Cooking Mama 3 (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

If you've been with the DS for some time now you'll be well aware of how it's changed how we interface with games, indeed a large number of games don't even use the traditional buttons and D-pad anymore. Most of these come under the mini-games category and, for years now, developers have been dreaming up new and varied ways of using the stylus and microphone to make gaming a little more varied. Few have managed to fully integrate the gameplay but a few years ago the original Cooking Mama burst onto the scene and changed all that, much to 505 Games' delight. The gameplay is simple enough; mixing and combining ingredients, to make full dishes, has inspired a new age of 'digital chefs' but if you've already shelled out for the first two, is there anything in this third outing for you?

Gameplay

Cooking Mama 3 allows you to select from five different modes although as there's little difference between them most gamers will want to jump right into the cooking section. If you are new to this type of thing though then the Cooking with Mama is probably worth a look as it's here you'll be able to train yourself up on the various preparation and cooking methods with Mama at your side. Let's Cook is probably closer to a Career Mode and this allows you to work through the 80 or so recipes whilst attempting to impress your friends. A word of warning though: this is far less forgiving than the Cooking with Mama section and getting anything wrong means restarting the whole thing. Success, on the other hand, leads to unlockable bonuses and while most of these are simply items to change the appearance of the game or put in your diary, they are still fun to collect.

The big new addition to this package is Let's Shop, a completely different type of game to the main event, where you are challenged to collect a variety of ingredients from a local supermarket. This is viewed from above with the aim of the game being to fulfill the shopping list whilst avoiding other shoppers. It's simple stuff really and unlike the cooking, you are likely to tire of this very quickly especially with only four separate challenges. Representing the Multiplayer side of things is the Cooking Contest but try as we might we couldn't get this to work so whether it's actually fun or not is anyone's guess. We did manage to beam a demo copy to a friend's DS but Multiplayer: No Way!

Controls

You could play this game without the aid of the touch-screen (in theory anyway) but why would you?

Graphics

The visuals haven't altered an awful lot since the first outing but that's no bad thing really and the whole package delivers on its old school charm whilst also appealing to a modern audience.

Sound

The music isn't too bad at all and while you won't be humming it for the rest of the day, you won't be turning down the volume instantly either. The developers have also included a few samples of Mama herself giving instructions, but although her voice is incredibly charming, hearing 'Even Better than Mama' for the tenth or twentieth time can get a little irritating.

Dual screen

If you've played any of the others in the Cooking Mama series then you'll know what to expect. If not, then imagine preparing a meal only in a virtual setting. This involves following the on-screen instructions, doing just about everything a normal chef would do from chopping to stirring, whilst also keeping an eye on all of your ingredients so they don't burn or spoil (a gentle blow into the microphone is usually a big help). As before, this is the game's real strength and it's the ingenious manner in which the developers get gamers involved in the art of cooking that is at the heart of the game's universal appeal. It's simple and intuitive too so, even for younger gamers, it's difficult to get lost or frustrated.

Final comments

If you enjoyed the previous Cooking Mama games than this is simply more of the same with the Shopping section adding little to the overall value of the package. Still, if you're following the 'if it isn't broke...' line of thinking then the developers have put out something they know fans will enjoy and if you do happen to be one of those gamers who hasn't sampled the delights of 'digital cooking' then now would be a great time to jump in.

Pro: Still has the great gameplay which made the original such a hit.
Con: Nothing Really New, Awful Multiplayer
Final score: 7

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