The week in gaming news: December 16, 2011 edition

Snow is on the ground. Shops are filled with Christmas music. And you probably still have a lot of shopping yet to do. Yep, the holidays are almost here. Seriously, Christmas is next weekend. How crazy is that? The week before the week before the big day wasn’t especially busy in terms of gaming news, but there were still plenty of notable stories. Thankfully, we’ve got this handy round-up of all the week’s news so you can make sure you don’t miss a thing.

Monday

• In our weekly Monday morning editorial, we took a look at Microsoft’s new Windows app store and wondered whether or not it was too little, too late.
• Zynga’s first original “Ville” game on iOS launched early in Canada this week. It’s now out in the rest of the world, though unfortunately ForestVille isn’t quite the hit we were expecting. Read our review.
• Playdom’s hit Facebook HOG Gardens of Time is now playable on your iPad.

Tuesday

• Yep, it’s back. Another Humble Indie Bundle is here, and this one might just be the best so far, with hit games like Super Meat Boy and Bit.Trip Runner all for one low price.
• Windows Phone games are starting to make their way over to Applie’s iOS platform, starting with the adorable Kinectimals.
• Not to be outdone, Indie Royale has released its latest bundle as well, with four great games available just in time for the holidays.
• Popcap continues to launch games pretty much everywhere, with a Chrome version of Bejeweled, as well as Plants vs Zombies and Peggle on Android.

Wednesday

• Beeline has already done great things with mobile versions of Charlie Brown and The Smurfs, now the developer will be trying its hand at the Shrek franchise.
• Your favorite Canadian crooner, Michael Buble, will be making a stop in CityVille in time for the holidays.
• Venerable strategy franchise Command and Conquer will be getting an HTML5 spin-off, with a free-to-play game playable in your browser.
• Now you can support charity by purchasing a bizarre hip-hop single performed by a character from Plants vs Zombies.

Thursday

• The wait is finally over, as new expansions are finally available for the iOS version of Carcassonne.
• Yet another great deal, Good Old Games is having a 50 percent off holiday sale.

Friday

• After much speculation, Zynga’s initial public offering is now official.

Andrew Webster