Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
Developer(s)	Cooking Mama Limited
Publisher(s)	Taito (JP) Majesco (US) 505 Games (EU)
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Release date(s)	NA November 13, 2007 JP November 15, 2007 EU February 15, 2008
Genre(s)	Simulation, Mini-Games
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E

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

Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends (or simply Cooking Mama 2 in the UK) 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]

[edit] Gameplay

As in the original Cooking Mama, players in 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 bagels, churros, crepes, sliced burdock root, bananas Foster, apple pie, pizza, escargot, pancakes, waffles, meatloaf, ice cream, chili dogs, corn soup, kimchi, macaroons and more.

[edit] 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 major mistake. 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.

[edit] Reception

Continuing in the same vein as previous titles in the series, reviews appear to indicate that Cooking Mama 2 is still entertaining but does relatively little to move beyond existing gameplay elements. Awarding the title a 7.0 out of 10, the IGN review noted that the title was extremely similar to the previous offering, stating that "Cooking Mama 2 is just as fun as the previous game. In fact, it pretty much is the previous game."^[2] The GameSpot review echoed this, noting that the graphics were re-used and that "It's more Cooking Mama for people who just want more Cooking Mama". As a result, GameSpot rated the title a 6.0 out of 10 ("Fair").^[3]

As of March 2008, Cooking Mama 2 has a review average of 70% at Game Rankings^[4], making it the best received game in the series to date.

[edit] 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. BAFTA Children's Kids Vote 2008 nominees

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends Official Majesco Website
• Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends Official Japanese Website
• Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends reviews at Metacritic