Our goal is to bring you only the games that are worth playing, meaning most of these titles are left in the forgotten realm of Didn't Quite Make It land. This is especially true with downloadable games, as it's a bit more of a commitment to buy a game than just click on a link and play. Some games look good, play well, and are entertaining enough to be featured, but for one reason or another they just didn't make the cut. Here are a few games that are, by all rights, excellent titles to play, but for one reason or another didn't quite get their own review.

Painfully difficult retro gaming time!!! Three platform games on this edition of Weekend Download, each one doing its part to remind you just how bad you are at playing games. Until you play the same part a dozen times, then you're awesomely talented!

This week on Link Dump Friday, toast, bouncing balls, pixels, jigsaws, and herds of kittens combine to form... uh... something... really awesome! We got yer puzzles, we got yer platforms, we even got yer action adventure! Don't we take good care of you? Now... what did you get us?

A big bunch o' arcade games have been assembled for this week's Mobile Monday. It was actually really easy to gather them, too. All I had to do was put out a bit of arcade bait and they came a-runnin'...

It's the weekend!!! That means you have a little extra time on your hands. That means I get to take away some of that time with a handful of free games. That means you get to have fun on your weekend. Don't forget to mow the lawn, though.

This week in Link Dump Friday: the arcade! Bastion of fun and hope for young and old alike in an urban wasteland? Or secret lair of an ancient race of mole people from deep within the earth's crust? Unless you tune in this week for plants, turrets, swords, and more, you may never know. And Jay will get all the high scores to himself. We can't have that, now, can we?

An iPod full of diverse games on this week's Mobile Monday. My personal favorite happens to be TonePad. Mostly because I like messing around with sound without, you know, actually accomplishing anything or learning real musical skills.

This week, we'll take a look at the finalists in the 2BeeGames Indie Game Competition. Out of the six, we have previously featured two: Auditorium and Bumps, and the other is technically not a download Buccaneer Battle. Here is a quick rundown of the remaining three amazingly deserving titles. You like to vote, right? After playing these games, go vote for your favorite!

Catapults, coins, carts, and a bus game that doesn't have anything that begins with the letter c! You might say these things have nothing in common. I say, there's no time for your sass! Link Dump Friday is happening right now!

Broken Picture Telephone is a participatory writing/drawing game based on the old favorite playground game Telephone, that's chock full of hilarious random divergences and oozes fun like bacon oozes grease!

While I'm a big fan of retro games, developers have yet to convince me that a touch screen is an adequate replacement for a physical controller. With a touch screen you get no tactile feedback, and I feel that ruins many iPhone games. This week we have several titles whose controls are better without d-pads and buttons. And believe me, that's a tough fact for me to admit!

We've just finished a complete walkthrough for Sherlock Holmes: The awakened! Be warned: This guide contains spoilers so use it as a last resort.

All three games featured this week seem to be a bit on the chilling creepy eerie ominous side of things. Nothing like hordes of zombies leaping from behind locked doors, more like quiet, haunting environments that are suspiciously empty but filled with cautious intrigue...

This week on Link Dump Friday, we're going to flex the awesomest muscle of them all. The BRAIN. All the cool kids are doing it!

Big game developers continue to flock to the iTunes App Store to offer portable versions of some of their best-known games. Electronic Arts is no stranger to any gaming platform, and some very recognizable titles can now have a home on your system. The prices aren't always as friendly as they could be, but sometimes it's worth a little extra cash to get the glitz and glamor a large studio can provide.

We've just finished a complete walkthrough for Braid! Be warned: This guide contains spoilers so use it as a last resort.

This edition of Weekend Download makes me hungry. Hungry for TOAST! It also, by extension, makes me want to ride on the back of a sheep, but that's a completely different thing, innit?

This week's Link Dump Friday appeals to your warm, fuzzy, nurturing side. Also the side of you that really just likes explosions and claps like a seal whenever something goes BOOM. You'd be surprised how similar they are!

Musical games dominate this edition of Mobile Monday, with two of our four features emphasizing rhythm and reflexes over any other gameplay mechanic. Also weighing in is the hefty game Zenonia, an RPG that claims a full 40 hours of 16-bit-style role playing!

