Luckily, you can practice each dish and
its individual stages as many times as you like with Mama as your guide so
when the time comes, it's not as intimidating. The sequences of the
mini-games is fairly predictable for each dish, so this is more a task of
memorization and anticipating what you need to do next. Cooking Mama 2 is
fairly simple in its execution and each dish is created by going through a
variety of smaller tasks or mini-games. These are presented as either
stand-alone mini-games or as sections of a much larger dish for you to
complete. For example, you have to cut up a carrot or peel a potato by
moving the stylus around, and complete this task before the timer runs
out. There are a pile of ingredients this time around which makes each
dish less predictable and more challenging. This process seems simple on
paper, but things can get quite manic, especially when you have more
complicated dishes that take more steps to complete. After each task is
completed, players are ranked and earn a medal depending on how they
performed. The better you are at each stage of ingredients, the higher
your score, which makes the overall dish taste better.
After you have completed their
mini-games and finish each dish component, you have to move onto the next
step, such as stirring up a gravy or broth, then go and pour the items
into a bowl and mix them together. Once you have completed all the tasks
for a certain dish, the completed dish is then graded, and a successful
completion can then be used to unlock additional dishes. In addition, you
can unlock other extras such as ingredients, and more outfits and designs
for Cooking Mama's kitchen. The game's simple flair and easy to understand
controls use the stylus controls intuitively, with your actions such as
cutting, mixing, pouring, slicing, and oven operation closely mirroring
what you'd do in real life. If you find yourself lost, the game also
includes helpful text prompts and onscreen guides with tell you which
direction you need to push the stylus pen. While most of the tasks are
relatively simple, your biggest challenge is completing them quickly which
requires some relatively frantic rubbing and pushing on the touchscreen to
complete in time. The mini-games can be surprisingly challenging and
you'll need to be consistent in order to succeed. However, the simple
presentation and brightly colored graphics makes Cooking Mama 2 enjoyable
in either short bursts or longer play sessions. This approach makes for an
accessible game that players of all abilities should be able to enjoy
without much effort.
The main game hasn't changed materially
in the new game, but Cooking Mama 2 includes several new modes of play
that add to its replay value significantly. The first of these is the new
cooking challenge mode, where you have to cook independently without any
assistance. Here, you are judged by a panel of your friends and have to
please their taste buds for each dish in order to continue. Its not as
easy as it seems since you need to do well in virtually all the
ingredients in order for your dish to pass the final inspection. This
sequel also lets you share the game and play co-operatively with up to
three friends in the new Cooking Contest mode, which adds some multiplayer
fun to the action, the best part of comes with the fact that you only need
a single game card to share. Finally, there's the new Change Design mode
where you can use unlocked items to change the appearance of your kitchen
from colors to pictures on the wall to Mama's outfit. There are loads of
unlockable secrets and items in the game, so you'll definitely find a lot
of extra content in the new game as well. Despite all these additions and
changes, the core gameplay remains as appealing and addicting as it ever
has, making for an exciting and fun game that should appeal to many
gamers. It's quirky personality is evident in its very Japanese design,
which doesn't appear to have been watered down for Western audiences and
its this odd-ball integrity that plays another key role in its appeal.
Cooking Mama is very much like the original game, and its expanded
selection of mini-games makes for an enjoyable and sometimes challenging
title. Even though playing Cooking Mama 2 won't turn you into a master
chef, it's still an enjoyable and entertaining diversion with a quirky
personality that will probably win over just as many players as the
original game.
- Michael Palisano
