frontier in casual gaming followed by hours upon hours of addictive gameplay. For others it represents the possibility of rags-to-riches notoriety with a little more than an idea, a dream, and a few lines of programming.

In early 2009, Finnish game developer Rovio Entertainment began work on what would later become Angry Birds. With only a screenshot of a crossed-looking bird to guide them through production, in hindsight it’s hard to believe the team at Rovio was able to build an entire game around this sole image. At the time the “swine-flu epidemic” was making its rounds in the media and it was soon decided that pigs would be the sole enemy in the game.

The game became a runaway hit. Angry Birds‘ success lies in its simplicity above all else. Players launch birds via a slingslot with the purpose of destroying groups of green pigs sheltered in wood, ice, or stone structures. On the surface the game sounds pretty ridiculous but once you bring your finger to the screen and launch your first bird you’d better get ready to clear your schedule for the next couple hours.

The initial release of the game was comprised of three chapters of 21 levels each (which over the course of two years would be expanded to include an additional 45 levels, new features, as well as ported version of the game to platforms like Android and Facebook).  In addition to popular media outlets touting its success, the game has also been culturally referenced on various TV shows (including Modern Family, 30 Rock, and The Daily Show). Angry Birds was announced as the best-selling app of 2010 and today generates over one million dollars every month in advertising revenue alone.

When you get right down to it, it’s the fun gameplay that brings people back to this title. Apple has made it possible for anyone to create games and become superstars overnight, Angry Birds is living proof that the next big hit can come from anywhere, at anytime.

Click Here to Purchase to Angry Birds

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New episode of PC or GTFO PodCast is out. Main topic - Fanboyism and how do we feel about it. I hope you like it.

Download Mp3
Episode contents:
Main Topic: Fanboyism
News:
Facebook hacking update.
Grand Theft Auto V trailer shows off L.A.
Sonic Generations sets a pre-order record for the mascot.
MechWarrior Online will be free to play.
Postal 3 available for pre-orders.
Saints Row 3 PC specs released.
Call of Duty Elite Delayed on the PC.
Members: 
Herbis: The H Show.com Twitter
Dan:  Twitter
Eddie:  YouTube
Erunno: Steam Twitter
Qarx: YouTube Twitter
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Hello and Welcome to In Too Deep, where I over-analyse a certain section of pop culture.

Thomas the Tank Engine. It was a vital part of my childhood, so much so that I still have all the trains I got when I was a little boy. But when I was older I read 1984 by George Orwell, and it got me thinking. Perhaps the Tank Engines are living in an Orwellian society. Don't believe me? Well lets look at the facts.

And so I take my first steps into a written Facebook game review. In a way I find this Ironic because as I am typing this out I am in the process of re-installing all my Sims 3 games because I have recently recovered from a virus attack on my PC. Also it is a review about something other then movies for a change (maybe one day I can actually do something that involves music) although I cant bring myself to call "The Sims social" a game as much as it is a time killing device, like all those other Facebook games designed to eat up all our social life. The Sims social deferentially succeeds at that and not much else, I have friends on this game that take it way to seriously and go for hours (fucking hours) of the same exact thing a decent Sims game gives us, so I decided to take the time to point out why The Sims social just dose not work, either on Facebook or as a actual video game.

In the beginning the game starts out just like any other Sims game, you create a character which is always much more dramatic then who you actually are, ( I mean if I went around strumming air guitar every 5 seconds wherever I was people would just call me a tard) and you instantly run straight into a wall in the character customization, that-being, there hardly is any. As a guy playing the game you get to chose from about 6 hair-styles and 24 combinations of clothing. This was particularly frustrating with people who have hair longer then the longest hair option one day, and the next decided to get a buzz-cut, because the game dose not compensate for either. You can either have a headbangers mop, look like a poncy nerd rocker, or just be bald. (so to all other people who have buzz-cuts or hair passed there shoulders, you get to eat-shit). Clothing though while options are limited you can find a way to be a goth, nerd, ponce or prep with no middle ground, so once again if you are like me, a combination of goth-nerd (gord?) you get to refer to my previous comment about eating shit. I make a big deal over this for a reason, because in all other Sims games you got to customize your Sim's personalty to a degree trying to make them reflect yourself, but in this game there is no customization (besides being an expert air-rocker or waiving a flash-light around like your Darth Vader) so your clothing is the only personality you get, so presumably the game punishes people with actual depth in there life by making them look like shit.

