Game Review: Animal Crossing Wild World for Nintendo DS

Okay folks, my review on Animal Crossings: Wild World for the Nintendo DS, has been a long time coming. I felt I could not give a complete review until I got my DS a Wifi connection. The time has come.

I got this game for one reason, and one reason only. Animal Crossings was probably the finest game I had played on my game cube. Adding Wild World to my DS game collection only made sense.

I was able to purchase it on the day of its release at Gamestop for $34.99. Believe me this game was selling out like hotcakes at McDonald’s on a Sunday morning.

The game itself starts off a bit like the one on game cube. You’re leaving home, about to start a life on your own away from your parents. You answer a few questions, before the game itself starts. You choose your name, your gender, and the name you would like to call your town. After all of this basic stuff, your character arrives. (The neat part is if you don’t like how he/she looks, you can always restart the game. The characters face can and will change every time you start a new game. Or add a new person to your town. –You are allowed to add 3 more friends- say a brother, or sister to live in the same house as you)

Upon your arrival you will be greeted by a raccoon named Nook, he is the owner of Nook N Cranny’s, the town’s local shopping center. Nook takes you to see your home, and then he slaps you with a bill. However you don’t have any money. Dang! This is where the games actual play is put in effect. You have to earn that money, and believe me it won’t be an easy, or fast job to complete.

From here Nook leaves and asks you to meet him back at his shop. You have to choice to either, get to the shop and start working immediately, or you can go and check out your house and the town.

Yech, its rather small and ugly looking house. It will be up to you from here on out to decorate your home to your preferences. I will get into the home furnishings and decorations further on however.

You get to Nooks, and he asks you to perform little annoying missions to earn some bells (money). You have to deliver packages, introduce yourself to all of the animals in town, and post a bulletin for Nook. This is basically just a tutorial, it gets a little annoying, but once you complete the tasks you get to roam free, and Nook hooks you up with a town map. This makes it easy to locate other animal’s homes, when you first start off.

The number of animals in your town will vary from time to time. At one point you will have up to 10 neighbors, and sometimes you will have 8. The animals tend to move out, and move in about once a week. However sometimes it takes awhile for a new animal to move in. Your neighbors will vary from friendly and bubbly, to complete grouches, each animals personalities will differ from the last, and you may even grow more fond of one than the other. Don’t get too attached though, when move out on you sometimes, you can’t take it personally. You will see a large variety of different animals. Rabbits, dogs, toads, pigs, bears, chickens, roosters, ducks, hedgehogs, squirrels, monkeys, cats, chipmunks, etc. The list goes on and on.

Now just how does one pay off that home loan?

Well there are many, many ways to pay Nook back. At first you most likely will be selling Nook sea shells that you happen to find at the beach, which is always located at the very far bottom of the town. You can also run errands for the animals in town. They will either give you bells, clothes, or furniture.
You can then sell the clothing and furniture you were given to Nook, who will buy them from you. This is basically how you make money.
There are also hidden tips to making bells that aren’t as obvious.

-If you hit rocks with your shovel, sometimes a rock will release bags of bells. Keep hitting it, and the bags of bells will get bigger. There will only be one money rock per day in your town.

-If you go up to a tree and shake it, sometimes a bag of 100 bells will fall to your feet.


Okay, so now you have some money. However don’t pay of the loan just yet. First your going to want to purchase some tools from Nooks shop. A major necessity is the fishing pole, shovel, net, axe, and the slingshot.

Once you have gotten the pole you can go fishing. This is where things get fun. You find a river, or the ocean; once you see a dark shadow in the water, release your line. When the line starts shaking, reel him in! It’s easy. One can spend hours fishing. There are quite a few fish to catch too, 56 different species to be exact.
Once you have caught fish, you can either bring them to the museum, or have them put in the aquarium. Or if you have caught two of the same fish, sell the extras to Nook. There are a few rare fish that Nook will pay almost 10,000 bells for. Now remember different fish come out at different seasons. Animal crossing Wild World is set in real time. So if it’s February 7th 2007 for you, it will also be the same date in Animal Crossings. (You can however change the time in the game if you’d like)

The net is used for bug catching. There are 56 different bugs to catch. Like the fish, rare bugs are worth big bells. You can donate bugs to the museum, or sell them to Nook.

The shovel is used for digging, hitting rocks, digging up cut down tree stumps, and planting flowers. If you happen to be walking around your town and see a star shaped marking on the grass or sand, that would be where you would dig. What you dig up is a mystery every time. It could either be a fossil, (take this to the museum to have it identified) a pit fall (if you happen to step on a star that contains a pitfall your character will fall into a hole- just hit the A button to get out) it could even be furniture that another animal may of buried, or a gyroid. (A Gyroid, is a wooden type totem pole looking thing. If you place it in your home it will make noises) Gyroids are found the next day after a rainstorm in large quantities. I usually sell them to Nook, as they are worth 800 bells each.

