This is a weirdly light week for iOS releases, and I've a theory as to why. The Diablo III beta has started, Gears of War 3 is out, and R.E.M. broke up. I'm suspecting that iOS developers that had planned releases for tonight called 'em off in favor of exploring the depths of hell in Diablo while farming multiplayer experience in Gears and grief-strickenly listening to their favorite R.E.M. tracks. That seems reasonable, doesn't it? Or maybe everyone is just too busy giggling at the @qwikster drama to bother mashing the "RELEASE!" button in iTunes Connect. That's probably equally likely, if the retweets in my own Twitter feed are any indication.

Anyway, all of these games should be available at 11:00 PM Eastern, or potentially much earlier if you're the kind of person who lives east of North America:

Another World � 20th Anniversary, $4.99 � Forum Thread � We've already posted our early review of this game. SPOILER ALERT: We loved it. Another World is a game with tons of history behind it, and is a fantastic example of taking a great retro title and giving it entirely new life on the App Store via various tweaks and enhancements. If you even vaguely consider yourself a gamer, this is a game you need to at least be familiar with.

Do Do EGG!, 99� � Forum Thread � I have absolutely loved every single PONOS game, and I'm going to go out on a limb and suspect that I'll also enjoy Do Do Egg! just as much. From the trailer, it looks like a matching game, which usually would almost instinctively invoke a yawn these days… But, for whatever reason, I am a total sucker for matching games with massive chains that reward you with more blinking lights than a carnival ride. In that respect, this game nails it.

HECTOR: Ep3 � Beyond Reasonable Doom, $4.99 / HD � Forum Threads � The first two Hector episodes have been fantastic, so I think it's reasonable to assume that the third and final installment will be just as good, if not better. Personally, I'm just happy we didn't have to wait a year between the release of episodes 2 and 3 like we did with 1 and 2!

The Sims Medieval, $4.99 � Forum Thread � I've never really been a fan of The Sims games, but that doesn't seem to stop EA from making truck loads of money on it. This latest entry is set in the medieval times, and is filled with knights, magic, and all new mini games.

Panda Picnic, Free � Forum Thread � This is what you get when you combine Words With Friends-style asynchronous online multiplayer with a matching game. I can't wait to see if it takes off or not.

Tiny Defense, $2.99 � Forum Thread � Gameplay looks a little similar to Plants vs Zombies, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how much they (hopefully) deviate from the formula to create a fresh experience.

Where's My Water, 99� � Forum Thread � A water-based physics puzzler from the guys who brought us JellyCar 3. Well, I've liked all the JellyCar games, so I'm totally excited to give this one a shot.

Here's a bit of neat news for old-school RPG nerds out there: Rocketcat Games' lo-fi RPG, Mage Gauntlet, is presumably worming its way through the Apple approval process as you read this post. The studio notes on the game's web site that it has re-submitted this afternoon after having to, unfortunately, yank a build that was also submitted today, too. If all goes well this go-around, we should be happily plucking away at the Secret of Mana-ish title later next week at the earliest, but the possibility of delay is always there with these things.

Considering its delightful look, its inspiration, and Rocket's pedigree, it's no surprise to us that its had a share of buzz among our community. Let's add one more trailer to the drool-inducing pile. In addition to sharing the aforementioned news with the world, Rocketcat has dropped a new trailer that you can view just below this text stuff:

One of the coolest things about Mage Gauntlet is that it's subscribing to the "more action, less grinding" school of design, meaning you get to spend more time doing meaningful things in the game. Also, it seems pretty self-aware of the genre and that's expressed mechanically, which is a fourth wall-breaking twist a lot of studios say away from. Needless to say, we're excited about this and definitely want to give you more details as soon as possible. Stay tuned!

With how much praise the entire internet has heaped upon Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP [99� / $1.99], I find it to be almost impossible to believe that anyone around here hasn't heard of the game… But, in case you've spent the last year on a cave in mars with your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears, you can check out our incredibly exhaustive review that covers everything you'd ever want to know and then some.

The cause for celebration today is the Autumn Equinox, which has resulted in the price of the "micro" iPhone-only version to dropping to 99�, while the universal version saw a similar drop to $1.99. If for some strange reason you still don't have this game yet, now is a great time to get on board.

Also, Jim Guthrie's fantastic soundtrack that accompanies the game is also on sale. Head on over to his band camp site where you can name your price (or pay nothing, if that's how you roll) to download the album.

What's next for Rovio Mobile? Our guess is probably another Angry Birds [$.99 /�Free /�Lite/�HD /�HD Free]�since those cash vaults won't be filling themselves over the long haul, but Develop seems convinced that the studio is setting its sights on publishing indie games down the line. In a chat about this with the publication, Rovio executive Peter Vesterbacka admitted that Rovio does indeed have plans in the arena. He added that its model would be different, if it were to make the grand switch.

"We have some plans for this area, but not ready to announce yet," Vesterbacka said. "If we do something in the publishing area, you can expect it to be a bit different."

Angry Birds was initially a Chillingo published joint, but Rovio quickly pushed to get out of its agreement after EA acquired the publisher. No doubt, the studio has learned some things from that experience and it seems like it wasn't too stoked about it all to begin with.

We've seen Bungie create a publishing label in the recent past, so why not Rovio, too? It'll be very interesting to see how the studio will differentiate itself as a publisher and use the pull of its brand to supplement, fund, and help out other independent developers. Unfortunately, we'll probably have to wait awhile to see.

[Via Develop]

Super Mega Worm [$.99] is one of those games I secretly dislike (even though we love it). I totally recognize that any game starring a huge, brown worm who eats babies and bison and can knock over tanks has significant value, but I've never been able to get over its digital control pad and buttons. My worldview has changed courtesy of the iCade, and now Super Mega Worm has become one of my favorite iPad games because of the support it throws to the device.

This game is ridiculous-ancient by App Store standards, so I trust you know it. If you don't, the Cliff Notes breakdown is this: in the game, you control a large brown worm with a literal appetite for destruction; by eating people, animals, and soldiers, you increase the size of your worm and unlock new powers for obliteration purposes, all the while earning a high score that your mother would be proud of.

With the iCade, Super Mega Worm becomes the lo-fi, high-intensity action game that I think the designers shot for when they first put it together. You control the worm with a flick or two of the joystick in any direction, and you can spit and shoot with two of the thing's auxiliary buttons.

The feedback and response on the buttons are there, but the joystick is the thing that really makes the game pop; it allows for some pretty fabulous maneuvers, as well as precision and a sense of fluidity that you can't get with the pre-existing virtual controls. Look at it this way: it's the difference between playing, say, Mortal Kombat on a controller versus playing it on an arcade cabinet. You just get a lot more out of Super Mega Worm with an iCade.

For me, it becomes stunningly entertaining with an iCade, as any proper arcade title should be. I'm playing longer, I'm racking up higher scores, and I'm digging it much more. I'm even getting into the little parts that I couldn't appreciate before, including the dialogue, the audio, and the brilliant visuals. I suppose the reasoning here is that my fingers are now off the screen entirely, instead of obscuring it as I frantically move about.

It strikes me as odd that I've rediscovered a game from 2010 on the iPad, but hey, that is kinda what the iCade does best. You pick up old titles and play them in entirely new ways, and sometimes, you even get more out of them. I highly recommend you pick this up.

Previous games we've covered in this series:�Mos Speedrun / HungryMaster / Match Panic. Check out our list of iCade titles�here.