But the stupidity in the customizing is nothing compared to the stupidity in game play. In order for you to get people to live on your street is to send your real friends on Facebook a request, with no more NPCs, around it all comes down to the number of Facebook friends who actually care about you (in my case 8) and you can use your friends as pawns in your quest to the top of the internet or something. You can send them requests to donate random collectibles for the tutorial missions or to help you build a couch, I guess they thought going to a furniture show room was too complicated and inviting your mates over to cut down trees for the lumber and stitch fabric was easier. The game is also kind of creepy in the way it demands you to spend time with your friends. good example of this comes when a tutorial pops up and tells you to get involved in a romantic relationship with one of your friends, now I don't care what you have to say. THIS IS FUCKED UP! A game is telling me to go and kiss a digital representation of one of my friends! That's were I draw the line folks I cant top that. what ever else happens in the game is pointless to mention, because the game is telling me to rape my friends. Fuck that.

I am Matt the movie man

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    I wanted to share this with you guys here at TGWTG. It's a campaign I am lucky enough to be a part of called I am Norm. The goal of I am Norm is to redefine what "normal" means. In doing this, we hope to break down barriers and create a more inclusive society. 

           Heres a little history...

           In January 2010 I was chosen to be a part of a group of 20 teens with differing abilities that were flown out to Maryland and given the task of creating a campaign over the span of a weekend that would promote inclusion in school and society. What we came up with was called I am Norm. I am Norm (www.iamnorm.org) is a viral campaign to redefine "normal." We are asking anyone and everyone to upload fun, creative videos saying that they are "Norm." We've had talking shoes, Mitshubishi Japan saying "I am Norm" in Japanese, songs, people in lots of different fun places, its been crazy and awesome! I am Norm was recently covered on IMPACT! You can see their coverage at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92zvN0tmFKY&feature=player_embedded You can visit our Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Am-Norm/148462218504468?ref=ts, and most recenyly, we have made an appearance at ComiCon! 

Any support, whether its a video, a Facebook post, or just spreading the word, would be incredible!

Thanks so much! 

A satirical newspiece I put together.

My opinion on Facebook usage and Facebook gaming in particular.

It’s actually hard for me to really believe that I have some friends with such talent. Working to be a voice actor I have met and befriended quite a few interesting and talented people. And not all of them happen to be voice actors, I know quite a few artist with astounding talents. But the most intriguing happens to be a guy I went to school with. He wanted to be an architect for a while and then just a few weeks ago while during a get together with a few of my school chums I learned that he had switched career ambitions to a more artist sort. And this through me for a loop.

I thought he was completely talentless, no offense meant to him by that statement but it’s true. He never showed off a lot of talent during school so when I saw what he made I was astounded beyond words. Now don’t get me wrong was skeptical about the art in itself but then I learned something even more astounding. With a pencil he is shit as an artist but you give him an Xbox 360 Controller and a program that allows for customization and he is Pablo Freakin Picasso!

If you ever see him anywhere be sure to let him know the work he does incredible. Because I have been holding off on saying his name. The guy I’m talking about is named Sean Conrad . Now you have to be asking what program does he use to make this magnificent art? And trust me when I say this, he uses… Forza Motorsport 3.

A car game? That’s right a car game! I have seen designs that astound me by the pure thought he must have put into making these designs. And I’m not just talking about original pieces, no in fact with the design of some of these cars he needs to be getting sponsors for these cars.

A few months back I learned there was a movie being shot here in my little town of Kokomo, IN. But it wasn’t just any movie. My first thought was a movie that’s awesome maybe I’ll go see the filming progress, since the last time anything close to me like that happened was Johnny Depp shooting Public Enemies near my Great grandmother’s house. But I couldn’t go see it because I was still in that school place. But now not only could I go see the filming I could go and audition for a role. But then it got interesting.

It’s a zombie movie!

That’s right Kokomo is getting a zombie movie. That was fantastic news. The zombie is making his way up the ladder of success. But this was months ago, since then the zombie crazy has come and is slowly dying away. If you pardon the pun, play on words whatever the hell you want to call that? But the news of this movie is actually making its way to the public, because it’s true, this movie is not being made by Hollywood! It’s fantastic! This was my reaction to the news when it first showed up in the paper.

Then it was on the front page of the paper today (January 24, 2011) I was ecstatic! “Fantastic the group from Facebook has made front page news on their movie!” I said to myself. Then I read the article. And my hope has been diminished. They did the main thing I hate from a zombie movie…they can run.

There are many things that plague the internet, but none so devastatingly  annoying as the photos that appear on social networking sites. This series looks at all the silly poses and photo techniques used on these sites, starting with the Duck Face.

Check more out on The Critical Ramblings of Lord Napsack

This week, The Movie Bitch tackles one of the year's most buzzed about films! See what The Movie Bitch thinks of The Social Network!

Here is the Magfest VIII Iron Chef event. In it's entirety.