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Hands-on: Cooking Mama 3 (DS)
When we arrived at Majesco's booth, it was little surprise that the rep wanted to show us Cooking Mamm 3 first. It's a franchise that literally saved Majesco from bankruptcy, and it's no wonder why the company is so proud of it. So, with one new recipe to try, we dove right in.
Impressions: a boy and his blob (Wii)
WayForward's a boy and his blob is at the same time an excellent recreation of the original game and an experience all its own. Much like the original game, our titular boy feeds his pet blob many varieties of jelly beans, however a new art style and host of new blob forms give this game a feel all its own. If there were any doubts regarding this title as both a conduit to relive the plesant days of the original's release, while simultaneously offering a fresh, new take on the game, then let them be squashed now. %Gallery-46747%
Wonderful! 505 Games announces Cooking Mama 3 for DS
We may have known it was coming, but now we have a nice, official press release announcing Cooking Mama 3 for DS. 505 Games said that it will release the latest in Cooking Mama Ltd.'s surprisingly popular culinary minigame series "in time for Christmas." The new game will feature "over 80 recipes, 200 mini-games, four player multiplayer," and "two totally new game modes." "What Dish Can You Make" mode lets you and Mama create a new recipe from two recipes you choose. "Let's Go Shopping" gives you a shopping list to buy, with confusing signs and irritating store employees trying to hinder you! Majesco hasn't officially announced a US release date for Cooking Mama 3, but we expect a fall or holiday release here as well. It's basically Majesco's biggest title of the year!
Flip's Twisted World: Majesco's new platformer has a twist
Majesco just announced a new Wii platformer that seems to be inspired by the strange landscapes of Super Mario Galaxy, with a few added tricks. The gimmick behind Flip's Twisted World is that the environment can be rotated 90 degrees in any direction with a motion of the Wii Remote. Flip, an apprentice of "Master Fulcrum," accidentally gets transported into a "cubed" universe, containing five worlds full of screen-rotating puzzles. Magical tools found throughout the adventure give Flip new abilities, and side quests unlock new costumes and other bonus items.Flip's Twisted World (with the excellent abbreviated title "FTW") may have an overly childish aesthetic, but that screen-flipping mechanic is pretty enticing. Majesco is planning to release the title in January.
Majesco looking up to My Hero this fall for DS
Going casual has paid dividends for Majesco, and the company has announced yet another line of family-friendly titles coming to the Nintendo DS. Collectively called My Hero, Majesco calls the new sim franchise "aspirational," allowing players to pretend to be an astronaut or firefighter without the real-world worry of being burned alive or suffocating in the vacuum of space.So far three My Hero games have been announced, with My Hero: Astronaut and My Hero: Firefighter set to ship in August. A third title, My Hero: Doctor, will follow in December, offering the perfect gift for the burned out rock star looking for a new gig on your holiday shopping list.
Majesco whipping up two more Jillian Michaels fitness games
Apparently, Mrs. Michaels' last Ultimatum wasn't ultimate enough -- a recent Majesco press release dropped an announcement that the Biggest Loser star would be featured in two new games this year: Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2010 and Jillian Michaels' Pocket Trainer 2010. Man, we don't want to be rude or anything, but this couldn't have come at a better time. Our pockets have seriously let themselves go.Both games are set to drop this fall, and will likely each be purchased 500,000 times.
Cooking Mama recipe yields 4 million portions
Majesco certainly seems to have cause to party -- other than demonstrating Cooking Mama 3, that's the actual point of its E3 Cooking Mama celebration. The company announced that the five games in the Cooking Mama franchise (not counting the iPhone port) have collectively sold over four million units in North America."We will continue to explore ways to expand the Mama brand with innovative and compelling products that offer new entertainment experiences," Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton said in a press release. Some of those new experiences may include babysitting and crafting!Majesco also announced another milestone that may be of more practical importance: with a $20 price drop on Cooking Mama: World Kitchen, every Mama game is now available in the US for $29.99 or less.