Something for just about every type of gamer in this edition of Weekend Download, including a few titles heavy on exploration (one with a grappling hook! :-O ), a psychedelic shooter, and an experimental art game complete with vomit!

A witch, cheese fiends, some goop, a bounty hunter, and the raddest hair you have ever seen walk, ooze, and fly into a bar . . . No, wait, that's not right! It's Link Dump Friday!

Do you Twitter? Seems everyone is these days. If you have a Twitter account, be sure to follow us @Jayisgames We'll be giving away random free stuff all spring and summer, including Big Fish Games coupons, iTunes gift certificates, and more! Tell your family and friends to follow us, too. The more eyes watching, the more chances you have to win! :)

Ooh, now here's something special! Six independent iPhone developers have joined together to offer seven word games for just 99¢ each! From speed-based spelling games to quirky word/picture combinations, there's no shortage of iPhone wordery to be had. The sale lasts through May 31, so get grabbin' while the grabbin's cheap.

We've just finished a MASSIVE walkthrough for Dracula 3: The Path of the dragon! Be warned: This guide contains spoilers so use it as a last resort.

TIGSource has long been a focal point where independent game developers congregate, and its recent TIGSource Cockpit Competition inspired several dozen programmers to craft over 40 fine games for our playing pleasure. The following are the four winners as chosen by votes on the TIGSource forums. Aah, independent games, how we love your rampant sense of freedom and unchecked creativity.

It's Career Day here at JIG, which means we've assembled some of the best jobs the internet has to offer in your browser! Yes, we know you've dreamed of being under the sea, barbering, and freshly baked goods. Don't be shy. Your future awaits! Or at least some really neat flash games. Hey, dynasties have been built on less, and usually require more work.

Plants vs. Zombies is now available from Big Fish Games for a mere $6.99! That's a steal of a deal for a game that will likely be in the running for Casual Game of the Year 2009.

A few old games made new populate this edition of Mobile Monday. Namco is releasing a choice few of its classic arcade games on the iTunes App Store, one of which is Galaga! EA is also jumping on the retro bandwagon with Lemonade Tycoon, a mobile port of the original Shockwave game that made mixing lemonade the cool thing to do.

With the review of Tom Sennet's "When The Bomb Goes Off," last week, a grave realization came to hand: our site is tragically void of Cool Moose games! This travesty is now rectified. Thank you and have a lovely day.

This Link Dump Friday features something for everyone. If by "everyone" we mean "people with varied, discerning tastes and really great hair". Say, that's you! Especially if you like fast-paced platforming, sequels, physics, and dungeons. And really, who doesn't?

Metaplace is a browser-based community of user-created virtual worlds that also serves as an online games platform. Metaplace gives you the tools you need to create just about anything your twisted head can conjure — from casual social lounges to games both basic and complex — all with an extremely flexible set of building tools. If you can surf the web, you can use Metaplace, and this level of powerful simplicity makes it one of the most attractive virtual world communities around.

Monkeys with balloons, kids with slingshots fighting off zombies, an ultra-powerful hero who runs around blasting giant bugs and making dents in the earth, and, erm, a number-linking puzzle. This, ladies and gentlemen, is your typical Mobile Monday.

This edition of Weekend Download is brought to you by: Platformers. Platformers, making you run, jump, stomp, dodge and run (some more) to the exit for almost 30 years!

If you don't already own the unique, puzzle-filled game Azada, or the epic hidden object adventure Hidden Expedition: Everest, or the remarkably fun and challenging Fairway Solitaire, or the time management hit Spa Mania, then you can get the full version for any or all of these titles, FREE! Offer good only until May 31, 2009, so don't delay — do it NOW...

It's meta puzzle time! Several words in this edition of Link Dump Friday have an extra letter floating around. Find them, gather them, and arrange everything in the correct order to spell something very important!

It's a huge dose of nostalgia this week on Mobile Monday. Developers have been porting classic games to the iPhone/iPod Touch for some months now, and two of the latest to hit — Myst and Wolfenstein 3D — practically gave birth to their respective genres. I remember when running either of these games required a top-of-the-line computer. Now my music player can run them!

