Cooking-Mama-Cook-Off
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Cooking Mama to bake on the Wii again
If you're one who wants to know how to prepare food, but has no desire to take any sustenance from the real thing after learning how to prepare it, then rejoice as a sequel to Cooking Mama has been announced for the DS and Wii. With lots more recipes, a new multiplayer mode and new minigames, the title looks to provide more of the same. Whether that's a good or bad thing, is up to you. As of right now, the sequel has only been announced for Japan, but we're pretty sure she'll be making the rounds to other regions. [Via Joystiq]
Kids' nutrition camp to use Wii
Kids these days have it so much better. Not only did we have to walk uphill in the snow to school (both ways!), but we also never had shoes. We were forced to eat potatoes, cold, straight from the ground. We were never able to take part in fun summertime camps where we were shown how to create nutritious, fun meals. And, sure enough, one camp in central Pennsylvania is set to do that with the Wii and Cooking Mama. In allowing the children to play the game on the Wii, the camp hopes they will be able to translate in-game information into real-world application, showing the kids how to bring the digital recipes in the game to life as they prepare the dishes with real ingredients.
Poll: The best in motion controls (so far)
For such a popular console that tries to offer something for everyone, the Wii also manages to be somewhat controversial -- and we're not just talking about Manhunt 2 here. The motion-sensing controls have been a bone of contention when it comes to nearly every game, even those people seem to enjoy. Some gamers find them awesome, and others ... not so much. We've selected six games which cover a range of game types (and aren't all first-party, either) as a measuring stick of what you think is best when it comes to Wii controls. We encourage you to vote early (and often!), but feel free to talk about other choices in the comments, as well as the reasons behind your picks. You might have noticed that Wii Sports isn't on this list (and neither are several other well-received games!). We considered including it, because not everyone agrees that it works quite well as a showcase of the Wii control capabilities, but decided at the last minutes to include only non-bundled games. Feel free to voice your support for Wii Sports in the comments, however! Which of these games boasts the best motion-sensing controls? The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Cooking Mama: Cook Off Trauma Center: Second Opinion Madden NFL '07 The Godfather: Blackhand Edition Resident Evil 4 (Wii)
More Wiimote extensions for the imagination-impaired
We can only guess that these people think that you are playing Cooking Mama every day, or that there will be many, many sequels -- otherwise, we'd have to call them a little late to the party. And really, were they even invited? We can understand swords and shields. We can even get behind rackets and bats, though they're a little silly. But ... a frying pan? Spatula? Did someone kill off imagination without sending us a memo? [Via DCEmu]
Cooking Mama cooking tips and infomercial
It's no secret that many players found the Cooking Mama: Cook Off controls just a little frustrating. Instead of being a game that could highlight the further potential of the Wiimote, what we ended up getting at a whopping $50 price tag (for what really should have been a budget title) was a game which highlighted Wiimote issues. Some who don't fear the Nintendo Defense Force might even have defined these issues as "problems." This made Mama angry and you wouldn't like Mama when she's angry. So, Majesco came out with some tips on how to improve your Cooking Mama: Cook Off experience: For rolling truffles, place the Wii Remote flat in the palm of your hand, as if it's the truffle. Once in your hand, roll the Wii Remote in your hand as if it's the truffle. For egg cracking, hold the Wii Remote up in the air vertically and bring it down as if there is an invisible bowl in front of you. To grind meat, hold the Wii Remote horizontally in your hand and make the crank motion as if there is a meat grinder in front of you. For stirring, hold the Wii Remote upside down and stir as if it's a spoon. To flip items in the frying pan, flick your wrist as you would with a real pan. Three flips consecutively will earn you bonus points. Cracking 3 eggs with only one initial attempt will earn you bonus points. In certain recipes, you can turn the heat up or down on the stove before the direction reaches the line. After the break we have an "infomercial" perfect for late-night viewing. We don't even feel the need to say anything about it, but the simple fact that we put it after the break probably tells you something ... watch if you dare.
Food, fun, and photos from the Cooking Mama event
Reader Alex answered our call for photos from Saturday's Cooking Mama kickoff event held at the Nintendo World Store, and he wasn't messing around -- his Flickr set contains nearly 100 pictures! It's just like we were there ourselves, and thanks to his efforts and our caption skills, you can experience it as well. Hit the jump for a selection of photos, and then go wallow in the entire set. It's enough to make our tummies rumble.