Majesco serving Cooking Mama 3 to E3 attendees
Majesco just sent out a very cute invitation to a Cooking Mama-themed party to be held during E3. Listed among the activities planned for the party: a chance to play Cooking Mama 3. What a nice way to announce a new game! The last "numbered" Cooking Mama was Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends on DS, so it seems likely that this latest iteration will be on the DS as well. It is very little surprise that Majesco and developer Cooking Mama Ltd. are planning another game. Cooking Mama is the cornerstone of Majesco's business, and we'd expect at least a couple of the "approximately 31 titles" the company plans to release (according to its financial report) to be Mama games. Probably more than a couple -- in addition to the newly announced 3, trademarks suggest both Babysitting Mama and Crafting Mama are on the way.
Cooking Mama creator trademarks 'Babysitting Mama'
Siliconera noticed a trademark for a game called Babysitting Mama in the US Trademark Database. The last time we saw a trademark for a Mama game, it was for Pet Shop Mama, which was just a possible rebranding of what was released as My Pet Shop. This new trademark, however, was registered by Cooking Mama Ltd., the company that develops the Mama games for Square Enix and Majesco. That strongly suggests that this trademark is intended for a new game. So Mama is babysitting now? The fast-paced, task-oriented minigame format transferred pretty well from cooking to gardening, but will it be fun when you're taking care of some kids? And just how mad is Mama going to get when she has to come in and fix your botched diaper change?
Majesco cooks up compliance with Nasdaq
Majesco has regained compliance with the Nasdaq stock exchange after completing a stint of ten consecutive days with a stock price of over $1. When asked for comment, Cooking Mama exclaimed, "RONDERFUL!"The publisher is known for Cooking Mama and ... um. Anyway, last August, Majesco was informed it had 180 days to get its stock back in compliance with Nasdaq rules or face delisting. Optimistically, buying the stock now at its bargain price would be fantastic if Majesco can find another franchise (A Boy and his Blob?) worth its salt and pepper.[Via GoNintendo, GamerInvestments]
Joystiq interview: Majesco, WayForward spill the jelly beans on A Boy and His Blob
Every child wants a pet, be it a dog, cat, goldfish, or in the case of industry luminary David Crane's 1989 slice of Americana, A Boy an His Blob, a space alien with a hankering for sweets. Unlike E.T., however, Crane's extra terrestrial's fixation wasn't Reese's Pieces, but jelly beans of nearly every flavor imaginable, both delicious and gross. Not even Jelly Belly has a ketchup flavor in its confectionery arsenal, not that that's any reason to boast. Now twenty years on A Boy and His Blob is set to make its return. We recently caught up with Majesco exec Joe Sutton as well as WayForward director Sean Velasco -- and managed to even talk producer Robb Alvey down off a roller coaster to join the conversation -- to discover just what flavor of adventure we can expect out of the jelly bean-munching amoeba's hop onto the Wii. %Gallery-46747%
Cooking Mama developer trademarks 'Crafting Mama'
The surprisingly popular Cooking Mama series branches out this month with Gardening Mama, and it seems developer Cooking Mama Ltd. has more planned. The company just trademarked Crafting Mama for use with almost anything game-related.This trademark doesn't guarantee a new game, but certainly suggests that one is in the works. Cooking Mama Ltd. will seemingly not be satisfied until every domestic activity is playable as a stylus (or remote, or finger) controlled minigame under the watchful eye of a friendly virtual Japanese lady. We're on board -- right up until Giving the Cat a Bath Mama.[Via Kotaku]
Majesco revenues shoot up 75% (Thanks, Cooking Mama & Jillian Michaels!)
Just like fellow small-time publisher SouthPeak, Majesco is raking in some serious moolah. The company is reporting that net revenues for its first fiscal quarter (ending January 31, 2009) are at $32.8 million, a 75.8% increase over the same period last year. Also, net income increased 54% to $4.2 million. The massive cash influx is all due to strong sales numbers in Majesco's casual games line. Cooking Mama, and Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009 are counted as the breadwinning titles, as the latter has sold over 500,000 copies. Yes, half a million ... you can pick your jaw off the floor now. Who said third-parties can't be successful on Nintendo platforms?