The introduction to this weekend download has been stolen by a ninja and replaced with a depressed bubble. Sorry for the inconvenience. If you happen to see a ninja, please attempt to stop him and ask for this paragraph back. That would be very much appreciated.

Naming your pet can be a difficult decision. Do you go with something cute like Fuzzy, Furface, or Mittens? Or maybe something average and unassuming like Cat or Dog? Just yesterday I met someone with a pet rabbit called Tundra, which I immediately declared to be the most awesome rabbit name ever.

Wanna know what I did this past week? I grew flowers. I slithered around tiny planetoids. And I hurt my head messing with number puzzles. Oh, and I made a pie, but that has nothing to do with the games below.

This edition of Weekend Download is dedicated to cells. No, not the kind you find in prison, the kind you find right here, inside your body. The squishy little things surrounded by a lipid bilayer membrane. How about a hand for cells? All 100 trillion of them!

How much thought do you put into laundry detergent? I mean, really, is this one of your great concerns in life? Do you wake up in the morning and worry if you made the right decision on aisle ten in the grocery store yesterday? Should you really have gone with that off-brand stuff? Was saving a little cash really worth putting your clothes at risk? Well... was it?

If you're a fan of strategy games, we've got a real treat for you this Monday. Both KDice Trainer and UniWar tackle the genre from different angles, the former adopting a casual-friendly stance while the latter isn't afraid to get serious with unit management and tactics.

This week, three of the four games featured come from the development group Free Lunch Design. Why? Because one of their games turned this writer onto the world of free games and further to that, in all its history JIG has featured just one of their games. What better way to say, thanks for all the lost time spent playing, then to shine a bit of light on their highlights.

The following text was taken directly from the pages of my super-secret diary. Less of a diary, more of a journal. Not so much a journal, now that I think about it, sort of a captain's log. Complete with stardates!

We've just finished a complete walkthrough (with images) for Dream Chronicles 3: The Chosen Child!! Be warned: contains major spoilers, so proceed only as a last resort. Be sure to read our review of Dream Chronicles 3.

Several major casual gaming franchises are still making their way to the iTunes App Store, including the fan-favorite Virtual Villagers series! I'm pleased to report the miniaturization has gone surprisingly well, so if you had a hard time tearing yourself away from Virtual Villagers before, good luck resisting the temptation to pull your iPhone out of your pocket...

This week, word skills and paint skills will go head to head in a dazzling array of visual and wordy deliciousness. In the left corner we have the book smarts, with knowledge of words and quick thinking. In the other corner, painting, featuring brushes, stamps and a burning desire to see a creative vision realized. It's the author vs. the auteur in this weeks... Weekend Download.

We're reaching into the vault of yesteryear -- providing, of course, your definition of yesteryear is a 2005 point-and-click adventure game about supervillains by Nick Bounty, the author of A Case of the Crabs and The Goat in the Grey Fedora. Some of you will be familiar with this strange gem of a title, but if you've never checked into the Brain Hotel before, there's no time like the present to make your reservation.

Sort of a shooterey, retroish, trance music-like Link Dump Friday theme this week. Or is it an old-school-style trancey shooter musical theme? Either way, most of these games kinda sorta lean against one or more of those concepts. I guess. Right? Well... hmm. Aah forget it, I'm going back to making music with Tone Matrix.

We're back with more iTunes App Store gamery! Two of today's titles are iPhone ports of their bigger casual cousins, one a full-fledged downloadable game, and the other a browser-based adventure. Each one adapts extraordinarily well to the small screen and touch-only interface, and it's surprisingly handy to have them in portable form.

You like old games, right? Games that were made before everyone had a computer in their home. Or games that were made last week and just look like they came out of the decade that brought us Prince, Trapper Keepers, and rolled-down socks. Simplicity knows no age, of course, and that's just what these games strive for in one way or another.

Fact: the flu virus can live on ordinary objects for days. Solution? Never touch anything. Ever. In fact, your eyes may be absorbing the flu virus by reading this page. You don't know whose nasty, diseased vision has already seen what you now see. It's gross. Ew. I'm going to the decon chamber now...

The 11th annual Independent Games Festival awards were announced just a few days ago, and you'll be happy to know the Mobile category was filled with excellent iPhone games. Even better, we've already featured most of them on previous Mobile Monday articles! Check out the iTunes IGF Mobile page to see where the spotlight is currently shining.

