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Cooking Mama: Cook Off
My kids favorite DS game is Cooking Mama, so we bought this one the first time we saw it. This game is pretty much the same, using the Wii remote instead of the stylus, with some new options and lots more recipes. The kids have played it everyday and they love it...BUT.... as others have mentioned, the controls are not sensitive enough and some of the motions (especially stirring!)don't work like you want them too. It can be very frustrating.
Still one of the favorite Wii games in the house!
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Cooking Mama: Cook Off
Sizzling off the Nintendo DS burner, Mama is back for second helpings with Cooking Mama: Cook-Off for the Wii. What can easily be called an import-with-modification, this kitchen simulation emulates the DS version almost identically and although several key distinctions can be made between the two titles, it's a safe wager that if you enjoyed the portable Mama, you'll love her just the same when grounded to Nintendo's new console.
The premise of the game is ridiculously simple which no doubt enhances the title's adorable flair as well as minimizes its already insignificant learning curve. Mama (a ridiculously excitable Japanese woman) has once again decided to open her cheery country-style kitchen to gamers who, under her unblinking supervision, will cook, slice, and dice their way through fifty-five international entrees and desserts.
Each of the missions is further deconstructed into several objectives, all of which can be successfully completed through simple motion-driven minigames. Say, for instance, a gamer chooses to melt and mold chocolate truffles. After confirming his or her selection, a screen will appear detailing the numerous step-by-step activities one must perform in order to properly prepare the cocoa-crunchies. Once briefed, the first minigame will begin with a simple 3-2-1 on-screen countdown. An unwrapped chocolate bar appears on a digital cutting board and the gamer is instructed to flick the Wiimote up and down rapidly to dice the dessert. Once chopped, the chocolate must then be boiled, an activity which requires the gamer to monitor oven settings and be vigilant against charring the mixture. After each minigame, a results screen appears, chronicling one's numerous successes or failures. From this evidence Mama renders her verdict which is relayed through a series of annoying, mispronounced Engrish phrases (`Better than Mama!,' `No Good!,' `That's Okay. Keep Going!'). Upon accepting her analysis, the instructions screen reappears and another minigame launches.
The title features three primary `game modes' - `Let's Cook,' `Friends and Food of the World,' and `Friends and Food.' In highlighting the first option, Mama's recipe book bursts open, thereby enabling the gamer to access a myriad of single-player entrée-selections, all of which can be independently prepared. `Friends and Food of the World' offers a competitive user-versus-computer challenge during which an exotic e-pal races you to prepare a specialty entrée from his or her own unique nation. The human contestant must not only cook quickly but accurately as both time and precision determine your final score. Lastly, Friends and Food allows two human chefs-in-training to compete against one another in a food preparation dual; utilizing a split-screen configuration, both players are given the same tasks to complete but, as expected, their performances can vary greatly.
As for its performance and execution, Cooking Mama: Cook Off provides gamers with a light-hearted, atypical experience, no more, no less. This isn't a game which enthralls its user at the onset and demands his or her undivided attention. You won't have to cancel your social obligations with the excuse that you've just gotta create those virtual creampuffs. In the same breath, don't underestimate this title to be a useless throw-away deserving of dust collection; Cooking Mama can be a delight, in so long as one keeps his or her expectations in check. This game won't significantly impact your worldviews and mindsets nor will it violently augment your real-life culinary abilities; what it will provide is casual amusement and entertaining escapism from the harsh realities of life. When shoot'em ups get you down and puzzling mysteries confound you, Mama's always there with a gentle smile, sparkling kitchen, and exotic entrée to be prepared. Bon appetite!
PROS -
+ Effervescent environments, entrees, and activities.
+ Excellent and innovative use of the Wiimote as an all-in-one kitchen utensil.
+ Guaranteed to charm even the most cynical of gamers.
+ Easy to play but truly difficult to master.
+ Lovely soundtrack and realistic audio effects; battles between global e-pals feature music tracks unique to the given region.
+ Overall, an addictive oddity; how many cooking simulations have this much depth and diligence?
CONS -
-- Entrees and edible ingredients are beautifully rendered; environments and cell-shaded utensils however lack detail and definition. Too many jagged edges and not enough vectors are integrated.
-- Mama's vocalizations are annoying, repetitive, and sometimes incomprehensible.
-- Literally no options exist within the game's options menu; customization is oddly absent.
-- A few Wiimote movements are difficult to perform; mixing becomes exhausting whilst peeling virtual vegetables is actually more challenging than the real thing!
-- Niche-marketed; some gamers will adore this title but many will unfairly treat it with disdain.
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Cooking Mama: Cook Off
The little ones fight over it , the big ones are embarassed to admit they love it too (myself included). Had it on the DS and didn't think it could be any more fun with the Wii. But it is . I highly recomend it .
