Hey it's Wednesday again which means we're one week closer to seeing just how bad this season of The Office is going to be without Steve Carell. I remain hopefully optimistic, but we'll have to wait and see. Need something to keep you occupied until then? Well, thankfully, a whole heap of game developers decided to release games tonight. This works like every other week, and all of these games will appear for download in the US App Store at 11:00 PM Eastern, and potentially much earlier than that if you're a region to the east of North America.

Here's what you've got to look forward to:

Cowboy Guns, 99� / Lite / Universal HD � Forum Thread � This dual stick shooter differentiates itself from the past by being set in the wild west with an in-depth story-driven single player campaign. Buyer beware though, as if you've got a modern device you're going to need to pick up the HD version as the "standard" 99� version of the game doesn't include Retina Display graphics.

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Destina, 99� � Forum Thread � The latest action RPG out of Gamevil which comes with all their usual trimmings: 30 hours of gameplay, multiple classes, and more. There's even a item construction mechanic.

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Globulos Mania, Free � Forum Thread � This free title is absolutely packed with different mini games, 20 in all. 4 Globulos-centric games come initially unlocked, with more available.

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Flick Champions, 99� / Universal HD � Forum Thread � This seems like an interesting idea- Apply a flick-based control mechanic to every sport you can think of. In this case there are 8 different sports to play, with tournaments, cups, and tons of unlockables.

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Hunger Calls, 99� / HD � Forum Thread � It might be easy to categorize this as a time management game, but it might be more accurate to call it a conveyor belt management game. Either way, it looks like it could be cool and I'm anxious to see how the boss mechanics work out.

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Hypership Out of Control, 99� � Forum Thread � As the title may hint, in this game, your space ship is out of control with the throttle stuck. It seems like a combination of an avoidance game with a vertical shooter, which sounds really cool.

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Monsters Ate My Condo, 99� � Forum Thread � Adult Swim Games and PikPok have teamed up to release this crazy color-matching puzzle game. I've liked everything that Adult Swim has done so far, so I'm thinking this won't be any different.

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Run Fox Run, 99� � Forum Thread � An endless runner where you play as a fox? Alright, I'm in.

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Serious Sam Kamikaze Attack!, 99� � Forum Thread � As much as I'd love to see a real Serious Sam game on the iPhone, I suppose I'll settle for this weird running game! Still, I've got my fingers crossed for some more from the Serious Sam series.

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Tiny Farm, Free � Even though there have been a million farming games since the original success of Farmville, the breeding mechanic in Tiny Farm reminds me of Pocket Frogs, a game I spent a flat out silly amount of time on. It'll be interesting to see if Tiny Farm has the same magic.

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Fresh off another heavily physics-based sports title, Natural Motion Games is going to hit us with a My Little Pony-like game. No, seriously � Venture Beat has the exclusive on the studio's My Horse, a horse simulation game that'll feature radical horse physics, radical horse visuals, and radical horse grooming, feeding, petting, and training.

In addition to this, it'll feature an RPG-like progression system and IAP functionality. And while the visuals on display are pretty hip, it seems pretty obvious that this is a game for the casual crowd and not us hardcore, push-it-to-the-limit types.

Venture Beat reports that each horse in the game will move and act in different ways, and all the horses will be differentiated in terms of look. It's probably important to note that this is an outsourced project � Natural Motion is using MunkyFun for the actual development of My Horse.

As silly as it sounds, I'm all about this. I plan to maintain the nastiest horse this side of Shadowmere in My Horse, provided it allows me to create an undying, fast-traveling horse with red eyes and an ugly demeanor. I guess I'll know for sure when the game launches in the next day or so on the App Store for the radical price of $0.

[Via Venture Beat]

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A couple of weeks ago, Bloomberg reported that Nintendo investors�wanted the company to embrace mobile development on the heels of a huge Nintendo 3DS price cut spurred by sagging sales and shares. Since then, the publisher has had to quadruple-down on the "we won't develop phone games; we like boxed goods and hardware" talk, but that hasn't stopped people from asking "what if" anyway.

