I think it’s fair to say the tech community is excited about the Kindle Fire. Amazon has managed to take tablets out of the $400-$500 price range and into the sights of more consumers on a budget. Other companies have taken notice, and are releasing their own low cost tablets that tow the line between advanced e-reader and mid-range tablet. Before going all in on the Kindle Fire to handle your mobile gaming needs, consider the following alternatives.

Rom Sham Bow, a studio comprised of several longtime EA Sports employees, has gone for something completely different.

The social gaming startup has unveiled its first project, a strategy game pitting raccoons against bears. It’s called Woodland Heroes and is available to play now. King Bear is attacking the forest with huge armies and it’s up to the heroic raccoons to stop him by using the woodland weapons at hand, including acorns and pigs. Man, pigs always end up getting hurt in these games. The hero’s father is missing so you’ve got to track him down, blasting bears all the way. It has 56 locations through six regions ranging from swamps to forests.

Commercials in the 80s told us that if adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones. Zynga agrees, as its Indy-inspired Adventure World will now make the connection official. Zynga’s official blog announced the tie-in news. The game contains puzzle-solving and exploration, making it a perfect match for the iconic Harrison Ford character.

EA’s exodus of big name talent for the green pastures of social gaming shows no signs of slowing down.

Senior Creative Director Mark Turmell has departed EA to join Zynga, according to Kotaku. Turmell is best known for creating arcade basketball classic NBA Jam, and oversaw the development of its 2010 reboot. He joins three senior level Madden NFL staffers and the company’s former COO John Schappert in leaving the company. Schappert landed at Zynga as well, along with NBA Elite producer Jeremy Strauser.

CNBC is reporting that Zynga could file paperwork for an initial public offering of stock this week. The social media powerhouse hopes to raise as much as $2 billion from the IPO. Morgan Stanley will lead the deal.

According to the article, some industry estimates place Zynga’s value at between $15-20 million after the stock offering is done. That would make it even more valuable than Activision Blizzard, with an estimated value of $13 billion.

Could the last member of the EA staff to leave for a casual gaming gig please turn out the lights? NBA Elite executive producer Jeremy Strauser is leaving the company to work at social gaming juggernaut Zynga, according to Pasta Padre. This comes on the heels of two executives leaving for social gaming startup Row Sham Bow. Also, former EA COO John Schappert announced he was going to Zynga in April.

Rock Studios, the developer of Split Second, is going through layoffs. Around 40 will be let go as the studio gets down to a single development team, according to Eurogamer. That site’s unnamed source said about half of the studio’s employees haven’t had a project to work on since December 2010. Split Second debuted in May 2010 to favorable reviews but tepid sales.

The National Basketball Association playoffs are at hand and Playdom is taking full advantage with NBA Dynasty. This sim charges you with being the owner, general manager and head coach of your favorite NBA team. Unlike many games on Facebook, you have a level of interaction beyond clicking and waiting for things to happen. The first three quarters of the game are simulated but, during the fourth quarter of games, you have the option to coach the team. You’re trusted with three timeouts as well as first aid kits for injuries and sports drinks to get players back in the game fast.

Fans of Poker Rivals, Gangster City and Pirates Ahoy probably won’t want to spend any more Playfish Cash on these three Facebook games. Playfish has announced these three games are going permanently offline June 7, 2011. The official company statement was that these games are no longer performing at a level that allows support for them. No Playfish Cash currently invested in these games will be refunded. The announcement encourages players of these three games to try other Playfish titles. It’s also offering 5 Monopoly Gold to players who try Monopoly Millionaires.

Social media giant Zynga continues to grow by leaps and bounds. It purchased developer Area Code in January, rechristening it Zynga New York. On March 18, 2011, Zynga announced it has acquired Floodgate Entertainment. Those new team members will join the Zynga Boston office, which formed when Zynga acquired Conduit Labs. Floodgate’s founder, Paul Neurath, will serve as Zynga Boston’s new creative director.Floodgate has worked on titles including on casual and mobile platforms including Mo-Pets and Pirates of the Caribbean Multiplayer.