The slingshot is used to shoot balloons down in the sky. Balloons come every now and then, and you will see them floating in your top screen. The balloon usually has a gift attached to it. If you happen to get lucky and shoot it down, the gift will fall to the ground. Usually the gift contains a piece of furniture for your home. Shooting balloons down is probably the most difficult task that this game has to offer.

The axe is used to chop down trees. Now you don’t want to go crazy with cutting them all down, it will make the animals in the town upset. The axe is used to lighten up areas that have too many trees crammed together, causing you not to be able to make your way through. Cutting a few trees down just makes it easier for you to move around the town in a quicker manner.

Now lets move on to your home. Collecting furniture will prove no easy task. There are many different types of sets one may want to acquire. You either get furniture by buying them from Nook, or getting them from completing tasks from animals in town. However you may also acquire furniture in the lost and found. There will be two dogs waiting by your main gates, ask the dog to the left if anything has been lost. He will show you a list of things if there are any. Feel free to take everything if you want.

There are 576 different pieces of furniture. So it will take a lot of time for you to get them all. Once you have gotten a piece though, don’t be afraid to sell it. You can always repurchase it, as it will be saved in you catalog. (Your catalog is a list of any furniture you may have had in your possession in the past, regardless of whether its in your house at that time or not)

There are also 64 different wallpapers, and 64 different types of carpets for you to decorate your home with. You can get crazy and creative.
You also will have the option to join the HRA. This is a home rating system. Every week you will get a letter in your mailbox from the HRA with a grade on your home. If you get a great score, sometimes the HRA will send you a gift and congratulate you.

I know there are ways to do feng shui in the home as well. I haven’t mastered this yet, but I do know if you master it, you will get some sort of gift from the HRA.

Decorations also go beyond the home. You also can plant flowers and trees all throughout the town. Be careful you don’t run through flowers though, as you can kill them. If you plant a lot of flowers, sometimes there is a good chance of creating hybrid flowers. These are rare occurrences, and these types of flowers will never be available at Nooks.

However if you don’t play the game for about a week or so the town will become overrun with weeds. They’re easy to get rid of though; you just stand over them and pick them. Its pretty easy. There also is a small chance that you will find a patch of clovers. If you pick them, there is a random chance of finding a 4 leaf lucky clover. You can wear it in your hair, or put t in your home.


There is also the Able Sisters shop. This is where you go to buy different clothing patterns to wear. Here you can also create your own styles to wear, or use as a pattern on your umbrella. The cost to make your own clothing will always be 300 bells. It’s neat because after you create a new pattern, and put it on display, sometimes animals in your town will sport the new look as well. You can also purchase accessories like glasses, beards, hats, and hairstyles here when they become available. Two different accessories will be available each day.

Also when you pay off your loan, your house will get larger and larger, and so the bill from Nook will also grow. However if you keep paying off your loan you will eventually earn yourself the mansion. The best and very last upgrade to your house. It consists of 3 levels and 7 rooms total.

Another neat feature is message in bottles. You can purchase them at Nooks. You can then write a letter to someone, anyone really. You never know where it ends up- it travels to other wifi Animal Crossing DS users. I like to leave my email address in the letter and a little gift, and see if someone emails me letting me know they got my message. Sometimes you may even get a message in a bottle washed up on your shore.

You can also write letters to other animals in your town, usually they write back and add a gift. So it’s fun to do. You may also write letters to other users in your house, or write letters to other wifi users on your friend list.

As you upgrade your house, Nooks store will also upgrade, becoming larger and nicer with each upgrade. Eventually there will also be a hair salon in Nookingtons. You can take your character here for a makeover for 3,000 bells. Your hair style and color will change depending on how you answer the hairdresser.

Now just when you think things are becoming boring, a special even will pop up. You can find all the details out about special events on the town bulletin board.
There will also be special visitors in Animal Crossing: Wild World.

A reindeer will come for a visit on Christmas Eve. He likes to hide in your town. If you happen to find him, he will give you a Christmas themed piece of furniture for your home. If you continue to seek him, each time he will give you another piece of furniture. Save these pieces, they are the only types of furniture that you cannot re-order. However if you get doubles, sell them. They’re worth a lot of money.

When it is snowing in your town, you will also sometimes find balls of snow. If you roll them, you will create a snowman. Its hard to do, and takes some concentration and fine hand skills to pile one ball on top of the other. Once he is made, he will give you a gift, which is worth a lot of money. You can make a new snowman everyday and everyday get a new gift.

On the 4th of July at night, if you look at the top screen you will see a display of fireworks. If you go to the town center you will find Tortimer, the town mayor. He will give you sparklers to hold during the festivities.