In the most recent answer to this exceedingly boring question, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata said straight-up that Nintendo would lose its identity if it went mobile. Also, developing phone games is not a thing that it's willing to do. Interestingly, he did admit that packaged goods might not hold the same sway forever � but that doesn't mean the company is going to change what it does.

"This is absolutely not under consideration," Iwata told Nikkei, according to a translation by Andria Sang. "If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo. Having a hardware development team in-house is a major strength. It's the duty of management to make use of those strengths."

"It's probably the correct decision in the sense that the moment we started to release games on smartphones we'd make profits. However, I believe my responsibility is not to short term profits, but to Nintendo's mid and long term competitive strength," he said.

It appears obvious from our perch that digital will eventually replace traditional game goods, but like Iwata, I'm not sold that the end of what we know now is so nigh. I guess the big takeaway here with Iwata's latest comments is, yeah, Nintendo will continue to do what it does best, but it's also aware that, at some point way down the line, packaged goods might dip. The thing is, the company likely won't budge anytime soon.

[Via Andria Sang]

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We've been keeping a close watch on the PS Vita since its announcement and as we've followed up with it, we've become more and more convinced that it'll be the one near-future portable device that'll compete with Apple in a meaningful way in the games space. Yesterday's press conference in Japan went a long way in solidifying this thought, as the handheld is poised to launch with a lot of big-name IPs and tech that should draw popular attention.

To be clear, Sony had nothing of substance to say about PS Vita's launch outside of Japan at the event. It also didn't get into game release dates. But it did share some news on games: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, Final Fantasy X HD, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Zone of the Enders HD Collection, Lumines, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, and several other releases are all slated to hit the PS Vita at some point down the line. In Japan, the device will launch on December 17 with a total of 26 games, most of which will presumably be big-ticket titles that won't ever be available on the App Store.

LUMINES!

I think it's fair to speculate that when the device hits elsewhere in 2012, the rest of the world will experience a similar launch line-up and the promise of ridiculous launch window support. Over 100 games are being developed for the device in Japan, Sony said at the event. And let's not forget about the "apps" � Sony showed off the browser, multi-tasking, a photo viewer, and several less notables at the event. We've already said in the past that its non-game support is looking strong and, wouldn't-you-know-it, pretty phone-like.

A listing of what's inside the PS Vita is now available at Destructoid. It'll boast a ton of RAM and a 4-core A9 CPU, which is pretty hot. On the minus side, it's only going to be able to sustain a maximum battery life of five hours of play before you need to plug it into a wall and re-charge for around three hours.

I guess it's no surprise to see publishers like Capcom, Square Enix, Konami, and Tecmo Koei latch onto new technology, but it'll be interesting to see if the big name properties each of these players � and several other notable western developers � are bringing to the Vita will be enough to push the platform into a legitimate position of strong competition with iOS. Apple is killing it in this space, so it'll take a big push in both digital and retail for Sony to get people to jump over and carry around this bulky-butt thing. From this TGS event, it seems like Sony is willing to at least try for a mad dash at your wallet.

[Via Destructoid, Giant Bomb, 1UP]

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Hipsta Chez [$0.99] isn't chess. The game goes out of its way in its name, art and description to make that extremely clear. But for those of us whose chess expertise begins and ends at "look ma, I know how the knight moves," it's just right. Another color-matching game in a crowded marketplace, it sets itself apart with smart mechanics, a slick interface and achievements that are downright motivational.

I could do without the hipster, err, hipsta stylings, though. Thankfully, they're minimal at worst.

The reason Hipsta Chez has to try so hard to prove that it isn't chess is because it really, really looks like it is. You show me a chess board, pieces and two opposing colors, and I'm probably going to call it like I see it. But this is chess played to a whole new set of rules. One player handles both sides of the board, and matching lines is the goal. It's still a thoughtful game, but it's something quite different.

Here's the set-up: You've got pieces of an ordinary chess match arrayed on a board. The pieces move by the rules of chess, and they can capture pieces of the opposing color. But you start with just a few � four for each side. Your goal is to create a line of four or more of the same colored pieces, moving those on either side.

