Angry Birds Rio 'Smuggler's Plane' will steal away your free time today

Say goodbye to legions more of those dastardly green pigs (and hours of your spare time). Rovio has released a new update to Angry Birds Rio, the branded version of the game the company released this year to coincide with the Rio animated flick. The free update contains 15 new levels and plenty more hidden fruit to discover ... but really just more things to smash and birds to save.

These levels appear to take place within a giant plane--hence the name--and it's up to you to rescue numerous caged birds. And how else would you do that other than careening into them at full speed? None, and maybe that's why Angry Birds has surpassed 500 million downloads: It delivers exactly what you're expecting every time. (But remember that, if you paid up the dollar for the Mighty Eagle, each level can be cleared using that character in a new challenge.)

However, that could eventually be the franchise's downfall, but Rovio is prepared. Recently, the company revealed that the Angry Birds would enter new game genres to remain relevant (and hopefully reach that 1 billion fans mark). The next winter-themed update to Angry Birds Seasons was reportedly leaked, so we wouldn't expect a new type of Angry Birds game until 2012. Maybe it's time these birds actually grow some wings and race--now that would be fun.

[Via PocketGamer]

Are you still digging Angry Birds after all this time? What can be done to the franchise to keep it relevant in the coming years? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.