Nintendo Wii Fanboy

If you wanted a dose of Alton Brown on your Wii -- as some of you unashamedly admitted -- then know that today will be the very best Sunday you'll experience all week long. Why? Observe the superior visage above ... the thoughtful pose and noble brow. Yes, dear reader, it is he: Alton Brown. Destineer released character portraits for some of Iron Chef America's key players as part of the promotion for the upcoming Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine, and Alton Brown has his place there, along with three of the chefs.

The excitement doesn't end there, either -- if they've got a portrait in our gallery below, then they'll be fully voiced in the game, so you'll get to hear Brown calling the shots (and hear Mario Batali and others describing their dishes) when the game is released this fall.


[Via press release]

A mysterious new Wii game showed up on the Australian OFLC ratings database, called Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam. It's approximately one yummy yummier than a plain old Yummy Cooking Jam. And ... that's all we know! You don't really get much gameplay information from a rating.

Well, we do know a bit more information. It's developed by Virtual Toys S.L., developer of ... several Imagine series games. And it's being published by Nintendo, which to us is a signal for WiiWare. And, actually, even if it does turn out to be Imagine-style, we wouldn't mind a WiiWare cooking game for five bucks or so as a distraction.

Well, we heard the news not too long ago. Cooking Mama: World Kitchen is getting down to serious business, with updated 3D graphics and sophisticated moton controls. Hooray, huzzah -- too often have we wished the Wiimote to be a spatula for flipping burgers. Why enjoy the sight, smell and taste of cooking real burgers when you can do it without all those sensory annoyances?

Yes, it's always fun to laugh at "life" simulation games (even if this life is a cartoon featuring big-head Mamas and cooking scores). The real truth, though, is that Cooking Mama games are usually pretty fun, and the fresh new gallery shows a pretty decent look at the upcoming Wii installment. Bon appetit!

[Via press release]

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]

A nice side effect of the Wii's expansion of the gaming audience is that people with skills and interests outside of video games have begun applying their expertise to our hobby. In this case, it means good food for once instead of the normal junk that fuels the stereotypical gaming lifestyle.

Chow.com has posted a list of delicious-looking recipes that is, in their estimation, ideal for Wii parties in two ways:

1. It can all be eaten one-handed, leaving a free (or at least clean) waggling hand
2. They're organized into nutritional groups designed to sustain lots of energy over time

We've got the Wii, and now we've got the menu. Next step: friends!

[Via GameSetWatch]

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.

G4's X-Play managed to get some time in with Order Up!, which turned out to be the rumored project of SuperVillain Studios. As you can see in the video above, it has a very charming artistic style and looks to offer the same kind of fun found in other casual titles such as Cooking Mama.

Anyone liking what they see here? Think this is a title that should be avoided?


[Via Go Nintendo]

Destineer has officially announced the Iron Chef game that showed up on Gamestop.com a while back. Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine will be released this summer for Wii and DS, and puts players through "a series fast-paced and intense culinary challenges." Host Mark Dacascos has (obviously) signed on to provide his voice and likeness to the show, and the press release indicates that more of the show's talent will also appear. We're hoping we'll get to virtually humiliate Bobby Flay.

We expect the game to be a more pompous version of Cooking Mama with disgusting ingredients -- which sounds like a good time. Destineer CEO Paul Rinde said that "the ultimate 'secret ingredient' to these games will be family fun." "Family fun," huh? Is that some kind of sea creature?

[Via Joystiq]

A product listing for an Iron Chef game on Wii and DS showed up on GameStop (the listing has since vanished), and Siliconera's Spencer Yip indicated that he is aware of such a game in development at Destineer. Destineer has yet to make any announcements regarding the game, so this remains unconfirmed.

If true, this couldn't be more perfect fit for Nintendo systems, as an overblown, hyperactive counterpart to the mellow Cooking Mama, currently the champion of Nintendo cooking games. Iron Chef is already structured similarly to a fighting game, as well!