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Wii Classic Controller
I'm mostly an old school gamer, and when I play the Wii, I usually find myself playing the Virtual Console games more than the newer actual Wii games! This is a GREAT device to own, and it's perfect for all NES, SNES, Genesis, TG16 and N64 titles on the VC. Go pick it up, because it's worth it. Plus you can't play any Super Nintendo, N64 and most Genesis games without it. Worth every cent!
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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
My daughter and I recently played through Wind Waker (finished it, started over and about 90% done), and then Ocarina of Time, from the Collector's Edition on GameCube disc played on the Wii (we never quite finished it: the Temple of Shadow is where we stopped because the boss was too hard, and it took too long to get back to him each time we failed...we both got frustrated with it after the 3rd or 4th attempt).
I know I've enjoyed Twilight Princess way more than OOT, and about the same as Wind Waker.
If you've played OOT or WW, Twilight Princess is the easiest of the three from a skill standpoint (we never failed a boss battle even once until the final boss battle).
There seems to be way more stuff to do than in WW. OOT had a lot of stuff to do, but also got a little frustrating and repetitive the farther we progressed, mainly because the dungeons didn't have any way to quickly jump back to your current spot, ala Oocoo in TP or the magic pots in WW. In comparison, TP never seemed to drag or get frustrating like OOT sometimes did.
While I'd give all three of these 5 out of 5, if I was going to rank them for fun, I'd put it TP, WW, OOT (that is, the games have gotten more fun with each iteration, which is as it should be :).
Graphically, this game looks like exactly what it is: An extremely polished GameCube game (I'm looking forward to the next one, since it will be a Wii only game, and won't be restricted by the limitations of the GameCube). I did spot a few glitches (shadows occasionally, going the wrong direction, models occasionally clipping through solid objects, etc.)...not nearly as much as in OOT, but more than WW. But, then, I'm a game developer myself, and I tend to notice things like that more than the average person ;)
Controls are mostly excellent. A few of the Special sword attacks were hard to pull off, but aiming the ranged weapons is a joy with the Wiimote. The general swordplay controls were excellent (and much more intuitive than the 2 previous versions using joysticks and buttons). Even my daughter (turning 4 in a month) could have fun with the controls (she likes fishing and fighting goblins the best).
The audio is excellent (especially if you're playing it through a nice stereo with good speakers :).
If you have a Wii, you really should play this game. It is the most approachable Zelda ever (the closest to a casual Zelda game you're going to find). It is also the best looking Zelda so far.
And, it's one of the best games ever made for any platform, ever.
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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
I never grew up on Nintendo nor Zelda. I had bought the Wii and at first was not excited about getting Zelda, however after finishing both Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Rayman Rabbits, I was looking for something that would give me the oomph of Marvel Ultimate Alliance. At first, I was a little disappointed, the pace is much slower than a fighting game. I also felt I needed a help book or internet guide to understand and move on in the world. However, the game grows on you and you start to understand the language of the game, so that it becomes thoroughly addicting. The best part is the actual depth to the game and its inherent simplicity. I go back and forth of solving levels with and without the clue book. You personally get more out of the game without the help guides. Additionally, the game doesn't really get boring, as you continually have new goals and weapons. I would say the only negative, besides being thoroughly addicting, is that the sound of the remote is louder than you may want when you are playing really late at night and have turned down the television volume to zero. This is a game where you will easily spend over eighty hours playing, how fast you finish those eighty hours is up to you. I guess a minor complaint would be I'm not sure it's possible to finish the game or even complete a large portion without having some help of some kind. Many times you can experiment to solve a puzzle, but because of the size of the game it may take your hours upon hours to figure it out.
The beauty of the game and the reality of the world from tiny details to the thematic structure is positively genius. You realize how to solve puzzles by solving previous puzzles. Additionally, musical cues and sound effects help you navigate the world. The game has a day and night scenario, so you feel time move throughout, as well as as changing the weather. It's a very G game with a simple story and somehow you feel empathy for the characters. The difficult parts of the game can usually be solved with the help of a guide so that the game should be able to be solved by all ages. It is clear when playing a game like Zelda, that the future of interactive entertainment is limited only by the imagination.
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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Back of the box said: Biggest Zelda Ever. I finished it at 52 hours, without having completed a bunch of tasks or mini-games. So yeah, that's about accurate. And with a game this epic, where to start talking about it?
The controls are probably the best place: they're genius. Swordplay and combat felt even more fun, fluid and satisfying than ever before - I'll never go back to the A button again. Using the Wiimote's aiming features to target your bow and arrow, slingshot or clawshot? Even better. Throw in a host of secret gestures and moves for additional combat, a brand new menagerie of clever creatures, and some ingenious, satisfying boss battles, and you've got one hell of an action game, even without the massive adventure portion.
Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda, and probably my favorite game of all-time. I found it absolutely entrancing, with its unique open-sea take on the Zelda experience, the simple, vibrant charm of its cel-shaded graphics, and the limitless, Miyazaki-inspired whimsy of its world. Twilight Princess also feels like playable Miyazaki, but it's an entirely new beast - literally. The game is split between adventures in Link's human form, and also as a wolf. Use your senses to track down scent trails, dig for secrets and take on bizarre spectral enemies - it's a terrific new way to explore the world. (And surprisingly, it never felt like this year's other stunningly brilliant, wolf-oriented adventure, Okami.)
Twilight Princess also features another dichotomy, between the sunlit realm of Hyrule, and a dark new Twilight Realm. This shadowy otherworld feels like shades of the Dark World from Link to the Past, but the imagery is completely alien, gothic, even Lovecraftian at times (witness the black, tentacle-bearded demons that drop from neon-fractal holes in the sky). But it all works together perfectly, thanks to probably the best and most substantial Zelda storyline to date.
Now, even with the new controls, new world, new characters, abilities and narrative, the game did sometimes feel a little familiar. After all, this is the 11th Zelda I've played. Some dungeon themes are revisited, some characters and races return, and of course the core story elements are still there. But just when you think you know what to expect, the game throws an entirely new twist at you, a new use of your items, or an amazing moment you've never had before.
Just wait until you clash swords with a Bokoblin general during a dangerous game of horseback chicken atop a narrow stone bridge. Or ride the top-like spinner in a dizzying battle against a monstrous skeletal god and his armies of sandstorm zombies. Or use your clawshots to scale a bank of pillars in an aerial metropolis as they crumble beneath you. Pretty amazing stuff, and with the new control scheme, unlike any game experience you've ever had.
I could go on for awhile more, but here's the bottom line: Even if the Wii didn't ship with the amazingly fun, simple and crowdpleasing Wii Sports phenomenon, I would consider $250 well worth the console's price for Zelda alone. 5/5.
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Wii Classic Controller
One of my favorite things about the Wii is the Virtual Console that lets me download and play the games I grew up playing. This controller has greatly enhanced the fun of playing those games and I can't recommend it enough, IF you are going to be downloading and playing a good number of NES, SNES, and other pre-Nintendo 64 games.
While the GameCube controller can be used to play Virtual Console games, it is not designed for them while this controller is. After trying to struggle through some Super Nintendo classics with the itty bitty control pad on my GameCube controller, I decided it was time to buy a Classic Controller. It is just like playing a Super Nintendo again, as this controller is the same basic shape and layout. It works well for any games that were not designed for a joystick. Though the controller does have joysticks, they aren't the most comfortable things to use and as other reviews have pointed out the GameCube controller can be more comfortable and better suited to N64 games, though I have played one with the Classic Controller and found it to be perfectly workable after a little getting used to.
In my opinion, the best feature of this controller is that it plugs into the Wii Remote, making it essentially wireless. I still have the older GameCube controllers with cords so I appreciate this. I also has a Home button in the center and you can use it to control the Wii, reset games, return to the menu screen, etc., instead of having to have both your Wii Remote and GameCube controller and switch back and forth. The Classic Controller is comfortable with its good-sized buttons and it matches the Wii, Remote, and Nunchuck. My only complaint is that the cord comes out of the bottom and so tends to get in the way sometimes.
I cannot recommend this enough for anyone who loves playing classic games on the Wii.
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Wii Classic Controller
First, let me say that if you're not playing Virtual Console games, you don't need these. They don't work with any of the regular Wii games, nor do they work with the Gamecube games (which need an actual Gamecube controller plugged in). It's possible that some Wii games will come out that will support them (they do have dual analog sticks and more buttons than any previous Nintendo controllers...seems odd if all they are intended for is emulating old Nintendo games).
But, if you're playing games you've downloaded from the Shopping channel, these controllers rock! The NES and SNES games work with the left analog stick (or you can use the D-Pad if you have tougher thumbs than me). The button layouts match up really well for every game we've tried so far (Super Mario World 3, Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda: A link to the past, and Dungeon Explorer). It's obvious that this is the controller that Nintendo was aiming for when setting up the emulation. I was a little skeptical when we first got them, because they didn't feel right (too used to old Gamecube controller I guess), but after 2 minutes of playing it felt perfect, and much more comfortable than I expected.
So, if you're playing VC games, get some :)
Note: These work by plugging in to the Wiimote (like a nunchuk), so buying more than the number of Wiimotes you have is a waste of money.
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Wii Charge Station
Not only does this save you cash by charging the batteries, it gives slobs like me a place to neatly put my controller when I'm not playing AND a reason to do it.
Nothing else in my apartment is organized. This is a nice start :)
I recently bought Wii Play and got a third controller. I live alone and rarely need a third, but for those times that I do, I almost wish there were more docks just so they can all look pretty.
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