Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop
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| Developer(s) | Cooking Mama Limited |
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| Series | Cooking Mama |
| Platforms | Nintendo DS |
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| Genre(s) | Simulation, minigame |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop, released as Cooking Mama 3 (クッキングママ3 Kukkingu Mama 3?) in Japan and Europe, is the sequel to the Nintendo DS video game Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends and is the third installment to the Cooking Mama series on the Nintendo DS. Developed by 505 Games, Majesco, and Taito, Shop & Chop features 5 different game modes this time around, including two new ones, over 80 different recipes, 200 unique mini-games, four-player multiplayer, and the classic gameplay.
The successor to this game, Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic for the Nintendo 3DS, was released on November 16, 2011.[1]
Gameplay
Following the style of the Cooking Mama series, this game is loosely based on a cooking simulation, though more focused on the mini-games. For those that have never played the series: Recipes are divided into mini-games, the number of which varies by how complex the meal is, and by successfully completing the mini-games, a tasty meal is created. Shop & Chop introduces a different background, different-looking medals, and Cooking Mama actually talks instead of using speech bubbles. Many aspects of the game are now customizable, such as the colors of the pots and pans, to the countertop and background, to even Mama herself. Mama can be dressed up with new outfits, which also include accessories such as bunny ears or even bows. Graphics have also slightly been enhanced, the familiar tasks of dicing, mixing, etc. have been made different so as to add variety, and there is an added feature of importing the vegetables you have grown in Gardening Mama.
This installment includes recipes such as Marshmallow, Candy Apples, Pickles, French Cruller, Korean Barbecue, Baukuchen, Vongole Bianco, Fried Shrimp, Cabbage Rolls, Tepura, Dried Squid, Cheese Risotto Potato Wedges, Sushi and many more. Even more hidden recipes can be unlocked after obtaining the initial 64. You are also able to grow your own ingredients, or buy them in the new grocery store mode, Let's Shop.
Game Modes
Let's Shop
Let's Shop is the biggest feature added to Shop & Chop. This mode features 5 different levels, each of which is progressively harder than the last. Instead of cooking with Mama, you are sent to the grocery store to pick up supplies. You control Ichigo (Mama's daughter[2]) with the stylus in the bottom half of the DS screen and run her around the store to obtain the supplies while racing against the clock. However, running into other customers, such as mothers with babies or store employees, causes you to play mini-games that also count against the clock. The mini-games are generated at random and also no instructions are given. If you fail to win the mini-game, Ichigo loses a heart and after she loses three, you go home. By successfully completing the shopping trip, you are awarded items to customize the kitchen or outfits/accessories to dress up Mama.
Reception
Also following the trend of the previous games, Cooking Mama 3 was rated a 7.0 out of 10.0 by IGN. The review states that although the new game mode "Let's shop" is a refreshing addition, it is much too short to improve the game completely. However, the game does cater to both the old and young, and experienced and casual gamers. "If you’re a Cooking Mama veteran, you might find the formula tiring by now. But if you’ve never experienced it before, this will provide hours of effortless, home cooked fun."[3]
Shop & Chop was given a similar score by 1UP.com, who gave it a B-. 1UP's review states that although the game does feature the casual gameplay as the previous games in the series, it still contains many of the problems in the previous installment. But in addition, it has been made easier to achieve 100% on all dishes. "For example when sifting flour it's a little too easy to flip the sifter up into the air on accident. While in previous games that would make you fail immediately, now you can blow into the DS' microphone to clear the air of flour and start sifting again without tarnishing your score."[4]
