 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Cooking Mama
- Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS
- Price: $20
- Genre: Time management
Common Sense Media says
200 crazy DS Mini games with cooking theme.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this video game is simply a series of Mini games that have a cooking theme. 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.
What's it about?
In COOKING MAMA, you "cook" recipes by playing Mini games -- to chop ingredients, for example, use your DS stylus as a knife and tap the screen to chop objects. The fun comes in perfecting them in a timed environment that requires execution at very specific times. 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.
Is it any good?
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 Mini games. 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 Mini games 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 Mini games 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 the novelty wears off. This game is best played in small bursts -- a recipe or two at a time. This game succeeds because it's wacky -- too bad cooking a real dinner isn't this entertaining.
What families can talk about
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 Mini games 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?
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AGE
This game is fun if you like cooking. It's great at first but tends to get old and boring after a while.
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AGE
fun
It is one of my favorite games but I wish that it had more recipes.
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AGE
Fun!
This game is mindless enough to play for a short break where you don't want to have to "think" too much, but it's not so mindless that it's boring. The mini-tasks within each recipe help break up any monotony, and it's easy to play for both shorter and longer periods of time. Above all else, it's really fun to be able to use the touch screen to its full capacity!
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AGE
i like this game
this game is pretty cool
can get a bit boring after a while though
ummm.....you dont need to know a thing about cooking to play it.
recomend for ages 6+
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AGE
Great!
This is a great game in which you can experiment with dishes and mix meals.It gets a little boring and then the fun boost right up!
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AGE
You don't need walkthroughs or tutorials, or cheats or codes. Super fun!
Cooking Mama is really fun. It's not very violent-- although if you're vegetarian, you may object to the fact that meat is prepared in the game (obviously you don't do any slaughtering, you just chop up meat). But for the rest of us, it's a fun game that doesn't take much time to play and is challenging but not frustrating. :)
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| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Time management |
| Developer: | Majesco |
| Release date: | September 13, 2006 |
| Price: | $20 |
| ESRB rating: | E |
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