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Ding! Majesco serves up more Cooking Mama for Wii
While we wait (and wait, and wait ... ) for an official Iron Chef game (maybe if we clap our hands and click our heels it'll happen?) there's a new entree on the cooking game menu from Majesco. Cooking Mama World Kitchen is not, as its title might have you think, an online competitive cook-off. It is a follow-up to Cooking Mama: Cook Off, calling upon players to perfect their virtual cooking skills using the Wii remote to simulate a number of kitchen utensils. World Kitchen, due for holiday release, has gone all polygonal on us, and promises new mini-games, recipes, and a more thoroughly rhythm-based gameplay system to (ahem) spice things up. %Gallery-26525%
Cooking Mama gets a new perspective
According to a press release sent out by Majesco today, Cooking Mama: World Tour is going to represent a significant revamp of (formerly Office Create) Cooking Mama Limited's signature cooking game series. Mysteriously, the press release describes an "upgrade to full 3D graphics." Yes, that means that Mama has gone 3D. It also means that the game's view has flipped: instead of playing in first person, you now look directly at your avatar as he cooks. For the first time, you'll be able to control Mama herself in spontaneous minigames, as she rushes in to fix your mistakes -- for example, she can catch mis-flipped burgers in her apron. "Additional rhythm and motion" has also been added to the main Wiimote-based gameplay. Whatever that means, at least Cooking Mama Limited is taking steps to avoid stagnation. [Screens at IGN]
Majesco sales drop in second quarter, re-confirms DS focus
Publisher Majesco has returned from the kitchen with a piping hot plate of second quarter results. However, unlike the previous quarter's delectably sweet increases in both sales and profits, the company's second course of financials proved to be much less appetizing. For the period, Majesco announced second quarter sales of $12.8 million, down from last year's $14.6 million as well as the previous quarter's $18.7 million. Much of this decline, admits Majesco, can be blamed on the lack of key releases from company during the period, particularly from cash cows Cooking Mama and Bust-a-Move, both of which were key ingredients in Majesco's success during 2007's second quarter. However, even with a lighter wallet, the company noted that it expects to report between $53 and $58 million in revenue for fiscal 2008. The company also took the opportunity to blow kisses at Nintendo, confirming that of its upcoming lineup this year some 59 percent will be released for the DS with the remainder "almost entirely" coming to the Wii. Jeeze, guys, get a room.
Cooking Mama serving again this October?
Back in March, Majesco quietly announced a new Wii Cooking Mama game called Cooking Mama: World Kitchen, to be released in fiscal 2008. We haven't heard or seen anything about it from Majesco since, but GameFly is providing evidence that the game is on the way, having just listed the game in their "Coming Soon" area with a release date of October 30. The Cooking Mama series continues to make tons of money for Majesco, allowing them to fund some interesting games. In addition, it's hard to imagine something as basic as motion-based food preparation getting stale, so we say bring 'em on.
Friday Video: Mama's famous recipe
This series of videos makes us happy, but it also makes us a little sad. Why? Because we had the idea a while ago to try a recipe using the exact ingredients, instructions, and timings found in a Cooking Mama game, and never actually had time to try it. And now Thwomp Factory has undertaken a very similar experiment. It's actually part of an ongoing series of theirs about making recipes based on video games! Check it out if you want to try some Contact or Harvest Moon-inspired cuisine.They skip to the last hilarious step in Cooking Mama 2's chili dog recipe: catching all the ingredients with the bun. "Why does Mama make her chili dogs like this?" Thwomp Factory's Amelia wondered. "Does it improve the flavor, allowing the subtle spices of the chili to mature in the open air? Does it work up an appetite, with all that running around and panicking?" Mostly it makes a risible mess. But it's a surefire recipe for awesome videos.%Gallery-20248%[Via GameSetWatch]
New DS demos are the old DS demos
When we turned on our Wii earlier to check and see if the recent habit of providing us with new DS demos every week would continue, we stumbled upon something very odd. You see, this week's new DS demos are, in fact, the first set of DS demos that released alongside the Nintendo Channel. Just now, they don't have an expiration date attached to them.For those of you with a bad memory (or no desire to click links), the list of demos available has been placed past the break.
Another Week in Europe
Hey, you! No, not the guy on the next screen along with the muffin -- you. That's right. You a European? You are? Great! So let's hear it: why have we just checked the latest European charts and found that Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney charted absolutely nowhere? If yours truly can summon up the the effort to scour the high street give his credit card details to an online retailer, you can do the same! No wonder Capcom seems to be thinking twice about releasing Trials and Tribulations here.And now look what you've done! There are bits of Brain Training and Mario and Sonic everywhere! Eww.
