In the latest craze of not telling anyone about your game, today Virtual Toys have released Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam for WiiWare. And with so, a small solitary screenshot which tells you absolutely nothing about the game, outside of cooking.

Brain Challenge has also been released. Nice to see Europe and North America get the same game over a weekend. Sorry NA, you'll have to wait a little longer for Space Invaders: Get Even.

Brain Challenge

Game Type: Brain training, Puzzle
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-4
Publisher: Gameloft

"Just like your body, your brain needs to be exercised to stay in shape. Boost your brain and relieve stress through various minigames in a personal session to get a detailed evaluation. Challenge your friends' brains in delirious party games to see who is the smartest. Test your brain's abilities in Visual, Memory, Logic, Math and Focus minigames.

"Compare yourself with friends by challenging their brains in three multiplayer modes. Develop your resistance to stressful situations that could happen in real life. Use a customized Mii™ character to create personal sessions. Choose your favorite personal coach. Track your overall performance with detailed statistics and graphs. The special Kid Test and Senior Test modes will gather everyone around the game."

Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam

Wii Points: 1,000
Game Type: Virtual Toys
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-2
Publisher:Virtual Toys

"Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam is a frenetically active cooking game in which you must serve food to your customers as quickly as possible. This could be a simple task, but the customers aren't very patient, and you'll find a multitude of annoying insects that make the noble mission of satisfying your small gourmets' stomachs much more difficult. In the game's Career Mode, your goal is to become the best chef in the city. To do so, you have to prove your worth by cooking in four fantastic restaurants: the Hot Dog, Hamburger, Pizza and Mexican Restaurant.

"Enjoy playing Yummy Yummy with your family, serving delicious food to the most surprising characters: vampires, ninjas, extraterrestrials and mafia thugs. Put on your chef's hat, sharpen your knives and turn up the heat."

Technically there is no new release this week. It appears that Microsoft have decided to not release anything because of the retail releases of Call Of Duty: World At War and Gears Of War 2. Any new game being released this week would be on a suicide run.

Though no PR has been released, Shard over at NeoGAF has discovered that Worms HD, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and the original Fishing Frenzy are now coming up as 400 Microsoft Points on the Xbox.com website. Of the three I would highly suggest Worms HD.

Also it appears that Banjo Kazooie is now available for those who have gotten codes from pre-ordering Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. If you've got your code, simply redeem it and you can download it.

Here at GamerBytes we've been discussing Hudson's latest collection of WiiWare titles for quite some time now. Now Hudson has finally revealed their hand with their next 3 WiiWare titles in development.

Snowboard Riot

"While snowboarding is already an exhilarating activity, nothing can prepare players for Snowboard Riot. Battle with up to 4 boarders using the Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection to race online and blow away the competition. Weapons such as mines and turbo are available to give players an edge fighting it out on the mountain.

"Gamers have several control options, as they can use the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ or the Wii Balance Board™ to carve their way to victory. Just like a real snowboard, players can lean left and right on the Wii Balance Board, providing a realistic snowboard experience. Boarders can also choose from four characters to bomb the slopes, and can customize their look with Oakley apparel and goggles to improve their performance."

Click here for more screenshots of Snowboard Riot.

Pit Crew Panic

"Players can race against the clock on their own or can play with friends to see whose team can fix the majority of that giant wedding cake! Inspired grease monkeys can even play online and see whose girls can out-fix the opponents on an aircraft carrier, a bridge, a backhoe and many more crazy “WHATSITS”! If a pit crew is up for the challenge, they can team up for 2 vs. 2 or 3 vs. 1 action to see which team can fix the most broken parts on each object.

"To help the crew fix each object more quickly, players can use the Wii Remote just like a screwdriver, wrench, or other pit crew tools. There is also a handy tutorial to help players figure out not just how to play the game, but also how to go as fast as they can when fixing all the wacky “WHATSITS” in the game!"

Click here for more screenshots of Pit Crew Panic

Pool Revolution: Cue Sports / Cue Sports - Snooker Vs Billiards

"Pool Revolution: Cue Sports features realistic controls where gamers use the Wii Remote™ just like an actual cue. The strength of the shot depends on how fast the player moves the remote.
For those not quite ready to use an “actual” pool cue, the strength of the shot can be set by using the buttons on the controller.

