Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends

Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
Developer(s)	Cooking Mama Limited
Publisher(s)	‹See Tfd› JP: Taito NA: Majesco PAL: 505 Games
Series	Cooking Mama
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Release date(s)	‹See Tfd› NA: November 13, 2007 ‹See Tfd› JP: November 15, 2007 EU: February 15, 2008 AUS: February 21, 2008
Genre(s)	Simulation, Mini-Games
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer

A screen capture of Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends, where a player is cutting corn and Mama is dressed up to cheer for the player.

Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, released as Cooking Mama 2 (クッキングママ 2, Kukkingu Mama 2) in Japan, is the sequel to the Nintendo DS video game Cooking Mama and its Wii successor, Cooking Mama: Cook Off. The game has twice as many minigames as the original, all new recipes, and a new multiplayer "Cook Off" mode. The game also includes voice clips similar to the ones used in Cooking Mama: Cook Off, although not as commonly used. Dinner with Friends is the second Cooking Mama game to include desserts, the first being Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Wii.

The successor to this game, Cooking Mama: World Kitchen for the Wii, was released on November 18, 2008.^[1]

Gameplays

As in the original The Cooking Mama, players in The Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, prepare various culinary dishes using the Nintendo DS's touch screen. Following the on-screen instructions of the titular "Mama", the player uses the stylus to perform various activities such as chopping vegetables or mixing ingredients. Each of these tasks is performed by completing a short minigame, with a number of minigames strung together to form an entire dish from a catalog of 80 different recipes.

After completing a dish, the player's cooking performance is evaluated and given a numerical score (out of 100) along with a corresponding medal. Failing to accomplish a step in Let's Cook mode or getting a "fail" within steps (in various ranges), the player will receive a "Broken Silver" medal, in which the medal is similar to that of the Silver medal with an addition: a crack. Unlike in previous Cooking Mama titles, bonuses earned during minigames do not influence the overall score, but instead accumulate as "bonus stars". For every 5 such bonuses which are earned, the player earns an unlockable item upon completion of the recipe.

Recipes include baguettes, T-bone steak, california roll, ravioli, churros, crepes,sliced burdock root, bananas foster, apple pie, pizza, escargot, pancakes, waffles, meatloaf, ice cream, chili dogs, corn soup, kimchi, macaroon, scones, popcorn, peanut butter, Sea Bream Carpaccio, Eel rice bowl, Squid fried rice and more.

Other modes

In the (marginally) more advanced Let's Cook! mode, the player is tasked with preparing a recipe without instructions between steps and without making a mistake that could ruin the fun of the game. This is done ostensibly at the request of Mama or one of 9 different "friends", who "taste" the dish and provide feedback such as "It's Delicious!" If the recipe is completed without failing any individual step. Assuming the dish is edible, the player may then be rewarded with an unlockable item or introduced to a new friend who was not previously available. If the player fails to complete a step, or makes a serious blunder, such as dropping an entire egg (excluding the shell) while separating the yolk, or spilling the ingredients while mixing with a whisk, the "friend" ordering the recipe declares the dish inedible, and as done in the "Cook with Mama" mode, a "Broken Silver" medal is awarded instead.

Lastly, in the Cooking Contest mode, Cooking Mama 2 supports wireless multiplayer, with up to 4 players able to play using a single copy of the game (leveraging the DS "Download Play" feature). During such a contest, players compete in individual minigames without actually working towards completion of dishes.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 70/100[2] Review scores Publication Score Eurogamer 6/10[3] Famitsu 28/40[4] GameSpot 6/10[5] GameSpy [6] IGN 7/10[7] Nintendo Power 7/10[8]

The game received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.^[2] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one eight, one five, one eight, and one seven, for a total of 28 out of 40.^[4]

Awards

In their "Best of 2007" Awards, 1UP.com editors awarded Cooking Mama 2 "Best Console Casual Game".

In 2008 Cooking Mama 2 was nominated for BAFTA Children's Kids Vote Award, but lost to Hannah Montana.^[9]

References

External links

• Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends at MobyGames
• Official Japanese website
• English game audio samples at AudioAtrocities.com