Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this video game is simply a series of minigames that have a cooking theme. As bizarre as that sounds, it's the weirdness of the game that makes it work. You "cook" recipes by playing minigames! And your kids don't have to know anything about cooking to play. This game is best played in small bursts – like on the way to soccer practice or while waiting for an appointment.
Families can talk about how quirky gameplay in a video game frequently makes the game a hit. Is that because people are looking for originality in video games and are getting tired of games that mimic others? Which of the minigames was your favorite? Would you want to learn to cook any of the foods you made in the game? Did you miss having a storyline?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
Original, fast-paced Nintendo DS game COOKING MAMA makes excellent use of the DS' touch-sensitive screen capabilities in its 200-plus timed, cooking-themed minigames. The minigame play resembles the WarioWare games, but with a gourmet bent.
A recipe may start with chopping ingredients. This minigame lets you use your DS stylus as a knife and chop objects by tapping the screen. To flip a burger that is sautéing in a pan, you draw a line down the handle of the pan. While those actions don't sound like compelling gameplay, the fun comes in perfecting them in a timed environment that requires execution at very specific times. Since a recipe is made up of four to 12 minigames, executing each without a mistake can be a challenge.
Mentoring you through this cooking marathon of 76 recipes is the doe-eyed, anime-looking Cooking Mama. But don't be fooled by her sweet appearance; she turns into a flaming-eyed taskmaster when you fail. And fail you will, unless you take the time to "practice" a recipe before you attempt to "cook" it for a score. Cooking Mama grades you on a 100-point scale; and for those who do well, she awards gold, silver, and bronze medals for gourmet cooking.
As you slice, chop, knead, grate, sauté, fry, and stew your way through the first 15 recipes, you will eventually unlock the remaining 61. And while things like chopping are easy, peeling a carrot using the DS stylus is a challenge, and probably more so because the controls aren't responsive enough. Some of the minigames can get quite demanding, as you are required to add ingredients, stir, and adjust the heat either up or down at just the right time as indicated on a scrolling timeline. And some of the minigames don't come with enough instructions, which forces you to experiment.
The newness of this gameplay will sustain players through preparing many feasts. But eventually, as with all minigame-based software, the novelty wears off. Cooking Mama would have had more longevity if it had a head-to-head multiplayer cook-off mode. This is a game that is best played in small bursts -- a recipe or two at a time.
While kids may start to understand cooking terms, don't count on this game to turn them into chefs. The recipes never list the amount of ingredients and following a recipe is really all about playing the 200 minigames. But the recipes are based on real foods from around the world, so kids will be whipping up everything from traditional Fried Chicken to Japanese Fried Octopus Dumplings.
Like Elite Beat Agents and Big Brain Academy, this game succeeds because it's wacky -- too bad cooking a real dinner isn't this entertaining.
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Educational ValueTeaches some culinary skills. |
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