This popular game series releases the second Wii title (two currently exist on the Nintendo DS as well) chocked full of new recipes like onion rings, hamburgers, pizza, pancakes and even ratatouille. New features include some entertaining mini games, a cooperative mode and some basic customizations for boy or girl characters. You begin with eight recipes than expand beyond 50 with two delicious Nestle Toll House recipes at the end of the game manual.
The mini games incorporate pet characters and special actions like catching food. You can also practice cooking – a recommended action to learn the speed settings in the game using the Wii remote. It’s challenging to break eggs and spread éclairs, but patient players can figure out the actions even without much help. Series veterans will have an advantage here, especially since the game does not provide much tutorial material (e.g. short orientation videos), and puts you right into the action expanding the discovery realm as well as trial and error.
At times, your movements do not seem to drive the action, so you have to have to wait for the visuals then find the timing pattern/rhythm to successfully complete your task. Precise movements are key in the medal based award system. Developers also expanded Mama’s role as a judge/encourager with cool mini-games that activate when the recipes start to go bad.
The two main game modes are Let’s Cook and Cooking Contest. You basically prepare dishes on your own or with/against another player(s). In the additional co-op mode, the other player can be either AI or real. Some activities, like making mocha, are more familiar if you know Asian cuisine. As far as the mechanics, timing plays a key role as the player mainly reacts to ending results or mistakes during the game, like getting whacked with a pounding hammer. Special game events are recorded for later viewings.
Article comments
1 - Kjersti Wasiak
I really like Cooking Mama Cook Off and how it used realistic like Wii motion controls, although I will admit the responsiveness is not the best. This new one really disappointed me control wise and seemed like a step backwards in that it uses far less realistic movement things while improving responsiveness only a little. Plus it lacks any true in game tutorials making it further confusing, especially for those who have played the first.