Artist Brian McCarty Reenacts Horrors Of War With Tiny Toys

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Artist Brian McCarty Reenacts Horrors Of War With Tiny Toys

Play this: "Star Wars" goes 8-bit with "Tiny Death Star"

Building a galactic empire takes a lot of money, and Star Wars: Tiny Death Star is all about raking in those sweet, sweet credits. Much like the Angry Birds Star Wars series, Tiny Death Star simply takes an existing mobile hit and adds some flavor from a galaxy far, far away — in this case it’s based on Nimblebit’s devilishly addictive Tiny Tower. And the two games play largely the same. On the left side of the screen is an elevator where a regular stream of citizens will come into your Death Star looking for somewhere to live or a place to spend some money, and on the right is your actual tower, which you can fill with apartments and all kinds of businesses.

People will come and go even if you’re not playing, but you’ll need to return regularly to tend to the details, like stocking businesses with goods and giving new citizens jobs. It’s not exactly challenging, but there’s a strange thrill in seeing your tower expand. Almost every aspect of the game has a built-in timer, so you’ll need to wait for events to complete or, if you’re feeling flush, spend real cash to speed the process up.

It’s best enjoyed for a few minutes at a time

Just like Tiny Tower, Tiny Death Star is best enjoyed when you pop in for a few minutes at a time, as opposed to a lengthy single sitting. It also adds a few, minor Star Wars-themed gameplay twists. You’ll be able to build “imperial” levels, which let you play the role of the bad guy by interrogating rebels and other dastardly deeds. There are also random events that will have you searching for spies or tending to bounty hunters; they’re minor additions, but add to the Star Wars feel.

The biggest draw, though, is the presentation. In a lot of ways Tiny Death Star is just a reskinned version of Tiny Tower, but that’s actually a good thing. The pixel art renditions of familiar Star Wars characters are downright adorable, and the elevator music-style soundtrack lets you listen to John Williams’ iconic score in a whole new way. From the tongue-in-cheek dialog to the hilarious animated cut scenes, Tiny Death Star is filled with fan service for Star Wars nerds. And the more you play, the more you’ll see. You can also play it on just about any device at launch, as it’s available on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Check it out for free at the source links below.

• Source Star Wars Tiny Death Star (iTunes App Store)Star Wars Tiny Death Star (Google Play)Star Wars Tiny Death Star (Windows Phone Store)


• Related Items disney star wars lucasarts tiny tower nimblebit star wars tiny death star

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Play this: "Star Wars" goes 8-bit with "Tiny Death Star"

Meet tiny nation bucking eurozone"s pain

• The euro club has suffered major shockwaves but its newest member has emerged as a shining economic light.


• Estonia, which joined the euro in January 2011, has rising employment and growth exceeding its peers


• Its economy has been through financial restructuring and a credit-fed boom and bust


• Joining the bloc has helped buoy its economy due to increased confidence from investors

London (CNN) — The euro club has suffered major shockwaves but its newest member has emerged as a shining economic light.

Estonia, which joined the euro in January 2011, has shaken off its painful Soviet Union history and a credit-fed boom and bust to rebuild itself as an economy with shrinking unemployment numbers and growth far exceeding its peers.

The fortunes of the small Baltic country, perched on the edge of northern Europe, run in stark contrast to the eurozone’s troubled south, where unemployment has soared to record levels and recessions are becoming entrenched.

But Estonia’s finance minister, Jurgen Ligi, told CNN Greece — the eurozone’s most troubled nation — was “paradise” compared to what his country had suffered after the USSR fell.

We appreciate solidarity but we do not forget personal responsibility
Jurgen Ligi, Estonian Finance Minister

Estonia, vice-chair of last week’s Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris, joined the euro seven months after Greece had taken its first bailout and as the common currency slid into crisis.

Ligi told CNN joining the euro was a “natural choice” for a “small open economy.” The country, which has just 1.3 million people, had always been “very much dependent on the eurozone, and now we are participating and influencing the decisions,” he said.

