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Cooking Mama wasn't enough as Majesco profits show loss
Majesco may be bringing forth a sequel to their smash hit Cooking Mama, but apparently it wasn't enough to bring them into the black. Hopefully, that'll change with the upcoming release of Cooking Mama 2, but the Q3 financial results show the company's profits are down to $10 million from $12.4 million last year. The DS is an important platform for the company, as 66% of their total sales come from games on the handheld. And with the first Cooking Mama game selling over 500,000 units, the company has high hopes for its sequel, as well.
Taito goes DS-only at TGS
Taito knows where the money is in the Japanese video game market: the DS. Thus it seems that they've decided to concentrate their development efforts on games for the money-printing handheld. The company released the list of games they'll be displaying at this year's Tokyo Game Show, and every single one is a DS title. Most of the games are things that we already know (and have said "yay") about, but two games are new: the first is Space Invaders Extreme, which, we hope, is either more of an update than Space Invaders Revolution or includes Akkanvader. We also hope it works with the Arkanoid paddle controller. The other is Pet Shop Monogatari DS, which is an RPG about a pet shop. The lineup includes: Cooking Mama 2, Exit DS, Arkanoid DS (and its controller), The Legend of Kage 2, Pet Shop Monogatari DS, and Space Invaders Extreme. All games that we would totally play at TGS ... if we were going. Which we aren't.
Preorder offerings in Korea
Why can't publishers be more charitable with preorder gifts in the states? We're doing them a favor whenever we put down an advance for one of their games, giving retailers an idea of how many they should order to stock their shelves. Japan and Korea seem to get reservation rewards for almost every release! The latest preorder prizes, a branded system pouch and a stylus set, come with EA's SimCity DS and MySims, both due later this month for Korea. Publisher Fujitsu was more creative with its Cooking Mama gift, offering a limited edition pair of cooking mitts to any gamer who reserves the kitchen-themed minigame collection. Hand over five bucks and head past the post break for more photos of the bonus items.
Cooking Mama sequel could bring Majesco back from the brink
Known gaming analyst for Wedbush Morgan Securities, Michael Pachter, recently made comments that the sequel to Cooking Mama could actually help Majesco get out from the red and into the black. Pachter states "Majesco may continue to struggle with its low cash levels, we believe that the company is close to returning to profitability, due to improvements in its sales and cost management." Pachter says that the success of the sequel title will help stabilize Majesco's revenues."We are increasingly positive on the story now that the company has been able to stabilize revenues in the $12 – 13 million quarterly range, and believe that Majesco can be slightly profitable at $65 million in annual revenues." Majesco is due to report its third fiscal quarter earnings later on this month on September 11th.
The evolution of 'Cooking Papa'
When we started working on a post about some new characters in Cooking Mama 2, we saved the image seen to the right of a salaryman called, of course, Papa. When we reloaded the Dengeki page, Papa was no longer pictured in a suit, opting instead for a more casual outfit with khakis. Did we just see game design in action? That's so cool! We aren't sure if Papa will appear as a player guide like Mama does, or if he'll be around at the end of meals for the new judging system, in which people sit down and eat the meals you prepare via minigames. In any case, we can only hope that he cooks as well as Beard Papa.
Cooking Mama 2 gets Japanese date and American dessert
Cooking Mama 2 knows how to attract an audience: with virtually delicious fake pie. Who can look at that picture of an apple pie and resist the urge to pretend to want to eat it? Actually, we've never gotten hungry from playing Cooking Mama. The gameplay tasks are so accelerated and the final images so cartoony that we rarely associate our creations with actual food. It's a good thing too, because we wouldn't know how to cook three-quarters of the menu without a touchscreen. Check out the link if you'd like to see the whole pie-making sequence! SPOILER: Apples are inside the apple pie. It'll be coming out November 15 in Japan, and we expect that since the game is more popular in the US, Office Create and Majesco will do their best to make sure it comes out over here as close to that date as possible.
