Jetsetter: The Force is strong in Finland’s Angry Birds and a lost French classic

In Jetsetter, concept art's uncovered for a lost Rayman sequel, Nintendo prepares a new Circle Pad Pro in Japan, and Jedi birds hit Finland.

Fall is upon us. The sun is low, the air is brisk, and even the sickly city trees dotting the streets are putting on their more spectacular autumn colors. It’s the perfect pairing for the rush of video games coming out this time of year—All the best and brightest, unleashed in a single rush. Know what though? It ain’t fall everywhere. Think about how the weather’s just getting nice and summery south of the equator! It’s beach weather in Brazil! Time to hit the waves in South Africa! It’s portable gaming season abroad. This week’s look at the international video game world are thematically selected to celebrate the coming of the hot months for our friends way down south.

This is Jetsetter, a column devoted to gaming beyond the borders of the US. If you’re making Turbo-Grafx 16 games in Singapore, we want to know about it. Hit us up in the comments. Follow yours truly on Twitter at @ajohnagnello.

* Concept art from Ubisoft’s aborted Rayman 4 sequel hits the web.

Few video game series are as essentially French as Michael Ancel’s Rayman. There’s something about that limbless geek that captures the nation’s spirit so well. This being a colorful season around the world, these concept art drawings from the long lost Rayman 4 uncovered by a NeoGAF user reflect that Franco evanescence nicely. This game, a proposed sequel to the PS2-era 3D platformers Rayman 2 and 3, looks like it might be preferrable to Wii U launch title Rayman Legends. That game is pretty but since there’s no proper single-player platforming mode, it seems to cut out the best part of the series for many people. Including me. Single-player games Ubisoft! My wife doesn’t like Rayman!

* Nintendo announces Japanese release date for Circle Pad Pro XL.

Now let’s say that our beach bound pals in the southern hemisphere feel like getting some mileage out of their brand new Nintendo 3DS XL. Disappointed by the subpar quality of Resident Evil 6, they want to play a decent game in the series and grab a copy of Resident Evil: Revelations. Good luck controlling it with only one stick! Don’t worry. Hit up an important for an international hook up, as Nintendo’s ready to release a version of its Circle Pad Pro attachment for dual-analog 3DS goodness. It’ll be out on November 15^th for 1500 yen (about $19).

* The Force is strong in Finland as Rovio teases Angry Birds: Star Wars.

That’s right. Angry Birds plus lightsabers. That is a thing that is happening. Finnish studio Rovio is combining their shockingly popular mascot with George Lucas’ ubiquitous space opera for a new game. Somehow, this seems like it was inevitable. Here’s the thing, though: If the birds can use the force, how is there any skill in knocking down the structures that kill the pigs. Also, how can they be angry. Unless of course… THEY’RE SITH BIRDS! WE’RE ALL DOOMED! DOOOOOOOOMED!