Cooking Mama
Encyclopedia
is a cookery simulation-styled minigame
compilation video game for the Nintendo DS
and iOS developed by Office Create and published by Taito
, Majesco Entertainment
, and 505 Games
. It was awarded IGN
's "Best Of E3" award for 2006 and was joined by a sequel for the DS, Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
. Two games have since been made for the Wii
, Cooking Mama: Cook Off and Cooking Mama: World Kitchen
.
s, slice meat, flip food in pans, and arrange the final items on the plate. The version of the game for iOS also takes advantage of the accelerometer
in its devices with some similar gameplay to Cooking Mama: Cook Off. Each of these tasks is performed by completing a mini-game which usually lasts less than 10 seconds. The gameplay structure consists of the player progressing through a series of short minigames. The game features a total of 96 different dishes.
Each minigame represents a different activity in the meal preparation, such as mixing, frying, or chopping the provided ingredients. The minigame mechanics themselves range from quickly drawing parallel lines in order to chop items, to a rhythm game
where ingredients are added to a skillet or the heat is adjusted at precisely the right time. In many cases, players must look at the top screen of the DS for guidance on what to do next and then perform the task on the bottom screen. If the player makes a serious blunder or time expires without sufficient progress being made, that step in the cooking process is considered a failure. When this happens, a graphic of an angry "Mama" with flames erupting from her eyes is displayed, along with the caption "Don't worry, Mama will fix it!".
Completing a dish can require playing one minigame, or as many as a dozen. The player's performance is rated when each dish is finished, based on the average result of each minigame. Depending on the final score, the game may award the player a bronze, silver or gold medal. The highest medal earned for each dish is recorded and displayed next to each item on the selection screen.
, the player would first be required to chop a cucumber
into slices before the time limit elapses.
When cooking a recipe which has previously been mastered, the player sometimes has the option to change the dish being made "on the fly" between two minigames. If completed, this new recipe is then unlocked for future play.
A player also has a choice to practice a recipe.
The IGN
review emphasized the game's appeal to casual gamers, and noting that, while simple, the game was nonetheless enjoyable. The review remarked, "Though the entirety of this game is simply doing what you're told as quickly as possible, it's actually an amusing game if you're not expecting much out of it.", earning the title a 7.0/10. The GameSpot
review was more negative, with concerns about the repetitive nature of gameplay and the seemingly random progression of mini-games tying recipes together. These were somewhat balanced by positives such as the colorful graphics and budget pricing, resulting in an overall score of 6.9/10.
The original Cooking Mama has sold more than 500,000 copies in the United States as of August 15, 2007, and has sold more than 1 million copies in PAL region
s. As of January 30, 2008, the series has sold more than 2.6 million copies worldwide. Majesco also credited it, among other games, for an increase in revenue in early 2007. By May 2009, over four million copies of the series has been sold in North America. Miley Cyrus
has been found to be a huge fan of the game, and even gained a large amount of fans due to how much she enjoys it.
group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) created a flash game entitled Cooking Mama - Mama Kills Animals intended to both criticize the video game’s use of meat-based recipes and to encourage veganism
. The creators of Cooking Mama responded to the PETA in a press release stating that “I would never put rat in my Ratatouille,” and indicated that some of Mama’s recipes are vegetarian. PETA stated that they were happy with the upcoming release of Gardening Mama
, a spin-off of the series.
in Japan
on February 8, 2007. Replacing touchscreen
control with use of the Wii Remote
to guide the cooking activities, it was later released in North America on March 20, 2007 and in May 2007 in Europe.
The second Nintendo DS game in the series Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
, was released in November 2007. Along with new recipes, this title expands the total number of different minigames and adds several new gameplay modes.
Cooking Mama: World Kitchen
for Wii
, was released on November 18, 2008.
A third sequel for the DS, Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop
had a hands-on demo available at E3 2009, and was released in America on October 20, 2009.
"Mama" from Cooking Mama is also the main character in the new games "Babysitting Mama
" (Wii), "Crafting Mama" (DS), "Gardening Mama
"(DS), and "Camping Mama" (DS).
A fourth sequel entitled "Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic" will be released for the 3DS in fall in the US and November 11, 2011 in the UK
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
compilation video game for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and iOS developed by Office Create and published by Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
, Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment is a video game publisher founded in 1986.-History:Majesco first made a name as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices dramatically and, eventually, arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo...
, and 505 Games
505 Games
505 Games, formerly known as 505 Game Street, is an Italian video game publishing division of Italian company Digital Bros. group founded in 2006...
. It was awarded IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's "Best Of E3" award for 2006 and was joined by a sequel for the DS, Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, released as in Japan, is the sequel to the Nintendo DS video game Cooking Mama and its Wii successor, Cooking Mama: Cook Off. The game has twice as many minigames as the original, all new recipes, and a new multiplayer "Cook Off" mode...
. Two games have since been made for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, Cooking Mama: Cook Off and Cooking Mama: World Kitchen
Cooking Mama: World Kitchen
Cooking Mama: World Kitchen, is the fourth game in the Cooking Mama series developed by Cooking Mama Limited...
.
Gameplay
In Cooking Mama, the player is tasked with cooking various meals using the device's touch screen. Following the instructions of the titular "Mama", the player uses the stylus or finger to chop vegetableVegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s, slice meat, flip food in pans, and arrange the final items on the plate. The version of the game for iOS also takes advantage of the accelerometer
Accelerometer
An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, also called the four-acceleration. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration , but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame...
in its devices with some similar gameplay to Cooking Mama: Cook Off. Each of these tasks is performed by completing a mini-game which usually lasts less than 10 seconds. The gameplay structure consists of the player progressing through a series of short minigames. The game features a total of 96 different dishes.