Cooking Mama: Cook Off highlights Wii Remote issues
In Gamespot's review of recent Wii release Cooking Mama: Cook Off, they make a complaint that is becoming an all-too-common refrain among Wii fans: "The motion controls just aren't reliable. Some are overly sensitive... and some aren't sensitive enough." There are bigger stakes here than the occasional botched omelette. Over the months since launch, the unpredictable Wii Remote has led to a maddening dichotomy. Some games are too easy, while others are too hard -- for all the wrong reasons. The easy games, like Wii Sports Bowling, let the most feeble grandma instantly taste sweet victory. But the player's actions don't seem to have that much impact on the results. Swing the remote more-or-less the right way, and you're almost guaranteed a strike. Gamers who crave a deeper challenge have to settle for battling incomprehensible controls. Wii Sports Boxing is certainly "difficult," but that's because the best strategy is "Flail your arms like a Muppet on PCP." In Wii Sports Golf, you can take the exact same swing five times in a row and get wildly different results each time. And then there's Cooking Mama. Here's a tip: go into your real-world kitchen, and cook some actual food. It'll be about 9,000 times less frustrating, and might result in you eating something healthier than your regular diet of Slim Jims and Funyuns. So far, the revolutionary controller that was supposed to be universally accessible is confusing, finicky, and imprecise. Maybe over time, developers will learn how to create challenging games that also have intuitive controls, not just one or the other. Until then, the Wii Remote is breaking more than just TV screens... it's breaking hearts.
Reminder: Throw down with Cooking Mama
Well, obviously Majesco wants everyone to get on the Cooking Mama train (we hear that's how they make that money), but this weekend, as you'll recall, they're offering New Yorkers a chance to get in the game in style. To promote the release of Cooking Mama: Cook Off, Majesco is calling all Iron Chef-wannabes out to show their stuff -- and win free swag. If you're going to be anywhere near the Nintendo World Store this Saturday between 11 and 4, drop by, if only to sample the goodies the on-site chef will be preparing. Now that's incentive. To our readers in the area: we'd love to see your pictures if you attend. We may even post them and make you an interweb celebrity for a whole five minutes.
New York Cooking Mama event at Rockefeller Center
As part of the launch for Cooking Mama: Cook Off on the Wii, Majesco is holding a little cook off celebration of their own. On March 31 at the Nintendo World Store in New York's Rockefeller Center, Majesco will host an event from 11 AM until 4 PM. There will be snacks, competitions featuring Cooking Mama and winners will acquire a copy of the game. Everyone who attends the event will receive a Cooking Mama apron while supplies last. It's the perfect event to bring a little sibling, niece, nephew or even your own child to. Then again, that's what everyone else who reads this is thinking. Beware the hardcore Cooking Mama fanboys, they may look innocent, but they know how to wield a Wiimote like a knife -- ALLEZ CUISINE!
Custom Cooking Mama apron contest
We tried everything to convince our parents into driving us to the Cooking Mama: Cook Off launch event at New York City next Saturday -- temper tantrums and crocodile tears -- none of those would move their cruel hearts. We desperately want one of the limited edition aprons that the Nintendo World Store will be giving away as door prizes, and if we have to spend a week pouting with crossed arms at the dinner table to get one, well then that's just what we're going to do. You might not have to go through the same childish lengths to score some custom kitchen-wear. Video game chef Becky Mueller is hosting a Nintendo-themed cooking contest at N+, offering up her own hand-crafted Cooking Mama apron to the grand prize winner. She spent over 20 hours sewing the fabric together and embroidering the logo until it looked just right. We really have to admire Becky's generosity, donating this labor of love to N+'s readers. It's a lot more than our soulless parents ever did for us... Head past the post break for a bigger photo of the charming apron and its Cooking Mama logo. [Via The Tanooki]
Iron Cooking Mama
We've been waiting for the Iron Chef license to appear on the Nintendo Wii ever since the cooking-friendly controller was revealed, but the culinary game show is still woefully absent from the system's lineup of upcoming titles. Anxious gamers have had to settle for the next best thing -- Cooking Mama: Cook Off. Playing off the battle system in Cooking Mama where you can compete with rival chefs, 1UP has a creative piece comparing the Wii and DS versions of the game in a Kitchen Stadium contest. Fans of Iron Chef will be happy to see that the dramatization follows the Japanese show's format closely with an introduction by the Chairman and constant chatter from the commentators. Cook Off's multiplayer mode and international menu are emphasized during this console-vs-handheld match-up to see which Mama knows best. Though Cooking Mama: Cook Off's reviews have been middling at best, seeing the Wii game's strengths laid out like this has definitely renewed our interest. How else are we supposed to act out our epic Ronkonkai Chicken battle against Iron Chef Sakai that we've always envisioned in our minds?
