Between the bookends of Sonic and the Secret Rings and Super Paper Mario, there lies a game of quirk. Cooking Mama: Cook-Off , the successor to the DS sleeper-hit, has arrived at your Wii's doorstep and desperately wants to entertain you. But should you give it the time of day? Let's take a look:
- IGN (58 / 100) thinks the controls were far from spot on: "What really suffers in the game, however, are the actual cooking actions. Previously the core appeal to the game on DS, the moves needed to perform Wii cooking are a bit less defined."
- GamePro (65 / 100) feels as though the game has its moments, though: "At its best, Cook Off is an inherently fun experience; you'll probably invite your friends over, shove a Remote in their hands and say "You have to try this game." Unfortunately, for all its charm, the game is deeply flawed, and you can't help but wonder if it wasn't best served as an appetizer on the DS rather than as a main course on the Wii."
- GameBrink (63 / 100) is happy they at least added some multiplayer: "You each complete the same steps at the same time after which Hitler Mama gets pissed off and grades you. It's essentially the same thing as the normal mode but with a split screen and a score to beat. It will definitely keep those who like the game playing for many days to come."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-22-2007 @ 10:18AM
hvnlysoldr said...
Maybe next time they can add a free-style mode where you pick the ingredients and create a mess? Doesn't look like it made the transition that Trauma Center: Second Opinion had.
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3-22-2007 @ 11:16AM
Steve said...
I agree that the controls are totally screwed up in this game. We tried gentle, small motions with the remote, and then we tried shaking and throwing it across the room, and neither worked - Not as responsive as most of the other Wii games. Plus Mama's voice is totally annoying. Stick to the DS version.
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3-22-2007 @ 1:16PM
Jackson Pritt said...
I originally thought that, like its $19.95 DS counterpart, this was going to be a discount game priced somewhere around $35-$40. When I found out it was a full-priced $49.99 I decided to wait until I read some reviews, and I'm glad I did.
NOTHING makes me angrier than shoddy controls in a game. I can handle bad graphic, bad writing, bad lots of things, but bad controls are enough to make me immediately hate a game.
I'll be buying this for the DS and skipping the Wii version.
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3-22-2007 @ 1:22PM
dukemeiser said...
"Between the bookends of Sonic and the Secret Rings and Super Paper Mario, there lies a game of quirk."
You say that as if Sonic was a good game. Although if you are referencing games with poor controls, Sonic was an excellent choice.
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3-22-2007 @ 5:54PM
raycosm said...
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3158166
I just found that entertaining.
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3-22-2007 @ 6:37PM
Raycer said...
I have no problem controlling it but my wife does, (ironic). People seem to try too big of gestures when playing wii games (fault of the TV commercials if you ask me) and it causes problems to some.
Overall, it's a cute game; entertaining and better than spending $50 on most other wii games available
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3-22-2007 @ 6:39PM
Matters said...
That sucks .. Another half ass port of a game I was looking forward too :(
I wonder when developers will start taking the Wii seriously. It's not the dumping grounds for your crap.
The system is far more capable than people are willing to give it credit for. If the pathetically weak PS2 can handle awesome games like God of War 2 and the GameCube could handle awesome games like RE4 why the hell do they keep giving us crap?
Not saying this game sucks because of graphics or any other reasons though. I was just kind of hoping for more with this one. I'll probably pick it up anyway. Graphics aren't a big deal to me in games like this.
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3-22-2007 @ 10:18PM
hvnlysoldr said...
1up's review is funny.
@Matters The PS2 had even worse ports and shovelware. But it did have the largest library! It isn't easy for them to develop for Wii since they really didn't bother for the GC and that was stronger than the PS2 and Wii is still stronger.
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4-02-2007 @ 5:02AM
jon said...
ive almost beaten this game, and ive never played the ds one. i think it is probably one of the best and most fun wii games out right now. i love it. i just wish there was more to do! eventually all the recipes are based off the same 5 steps with a few things added or taken away
but id still give it an 8/10. ive had so much fun with it
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6-11-2007 @ 3:00PM
Annie Pie said...
Check it out though. Mama's recipes ain't too shabby, as evidenced by Paula's trial of her potato salad recipe over at Inkling.
Anyone else have any success at trying her recipes for real??
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6-11-2007 @ 3:02PM
Annie Pie said...
Woops. Here's the link to her Cook-off with Cooking Mama vs. a Japanese cookbook recipe: http://www.inklingmagazine.com/articles/how-nintendo-dss-cooking-mama-taught-me-to-slice-and-dice/
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7-06-2007 @ 9:01AM
Wii Mom said...
We've been enjoying this game in single player mode. However, it does have issues.
I can't get the game to recognize my second Wii-mote! We'd love to be battling, but can't. We've put in fresh batteries and tried resetting the system/remotes. We've hit the 1 & 2 buttons, we've pressed A. The second Wii-mote works just fine with Wii Sports. Just don't know what's up. (Any help would be appreciated. Are we missing something simple to do?)
We've also encountered some issues with certain mini-games. Ex: We have no problems cutting/sawing slab bacon, yet have a lot of trouble moving the pan back and forth to pop popcorn. (Same motion.)
I suggest renting this one before you buy. See if you miss it after it's been returned to the store or if you're relieved you didn't spend the money to buy it. It's hard when a large portion of the game is fun and works and a small portion is frustrating. Don't dismiss it all together. Regardless of issues, we're still having fun exploring this game.
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