Microsoft has ported Kinectimals, the Xbox 360 game that involves the care and feeding of dangerous animals in the wild, to the iPhone, suggesting that (at least in the short term) even Microsoft sees the value of releasing on iOS. The $2.99 game recreates the Xbox version fairly faithfully but without the Kinect motion controls. Interestingly, the app also allows you to "unlock" new cubs on the Xbox, proving that paid DLC can hide in multiple guises.

The "Other OS" controversy is one of those things that, while in a way trivial, is really a proxy battle over a much larger problem. Briefly stated, Sony upset some users by removing the ability to install another OS on their PS3, an option that allowed the powerful console to be used as a PC, media center, or pretty much anything. The removal of this option and effective outlawing of the practice caused a geeky backlash that had less to do with the inability to run a Linux box on your TV than the fact that Sony was dictating what you could do with your device after the fact. These things get resolved in all sorts of ways, but this one ended up in a class action lawsuit that said Sony was in breach of its agreement with users. Unfortunately for the class members, the suit has been dismissed on the grounds that the behavior may have been questionable but could not be shown to be illegal.

With its initial public offering coming up later this week, Zynga is making a few notable traffic gains on Facebook and mobile. Older games like FarmVille are growing, not just new ones like CastleVille. The obvious reasons include it doing more advertising and cross-promotion -- and getting some extra publicity out of new launches and media events. But it looks like there's more going. Facebook appears to have made a few adjustments to how users see app activity within the last month or so.

I may not mention it often, but I'm kind of obsessed with 2D twitch platformer Super Meat Boy. I've burned barrels of midnight oil battling my way through its nigh-impossible later levels, played until my hands cramped more times than I can count, and its namesake character is the only thing besides the TechCrunch logo (and the silly AOL inventory sticker) that graces the lid of my laptop. So when Super Meat Boy shows up in a Humble Indie Bundle with a bunch of other ridiculously good games collectively selling for less than the cost of a footlong sandwich, you just know I've gotta write it up. Meet Humble Indie Bundle 4, which is quite possibly the best bundle yet.

Back in August, social game developer Kixeye raised $18 million in series C financing, and added Zynga Andrew Trader to its Board of Directors. And today the self-proclaimed "largest maker of online strategy combat games" has announced the addition of another ex-Zynga exec into the fold. Brandon Barber will be joining Kixeye as the SVP of Marketing, where he will report directly to Chairman and CEO Will Harbin. Barber brings significant gaming experience to Kixeye, as he previously co-founded online sports game developer Lionside, which was acquired by ngmoco (qua DeNA) in June of this year. Behind Barber (who was also VP of Marketing and Production), Lionside brought sports games to Facebook, and created titles like NBA Legend and Lionside Football.