Parents desperately searching for a way to connect with their children over the Christmas holidays need look no further than We Wish You a Merry Christmas, due out October 27th for the Nintendo Wii from Destineer and developer Panic Button. Six holiday mini-games will help parents and children bond during those long, awkward winter days, and the included Advent Calendar will ensure that the title stays poignant for one month out of the year.

At least the mini-games sound exciting? Just look at these descriptions:

* Santa's Sleigh: Collect presents with the Wii Remote™ and help deliver them to houses.
* Hot Chocolate: A memory game in which you keep the elves warm by quickly pouring and delivering mugs of hot chocolate.
* Candy Cane Lanes: As Santa, you bowl down a lane towards funny elves.
* Present Catch: Play as an elf, catching all the bouncing presents and avoiding obstacles with the Wii Remote™.
* Reindeer Games: Santa's reindeer hold a special flying contest to see who can lead Santa's sleigh each year.
* Deck The Halls: Match 3 and win!

The excitement never stops! Well until Christmas is over. I have to admire the guts of a publisher that releases a title that revolves around one specific annual event. It reminds me of the Christmas stores that pop up all over Atlanta for three months out of the year and then go into hibernation in January. Both are bright and cheerful and exist only to capitalize on a beloved celebration.

It's been a bumpy ride for Atomic. In May they had a high-profile title in development and a publishing agreement with Konami. Unfortunately the backlash caused by the sensitive subject matter of Six Days in Fallujah, a title that would replicate a real-world battle only a few years in the past, caused Konami to pull its support. Development on the project continues, but without major funding, cuts had to be made.

Due to a mixture of fears about the edgy subject matter of Six Days in Fallujah, as well as low videogame sales this summer, we have been unable to secure full-scale funding from a major publisher for Six Days in Fallujah. This has caused us to reduce the size of our studio today.

In the words of Marine officer Chesty Puller, "We're surrounded. That simplifies the problem." Development at Atomic will continue with a smaller team that will be funded by our sister company, Destineer.

Atomic Games employed 75 people up until this week. Their official announcement does not mention specifically how many were let go, but we suspect the number to be rather substantial.

We're contacting the company to see if any further information is available.

Update: We contacted Atomic Games directly, but the company was not prepared to share details on the extent of the layoffs, the number of employees affected, or how the layoffs will factor in to the ultimate fate of Six Days in Fallujah. We were told that more information will be released at a later date.

For every four people who have reached the summit of K2, one has died trying. Luckily, climbing will be the farthest thing from your mind in Stoked DC, which turns the legendary Savage Mountain into a playground for some serious snowboarding business. We don't have much more info on the title at this point, other than Bongfish continues to score on the 'music to fall down a mountain by' front, they've gathered together a ton of sponsors, and this is actual gameplay footage. No, really!

While Konami may have dropped its plans to publish the "game-amentary" in the face of public backlash, it's quite unlikely that developer Atomic Games and its sister company Destineer will do the same. Despite the emails, phone calls, and bad press generated by the video game adaptation of the Second Battle of Fallujah, Destineer has been behind the title since 2005, and that's not the sort of time investment you throw away lightly.

According to a timeline published over at One Last Continue, Destineer originally filed for the word mark "Six Days in Fallujah" on February 4th, 2005 - less than two months after the actual battle ended. Later that year the company purchased Atomic Games, who were then working on Close Combat: Red Phoenix, and would eventually be revealed as the developer behind Six Days.

In November of 2005 the trademark for Six Days in Fallujah was published for opposition, a step in the trade marking process which allows other entities to contend the application in case it conflicts with another product. Then in January of this year Destineer filed for the trademark again, as their original filing expired this February and they wouldn't have anything to show for it until April.

Then came April, when Konami proudly announced Six Days in Fallujah, sparking controversy among the general public and military veterans as well. The uproar grew even louder when it was revealed that insurgents that fought against U.S. Marines during the battle were consulted and likely compensated for their work on the game. Konami declined to comment on the nature of their business arrangement with said insurgents, but the fact that the term "business arrangements" was used in their response tends to indicate that compensation was provided for the insurgents work.

UPDATE: After posting this story, Atomic Games contacted us with a message from president Peter Tamte, informing us that the insurgents were in no way compensated for their contributions to the development of Six Days in Fallujah.

Amidst a storm of angry emails and phone calls, Konami finally decided to pull the plug on Six Days in Fallujah today, a day before the second trademark filing is published for opposition. We contacted Konami for comment, but as of this writing have yet to receive a response.

