Cooking Mama 4 for Nintendo 3DS #GamersGiftGuide2011

She cultivated your green thumb in Gardening Mama, turned your world into a work of art in Crafting Mama, and rocked the little ones to sleep in the innovative Babysitting Mama, but Mama’s talent is truly unparalleled in the kitchen. The original video game chef is whipping up all kinds of fresh fun in her 3DS debut. From new recipes and ways to play to exciting kitchen activities and dish combinations, the iconic kitchen cutie has some tricks up her sleeve that will magically transform kitchen newbies into master culinary artists!   

Features

• Use the stylus as your ultimate cooking utensil to chop, slice, stir, knead, roll, toss and more in more than 200 unique mini games.
• Use the 3DS gyroscope to cook in brand new ways:  crack eggs, balance plates of food, flip meals in a pan, grate cheese and more.
• Watch kitchen mishaps unfold in comedic 3D events and work to save your mistakes with additional activities on top of each recipe step.
• Create 60 mouth watering recipes including: Designer Cupcakes, Gourmet Popsicles, Takoyaki, New England Clam Chowder, Corn Dogs and Cherry Pie.
• Become a true kitchen master with new time-based activities that let you set the table, wash dishes, clean up, organize, decorate, and more!
• Recipes progress from simple to complex, from small to large dishes, so do your best to meet Mama's expectations and impress your friends. If your friends think your dish is delicious, you'll unlock another new friend!  
• Earn bronze, silver, and gold medals from Mama based on the quality of your cooking.
• Customize your kitchen & dress up Mama with fun earned outfits and accessories.
• Combine two recipes to make your very own delicious or unusual dish. A total of 416 different fantastic combinations.
• Cook off with up to 4 players in Challenge Mode.

My Thoughts on Cooking Mama 4 for Nintendo 3DS:

I was excited for a new Cooking Mama game with new dishes to master!  I wasn't sure how it would play in 3D but found that only the top, direction screen was in 3D so it was  fun but didn't make cooking more difficult.  Overall I felt that the dishes were actually easy to get perfect.  Others are saying that this is because the game is more sensitive/accurate than previous versions.  I got perfect scores on almost all the dishes I tried on the first or second try.  Some I had to redo because I didn't understand what I was supposed to do the first time around but did well the second time.  But the best part of Cooking Mama 4 is that there are more extras in this game that give lots of extra playing time!  If only I could cook this well in real life!!  At least I can have fun pretending!!


Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this game for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own honest personal feedback.