Best of FingerGaming: From Pinball Dreams to Time Crisis

[Every week, Gamasutra sums up sister iPhone site FingerGaming's top news and reviews for Apple's nascent -- and increasingly exciting -- portable games platform, as written by guest editors Danny Cowan and Mathew Kumar.] This week's notable items in the iPhone gaming space, as covered by FingerGaming, include the release of an iPhone-exclusive entry in Namco Bandai's Time Crisis series, along with reviews for Chuck the Ball and Pinball Dreaming: Pinball Dreams. Here are the top stories: - Rolando Lite Now Available in App Store "Today brings the release of Rolando Lite, a free trial version of ngmoco's acclaimed action-puzzler that includes the entirety of Honeycup Meadows — a lengthy bit of gameplay that spans a generous number of levels." - Review: Chuck the Ball "The challenge lies in staying one step ahead of Chuck. Once the level starts, Chuck will continue rolling until either he hits a mine or time runs out, so players will have to think and act fast, in order to plot out a proper course for Chuck in advance." - Namco Bandai Releases Time Crisis Strike "Namco Bandai adapts another one of its popular franchises to the iPhone with this week's release of Time Crisis Strike. This all-new entry in the classic light-gun arcade shooter series features multiple stages, along with unlockable challenges in the form of 'Crisis Missions.'" - Review: Pinball Dreaming: Pinball Dreams "Pinball Dreams is an essential purchase for any pinball fan with an iPhone or iPod Touch -- not just those who remember it from the first time." - THQ Lays Off 100, Shifts Wireless Development to Smartphones "THQ will lay off about 100 employees as it restructures its mobile development division to focus solely on smartphones. The layoffs will result in the closing of development studios in San Diego, Germany, and the UK, and is part of a plan to save more than $100 million in company costs." - iPhone Users Drive Mobile Gaming Growth in 2008 "Market research firm comScore reports that Apple’s iPhone and BlackBerry Curve have surpassed traditional mobile phones as the industry’s most popular mobile gaming platforms."