Cooking Mama offers an introduction to the world of culinary arts, wherein players will learn to make a variety of dishes, ranging from basic pizza to a complex steak dinner. Players will learn to safely chop fruits and vegetables, cook and prepare meats and seafood, and create new and unusual food combinations. Each minigame offers a new challenge, such as frying, flipping, and arranging food appropriately. A dish may be completed in one minigame, or as many as a dozen, with the player’s performance evaluated upon each dish completion.
Though this game has been criticized for its lack of depth and storyline, its simplistic interface and easy to grasp controls make it ideal for the beginner or casual gamer, which is why it made it onto this list. Video gaming often conjures up images of frenzied game play, which may be intimidating and unwelcomed by beginners. Cooking Mama offers an engaging and fun, yet simple interface, allowing for a wonderful introduction to the world of video gaming. This game utilizes all of the DS features, engaging the player through the use of the stylus and dual screens. Additionally, the visual elements of the game closely approximate anime design, which is quite popular with children within this age group.
Although this game has educational elements, namely it teaches players to prepare food, the primary value in this game lies in its ability to act as a gateway to the gaming world. As aforementioned, it is ideal for beginners or casual gamers, and may facilitate the transition of these children into ‘gamers’.
No comments:
Post a Comment