Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop

Developer(s)	Cooking Mama Limited
Publisher(s)	‹See Tfd› JP: Taito NA: Majesco PAL: 505 Games
Series	Cooking Mama
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Release date(s)	NA: October 20, 2009 AUS: November 12, 2009 EU: November 13, 2009 JP: November 26, 2009
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

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 65/100[3] Review scores Publication Score 1UP.com B−[4] Game Informer 6.5/10[5] GamePro [6] GameTrailers 7.3/10[7] GameZone 7/10[8] IGN 7/10[9] Nintendo Power 6/10[10] Nintendo World Report 8/10[11] ONM 62%[12] PALGN 7/10[13]

The game received "mixed or average reviews" according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.^[3]

References

External links

• Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop at MobyGames
• Official Japanese website