Spend Mother's Day playing games with mom
Don't panic: It's Mother's Day today in North America. We know it crept up on you, overshadowed by more significant holidays like Gears of War 2 Gameplay Footage Day and GTAIV Day Month. Luckily, Susan Arendt over at Game|Life has your back, with a list of excellent gaming gifts for moms of all types (or at least, all gaming types).Does your mom miss those classic card game nights around the kitchen table? Fire up UNO on Xbox Live Arcade. Is she a tad overprotective of her offspring? She might relate to BioShock's Big Daddies (yes, we get the irony). Does she dig cooking and adorably mispronounced English? Then it's Cooking Mama all the way.Of course, for moms who are less than avid gamers, there are also a plethora of excellent casual games out there. Titles like Peggle, Diner Dash, and Puzzle Pirates could prove to be perfect distractions for the mom with a lot on her plate. Happy Mother's Day to all the Joystiq-reading maternal units.
Wonderful apron is better than Mama's
Mama would no doubt agree that everything is better when you make it yourself (or, in the case of her games, simulate making things yourself) -- that's why it's Cooking Mama and not Ordering from a Menu Mama or Warming Up some Lean Cuisines Mama. This Cooking Mama apron from Craftster user crafterbation is proof. She appliquéd a Mama sprite and a text window (just as they appeared in the DS game) onto this apron to create a wearable representation of the Cooking Mama results screen. Contrast the homemade creation with the (also quite nice!) professionally-made aprons Majesco gave away at the launch of the Wii game. We think the home recipe is much more enjoyable!
Majesco's sarcastic letter to Gamespot for bad Cooking Mama review
When Majesco's lifeblood depends on the Cooking Mama franchise, it's pretty easy to see how the company might get defensive when their cash-cow is threatened. Former Gamespot reviewer, Alex Navarro, learned just how defensive the company could get late last year when a Majesco employee sent him an email dripping with so much sarcasm that, if it were ever printed, the acidity of the words would burn through the paper. Navarro shared his email from last December (found after the break) with PassiveAgressiveNotes. Here's a taste from Majesco's corporate Cooking Mama defense force: "With the first Cooking Mama DS reaching 1 million units in Europe and near of 1 million stateside, I began to worry that this might begin to go to our heads. Majesco's parking lot would be flooded with Bentley's, Maybach's and rare hybrid cars that run on pure ego." Can cars run on passive aggressiveness?
Don't tell Majesco you dislike their games
No. We're serious. Because, really, would you want to make Mama mad? Former GameSpot scribe Alex Navarros apparently couldn't care less, because he slapped a six out of ten on Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends back in February, and got a vitriolic letter from publisher Majesco for his troubles.It's a delightfully sarcastic retort, with the author of the letter noting that "With the first Cooking Mama reaching 1 million units in Europe and near of 1 million stateside, I began to worry that this might begin to go to our heads. Majesco's parking lot would be flooded with Bentley's, Maybach's and rare hybrid cars that run on pure ego." Hit the break for the petulant tirade in full.%Gallery-20248%
Cooking Mama still fueling Majesco profits
The new casual approach for Majesco is working wonders for the company, as the latest sales stats pouring in show the company's profits are up. In fact, the company saw a profit of $2.7 million during Q1, doing a total of $18.7 million in sales. The majority of their profit comes courtesy of the Mama herself, as the company reports 77% of their sales came from handheld titles.Jesse Sutton, CEO of Majesco, commented that the company "benefited from a strong domestic sales performance, driven by sales of our Cooking Mama games, which delivered a revenue increase of 47 percent versus the same period last year." Sutton added that Majesco is "focused on expanding the number of titles we publish and strengthening our retail distribution."Majesco also announced that Cooking Mama 8: Mama Bakes in Space is due for a summer 2027 release.
Cooking Mama makes Majesco profits rise
Majesco Entertainment's Q1 sales (period ending Jan. 31, '08) saw $18.7 million in sales and $2.7 million in profit. The publisher's got nobody to thank more than dear sweet Cooking Mama for the cash. The company saw 77% of its sales from handheld titles, like Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends on DS, and made 22% off console sales, with a heavy showing by Wii titles. Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton says the quarter was exceptional and in line with the company's plan to focus on the casual market; he continues that Cooking Mama delivered revenue increases of 47% compared to the same period last year. The company's projections have it staying the course set by this first quarter throughout the year and here's hoping Majesco can find some franchise beyond Cooking Mama and her broken English over the next year.
