'Angry Birds' creator sets 'Amazing Alex' in motion in July

3 hrs.

Winda Benedetti

Forget those grumpy birds?and their pesky pig enemies for just?a moment,?if you can. Rovio,?the company behind the?phenomenally?successful "Angry Birds" franchise, is about to push "start" on a brand new,?contraption-themed, physics puzzle?game.?

But one?question looms: Will "Amazing?Alex" be able to soar?

Rovio announced Thursday that "Amazing Alex" ? its first new property?since "Angry Birds" took the world by storm (er?...?talons?) ? will arrive for iOS and Android in July.?

Certainly it's hard to imagine anything taking wing quite like Rovio's stunning fowl-flinging franchise. The various "Angry Birds" games ("Angry Birds Seasons," "Angry Birds Rio,"?"Angry Birds Space") have been downloaded?a BILLION times (no exaggeration). Needless to say, the pressure on Rovio?and the scrutiny this new?game will receive is going to be high.

According to the official "Amazing Alex" website, the game follows a boy named, well, Alex who ...

With his boundless imagination, this whiz kid turns everything into adventure! From cleaning his room to battling cardboard robots in his backyard, Alex creates amazing chain reactions to get the job done. Now he has some challenges for you! What's the most creative solution YOU can create??

When it launches, the game will feature 100 levels in which it appears players will be tasked with putting together?Rube Goldberg-like contraptions as they try to solve puzzles. And with each level having multiple solutions, players will be able to share their own solutions with friends.

Meanwhile, using 35 interactive objects, players will also be able to design and share their own levels (a la?"LittleBigPlanet" and "Spore").

Here's a look at the teaser trailer:

Though that trailer doesn't reveal many specifics about the game,?Rovio honcho?Mikael Hed recently the told?Finnish network?YLE Uutiset?that "Amazing Alex"?is based on intellectual property the company?purchased from a game known as?"Casey's Contraptions."? Check out the trailer for that game?here, for a look at what "Amazing Alex" might be like:

?Winda Benedetti writes about video?games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things?on Twitter?here?@WindaBenedetti?and you?follow her?on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check?out the?IN-GAME?FACEBOOK PAGE?to discuss the day's?gaming news and reviews.?

Source: http://www.ingame.msnbc.msn.com/technology/ingame/angry-birds-creator-will-set-amazing-alex-game-motion-july-851845

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