Cooking Mama kicks off at Nintendo World Store
Cooking Mama: Cook Off is already out in shops starting this week, but Majesco's official launch event for the Wii game takes place at NYC's Nintendo World Store on March 31st, the Saturday after next. There will be a variety of competitions for gamers to take part in at the store's interactive stations. We hope that doesn't mean they'll actually be cooking anything themselves, as some 13-year-old kid is bound to burn the Pokémon Center down while trying to flambé. The Nintendo World Store will have limited edition aprons for attendees and copies of the game for contest winners. If that isn't enough to bring you in, there will also be free food! Keeping with Cooking Mama's theme, an on-site chef will be fixing snacks for the party. If you're in the area, this is definitely worth checking out!
Majesco back in the game, returning to profitability
Majesco Entertainment never really stopped publishing video games, but it was a very real possibility after its troubles last year. Following the disappointing sales of its banner titles, Psychonauts and Advent Rising, stock values plummeted, CEO Carl Yankowski resigned, and several class-action lawsuits were filed by the company's shareholders. Majesco decided to turn its focus on "value and handheld video games," and has been slowly recovering from its losses with this strategy. So why should we be cheering on the company that brought us throwaway games like F-24 Stealth Fighter and Super Black Bass Fishing? While you're right to shake your head at those titles, Majesco was also the publisher behind niche gems for the DS like Nanostray, Age of Empires: The Age of Kings, and Cooking Mama. And for that, we wish them the best of luck.
Cooking Mama: Cook Off bakes up some screens
IGN got ahold of some freshly-baked screens for Cooking Mama: Cook Off. The screens depict the various different steps one must perform before making a meal (such meals as Paella). So we get to see some raw meat being sliced, eggs improperly cracked against a bowl and how to properly top off a meal with some cream puffs. So, if you're looking for one tasty time in video game form, look no further.
Cooking Mama not quite ready for Europe
Bad news for European gamers: Cooking Mama: Cook Off was originally scheduled for late March, but rumor has it that the game has been pushed back over a month to May 10th. Tragic! For now, you'll have to console yourselves with a mouth-watering video (and maybe the DS version). [Via GoNintendo]
Burger time in Cooking Mama: Cook Off
We've been keeping our eye on Cooking Mama: Cook Off for quite some time now. The game looks fun (and we're mostly hungry all the time), so Siliconera's 7 minute long video demonstrating hamburger construction got us especially excited (and our mouth watering). Everything is covered, from prepping the ingredients, right down to frying the meat. As always, the video is embedded past the post break. [Via Siliconera]
Japanese release day highlights: 02.08.07
Another Thursday in Japan, another round of lovely digital entertainment. Today is our favourite day of the week -- even more so than Sunday. We put our skates on (not literally, you understand) and got down to our local game dealer for some home cooking, mama. Here's what we picked up, the best of this fine February release day: Cooking Mama (today we've been twirling pizza dough, fiercely whisking eggs, and rolling ham around asparagus spears -- tomorrow, we're going to try some haute cuisine; Wii) Virtua Fighter 5 (yes, it's just a bit good; PS3) Out Run 2 Special Tour (back to Japan in time for its 20th anniversary, but only just, and how we've been waiting for another Passing Breeze; PS2) Jet Impulse (this game is giving us impulses already, but what have the skies done to deserve our ascent?; DS) Luminous Arc (marvelous strategy from Marvelous; DS)
Make food, not war: Cooking Mama trailer
Oh, Mama. We love you so, especially when you're starring in cheeky new trailers. This new Cooking Mama: Cook Off trailer is one of the best game adverts we've seen in a while. It's got it all: humor, gameplay, and a sense of fun that really suits the game. The only problem is that now we really, really want the game. Damn you, Mama!
Cooking Mama sizzled at CES
Seems Wired has a jones for the forthcoming Cooking Mama, as they hail it as this year's best game at the recent Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas. The cooking sim, with its Iron Chef-inspired multiplayer mode is, according to the Wired staff, a great example of innovative Wiimote application -- something that isn't always there when it comes to these early third party titles. They've not been the only ones to praise the title recently, but tagging on a 'best of show' in games is a step further head for the Majesco-published game.
Hot Cooking Mama screens from the oven
Like an Easy Bake Oven for the 21st century, Cooking Mama on the DS warmed its way into gamers' hearts with Wario Ware gameplay propelled forward by the shame of disappointing dear mother. Now Mama returns in Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Wii. All the original fun will be there including Iron Chef competition against a friend -- "ALLEZ CUISINE!" Using the Wii-mote gamers will chop, grate, slice, stir and do all the actions of cooking without actually being able to eat anything afterward. There will be 250+ foods to create 55 dishes. No word yet on an actual release date, but find screens for the game after the jump.