Marker Man Adventures draws near
It's been a long time since we heard anything about Glyphic Entertainment's DS platformer Marker Man Adventures, which combines character action with Crayon Physics (or more appropriately, Pocket Physics)-like environmental interaction, in the form of drawing shapes on the screen that turn into platforms.Since we last saw it, the Majesco-published Marker Man has undergone a bit of a makeover, with a colorful upper-screen display (featuring a nonchalant sun watching a line-art dog peeing, for some reason). It's still (intentionally) sparse on the bottom, of course. Marker Man has also been granted a new release date: June 2009. We're kind of suckers for DS platformers about drawing, so we're interested in seeing more of this one.%Gallery-47420%
Come look at Go Play City Sports
These screens of Majesco's Go Play City Sports, part of the series that also includes Go Play Lumberjacks, provide an unintentionally hilarious counterpoint to all the news related to the "Change4Life" ad campaign. That print ad decries gaming as a harmfully sedentary activity; this game simulates going outside and playing.Of course, Go Play City Sports isn't just a "sit on the couch" experience: the collection, which includes stickball, kickball, handball, jump rope, shootout soccer, and rooftop hockey, supports the Balance Board, in addition to the usual frantic hand-waving. Four players will be able to pretend to go out into the street this fall.%Gallery-47304%
Video: A Boy and His Blob in action
Another gush of a boy and his blob assets has been released, this time in the form of gameplay footage. After serving up a few screenshots that had us swooning for more, two direct-feed videos are available from IGN. If the style and polish of the screenshots blew your top off, tape down a shirt and check out this impressive (and beautiful) gameplay footage. You can check out a boy (and his blob) navigating through the world -- using tactics we still recall from our childhood -- after the break. [via NintendoEverything] %Gallery-46747%
A Boy and His Blob: surprisingly sharp graphics for an amorphous character
We knew from the Nintendo Power preview that WayForward's new version of A Boy and His Blob (officially called a boy and his blob -- lower case -- for some reason) was pretty. But after looking at these direct-feed shots in full resolution, we are upgrading our estimation from "pretty" to "an absolute dream." Nobody can say anything bad about the Wii's graphical capabilities ever again. Well, they can and will, but they will be even more wrong than before. This game looks amazing. Even more screens at IGN show that a boy and his blob will feature widescreen capabilities. We'd be quite thrilled with the new game even in ugly polygons, though of course we prefer these incredibly beautiful sprites! %Gallery-46747%
A Boy and His Blob detailed in latest Nintendo Power
Remember earlier today when we revealed the first image of A Boy and His Blob from Nintendo Power's exclusive story? Well, we lied a little bit when we said that the pixelated image you saw then wasn't going to be revealed until March 5. No folks, we got the full details (well, the first full page of details at least) early from our good buddies at Nintendo Power, and are happy to report that A Boy and His Blob looks to recreate all the enjoyment you had with the original. Jellybean-related gameplay and the game's story are back for a second run in the Majesco-published, WayForward-developed Wii game and it's set to hit retailers this Fall, according to the NP piece. WayForward, known for recent WiiWare horror/puzzler LIT and technologically impressive Shantae for Game Boy Color, will be hand-drawing all the (yes, 2D) visuals. It's also adding to the original's defensive and puzzle-solving jellybeanery with beans that turn your blob into various offensive items (some examples given are anvil dropping and ground removing). If you want more details (and an interview with the game's director) you'll just have to wait until you get your grubby little mitts on the April issue of Nintendo Power.
Enjoy some sunshine with Gardening Mama
Majesco has to make sure it keeps the Cooking Mama voice actress on its payroll. She is basically magical. We love the Cooking Mama games enough to be interested in Gardening Mama anyway, but Mama's encouraging, heavily-accented narration makes us really want to do some fake gardening in the "first gardening game on DS" (which must mean that Majesco doesn't count farming as gardening)! How great would it feel to be told you're "even better than Mama" at pouring water into the ground? Pretty great. We never get such an enthusiastic "Bravo!" when we spray stuff on plants. We could use more of that kind of feedback in our lives. %Gallery-35422%
Wood you look at that: Go Play Lumberjacks screens
click for Paul Bunyan size We first saw that Majesco was prepping a lumberjack party game for Wii late last week. Today we get a look at it: ninjas, knights, pirates and all. (Well, there is one actual lumberjack on the roster, plus you can unlock your own Mii.)Perhaps more aptly titled, Go Play as Another Character as a Lumberjack, the game will feature 15 competitive games, supporting up to four human players -- which is handy if you have an axe to grind with someone. Oh, and those characters? How do you like the sound of Axl, the '80s rocker? Sounds like the result of months of focus-testing to us. Go Play Lumberjacks will release in May -- just in time for slash and burn season!%Gallery-45356%