What, no theme this week? Actually, there is. The theme is... uh, eclectic. Meaning a collection of things which just happen to go together because I say so. Enjoy this weeks partially themed Weekend Download!

Hello, and thank you for reading Link Dump Friday. Due to an abnormally high volume of words, your ability to read may be delayed more than usual. Please be patient, your attention is important to us. A representative will be with you shortly.

Pirates, crayons, galaxies and picross grids populate this edition of Mobile Monday! If only they were used together in a single game. A space-themed picross puzzle where you make pictures of pirates using a crayon? I'd play it, that's for sure...

In platform games, its standard fare to jump over or on top of your enemies. Occasionally you are granted a weapon with the rather limited range of directly in front of you. Fortunately, every now and then, an often overlooked method of weaponry is employed: control the hero with your left hand on the keys, while simultaneously aiming anywhere on screen with the mouse, providing 360° of free-firing joyous joy.

Some of life's greatest mysteries are the little things you never get answers to. Like why the number of chocolate chips in a cookie is always even, or why your socks seem to keep getting holes in them even though you only wear them with your good shoes. Link Dump Friday is not one of those mysteries. It tells you exactly what you will get, every time! How awesome is that?!

A collection of simple but absolutely captivating games for this week's Mobile Monday. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit with each of these titles. Shouldn't I be off learning Japanese or trying to cure diseases or something? Maybe after just one more level...

A lot of games featured on JIG are intensive. They require Flash 10, or Unity or some sort of graphics card capable of displaying something more than monochrome. However, sometimes gamers just don'thave the latest hardware requirements to play the latest whiz-bang flavour of the month. So without further ado, here are a selection of games developed for the trusty old DOS system.

This is the edition of Link Dump Friday where you do what I say! It's like Simon Says, only Simon's a jerk, so this is called "JohnB Says, Everyone Does". JohnB says... make me a grilled cheese sandwich! JohnB says... comb your hair! JohnB says... play these games below and leave an amusing/constructive comment!

Today we have two short but excellent escapes for your mid-week gaming pleasure, and they couldn't be more different. One is gorgeously quirky, an eccentric little time-traveling escape game that will fascinate and bewilder; the other is a gritty and darkly realistic game that challenges the player to break out of the confines of a bleak prison cell. So, take your pick... whimsical or grim? Fantastical or gloomy? Whatever you choose, you're sure to enjoy.

Art meets history meets puzzles meets airports in this edition of Mobile Monday! We're still giving away iTunes gift certificates for the cost of every game featured in the current Mobile Monday article. Simply sign-in with a Casual Gameplay account, leave a comment giving feedback about one of the games, then check back the week after to see if you've won. Simple!

When you think about it, music is all around us. That's usually because we have our iPods in our ears. Or our MP3s blasting through our computer. Or some concert DVD on the telly. Or we have the radio on. The point is, now you can play games and actually make music at the same time, isn't that something!

BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK!

This week's Mobile Monday highlights one of the most disturbing trends of the 21st century: adding a lowercase "i" to the front of words. Our example: iDracula. Why on earth does the name Dracula need an "i" in front of it? Unfortunately, playing the game doesn't offer any clues, so I suppose we'll just have to deal with it. Or should that be, iSuppose?

Shooters! Shmups! Games where you hit buttons and destroy things! Vertically scrolling, arena, clones, remakes, minimalistic... shooting games! Thusly is the theme of this edition of Weekend Download. Except for that other game at the bottom...

One of my friends can use the teleport. What? You've never heard of it? Then, I'll give you King Banana. That didn't make sense, did it? You're the enemy of all zombies! You monster!

Are you ready for some hilarious multiplayer wordplay? See who can come up with the best acronyms in this resurrection of the classic Acrophobia! To us, Acrobabble represents the finest in CRAB (Creative Reverse-Acronym Building). You might even say Acrobabble is a COWARD (Cavalcade Of Words And Random Definitions). But I think we can all agree it is a DAWG (Darn Awesome Word Game).

