Minus the digital downloads, this has to be one of the smallest batches we've seen on On Shelves. Talk about a dry batch - no AAA titles in this lineup. Anyway, there's still ArmA II for the PC if you're a die-hard FPS fan, or if you're a baseball fan, 2K Sports' The Bigs is also coming out this week. For the other two titles, read on for this edition of On Shelves This Week.

Warning: The following recap may take a few minutes of your time, so reader is advised to walk over to the fridge, get a few snacks and a can of rootbeer, with which the news will taste so much better. That actually depends if you're gonna read everything, but if you really want to keep yourself up to speed in all things Nintendo, you gotta have a few snacks close by to enjoy your trip across the news.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are coming to the Nintendo consoles! Or at least their Grease characters Danny Zucko and Sandy Olsson are. 505 Games has announced that it is now the rightful owner of the publishing rights for a video game adaptation of the classic musical, "Grease".

This is a much, much better line-up for our On Shelves section this week. As in MUCH. One, the Transformers are finally rolling out (unfortch, Megan Fox won't be included in your game purchase). Two, Fight Night Round 4 is also stepping into the ring to knock you out with. Three, The Conduit is also set to make waves on your Wii, and so is the Resident Evil Archives. And of course, the ever-present DS games for the kids. Yes, it doesn't just stop at three. Go ahead, check out what else is there this week.

Nintendo of Europe has released the list of Wii and Nintendo DS video games which should be coming out this summer. At the top of the list is Super Smash Bros. Brawl which will be coming out on June 27 and both versions of DS game Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (Explorers of Time, Explorers of Darkness) which have been dated for a July 4 launch. Want to check out the full list for yourself? Then scoot on over to the full article.

Nintendo Europe has recently unveiled a list of their planned game releases for 2008. Super Smash Bros. Brawl's exact launch date was detailed, as was the one for the region's WiiWare service. Details are available in the full article.

Who would've thought that Office Create's Cooking Mama would be such a smashing success in the video game market in Europe. Already, the cooking sim has had over 1 million satisfied customers and is ranked as the most successful title 505 Games has released to date.

For more information, check out the full article after the jump!

  

Who can resist positive reinforcement from Mama? Or the uplifting feeling of cooking virtual food? We've got a treat from you in the form of some screenshots from the upcoming DS video game from Majesco Entertainment and 505 Games, Cooking Mama 2: Cooking with Friends.

Now that Cooking Mama is serving seconds, it seems that she now has a taste test crew to grade your virtual cooking. If you get high praise from the panel of judges, you get new recipes and a "cute present". Reportedly, you can decorate completed dishes just like in the first game, plus you'll be able to record all the dishes you've made in a diary. In these Cooking Mama 2: Cooking with Friends screenshots, we see the step by step procedures on how to make apple pie.

Anyway, we'll leave you to check out the screenshots. Cooking Mama 2: Cooking with Friends will be sashaying to the shelves early next year.

   

More Cooking Mama 2: Cooking with Friends screenshots after the jump!

The cult hit that took the gaming community by a silent storm will be serving seconds. 505 Games, in a collaboration with Cooking Mama Ltd., has announced a sequel to Cooking Mama for both the Nintendo DS and the Wii, slated for a release early next year.

The game will be published for Europe and will (and must!) contain new recipes and challenges. The game will have twice as many mini games and will now feature a multiplayer mode for the DS. The multiplayer mode will pit players' cooking skills against each other in a cook off. It sounds like an Iron Chef version for Cooking Mama (Iron Mama?).

Ian Howe, Managing Director of 505 games says: "Following on from the phenomenal success of Cooking Mama, we're thrilled to be bringing Cooking Mama 2 to Europe. Cooking Mama delivered a truly original IP and Cooking Mama 2 promises to build on its success."

 

And how goes the gamers from the UK for the week past July 17? Chart Track's been busy as a bee, and it appears all you Harry Potter fans were, too. Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, DS, mobiles) from Electronic Arts is still "leviosa-ing" at the top of the charts with Activision's Transformers: The Game rolling out at second.

And those who haven't got their minds locked on either movie-based games are still bench-pressing those neurons with More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima from Nintendo, with fellow Nintendo brain-twister Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree close in tow. Fifth spot is Wii Play's playground, with the Nintendo title still frolicking in the top ten, Wiimote in hand. Activision's Shrek The Third lumbers over to number six, while Take-Two's The Darkness lurks on number seven.

Nintendo's Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training brainstorms to eight spot, while simmering in at number nine is 505 Games' Cooking Mama. And re-entering the charts is Electronic Arts' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 with a straight cut into the all-platforms' upper ten, giving the golfing title a shot for the birdie.

1. Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (Electronic Arts)
2. Transformers: The Game (Activision)
3. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima (Nintendo)
4. Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Nintendo)
5. Wii Play (Nintendo)
6. Shrek The Third (Activision)
7. The Darkness (Take-Two Interactive)
8. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo)
9. Cooking Mama (505 Games)
10. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (Electronic Arts)