On Halloween everyone in town will be dressed in costume. You have to be careful, if they run up to you, you must give them candy. Make sure you buy candy at Nooks in advance; if you don’t have candy they will give you a trick. There will also be a visitor named Jack. If you find Jack roaming about tag him. He will give you a piece of Halloween furniture. Seek him out as much as possible without getting tagged by other animals. Otherwise they turn your Halloween furniture into jack o lanterns, which are worth nothing. His furniture is also worth a lot of money, so if you get doubles sell them to Nook.

There is also a random chance of a sea gull named Gully that sometimes will wash up on shore at the ocean. He will look dead when you find him, but if you keep prompting him to talk, eventually he will wake up. He will then tell you a huge story about why he washed up, and then he will give you a rare foreign gift. These gifts are worth a lot of money if you sell them To Nook. However they also make the house look nice, and will raise your HRA score.

Gracie is a fashion designer; she will visit your town about once a month. You never know when she might pop up, she doesn’t leave a bulletin, but if you talk to the animals, sometimes they clue you in. If the animals talk of Gracie, she will be in the town. It’s now up to you to find her. When you do she will ask you to wash her car. If you wash it nicely she will give you one of her fashions. You can either wear the clothes she gives you, or sell them to Nook. Her clothing is worth way more bells than any other pieces of clothing you may come across in the game.

Redd, a raccoon that looks like Nook; only crooked will also visit once a week. He will send you a letter and let you know when he will be visiting. He will also send you the password to get into his tent. If you loose the password you will have to ask every single animal in town what the password is. So keep the letter till he visits. Its annoying having to hunt down which animal has Redds password. Redds tent has a variety of rare items that sometimes does not sell in Nooks shop. Here is where you may come across paintings for your museum.

However, sometimes his paintings are fakes and worth nothing. So it’s really a gamble unless the insurance man comes to visit-, which doesn’t happen as often as you would like. At Redds sometimes you loose, sometimes you win. It’s sort of a gamble. His prices are also extremely high; so make sure you visit him with quite a few bells in hand.

There will also be an old woman selling turnips every week, if you buy them, then sell them at Nooks you can make a huge profit.
The prices of turnips rises and fall each day, just don’t let them spoil. They will rot and be useless in one weeks time if you don’t sell them.

During spring and fall seasons your town will also be visited by a beaver that will hold fishing tournaments. It’s simple really, catch the biggest bass, and win the trophy.
There will also be spring festivals, fall festivals, and other activities for you to participate in.


THE GRAPHICS

The game itself may look lame and childish, but in reality it has a lot to offer. The town you will be in is very colorful. Everything is in a 3d type atmosphere, and sort of reminds me of a more childlike colorful Southpark.


If you have the wifi connection this is where things get very fun. Now before you get all excited, you must remember you have to have a friend code plugged into your friend rooster, and that friend must have you plugged in as well for you to visit, and have visitors. It’s the most annoying process that Nintendo has added, seeing how not everyone has 10 friends who own animal crossings.

There however are forums and websites where you can exchange your friend codes with others. (By the way the dog at your main gate will give you your friend code)
The best site I have come across for friend code exchanges is www.animalcrossincommunity.com

Once you have exchanged codes with someone you can then visit their town or have them come and visit yours. Once you have a visitor you can exchange furniture, play, pick different fruit, then plant them in your town for fruit variety, or just gossip. It’s really a lot of fun being able to explore someone else’s town, seeing how each one is different. However you also have to be careful when you let someone in your town you don’t know. It wouldn’t be fun to have them cut down all your trees, steal hybrid flowers, and ruin your town, like some people just may do. If you see any sort of activity you do not like, you can just turn your DS off, and take them off of your friend rooster. However the site I provided gives other users a rating, so you can see comments from other users, if that person is a good visitor, or a bad one. A bad visitor can ruin all of the fun if you happen to come across one.

Don’t let it stop you from having visitors though; you can rid your town of bad visitors easily. Remember though, when you do have visitors that are new, try and monitor them.
If they don’t chat back when you ask them something, or if they keep running through your flowers, ask them to leave. If they don’t, like I said turn off the DS. There are many known hacks to this game, so if you feel someone is suspicious, kick em’ out!

I have been nothing but impressed with Animal Crossing Wild World. The game is a great buy. The fun never runs out. There is always something to do in your town, or in others. You will not be disappointed if you purchase this game.

Just a note- I myself cannot wait for the launch of Animal Crossings for the Nintendo Wii.
Mii crossings; however that review will have to wait for another day in the future. Sigh*

Game Review: Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff Pack

Come on Maxis, you can do better than this!

So you’re a Sims fan, otherwise you wouldn’t of come here to begin with. Let me guess you’re here looking for the goods, the greats, and the must haves for your Sim family, or families. You’re not going to find it though with The Sims Glamour Life Stuff. The second stuffs pack that maxis has to offer is like being promised all of the riches of glitz, and glam. However one will be disappointed to learn that all that glitters is not gold.