Now she can afford some truffles
Majesco announced that since the September release of Cooking Mama, they've shipped 500,000 units. Quite a surprise for a budget DS game about cooking! It's exactly what Majesco needed after almost being sunk by Advent Rising and Psychonauts. They decided to focus more on budget games for handheld systems, and they got lucky right out of the gate. Given their success with the last game, it's no shock that Majesco has chosen Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends. We've liked Majesco ever since they started making Sega Genesis 3 systems and selling them for $20. Which, by the way, is another example of small and cheap working well for the company.
Majesco picks up Cooking Mama 2 for US
We knew that Europe and Japan were going to be returning to Mama's kitchen (which is apparently enormous if it accommodates the entirety of both Japan and Europe), and we expected similar announcements for the rest of the world. Majesco is, as expected returning to the table to provide US gamers with a second helping of Cooking Mama, and to provide bloggers more excuses to mix cooking metaphors. The new game, Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, will contain 80 new recipes and 150 different cooking procedures. It's also got single-card multiplayer and the feature that nobody even knew they wanted: the opportunity to decorate your kitchen and give Mama new clothes. Mama will have to share shelf space with Ubisoft's Imagine Master Chef, part of its Imagine line of cheaply licensed, sloppily-packaged games "for girls." Don't pick up the wrong one by mistake! [Via Siliconera]
Chef Mama stirs up some scans on new sequel
To those who were hoping yesterday for something different from Cooking Mama 2, we hate to break it to you: the sequel looks pretty much the same, just with the added bonus of multiplayer and more content. You'll just have to wait for the eventual Cooking Navi localization for help from your DS in your real kitchen. However, if pleasing Mama by putting together tasty creations made you as happy as it made her, then you're in luck. We're just thrilled to see a sequel coming out for both Nintendo systems instead of jumping ships, like certain franchises. For once, we get to shake our fist at you lucky Europeans on this one ... though we're sure Majesco will probably pick it up again for gamers here in the U.S. Slip past the break to see the scan with the latest.
Mama's cooking up a sequel
505 Games has announced their intentions to bring back the mama, as they get set to publish a sequel to Cooking Mama on both the DS and Wii next year. The new game hopes to satisfy cooks that checked out the first game, offering up new recipes, minigames and more of that adorable mama herself. If you've got a friend that won't shut up about how expensive their kitchen cutlery is (and how great they are at using it), then take them on in a new head-to-head multiplayer mode. Any aspiring cooks looking to take another go at this early next year?
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]
New Cooking Mama out of the oven early next year
If you love slaving over a hot stove, mindlessly chopping things and stirring, stirring, stirring, but hate having any sort of payoff for your labor, have we got great news for you! Cooking Mama is back! Well, it will be back, according to UK publisher 505 Games, at some point early next year. Still only available on Wii and DS, expect the new iteration to have twice as many mini-games and a new multiplayer mode. We don't know that Majesco will once again be bringing the game to America, but the original did a lot of good for the company, so we wouldn't be surprised. Now if you don't mind, we need to stop by Caketown for some supplies.
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]
Analyst: Cooking Mama spices up Majesco's forecast
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said that publisher Majesco is "close to returning to profitability" and predicts the Cooking Mama series has earned sales of $15 million this quarter. That figure, according to Gamasutra, is above the $13 million consensus estimate for quarterly sales. "We are increasingly positive on shares now that the company has been able to stabilize revenues in the $12 – 13 million quarterly range," he said, "and believe that Majesco can break even at $65 million in annual revenues." Majesco had at one point hit the proverbial rock bottom, spurred by dismal sales of Advent Rising and Joystiq favorite Psychonauts. The publisher is moving into the black through its sales of budget titles (six DS, one Wii and one Xbox 360 titles are coming this quarter), and we fully expect them to keep with what works. Folks who were hoping for a high-budget Cooking Mama Xtreme Beach Cookoff will probably have to wait for at least a few years of profitability.
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.