Brain Training rocked the UK in '07
A list of the top fifty best-selling games in the UK last year has surfaced, and the DS snagged six of the spots, though you may be somewhat surprised by what made it. Of course, considering that there are a lot more regular folks than there are "hardcore gamers" (and even the hardest of the hard like a little break now and again), you may not be that surprised after all.The original brain game, Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training, took the number two spot as the second best-selling title overall, and the sequel, More Brain Training, slid in at number five. Considering that Big Brain Academy turned up at number 37 (along with its console cousin at number 24), there must be a lot of healthy and exercised brains trundling around Dear Old Blighty these days. The other games that turned up were New Super Mario Bros., at number 13, Cooking Mama just above it in twelfth place, and way down near the bottom, Pokémon Diamond turned up at number 44. Perhaps our friends in the UK have already caught them all.
Cooking Mama franchise sells 1.6 million units in US
From its humble beginnings as a simple title on the Nintendo DS, the Cooking Mama franchise has gone on to sell 1.6 million units in the United States. The press release touting the accomplishment is quite awkward in how it plays with the numbers. For example, it says the original Cooking Mama on DS sold 1 million units, which means the two sequels make up the other 600,000, and that's fine --- but it's no coq au vin with white asparagus and a glass of 2004 Ravenswood Cooke Zinfandel. Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton says the success of the franchise is like catching lightning in a bottle. Although the Cooking Mama games obviously cost very little to make, it might be time to generate more lightning. Since the first game did well and subsequent games didn't enjoy the same return, it means Majesco can't feed on Mama's cooking alone.
Iron Chef game listed, then pulled
We always enjoyed Cooking Mama, but always felt that it lacked one of the most important qualities for any video game: Seething machismo. So it makes perfect sense to us that someone would stumble on the idea of creating a cooking game based on Iron Chef America, the second-manliest show on TV (you win this round, Deadliest Catch).The game appears to be on the brink of an announcement, with a listing appearing and disappearing on Gamestop's website for DS and Wii versions of the game, and Siliconera's Spencer Yip indicating that an IC game was being created at Destineer. (Yes, that Destineer). We're already sharpening our knives in anticipation, but we have to ask: To whom do we have to give World's Best Backrub Coupons to get Alton Brown in the game?
Cooking Mama and Madcatz component cable for cheap at Amazon
Amazon has had some odd "Deal of the Day" sales lately, and today's deal (a Wii Madcatz component cable) is no exception. If you're in need of a component cable for your Wii, though, it might be worth getting. While many of you are often hesitant to buy non-Nintendo accessories, the customer reviews for this cable are overwhelmingly positive. Also, at today's deal price of $10, the cable is almost $20 less than the Nintendo brand one.Also of note is that Cooking Mama for the Wii is on sale at Amazon for $30. We know what you're thinking: "Wasn't Cooking Mama always $30?" The answer is no, but it should have been. The game is being sold through Target, however, which means you can't take advantage of Amazon's sweet free shipping. We're also not sure how long this deal will last, so if you're interested, we recommend jumping on it as soon as possible.[Via CAG]Read - Madcatz component cableRead - Cooking Mama: Cook Off (Wii)
Cooking Mama serves up one million in Europe
Mama's been busy in the kitchen, not only cooking up tasty virtual treats, but also fat stacks of cash. 505 Games has announced that the franchise has sold over a million copies, becoming 505 Games' most successful franchise to day. Releasing first for the DS, another entry was later released on the Wii, cementing Mama as one of the region's most marketable mugs. Good for her! Any of our European readers pick up any of her games on the DS or Wii? [Via Games Press]
Taito's terrific trailers (Exit DS, Arkanoid DS, Legend of Kage 2, and Cooking Mama 2)
Much like with yesterday's fantastic Space Invaders Extreme clip, Taito put out new promotional videos for four of its upcoming games -- Exit DS, Arkanoid DS, Legend of Kage 2, and Cooking Mama 2. The three-and-a-half-minute Exit DS trailer above, in particular, is pretty slick, reminiscent of Lucky Number Slevin's opening credits. Despite the touchscreen control issues many brought up when previewing Exit DS at the past TGS event, the action-puzzler looks pretty fun! The rest of the streaming videos are available for you to check out at Dengeki's news page. Make sure to watch the Legend of Kage 2 clip all the way through, as the gameplay bits have been tucked at the end, after all the character art and gusts of cherry blossom petals.
Black Friday online bargains for the Nintendo DS
Stuck at home while every one else is out shopping, reaping the savings of Black Friday deals? Or maybe you just didn't want to deal with the crowds, afraid that you'll end up in a fist fight over the last Gold Nintendo DS Lite bundle? No need to worry -- there are a few sales you can still take advantage of online!Amazon New York Times Crosswords - $9.99 Circuit City Cake Mania - $9.99 Cooking Mama - $9.99 EB Games Konami Classics: Arcade Hits- $9.99 New York Times Crosswords - $9.99 [Via CAG]