For each move you make that doesn't complete a line, a penalty is imposed on you and more pieces appear randomly on the board. When all the game's pieces are arrayed on the board and none remain in reserve, you are given one last chance to make a line or lose. You earn points for each line you create, and the game keeps close track of the pieces you capture. The penalty, however, increases if you capture without completing a line.

This is the majority of the game, though you can play in a few different ways. There are three modes: Normal, Blitz and Super-blitz. Each has endless, 5 minute and 15 minute varieties, with Game Center leaderboards for all. Blitz and Super-blitz are similar to Normal mode, except that each move is subject to a 15 second or 5 second timer respectively. Super-blitz is punishing, and offers a serious challenge.

Hipsta Chez's achievement system is quite cool, reminiscent of one of my favorite features of Tiny Wings [$0.99]. As you complete groups of achievements, your score multiplier increases. If the leaderboard competition picks up, it will eventually be dominated by those who have put serious time into the game. Some of the top-tier achievements require significant skill and time commitment.

I'm not sure I'll ever cap off some of those achievements, but I'm having a fantastic time on my way. I enjoy match-3s and their ilk, but Hipsta Chez goes further than most in creating a smart and thoughtful experience. A few early bugs have been squashed in the game's first update (which also changed the name from Hipster Chess, in case you're wondering), and thing have been running smoothly for me since. Whether you're a chess newbie or a veteran looking for a light alternative, this game is worth a look.

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When Plushed [$0.99 / Lite] was first released, nearly two years ago now, it seemed like the start of something great. When we played the platformer we found it flawed but ambitious, a funny, lovely-looking game that was a few tweaks short of complete success. For the first App Store release from Blacksmith Games, though, it was an impressive start.

Now, following quite a gap, we have the next game under the Plushed banner: Plushed Gold Fever [Free]. And while it's good to see Blacksmith Games back at it, those of us hoping for an equally ambitious follow-up will need to keep waiting. Plushed Gold Fever is an enjoyable game, but it isn't quite a worthy successor.

Three minigames make up the meat of Plushed Gold Fever, and they're all designed around a gold rush theme. Gold-Grabber is a fast-paced claw machine, Gold-Cart is an endless runner, and Gold-Smasher is a color-matching brick breaker. They're all fun, and they're all centered around collecting gold that you can use to buy power-ups and new characters. It should come as no shock, but you can also purchase gold and skip the messy business of actually playing the game.

Between the three games, I'm partial to Gold-Smasher. It's not outstandingly original, but it's fun. Mineral bricks fill the play area and you can smash any group of two or more, causing more to fall into place and filling a progress bar. As you level up more block types are introduced, making it ever-harder to proceed. The game only grants you a minute per level, so a screen filled with mismatched blocks is a quick trip to failure.

Gold-Grabber is all about timing and aim. A claw rotates on a static mine cart, and tapping launches it straight outwards. You earn points by grabbing gold and other valuables, but stones, bats and other obstacles slow you down. This mode is on the same timer system as Gold-Smasher, so a lack of precision can hurt.

In Gold-Cart, your character of choice climbs into a runaway mine cart and travels as far as possible. Your input is limited to swipes � up to jump and down to duck. There are occasional tricky bits, but you're most likely to be killed by something that appeared on screen too late for you to react to than any particular challenge. Or, if you're stuck on an older device, you may fall prey to slow performance.

In all of these games you earn coins that can be put toward power-ups. These are consumable, but they're relatively inexpensive and can save you from certain death. You can also unlock two alternate characters. You also collect plush toys while you play, and these tell a bit of a story in the game's Library.

I've had a good time with Plushed Gold Fever, but on the whole it falls flat. There's nothing here to push it beyond mindless entertainment. A hefty selection of Game Center achievements and leaderboards may motivate the meta-gamers, and attractive art and good music keep things from becoming too dull. It's just that it's no Plushed, and it's not interesting enough on its own merits to make up for that failing. But for the price, it's a reasonably fun package, one that our forum users have enjoyed as well.

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