Unfortunately, Spencer says that the game will be based on the Iron Chef America show and not the superior original. No matter how many times the show is remade, Chairman Kaga Takeshi (pictured) taking a hearty bite out of a pepper will always be the iconic image of Iron Chef. Maybe we'll be able to unlock the original cast, so that we can lose to the King of Iron Chef, Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai.

It seems likely that the voice of Iron Chef America, Chairman Mark Dacascos, will appear in the game (if the game is real), as he has a history with the medium. In addition to starring in the Double Dragon movie, Dacascos recently voiced a character in John Woo's Stranglehold.

We spent some time playing Cooking Mama: Cook Off this weekend, and generally had fun. We enjoy the varied and novel waggle found throughout the game, and for the most part we find Mama's Engrish endearing and cute.

But we can't figure out what she says when we screw up. We don't even want to color your impressions by guessing. What is she saying? It haunts us like a word-ghost. Please, help us exorcise our haunty word-ghost!

Here's the audio file. Good luck!

We tried everything to convince our parents into driving us to the Cooking Mama: Cook Off launch event at New York City next Saturday -- temper tantrums and crocodile tears -- none of those would move their cruel hearts. We desperately want one of the limited edition aprons that the Nintendo World Store will be giving away as door prizes, and if we have to spend a week pouting with crossed arms at the dinner table to get one, well then that's just what we're going to do.

You might not have to go through the same childish lengths to score some custom kitchen-wear. Video game chef Becky Mueller is hosting a Nintendo-themed cooking contest at N+, offering up her own hand-crafted Cooking Mama apron to the grand prize winner. She spent over 20 hours sewing the fabric together and embroidering the logo until it looked just right. We really have to admire Becky's generosity, donating this labor of love to N+'s readers. It's a lot more than our soulless parents ever did for us...

Head past the post break for a bigger photo of the charming apron and its Cooking Mama logo.

[Via The Tanooki]

We've been waiting for the Iron Chef license to appear on the Nintendo Wii ever since the cooking-friendly controller was revealed, but the culinary game show is still woefully absent from the system's lineup of upcoming titles. Anxious gamers have had to settle for the next best thing -- Cooking Mama: Cook Off.

Playing off the battle system in Cooking Mama where you can compete with rival chefs, 1UP has a creative piece comparing the Wii and DS versions of the game in a Kitchen Stadium contest. Fans of Iron Chef will be happy to see that the dramatization follows the Japanese show's format closely with an introduction by the Chairman and constant chatter from the commentators. Cook Off's multiplayer mode and international menu are emphasized during this console-vs-handheld match-up to see which Mama knows best.

Though Cooking Mama: Cook Off's reviews have been middling at best, seeing the Wii game's strengths laid out like this has definitely renewed our interest. How else are we supposed to act out our epic Ronkonkai Chicken battle against Iron Chef Sakai that we've always envisioned in our minds?

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."

Do y'all agree with any of this? Circle gets the square (kudos if you get the joke)!

Cooking Mama: Cook Off is already out in shops starting this week, but Majesco's official launch event for the Wii game takes place at NYC's Nintendo World Store on March 31st, the Saturday after next. There will be a variety of competitions for gamers to take part in at the store's interactive stations. We hope that doesn't mean they'll actually be cooking anything themselves, as some 13-year-old kid is bound to burn the Pokémon Center down while trying to flambé.

The Nintendo World Store will have limited edition aprons for attendees and copies of the game for contest winners. If that isn't enough to bring you in, there will also be free food! Keeping with Cooking Mama's theme, an on-site chef will be fixing snacks for the party. If you're in the area, this is definitely worth checking out!

Cooking Mama happens to be one of our favorite relatives. She taught us well in Cooking Mama DS and now she is back in the kitchen (no misogynistic undertone intended) for the Wii with Cooking Mama: Cooking With International Friends.

By the sound of it, there could be a ton of dishes to choose from all around the world. That's just us guessing but it would be nice to learn how to properly chop up meat for a big bowl of Zharkoye.

Check out the screens to get a glimpse of this Wii title. We anticipate that it will be similar to the DS version with actions like chopping, stirring, slicing and dicing. An element we are hoping for would be flipping burgers or sauteing vegetables using the Wiimote.