 Preview By: Siou Choy |
Developer: | Office Create |
| Publisher: | Majesco | |
| Genre: | Simulation | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | TBA | |
| Estimated Release: | 03/20/2007 |
Hear that sizzling? One of the quirkier games of the Nintendo DS is crossing platforms and sliding its greasy way to the Nintendo Wii under the title Cooking Mama: Cook Off.
So what's the difference between store-bought and homemade, you ask? It's all in the secret ingredients. The Wii version will be filled with extras not found in the original DS version: among these are new recipes, "International Mode" and a Multiplayer Mode.
First thing's first: the recipe book. Your main objective in Cooking Mama: Cook Off is to prepare meals, under the guidance of "Mama" who will provide tips to help you along the way (hmm...the virtual version seems a lot nicer about the whole process than I remember my "mama" ever being...). The (ahem) "Wii-Mote" (do I really have to say that?) has magically become some sort of an all-purpose kitchen utensil. It can be used in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to serving as a spoon to stir, a knife to cut, or a rolling pin to, uh...roll. Gold, silver, and bronze medals can be earned from “Mama” depending on how well you prepare the recipes. Mine usually told me to get the hell out of the kitchen and leave her alone, so I really can't relate.
Cooking Mama: Cook Off will attempt to widen your taste for international cuisine by including Chinese, Indian, French, Russian (ooh, borscht), English (spotted dick? Fish and crisps?), German (uh…sauerbrauten?) Spanish/Mexican, and the ever popular American recipes (what the hell are they going to do, make hot dogs and fries?) in addition to the Japanese cuisine that dominated the DS version.
There will be a total of 55 dishes to create, with over 300 ingredients in your spice cabinet. You start off simply, tackling some rather basic and bland offerings, but as you progress through the game and unlock more recipes, more complex dishes are added to your oeuvre.
Mulitplayer mode allows two competing players to see who can prepare a meal the fastest and with the least amount of mistakes. International Mode has you competing against 10 computer generated virtual competitors from across the globe to create recipes specific to that locale. In other words, when in Rome, you cook like the Romans do - you’d be competing against an Italian chef to make, ideally, something truly Italian like Veal Saltimboca or Chicken Francese...though more likely you'll wind up competing over some lowbrow pasta dish like Pasta Fa Zool or Ziti (cooking authenticity check 101: tomato sauce and pasta do not equal cuisine alla Italia by any means, nor is a pizza joint an Italian restaurant!)
Cooking Mama: Cook Off from Majesco, will have you slicing and dicing this Tuesday when it’s released for the Nintendo Wii.
Posted: 2007-03-18 12:22:09 PST