Diner Dash serves up good eats on iOS for free

Were you sad to see Diner Dash close its doors on Facebook? If you have an Apple mobile device, you can now fill in a bit of the hole left behind with the game's closure, as the original Diner Dash is now absolutely free to download via iTunes. Technically, the free version is only for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but you can download it on your iPad as well (the graphics will be much poorer in that case).

Before this sale, Diner Dash could be purchased for $2.99, which makes this a pretty good deal. Add to this the fact that the game is frequently updated with new content (new themed restaurants and levels, for one) and the deal becomes even better!

Sure, downloading an iPhone game won't bring back the joy of playing as Flo on Facebook, but we certainly won't turn down a free game. The only thing to keep in mind here, folks, is that this free price will only be around for a limited time. How limited? Unfortunately, PlayFirst doesn't say, but that just gives you all the more incentive to download it now, even if you don't plan on playing it until later!

Zynga, well, drops Drop7 Free on iOS, ad-free $2.99 version available

Since Zynga acquired NewToy in late 2010, the developer behind Words with Friends, it has been serious about mobile gaming. This is the company's next major release, and its not FrontierVille Mobile--it's Drop7. Both a color and number-matching puzzler, Drop7 lives in a strange world where Tetris and Bejeweled are just best friends. The game features three difficulty levels, public leader boards and automatically saves your state when closed through the Home button. The free version, of course, contains ads, though the company offers an ad-free version for $2.99. Does this mean a future in original, (possibly non-social) mobile games from Zynga? If that depends on this critically-acclaimed title, then yes, most likely.

[Image Credit: iTunes; Zynga]

Have you played Drop7 on your iOS device yet? What do you think about Zynga's mobile efforts thus far?

Introversion Shelves Subversion – Prison Architect to Launch in 2012

British indie developer Introversion has put Subversion on the back-burner, and will be launching an entirely different new game early next year.

As Chris Delay explained in a recent interview with Eurogamer, even though years had been sunk into developing Subversion, the game wasn't actually any fun to play.

N4G's PAX Swag Giveaway

You know that show What Not to Wear? Yeah, they'd probably tell you to throw away your gaming t-shirts and invest in a button-down and some slacks, and while that may be good for your next job interview it does nothing for your gamer credibility. No, we're not offering you a shopping spree, what we've got is much, much better…

A new gamer wardrobe. Well, practically.

This is the Grand Prize of PAX, a robust collection of swag gathered at PAX Prime 2010, which means it's a helluva lot of gaming t-shirts.

What do we want from you? A picture of you (yes, you!) in your worst, nastiest, oldest, grubbiest gaming shirt to prove that you most need this new wardrobe. Entrants deemed worthy by staff (read: you posted a pic of yourself in a worn out gaming shirt) will then be entered in a random drawing for the Grand Prize of Swag. First runner-up will receive a largely comparable haul, with some differences, and there's even prize bundles to be had for 3rd, 4th and 5th.

BBCW launches CBeebies games app

Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.

CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.

Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.

Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.

She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”

More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.

Diner Dash serves up good eats on iOS for free

Were you sad to see Diner Dash close its doors on Facebook? If you have an Apple mobile device, you can now fill in a bit of the hole left behind with the game's closure, as the original Diner Dash is now absolutely free to download via iTunes. Technically, the free version is only for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but you can download it on your iPad as well (the graphics will be much poorer in that case).

Before this sale, Diner Dash could be purchased for $2.99, which makes this a pretty good deal. Add to this the fact that the game is frequently updated with new content (new themed restaurants and levels, for one) and the deal becomes even better!

Sure, downloading an iPhone game won't bring back the joy of playing as Flo on Facebook, but we certainly won't turn down a free game. The only thing to keep in mind here, folks, is that this free price will only be around for a limited time. How limited? Unfortunately, PlayFirst doesn't say, but that just gives you all the more incentive to download it now, even if you don't plan on playing it until later!

Do you already own Diner Dash on iOS, or will you download it now for the first time since it's free? Does this freebie giveaway help heal the wound of losing Diner Dash on Facebook? Let us know in the comments!