"Players can choose from the most popular types of pool for up to four players, including eight ball, nine ball, rotation, and snooker. An in-game explanation will help provide descriptions of anything you need to know! Once gamers get the hang of it, they can also try performing trick shots in Puzzle Mode. For players really up for a challenge, they can even set up their own! And, for those who feel they are true pool sharks, there is online play for up to four players in a Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection matchup."

It really looks like Hudson are actually putting some effort into these titles, which is fantastic. The fact that both Snowboard Riot, which looks like its taking a cue from Snowboard Kids on the Nintendo 64, and Cue Sports both have online play makes it far more interesting to me than, say, Gameloft's Midnight Pool.

2D Boy, the developers' behind World Of Goo for WiiWare, have announced that the game will now be coming out in European countries.

The game was initially going to be only for WiiWare in North America, while their distributing partner RTL Games deciding to go retail for Europe. It appears that they've now changed their minds, and the game will now also be on WiiWare in Europe.

On their website, 2D boy posted a small Q&A with themselves for the European version:

Q: How much will world of goo cost on WiiWare in Europe?
A: Most likely the same as in the Americas: 1500 points.

Q: Will the pc version be available in Europe too?
A: Yes, at the same time as the retail release, hopefully late December. it will cost 19.99 euros and will be available in retail stores (to be announced), through Steam and other digital downloads services, and on amazon.de (an incorrect price is currently listed).

Q: Will there be an extra chapter for europe?
A: No. everyone will get the same version of the game.

It will be interesting to see if World of Goo will still see a retail release as well with the previously mentioned extra chapter. Time will tell.

Source: 2D Boy blog via WiiWare World.

The brand new Super Street Fighter II HD Remix pinball table for Pinball FX is now available, and for the low low price of 200 Microsoft Points.

Three classic Xbox Live Arcade titles - Worms, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and the original Feeding Frenzy are now available permanently at 400 Microsoft Points.

No new Xbox Live Arcade releases this week, no PlayStation Network releases last week, and a variety of quality for WiiWare worldwide makes for an odd selection of titles. I can't blame them though - with Gears of War 2, Mirrors Edge, Fallout 3, Call of Duty: World At War, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and more games that have come out in this past week, who really would release a new game now?



XBLA

This Week On XBLA - New Arcade Hits, SFIIHD Pinball Table for Pinball FX And Banjo Kazooie Download Codes
Feeding Frenzy, Worms HD and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 are now available for 400 Microsoft Points. You can pick up a Street Fighter Pinball Table for Pinball FX for 200 Points, and if you preordered Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts you can now play Banjo Kazooie XBLA.

What Went Wrong With Talisman?
The sad tale of an XBLA board game that just couldn't make it to release. Here Capcom discuss just what went wrong in the games' production.

Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection Revealed - Over 40 Games On One Disc
It looks like Sega will no longer be releasing XBLA console classics. That shouldn't matter though - they're plugging in over 40 classic Genesis, Master System and Arcade titles for only $29.99USD. That's a good bargain.

Gridrunner+++ Having Difficulty Making It To XBLA
Jeff Minter's Gridrunner+++ for XBLA is "done" - but seems like it's stuck in limbo.

PSN

Cuboid And Magic Ball Announced For PSN
Two new PlayStation Network titles have been announced - Magic Ball, a crazy Arkanoid-type game, and Cuboid, the game that could destroy your mind.

Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Cover Story On EGM
EGM Magazine has given its front page story to Watchmen: The End Is Nigh, a downloadable episodic title for XBLA and PSN. Check it out in stores now.

WiiWare

NA WiiWare Update: Yummy Yummy Brains
This weeks American WiiWare brings Brain Challenge and Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam into the fray.

EU WiiWare Update: Alien Crush Returns, Space Invaders; Get Even, and Brain Challenge
Alien pinball, retro invasions, and racking your brain are just some of the things you can do in Europe this week.