WATCH MORE: Post-Soviet winners and losers

How Estonia supports wealthier countries

Accession to the eurozone, despite its problems, ensured the country offered a more stable currency, which gave confidence to investors, Ligi said, as well as showing “solidarity and political cooperation.

“Sometimes you have obligations that you don’t like but [do them] for general stability.”

Foreign workers solve skills shortage

Ligi said the austerity drive being pushed through Europe barely justified the label. “I would not use the word austerity in Europe, where the size of the social system is half of that of the world and consumption level among the highest.”

Building a sustainable future

Estonia went through its own harsh program of cuts in 2009, slicing back state salaries and freezing pensions, after its real estate bubble went bust. The program helped ensure Estonia stayed inside the rules of entry to the eurozone.

The country’s growth rate averaged 8% between 2003 and 2007, before crashing into recession in 2008: its GDP shrank 14.3% in 2009 but has since rebounded. According to Ligi, real GDP will recover to pre-crisis levels next year. Ligi said the contraction was based on a “credit, real estate and consumption bubble” while today’s economy “is on a much stronger basis.”

Estonia’s debt to GDP ratio remains markedly lower than that of its European peers, sitting at 10.1% compared to Greece at a heady 156.9% and Italy at a painful 127%.

This is no miracle that Estonia is developing quicker than the others
Jurgen Ligi, Estonian Finance Minister

WATCH MORE: Doing business in Estonia

Estonia’s export economy is also supported by its strong links with Scandinavian countries, including Finland and Sweden. Its unemployment, at 10%, remains high but lower than the eurozone as whole, which now sits at 12.2%. The OECD has predicted this will rise to 12.3% in 2014. Estonia’s youth unemployment sits at 23%, again lower than the eurozone’s 24.4%.

The former Soviet nation has built itself into a free market, highly educated country with a strong telecommunications industry. The birthplace of Skype become known as E-Stonia following the USSR’s collapse in 1991.

It drove through an ambitious program of connectivity credited in part to Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the bow-tie wearing former ambassador to the United States who is now the country’s president.

Ligi said the country did not forget the crisis which followed its independence, when inflation reached 1000% and it underwent rapid monetary reform.

“We have been making right and sustainable decisions,” Ligi said. “There are lots of countries with similar history and situation than Estonia are not taking advantage.

“This is no miracle that Estonia is developing quicker than the others.”

Estonians bore with structural changes with the culture of practicality, Ligi said. “[Estonians] are very rational …we have a lot of common sense,” he said. “We appreciate solidarity but we do not forget personal responsibility.”

The country’s leaders — including Ilves — have also proved feisty defenders of their economic reforms. In an infamous Twitter battle with Nobel economics prize winner and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who questioned whether Estonia’s GDP recovery could be classed as an “economic triumph,” Ilves slapped down the “smug, overbearing & patronizing” report.

CNN.com Recently Published/Updated

Meet tiny nation bucking eurozone"s pain

Meet your distant cousin: Tiny hyperactive primate

WASHINGTON (AP) — New fossil evidence of the earliest complete skeleton of an ancient primate suggests it was a hyperactive, wide-eyed creature so small you could hold a couple of them in your hand — if only they would stay still long enough.
Science Headlines

Meet your distant cousin: Tiny hyperactive primate

Meet your distant cousin: Tiny hyperactive primate

WASHINGTON (AP) — New fossil evidence of the earliest complete skeleton of an ancient primate suggests it was a hyperactive, wide-eyed creature so small you could hold a couple of them in your hand — if only they would stay still long enough.
Science Headlines

Meet your distant cousin: Tiny hyperactive primate

VIDEO: Crystal Renn Shows Off Her Teeny-Tiny Waist at amfAR Gala

Crystal Renn showed off her amazing figure in a tight red dress at the amfAR gala in New York.

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VIDEO: Crystal Renn Shows Off Her Teeny-Tiny Waist at amfAR Gala