A few seriously impressive games on this week's Mobile Monday, with Zombieville USA and Rolando delivering some high-quality visuals to brighten up that tiny screen. And just for contrast, we have Falling Balls... But who says black on white graphics aren't fun to look at?

Four simple but stunning games this week, ranging from strikingly bare-bones to the artistically slanted. Classic Night breathes a rare sense of wonder into a normally stale genre, while Where doesn't pull any tricks and simply drops you in a gorgeously-drawn maze.

Well, would you look at that! This edition of Link Dump Friday happens to be number 101! So, if you've been a fan of LDF since the beginning, you've played over 500 games. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED! Feel accomplished? I sure do!

Greetings! Your iTunes App Store-based lesson this week: "simple" doesn't necessarily mean "not fun". All of the games featured this week are rather simple, but thanks to some snazzy design choices, they're extraordinarily fun.

Hello humans, and welcome to the Global Game Jam edition of Weekend Download! The GGJ is a three-day event held in dozens of cities around the world. People show up, pitch their ideas based on a theme, form groups and start making games! The results (of which there are also dozens) range from spectacular to quirky to artistic to downright weird, but all show enormous creativity in one way or another.

It's a super-special Valentine's Day Link Dump! But... Bah humbug! What sort of present do you give when you're happily married to your Ph.D in the digestive function of sub-Saharan dungbeetles? "Here my little darling, I bought you a new statistics package!"

There are no hidden messages in this opening paragraph. It contains no inside jokes, references to external events, or puns. It isn't dedicated to anyone, real or imaginary. This Link Dump Friday paragraph does not taste like butter.

An impressive list of games to start of your iTunes gaming week, and each one does something special in the artwork category, giving you some gorgeous eye candy to stare at while you play. And don't forget: each week on Mobile Monday we offer you the chance to win an iTunes gift certificate that will cover the cost of every game featured in the article!

Hungry for a good, meaty adventure game? We've got three excellent titles that will draw you in with a deep story, keep you hooked with delicious artwork, and perplex you at every turn with some seriously challenging puzzles. They may not be as casual as some might prefer, but they more than make up for it with a heavy-hitting presentation and well-designed gameplay.

If you were looking for the latest edition of Weekend Download, I'm sorry to inform you it's been in a terrible accident involving scissors, a blowtorch, and those annoying little pudding cups in the aluminum tins that, if you snap off the "easy open" tab, suddenly become an impenetrable fortress of pudding protection.

I tried to warn you, Professor. I told you they would try to stop us. The Army. The Air Patrol. The angry neighbors with their grill-bows and lawn guns. But you wouldn't listen. You just had to test your Ultra-Hyper-Matter-Expansion Ray to try and pack more levels into innocent games! You've packed them full to bursting! And now, Professor, now… a second Link Dump is upon us!

It's Link Dump Friday, ANAGRAM EDITION! Because it's fun, here are nine other ways to express Link Dump Fridayage without straying from those 12 delicious letters: Midland Fury Kip, Kinda Lid Frumpy, Pilaf Muddy Rink, Fairly Kind Dump, Armful Kiddy Pin, Milady Drip Funk, Rapid Mind Fluky, Farm Kiddy Lupin, Amply Druid Fink.

More games, yay! We're still touching and tapping our way through the iTunes App Store each week, digging up games that are worth getting into. This time around we have a port of a favorite Flash game along with some puzzle action, fast-reflex tilting, and an Egyptian-themed dice-based poker game! Be sure to comment and check back next week for a chance to win an iTunes gift certificate!

It's a weekend of power-hitting downloads! *shock and awe* Four huge games lurk below, each bearing the hopes and dreams of a different set of gamers on its respective creative shoulders. It's enough to make a grown gamer cry. *sniffle*

With a nearby volcano threatening my loved ones, I thought it might be a good time to let off some steam. This week's Bonus Link Dump is all about shoot shooty shoot bang thwa-bam! Use of your mind is discouraged, but your lizard brain may come in handy.

This week's Link Dump Friday is infested with puzzle mites! Yes, the rare puzzle mite, a creature so small, so insidious, only I know it exists. Puzzle mites like to crawl under keyboards and infest internet circuits, turning ordinary games into puzzle games! No one is safe from their wrath. Not me. Not you. Not even your pet kitty!

