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Cooking Mama 3: Chop & Shop

(2009, Video Games - Time management, Rated E, Play it on: Nintendo DS)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Cooking sim still fun, with new modes and 80 new recipes.

In this game kids can:   improve hand-eye coordination, model clothes, play multiplayer games

Why We Rated This on for Ages 8 and Up

The good stuff

  • Ease of play:

    It's not always clear what to do in a mini-game, but the penalty for "failure" is not severe at all, and all mini-games are easily practiced and replayed.

  • Educational value:

    Teaches some cooking techniques and food prep.

  • Messages:

    The game communicates the value of following recipes carefully, taking pride in what you cook, and the joy of cooking for others. Vegetarians might find it off-putting to prepare some of the meat dishes – such as slicing open a fish and cutting around its rib cage. One of the new modes, Let's Shop!, involves shopping for ingredients so it has a consumerism theme.

  • Role models:

    Mama is a cheerful guide who doles out positive reinforcement.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Cooking Mama 3: Chop & Shop was written by Erin Bell

Parents need to know that this latest collection of cooking-themed mini-games includes 80 brand new recipes. No prior knowledge of food or cooking is needed. Players who also have Gardening Mama can transfer ingredients to Cooking Mama 3. The "Alcohol Reference" refers to "cooking wine" that is occasionally used as an ingredient.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about whether you would like to try cooking any of the dishes found in the game in real life?
  • Families might also want to review important food safety tips to follow in the kitchen, such as being aware of hot pans or washing your hands after handling raw meat.
  • What makes this series so popular? Is this the video game industry's equivalent to the popular cooking shows on TV?
Did this review help you decide?
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More on Cooking Mama 3: Chop & Shop

What’s the Story?

COOKING MAMA 3: SHOP AND CHOP is the newest title in the extremely successful Cooking Mama franchise of culinary-themed mini-games. In this version, players use the Nintendo DS stylus to slice, stir, chop, and plate their way through 80 new recipes including chilli con carne, mushroom quiche, and pumpkin gnocchi. The game's cheerful host walks the player through each recipe step-by-step and awards a score and medal based on how perfectly they're able to prepare each dish. There's also Let's Cook! mode where players run through the entire recipe without any pauses, Let's Match! Mode where players choose any two ingredients and create a custom recipe, and Let's Shop where players shop for ingredients by guiding Mama through a supermarket while avoiding obstacles. Close

Is It Any Good?

Cooking Mama's gameplay suits the Nintendo DS particularly well. There's plenty to do and a ton of extra material to unlock – players can decorate a digital diary with stickers, dress up Mama in new outfits, and change in-game colors and backgrounds. For the first time, players can import food they've grown in the sister title Gardening Mama to use in recipes. The game also boasts a local multiplayer mode where friends can face off in 20 timed challenges.

The one downside is that instructions aren't always clear the first time around, but it's a small complaint since the mini-games are easily and quickly replayed. Like its predecessors, Cooking Mama 3 is full of cute visual touches, like batter that is stirred too quickly slopping out of the pan and then has to be rubbed off the screen with the stylus. Cooking Mama 3 not only challenges kids and adults alike with clever, surprisingly detailed cooking minigames, but payers might actually learn a thing or two about food prep.

Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 10/20/2009, price $29.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: E (for Alcohol Reference)

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