Does this mark the end of the Six Days saga? Not quite. Calls from Kotaku to Atomic Games were fielded by public relations officials from sister company Destineer, informing us that an official statement regarding the fate of the game would be issued within the next day or so. Destineer's handling of calls about the game had us thinking that perhaps the company plans on publishing the title themselves, though we've just received word from Destineer that no plans of that nature have been discussed.

We'll know for sure shortly, but we're relatively certain this isn't the last we've heard on Atomic Games' Six Days in Fallujah.

So what it Battle Rage: Mech Conflict? For an in-depth explanation, I took the liberty of copying the official sales blurb from the game's Amazon.com listing.

Customize your deadly giant Mech to be the ultimate war machine. Choose from 20 different weapons and equip up to three at a time. Strike the right balance between speed, power and armor before you head into one of 10 different arenas to take on other robatic challengers.

Robatic, huh? Nice.

Apparently the same care and attention to detail went into the game's development as well. As per usual, I'm terribly sorry about the auto focus. I used a much better camera this time around, but the trade off is I have no idea what I am doing, all over again. Whee!

Say what you will about pop punk music...how it all sounds the same and the bands generally look the same and probably smell the same...it's still damn infectious stuff. Destineer chose this particular Quietdrive song to celebrate the deliver of their Xbox 360 snowboarding game Stoked to retail store shelves. Cute. Now the song is going to be stuck in my damn head all day long. Thanks a bunch, Destineer.

The whole point of Stoked is to get yourself fame points in order to appear in snowboarding films and magazines, and these screenshots show you how you go about earning those points. Personally I'd just rather have a good old-fashioned snowboarding title that just features you and the mountain, but if they manage to nail both tricks then who am I to complain? We'll find out how they did once Stoked gets released next month.

"Cooking Mama is like cooking with your friends and family at home," said Lisa Mason, the game's lead designer. "We wanted to do things that home cooks don't do: fillet whole fish, quarter chicken.

"The (TV) show is so ridiculous and we wanted to get that across in the game as well."

And while the game is based on the American version of the game, the developers also strove to include some of the wackiness that made the original Japanese show so much fun to watch.

The game will include 320 mini games, 15 themed ingredients and a 2,500 lines of dialog.

Playing around with the game I found it to be surprisingly fun. You use the Wii's motion controls to work your way through a batch of recipes, preparing food as the judges watch and Alton Brown talks color. While the Wii game was amusing, the DS version is the one I think will really strike a chord with gamers.

Not only does it match the Wii version (but without all of that talking) it will sell for a paltry $20 and include both pass the DS multiplayer and multi-card multiplayer.

The controls seemed tighter on the DS as well and there's something a bit more satisfying about slicing and dicing with stylus strokes as opposed to swiped in the air with a remote.

“It’s all about defining your riding style and crafting the line that suits you,” said Peter Anthony Chiodo (“Tony”), Destineer’s Director of Product Development. “Stoked leaves well-worn resorts behind and gives players absolute freedom to ride wherever they want and trick off of anything they can find in some of the most famous backcountry locations the world has to offer. Gameplay is focused on style and finesse, not button mashing; Destineer and Bongfish have created a game that looks and plays like a snowboarding movie.”

Adds Patrick “Brusti” Armbruster, co-founder of Absinthe Films: “Developing a snowboard video game has always been a dream of mine. There are endless synergies between a snowboard film production and a game developer that were just waiting to be activated. Bongfish and Destineer have realized this potential, and have shown a real passion for snowboarding, and together we’ve worked to bring snowboarding luminaries from across the planet together for this project.”

Stoked includes five famous mountains featuring over 45 square miles of open terrain in each location, hidden drop points for helicopter starts, dynamic weather, multiplayer support and tons of real world pro riders. Among the list: Travis Rice, Nicolas Mueller, Wolle Nyvelt, Annie Boulanger, Romain de Marchi, Tadashi Fuse, Gigi Ruef, and Bjorn Leines.

Stoked is scheduled for release in November. More details on the jump as well as a chunky gallery.

Ride your way to fame as a professional snowboarder! Destineer Announces ‘Stoked’ for Xbox 360

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – August 20, 2008 – Hit the mountains on your quest to become the next snowboarding phenomenon in Stoked, the open-world, back country snowboarding experience from Destineer and developer Bongfish GmbH. Coming exclusively to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in November, Stoked features five huge open-world mountains, changing weather patterns, and the sponsorship and cooperation of some of the most respected and influential names in the sport.

