Ponies? Wrestlers? Word magic? Check, check, check, and then some! Link Dump Friday has some very cool news this week about some upcoming games, as well as and interview with recent Game of the Year 2011 winners Ironhide Games!

There's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on in the internet, and Link Dump Friday brings you a whole bunch of previews and updates this week, from ponies to creepers to restaurants! We've also got an interview with Lab of the Dead creator EvilDog, who talks about his work and his ambitious plans for the future!

Link Dump Friday loves you, and to prove it this week we're serving up double the intrigue with two interviews. Mine the brain of Mike Morin, part of the team behind the creepy-cool Alice is Dead series, and find out more about the upcoming indie horror adventure Home by Bejamin Rivers. Also, dapper kittens!

The clock is ticking, and so are we as we keep picking out our personal favourite games of 2011. We also have a special holiday wish featuring some prickly performers, and an interview with developer dynamo Nitrome, who recently released their 100th game!

Our writers pony up more of their personal favourite games of 2011, and this time on our new developer interview feature, Friday Five, we bring Zeebarf into the studio to talk about his work, the new upcoming premium Reemus adventure, and more! And by "studio" I of course mean "a polite, sterile digital exchange because Jay vetoed my plans to demolish his house and build a studio where I would interview after being trained by James Lipton".

Favourite games of the year? Check! Upcoming titles and ports? Check! Developer interviews and previews? Double check! This week's installment of Link Dump Friday features the very first of our new series of developer interviews with the esteemed Bart Bonte, and a peek at the upcoming adventure game My Little Investigations with its creator, GabuEx.

Wan Hazmer has been very busy. Entering two of our latest competitions, Hazmer and his studio Easy Only! Games placed third with Ballistic Wars and more recently took the top prize with The Last Canopy. What's next for Hazmer and his pals? Read on to find out.

Fret Nice is a unique platformer game for Windows with one of the strangest control mechanisms we've ever seen. Instead of using the keyboard, you use the guitar controller from Guitar Hero. The game is breaking boundaries across the globe, and game designer Lars Doucet sat down with the creator to get the inside scoop on the making of the musical platformer.

By now everyone should have received the latest stylesheet featuring the pixelrific goodness of Nitrome. The banner and supporting graphics were all created by the very talented Mat Annal, and we couldn't be happier with the way everything turned out. Thanks Mat!!

One of the most innovative casual games of 2006, flOw, is breathtaking both as a game and as a work of art. The concept, the environment, the gameplay, and of course the music all come together to create an atmosphere that feels immeasurably deep to the senses. I recently caught up with Austin Wintory, the composer for the music in flOw, and got to take a behind-the-scenes peek at the creative process behind the sounds in the game.

Remember that amazingly good platformer, Mission in Snowdriftland, we mentioned last week? The one that was organized like an advent calendar and sponsored by Nintendo? (If you didn't you should play it immediately after reading this) Well, Casual Gameplay contributing author, Thomas, had a chance to catch up with the developers, extra toxic, as both he and the company are located in Germany. Here is a translation of what Christiane had to say of the company and their work...

Dutch website Planet Internet just published a feature article about this site including an interview that author and JIG visitor, Wouter, conducted with me over email a few weeks ago. It is all in Dutch, so reading it may be tough if English is your only language. Still, it's very flattering to see my very first interview in 'print', and I wish to thank Wouter for the exposure and for the very kind consideration of requesting the interview to begin with.

A big warm shout-out to the folks over at Indie Superstar, a Web-based indie videocast all about indie games and the studios that create them, including in-person interviews with developers. Jayisgames is prominently featured in their latest episode, number 4, so be sure to pay them a visit and check it out!