Cooking Mama: Cook Off

Rating ESRB: Everyone Genre simulation Publisher Majesco External Links Official Cooking Mama Website

Welcome to Mama's Kitchen! Here you will be trained under the tutelage of Mama herself. A literal world of cooking is about to open up before you. Everything from classic French dishes to simple American hotdogs await your masterful chef skills. It's no 'Magic Bullet' or 'Cuisinart', but with the skillful use of the Wiimote players will mince, stew, stir, boil, and bake their way through Mama's kitchen. Cooking Mama is essentially Wario Ware if Wario somehow got trapped in a kitchen for a few weeks. From speedy egg-cracking, to soufflé rising, to plate décor 101, Cooking Mama is packed with dozens of recipes and enough mini-games to choke a Legassi.

As Mama instructs you in the way of the culinary arts, and as you prove your worthiness, Mama will reveal to you ancient secrets from around the globe. Mysteries such as the Hamburger will be unveiled to you. Further proving your worth may someday allow your eyes to glimpse the ancient art of the Creampuff. I know, this may all be a little much for the amateur, but in time you may just become proficient in this, your virtual delicatessen.

Mama herself watches over the budding chefs in every one of their activities. After each mini-game the player is given a score ranging from Gold, down to Bronze, to completely undeserving of medal. The most difficult aspect of this game isn't timing your Steamed Crab Dumplings, its not even flash frying the Bonito. Rather, the hard part comes when you're trying to tell what in the world Mama is even saying!

The controls in Cooking Mama don't always react the way the player would like them to. Speed, accuracy, and steadiness are all important factors in your preparation. At times, as with most Wii titles, if the Wiimote gets low on batteries, or you get out of range of the sensor bar the cursor will occasionally disappear. This coupled with the various positions you are required to hold the Wiimote in tend to cause havoc at first. Stirring you batter too fast can cause a huge spill, tilting the controller to fast or to a too intense degree will cause your pot to boil over.

There's not much of a learning curve in the kitchen. Recipes simply get more and more detailed rather than more difficult. Certain activities, such as separating the white from the yolk and hand fanning your Broquettes, are considerably more difficult than, oh say, filling a pot with water, or opening a can.

Never fear, Mama is always there to guide you, or tell you you're out of time, or whatever. The animations for Mama are smooth and even a bit humorous at the judging part of every action. If you spill your bowl of batter, then Mama will be covered in it. Or maybe you happen to start a small fire, then the effects of this will be clearly visible on Mama in the form of flames and low-degree burns.

The game features a one-on-one competitive mode where you and a friend compete and every point matters. Once you've beaten the best your neighborhood has to offer, you can try your skill against your digital friends from around the world. Victory here comes with more than an ego boost as a reward. Defeating your opponents will earn you fancy yet fairly useless kitchen accoutrements.

The graphics in Cooking Mama are bright and colorful. Everything glows with soft, cell-shaded edges. Interacting with objects seems to flow naturally, with little collision errors or clipping. One aspect of Mama's kitchen that is terribly impressive is the complete lack of graphical glitches (Possibly one of the advantages of a game comprised entirely of mini-games). The sound effects are cute, simple, and comedic on occasion. They bridge the balance between light and playful, and serious and competitive.

From perfecting your own style of cooking to besting each and every one of your friends in Sushi rolling, Cooking Mama ends up being a colorful, playful, and more importantly entertaining experience. It's terribly fun. Unlocking recipes, breaking records, and mastering your techniques are all lovable parts of this cooking adventure. With the right training and a little luck, you too may one day run your very own Mama's kitchen.