After much deliberation and discussion for our largest annual "Best of the Year" feature yet, we have just published the results of the audience voting, along with our own picks that will serve to represent this year's "Best". Thank you again for participating in the Best of 2008, and here's to another year of great casual games!

Another Monday, another wide range of iTunes App Store games for your amusement! From the frantic shooter to the calm and collected poker table with a little critter munching and physics toppling in-between, you won't have any trouble passing the time on train rides, car trips, or the annoying space in-between breakfast and lunch most people call the "workday". Check back weekly for a chance to win an iTunes gift certificate!

Two tiny games and one behemoth in this edition of Weekend Download. Aquarium and Little Ghost Joe are both rather cutesy and simple, whereas Nexuiz is gritty, serious, and all shooty with guns and stuff. Variety's neat, innit?

Sometimes I wish I could switch some of the elements of each Link Dump Friday game. For example, what if you had to deliver food to a hungry robot in a bubble? Or match a bunch of shapes so a poor little MS Paint detective could solve a mystery?

Just a quick update to mention that voting for the Best of 2008 is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated and voted. We are now tabulating and preparing the results for publishing, so please check back in a few days for a list of the winners.

Greetings mobile gamers! Did last week's article help you sufficiently smudge your iPhone/iPod Touch? Good, because here are four more games to help rid your hands of that pesky finger grease. We also have a fun announcement to celebrate our new column: Each week we'll be giving away one iTunes gift certificate you can use to purchase every game on a Mobile Monday article! All you have to do is sign in with a Casual Gameplay account and leave a comment on the article telling us something you liked/disliked about one of the games. A random winner will be chosen and announced the following Mobile Monday, so be sure to check back to see if you scored some free games!

We polled over 800,000 random people on the street and asked them one simple question: are you a squid, or are you an octopus? The response was overhwelmingly the former, prompting us to re-evaluate our personal belief systems so that squid occupied the highest echelon of importance.

First, I believe that this website should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a Link Dump Friday on the moon and returning it safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.

Welcome to a brand new feature here on JayIsGames: Mobile Monday! Since the launch of the iPhone and iPod Touch App Store this previous summer, mobile games have not only been easier to come by, but far more plentiful. An explosion of content has flooded our way, drenching us poor gamers in a cornucopia of gaming choices. So, rather than buying all 80 bajillion iPhone games yourself, we'll cover the biggest and the best releases so you can spend your gaming budget wisely.

Serious question: if you were a failed experiment of genetic engineering, what would be your weakness? In the case of the poor critter from this week's game Abandoned, it's a limited supply of oxygen. Personally, I would be unable to comb my hair without first dislocating my left shoulder. Think about it. That'd be a rough life.

A peculiar phenomenon manifested before my eyes while writing this week's Link Dump Friday. When examining the titles for each game, I realized they were remarkably interchangeable! With a few minor alterations of my own, of course.

Once again, a year has passed. We've tried our hardest to recommend the very best online games and downloadable casual games available on the Web, and now it's time for you to have your say. Yes, it's time for the fifth annual Jay is Games "Best of" feature. Help us out by voting for your favorite games of 2008! Vote now, and vote once per day during the voting period!

If you ask me (trust me, you did... and if you didn't, you know you wanted to), the selection of games on this edition of Weekend Download are some of the most well-rounded and fulfilling titles ever to grace a single article. We've got a pixel-perfect 2D platformer, a 3D spy game, an old favorite RTS title re-imagined in open source, and the classic mahjong puzzle game. Can I get a "YAY!" along with a few high fives?!!

The first Link Dump Friday of 2009 also happens to set another impressive record: the first intro paragraph on JayIsGames to contain the word "bacon"! Remember this moment, as you will no doubt wish to tell your grandchildren where you were when this monumentally important event transpired!

Casual sim/strategy fans (and anyone who enjoyed Virtual Villagers or My Tribe) take note: Westward III: Gold Rush has arrived! Following last spring's release of Westward II: Heroes of the Frontier, the third installment in the series continues the new 3D visual style and basic premise introduced in the second game. Take control of three new heroes as you collect resources, construct farms, saloons, granaries and more to keep your settlers happy and healthy.