Developed in conjunction with world-renowned snowboarding movie creator Absinthe Films, Stoked captures the pioneering spirit of professional back country riders. Exhilarating snowboarding experiences are born from dynamic backcountry conditions. The riders who brave and master these conditions are the stuff of legend in Absinthe videos and the pages of snowboarding magazines. The look and style of these riders are emulated across the world. In Stoked, it’s your turn to become a legendary rider and wow the world on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network by becoming an absolute snowboarding phenomenon.

“It’s all about defining your riding style and crafting the line that suits you,” said Peter Anthony Chiodo (“Tony”), Destineer’s Director of Product Development. “Stoked leaves well-worn resorts behind and gives players absolute freedom to ride wherever they want and trick off of anything they can find in some of the most famous backcountry locations the world has to offer. Gameplay is focused on style and finesse, not button mashing; Destineer and Bongfish have created a game that looks and plays like a snowboarding movie.”

Adds Patrick “Brusti” Armbruster, co-founder of Absinthe Films: “Developing a snowboard video game has always been a dream of mine. There are endless synergies between a snowboard film production and a game developer that were just waiting to be activated. Bongfish and Destineer have realized this potential, and have shown a real passion for snowboarding, and together we’ve worked to bring snowboarding luminaries from across the planet together for this project.”

In Stoked, craft a snowboarding career with your own customizable style and ride five famous mountains featuring over 45 square miles of open terrain in each location. Discover new drop points by helicopter. Dynamic and ever-evolving weather conditions await riders as they choose where they ride and what they ride in by tracking conditions that suit their tastes.

Riders get instant drop in access to multiplayer action where they team up with friends to create a wide variety of riding experiences, both cooperative and competitive. Players can also go up against other riders on Xbox LIVE in a series of sponsored events to boost their fame!

Stoked features some of the most influential professional riders in the world: Travis Rice, Nicolas Mueller, Wolle Nyvelt, Annie Boulanger, Romain de Marchi, Tadashi Fuse, Gigi Ruef, and Bjorn Leines. An impressive line up of 30 authentic sponsors also appear in Stoked including but not limited to: Burton, Dragon, Arcus, Von Zipper, Eleven, 686, Billabong, DaKine, Electric, LibTech, Nitro, Northwave, Oakley, Quiksilver, Ride, Hart, Rome, Salomon, TechNine, Vans, Volcom, and more!

Own trick spots, show up rivals, and build your reputation. Take pictures of friends and capture video of your best moves to win the kind of attention that lands you on the cover of a snowboarding magazine. Conquer massive mountains and carve your path as a snowboarding phenomenon in the deepest, truest backcountry snowboarding video game yet: Stoked.

Stoked is scheduled for release in November of 2008. For more information, please visit www.destineerstudios.com.

Say what you will, but I think it's better to go with cartoon versions of a live-action show or film's actors rather than trying to cover a 3D model with a hideous looking photo-skin. I'll reserve judgment until I see what the cartoony Alton Brown looks like. There had better be a cartoony Alton Brown, dammit.

Here's the full trailer for the game, sans Kotaku reference. I think it loses a certain something, but that could just be me.

Allez Cuisine!
Destineer and Untied Media Bring 'Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine' To Wii™ and DS™

MINNEAPOLIS, MN March 8, 2008 - Following widespread speculation and anticipation, leading software publisher Destineer has today confirmed its partnership with United Media, a leading independent licensing and syndication company, to publish the video game Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine exclusively for the Wii™ system and Nintendo DS™.

Developed by Black Lantern Studios, the game is based on the highly rated Iron Chef America program, a spinoff of the worldwide hit Iron Chef, produced by Fuji Television. Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine features the voice and likeness of the show's host, Mark Dacascos, and Destineer will announce the involvement of additional talent from the show shortly.

"If the early buzz surrounding the game is any indication, then fans of the show and Nintendo owners are as excited as we are to be developing Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine," said Paul Rinde, CEO of Destineer. "With their innovative control dynamics, Wii and DS are the ideal system for the inaugural Iron Chef video game and believe the ultimate 'secret ingredient' to these games will be family fun."

Adds Jean Sagendorph, Licensing Director at United Media: "Iron Chef America possesses all of the attributes for a successful video game: fast paced action, intense competition and a unique gamesmanship that is the hallmark of Kitchen Stadium. We are excited to partner with Destineer in a sure-fire recipe for success - Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine."

In Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine players square off in Kitchen Stadium and battle through a series fast-paced and intense culinary challenges. Each victory advances players closer to a final showdown that will determine who will reign supreme as the next Iron Chef America.