I'm a student currently living in Slough (urgh)! I love video games, manga, anime, art, photography ...
I'm a student currently living in Slough (urgh)! I love video games, manga, anime, art, photography and lots of other "good for nothing" studenty things like going to gigs and drinking Pina Coladas. Finally got a part time job!
Member since:10.11.2006
Reviews:13
Members who trust:1
When I picked up Cooking Mama in Game in Reading, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The box proclaimed that it was the most unique game ever, and I certainly believe that it lives up to that! In Cooking Mama, you basically prepare a meal in several different stages, getting a mark (fail, good, very good) for each stage and then an overall mark out of 100 and a grade of fail, bronze, silver or gold.
The meals are prepared using the DS touch screen and stylus, and you've never experienced anything like this- you'll be slicing vegetables, peeling carrots, kneading dough and quick chopping, all with a simple drag or tap, as well as mixing ingredients, stewing following the on screen instructions (this is a bit like a dancemat, where the intructions come up in order and you have to follow them in the set time), frying and much much more!
The game menu consists of three modes and options, the modes being Cook, Combine and Skill.
In Cook mode, you simply prepare a meal by working your way through the stages and get awarded a
mark out of 100 and a grade at the end. Cooking existing dishes unlocks new ones, and with new dishes come new skills, like making sushi rice and barbequing.
In Combine mode, you can mix two meals from a limited selection of meals from cook mode. Unlocking more meals in cook mode allows for more combinations, however, your work isn't graded, so your grade isn't saved (in cook mode it saves your best grade and displays a gold, silver or bronze medal under each meal).
In Skills mode, you have the chance to show mama just how good you are at a range of skills, such as peeling boiled eggs or chopping onions. Some of the skills have a set number of tasks to do to gain gold, others tell you to do as many as you can in the set time.
The graphics throughout the game and bright and charming, very kawaii (that's a japanese word meaning cool/cute). For most of the time the food looks like food, but remains simple, and your mentor, Mama, has a kiddy manga look to her. There's nothing too complex here, and the simple imagery works well to keep the screen uncluttered and cartoony.
Did I enjoy playing Cooking Mama? I adored it. When you fail and Mama give you this exasperated look (she also shoots flames out of her eyes) you really DO feel like you've let her down. The game is very compulsive and fun, easy to pick up and play anywhere, perhaps preparing a quick egg sunny side up on the bus, or spending saturday afternoon making a banquet.
Unfortunately, because I bought this 2 days after I got my DS Lite (it was a birthday present ^-^) I played it a little too much when I got it. If you play it for about 4 days straight, you tend to unlock too many meals too quick, get gold on everything and loose intrest. Luckily, after lending it to a friend for a week and getting my mitts back on it, I was over the moon to slice, dice and please Mama all over again. I love to cook a few meals just before bed, and it really is quite addictive. Cooking on the train and shouting out "yes! Mama loves me!" also draws some interesting looks from strangers and when her eyes light as she proclaims "very good!" you really do feel proud of yourself.
What didn't I like about it? Well... not much. The only thing I can possibly grumble about is the fact that it's too easy to unlock new meals to cook. On most games, you have to get the highest grade, first position in a race or whatever, to unlock a new track or character, but here I found I was unlocking new meals simply by trying the meal or getting a low grade like bronze for it. There would have been a much higher incentive to earn gold if it meant unlocking a new meal. The music was also a little annoying after a while, and the incredibly high pitched noise the game made when I scored "Very Good!" really made my cringe at first (I got desensitised pretty quickly, or started to go deaf). Apart from that, there's really not much to complain about. I suppose it could've harness the nintendo Wifi a little more (I don't use wifi, but according to the manual you can share recipes with friends... I think...)
All in all, it is an excellent portable game, and is a dream on the DS. It's fun to play, nice and addictive, can easily be played in short sessions while still providing longer lasting entertainment. It's suitable for all ages, and even though when I picked it up one of my friends said it was a game designed by men to shove women back in the kitchen, I've found that guys can't keep their grubby mitts off it either.
Just remember, you may have got gold for your steak in the game- but there's no way you're as good in real life (believe me, after playing it 4 days straight I started to believe I was gordan ramsay and almost burnt the house down pouring wine into a frying pan).
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Cooking Mama makes you into a budding chef seeking out new recipes. Prepare foods then ... more
combine raw ingredients together as you cook them on the stove. Follow real recipes or experiment with your own combinations to create a culinary masterpiece with...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 3 months...
Cooking Mama makes you into a budding chef seeking out new recipes. Prepare foods then ... more
combine raw ingredients together as you cook them on the stove. Follow real recipes or experiment with your own combinations to create a culinary masterpiece with...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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all new recipes, ingredient shopping, dish combinations and multiplayer cooking challenges. Explore your inner creative chef with everyone's favorite culinary cu...
Postage & Packaging: £1.94 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Fresh from the harvest in Gardening Mama, Mama's heading back to her kitchen roots with ... more
all new recipes, ingredient shopping, dish combinations and multiplayer cooking challenges. Explore your inner creative chef with everyone's favorite culinary cu...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Fun anime style graphics, good for young gamers, good for leisure gamers, very addictive Disadvantages: Too easy for seasoned gamers, not action packed or full of puzzles
Advantages: Fun concept, would appeal to the fans of the Cooking Mama series Disadvantages: Mini games a bit repetitive and the controls can be awkward
Jan 3rd, 2007
exceptional by (12%):
very helpful by (88%):
