Video game number two hundred and forty two: Cooking Mama: World Kitchen

Video game review number two hundred and forty two in my 365 Games in 365 Days project is "Cooking Mama: World Kitchen"

Here it is, the third and final cooking game that I rented for the Wii this week. After playing the DS version on an airplane last month, I was pretty excited to try this out. After all, the DS version of this game is the one that inspired me to go on a cooking game spree with Gamefly, renting anything for the Wii that had "cooking" in the title.

Imagine my surprise when this one, the one I saved for last, turned out to be my least favorite of the three cooking games.

First of all, using the Wiimote is nowhere NEAR as fun as using the stylus was. Yes, the game is still endearing, with the "Cooking Mama" voiceover (she has a heavy Japanese accent and gives you kitchen tips). The graphics are still cute, the mini-games are still there...but the damn thing is just a pain in the ass to control, ESPECIALLY after I've now played two other games that both did it better.

I just got done playing the Food Network game, and going from that to this is like driving on asphalt and then suddenly driving on snow. You know how driving should feel, and how your car should react, but it's a whole different world.

That's what "Cooking" feels like in the Cooking Mama game. I tried a couple of recipes, but they just weren't as fun, and I'm sorry...but Mama certainly doesn't help you figure things out. She sort of mocks you as you fail....

Each mini-game you encounter shows you some generic motions you're supposed to make with the Wiimote, but it's not as intuitive as it was in the other games. Cook or Be Cooked shows you (what looks like) real food, and has you do things you might do in the real world while cooking. Cooking Mama is a more exaggerated, cartoonish version of cooking. In fact, it's what Dance Dance Revolution is to dancing, except...it's not fun.

I still love you, Cooking Mama...but only on the DS. On the Wii? You suck.

Overall Score? 3/10. I really hated this game. Maybe it's because I played two other cooking games first, but I think it might be because it actually sucks out loud. If you want to try playing a video game where you pretend to cook things, try "Cook or be Cooked" instead.