Hudson Announce Cue Sports, Pit Crew Panic And Snowboard Riot For WiiWare
Hudson's next selection of WiiWare games aren't based on old classics, but they're making some very interesting titles.

World Of Goo Now Bound For WiiWare In Europe
Originally only getting a retail Wii release, World Of Goo is now hitting WiiWare in Europe.

The German Rating Board have updated today with a surprise addition from Electronic Arts - NHL Arcade.

Now we don't actually know that this will be an Xbox Live Arcade release, but EA have not revealed anything about an arcade-like Hockey game. From what we've learned this past year, silence generally means it's coming to a downloadable service.

While EA did have their NBA Street titles which did relatively well, and their NFL Street titles which did quite poorly, they never ended up doing an Arcade NHL title in the same vein.

I'm certainly hoping that whatever this game is, it's a little more like Midway's Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey for the Nintendo 64, which was 3 on 3 hockey and a ton of fun. A shame this doesn't appear to be a revitalizing of EA's Mutant League series either.

Source: USK - NHL Arcade

With the holiday season coming up, it appears that the ESRB have decided to become more forward with their rating system. Now on their website, games that require descriptors will now have a summary about the game as well as anything that may offend in the game.

While this is all good for the mothers out there, it has also allowed us to look a little deeper on those games that have been rated, but don't know much about. Games that haven't even been announced have gotten their own summary too.

For instance, The Incredible Machine for XBLA was rated and suggests that the unnannounced game will be working in a 3D plane, while the original was only on a 2D plane. WiiWare title Jungle Speed is apparently able to work with up to 8 people, suggesting online play, and Tiki Towers is a game that allows you to build structures with monkey helpers.

Below is a good list of all the ones I could find that had something interesting added to them. Thanks to Shard for pointing some of these out to me.

Age of Booty ($9.99)

Fight for pirate supremacy in this game of strategy and cannon-blasting action that’s fun for all ages. Sail the high seas alone or with friends as you build your pirate empire by plundering villages, sinking ships, and sending your enemies to the briny deep! Upgrade your ships with new, more powerful weapons, and explore 25 different maps or create your own to share! With so many features, Age of Booty is a treasure chest of fun! Download the game today!

File size: 44 MB

Click here for the official US PlayStation Site Age of Booty page

PAIN Movie Studio Lot ($5.99)

In a world where you’ve destroyed Downtown like a giant reptilian beaver and you’ve called da shot in the Amusement Park, a new environment arrives. Seven gameplay modes, three selectable launcher positions, a muscle-bound gladiator, a doomed sinking ship, an adrenaline-fueled car leap over a helicopter – it’s all available now in the highly anticipated add-on environment, PAIN: Movie Studio.

File size: 40 MB

PAIN The Hoff Character ($1.99)

Meet PAIN’s most famous launchee yet, David Hasselhoff! Yanked from the sleek interior of an exotic sports car, now you get to chuck The Hoff into a world of PAIN where his latest role is starring in your next launch. Available now with three of his own costumes, The Hoff is playable in all PAIN environments.

File size: 100 KB

In this round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in Gamasutra and its subsites' industry-leading game jobs section, including positions from EA Tiburon, Insomniac Games, Nokia, Sony Online Entertainment, and more.

Each job posted will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.

It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more.

Some of the notable jobs posted in each market area this week include:

PAIN Movie Studio Lot (£3.99)

In a world where you’ve destroyed Downtown like a giant reptilian beaver and you’ve called da shot in the Amusement Park, a new environment arrives. Seven gameplay modes, three selectable launcher positions, a muscle-bound gladiator, a doomed sinking ship, an adrenaline-fueled car leap over a helicopter – it’s all available now in the highly anticipated add-on environment, PAIN: Movie Studio.

File size: 40 MB

PAIN The Hoff Character (£1.19)

Meet PAIN’s most famous launchee yet, David Hasselhoff! Yanked from the sleek interior of an exotic sports car, now you get to chuck The Hoff into a world of PAIN where his latest role is starring in your next launch. Available now with three of his own costumes, The Hoff is playable in all PAIN environments.

File size: 100 KB

No Age Of Booty this week unfortunately.