Each minigame represents a different activity in the meal preparation, such as mixing, frying, or chopping the provided ingredients. The minigame mechanics themselves range from quickly drawing parallel lines in order to chop items, to a rhythm game
Rhythm game
Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press buttons in a sequence dictated on the screen...
where ingredients are added to a skillet or the heat is adjusted at precisely the right time. In many cases, players must look at the top screen of the DS for guidance on what to do next and then perform the task on the bottom screen. If the player makes a serious blunder or time expires without sufficient progress being made, that step in the cooking process is considered a failure. When this happens, a graphic of an angry "Mama" with flames erupting from her eyes is displayed, along with the caption "Don't worry, Mama will fix it!".
Completing a dish can require playing one minigame, or as many as a dozen. The player's performance is rated when each dish is finished, based on the average result of each minigame. Depending on the final score, the game may award the player a bronze, silver or gold medal. The highest medal earned for each dish is recorded and displayed next to each item on the selection screen.
Let's Cook
The main game mode where players cook dishes. Players initially start with just a few simple recipes to choose from, with additional recipes unlocked as the earlier ones are mastered. Each recipe requires players to play through a short, timed minigame for each ingredient or group of ingredients. For example, to make a sandwichSandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
, the player would first be required to chop a cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
into slices before the time limit elapses.
When cooking a recipe which has previously been mastered, the player sometimes has the option to change the dish being made "on the fly" between two minigames. If completed, this new recipe is then unlocked for future play.
A player also has a choice to practice a recipe.
Let's Combine
In this mode, players can take the recipes which have been unlocked and combine them to make something new. For example, the "Fried Eggs" recipe can be combined with the "Rice" recipe to make an entree.Use Skill
In this mode, players put their minigameing ingredients, peeling, stewing, tearing, and more. The player is ranked at the end of each task.Reception
The overall reception of Cooking Mama was mediocre to fair, with critics noting that it seems to be a reasonably good budget title for the DS, making effective use of the touch screen, even if it does lack depth.The IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
review emphasized the game's appeal to casual gamers, and noting that, while simple, the game was nonetheless enjoyable. The review remarked, "Though the entirety of this game is simply doing what you're told as quickly as possible, it's actually an amusing game if you're not expecting much out of it.", earning the title a 7.0/10. The GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
review was more negative, with concerns about the repetitive nature of gameplay and the seemingly random progression of mini-games tying recipes together. These were somewhat balanced by positives such as the colorful graphics and budget pricing, resulting in an overall score of 6.9/10.
The original Cooking Mama has sold more than 500,000 copies in the United States as of August 15, 2007, and has sold more than 1 million copies in PAL region
PAL region
The PAL region is a television publication territory which covers most of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe...
s. As of January 30, 2008, the series has sold more than 2.6 million copies worldwide. Majesco also credited it, among other games, for an increase in revenue in early 2007. By May 2009, over four million copies of the series has been sold in North America. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
has been found to be a huge fan of the game, and even gained a large amount of fans due to how much she enjoys it.
Criticism
The animal rightsAnimal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
(PETA) created a flash game entitled Cooking Mama - Mama Kills Animals intended to both criticize the video game’s use of meat-based recipes and to encourage veganism
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
. The creators of Cooking Mama responded to the PETA in a press release stating that “I would never put rat in my Ratatouille,” and indicated that some of Mama’s recipes are vegetarian. PETA stated that they were happy with the upcoming release of Gardening Mama
Gardening Mama
Gardening Mama is a gardening simulation-styled minigame compilation video game for the Nintendo DS and iOS. It is a spin-off from the Cooking Mama series....
, a spin-off of the series.
Sequels
A sequel of sorts, Cooking Mama: Cook Off, was released for the WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on February 8, 2007. Replacing touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
control with use of the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
to guide the cooking activities, it was later released in North America on March 20, 2007 and in May 2007 in Europe.
The second Nintendo DS game in the series Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, released as in Japan, is the sequel to the Nintendo DS video game Cooking Mama and its Wii successor, Cooking Mama: Cook Off. The game has twice as many minigames as the original, all new recipes, and a new multiplayer "Cook Off" mode...
, was released in November 2007. Along with new recipes, this title expands the total number of different minigames and adds several new gameplay modes.
Cooking Mama: World Kitchen
Cooking Mama: World Kitchen
Cooking Mama: World Kitchen, is the fourth game in the Cooking Mama series developed by Cooking Mama Limited...
for Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, was released on November 18, 2008.
A third sequel for the DS, Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop
Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop
Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop, released as in Japan and Europe, is the fourth installment to the Cooking Mama series. It was released in 2009 for the Nintendo DS.-Gameplay:...
had a hands-on demo available at E3 2009, and was released in America on October 20, 2009.
"Mama" from Cooking Mama is also the main character in the new games "Babysitting Mama
Babysitting Mama
Babysitting Mama is a babysitting simulation-styled minigame compilation video game for the Wii console. It is the third spin-off from the Cooking Mama series; the first two were Gardening Mama and Crafting Mama. It includes a life size doll to play with and the player slips its Wii Remote inside...
" (Wii), "Crafting Mama" (DS), "Gardening Mama
Gardening Mama
Gardening Mama is a gardening simulation-styled minigame compilation video game for the Nintendo DS and iOS. It is a spin-off from the Cooking Mama series....
"(DS), and "Camping Mama" (DS).
A fourth sequel entitled "Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic" will be released for the 3DS in fall in the US and November 11, 2011 in the UK
External links
- Official Cooking Mama website
- Cooking Mama App Store profile
- Gameplay video from Majesco
- Gamebrink review of Cooking Mama
- Cooking Mama at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- Cooking Mama at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- Cooking Mama