Abuse Jar Jar in Angry Birds Star Wars 2

These days, if you've got a popular mainstream kids property, you're finding ways to tie the sale of physical toys and games together. Skylanders did it, Disney soon followed, and now it looks like we're adding Rovio's Angry Birds to the list. I got to see it all for myself in a hands-on demo of Angry Birds Star Wars II here at San Diego Comic-Con.

The physical play sets, where you slingshot a Luke Skywalker bird at a Death Star-shaped pile of bricks, isn't new. Neither is the digital experience on the iPad. For Angry Birds Star Wars II, Rovio is bringing the two experiences together, letting players use their physical toys in the tablet version of the game.

The new playsets, which retail for $14.99, will include a single iconic structure, such as a Star Destroyer, as well as a slingshot and two characters. Smaller packs of two characters will also be available for $4.99. You can use these to smash up the regular structures, but to make the most of the new toys, you'll want to break out the new iPad app (due out September 19).

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Angry Birds Star Wars 2 lets players use their physical toys in the tablet version of the game.

Each of the game's 32 characters, from Chewbacca to Yoda, comes with a tiny QR symbol on the bottom. You simply place them on a magnifier (included in the playsets and character packs) and then put the whole thing on the front-facing camera of your tablet. Now you'll be able to swap that character into any level of the new app. Sick of using Luke and want to try out Jar Jar? Just pop him on the iPad and suddenly he's in your game as much as you want.

Angry Birds Star Wars II's new missions draw from both movie trilogies, and the game is also letting players go to 'the Pork Side' and throw pigs at the birds. The standard troopers have the same sort of blaster powers used by birds like Han Solo, while the big baddie like Darth Vader can use a Force pull move to draw birds and structures to himself.

Time to make room on your man-doll shelf...

Steve Butts is IGN’s editor-in-chief. Keep up with him @SteveButts on Twitter or SteveButts on IGN. Do not follow him down the streets of San Francisco.

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