So you’re excited, 60 new objects for your Sims to indulge in, but if you really think about it 60 isn’t very much, nor does it go very far if none of the 60 objects are quality objects.

I know, I know, you’re getting upset, you thought your Sims were going to have perhaps a new meal like caviar or maybe some kind of fancy teas, instead of just coffee of espresso, maybe you even expected to see some jewelry or new accessories for your Sims fashions. I’d hate to be the bearer of bad news. But well, someone has to do it.

Don’t pout though; you will be getting a gigantic fluffy mink coat, in black, gray or brown. However it’s so big and fluffy that when one of your Sims is wearing it they seem to get lost in it.
It’s extremely unbecoming, and your Sims will never take it off unless directed to do so. What’s the point of a coat if the Sims never take it off to hang it up? It’s just bulky and ridiculous looking; I don’t know why Maxis couldn’t just give us a few new fashionable shirts, or maybe some new jeans?

So you want your Sim to look fabulous at the next big event. Say it’s a wedding, or a small gathering. Fear not, Maxis has included 4 new cocktail dresses. 2 of the dresses are over the top. They resemble a prom dress gone wrong. The other 2 are just basic dresses, which resemble spring dresses to me, nothing glamorous what so ever.

You want your guy to look spiffy at the next event he may attend. Maxis has added in some new suits for the fashion conscious male Sims. I believe there a 4 of them to be exact. 2 of which are so ugly that I don’t know who would want their Sim walking around in it. They remind me of something that Flava Flav would wear. So unless you’re making a Flav Sim the suits will look ridiculous on anyone else.
The other 2 aren’t really suits; it’s a vest with long sleeved sweaters underneath, with a nice new pair of jeans. They actually look okay, but you only get 2 colors.

They remind me of something that Flava Flav would wear. So unless you’re making a Flav Sim the suits will look ridiculous on anyone else.

You’ll also be glad to know that your Sims wardrobe will also consist of new pajamas. Like the mink coat though, they look way to big and baggy on the women adult Sims which gives off the appearance of the Sim swimming in them. The new guy pajamas look way too girly for my liking. I mean what guy wears a silk 2-piece matching pajama suit to bed?
There are no new swimsuits. Sorry. There are no new hairstyles. Sorry. There is no new lipstick. Sorry. There’s also no new eyeliners, or new blush colors. Sorry sorry.

Now moving on, there are some new objects for the home. However there are no new objects for outside. Which is a big bummer for Sim fans who are sick and tired of looking at a pool that the Sims barely use, or the Jacuzzi that they over use.

There are some new statues. They’re all so ugly and stupid looking that honestly they are just a big ol’ waste of space anyways. Plus every statue that I have placed that came with Glamour Life Stuff my Sims make a Blech noise. They don’t even approve of this junk.

Your Sims will also be getting some new carpets and wallpaper. I actually like the collection that comes with the game. At least they aren’t tacky, or hideous colors. However, you’re not getting many, so don’t get too excited.

So there are 60 new items, I know I’ve mentioned this already. But tell me as a Sim fan, aren’t you just sick and tired of Maxis making 20 of those 60 new objects paintings!? I mean come on! I play my game with the walls down; so all paintings just disappear anyways. I think it’s really a big sad disappointment to learn that 20 of the so-called new objects are wasted on paintings.

Your Sim family is probably sick and tired of looking at that same bathroom mirror, am I right? So finally you’ll be happy to know your getting a new one. Only is a little lop sided and abstract. Not to mention it won’t go with your bathroom unless you totally remodel and make the bathroom a brown color to match your new ugly crooked little mirror.

I bet your Sims are sick of those boring old lamps too. The Sims Glamour Life Stuff comes with some new lights. One is for outside. It’s a big weird lamp with glass cylinders around it. It sort of resembles a traffic light, but its gray. Your Sims will also be getting a brand new modern hanging lamp. It looks like a cube that lights up, its extremely ugly and doesn’t match anything in the set. There are 2 other lamps just as ugly as the next. Maxis managed to somehow turn modern type furniture into an almost space like ugly over the top modern look. It’s hideous, and takes away from that wholesome real life feel. I mean gez, what does one have to do for a simple little thing like a toaster that pops up some toast!?

You can also expect to see some new items in build mode. There are about 5 of them or so. Some new stretched out windows in retro sultry colors. They don’t cast that color into the room though. There’s also another window that looks like some sort of space shape. Bubbles attached to more bubbles. The purpose? None really, it doesn’t match any other decor, so its sort of retarded looking. You will also be getting a new staircase in build mode. Not the already made stair case though, the build it yourself one. Its glass, it looks okay if your making a glass house, other than that it doesn’t match anything.

I know your saying what I was saying, - hey when the heck is Maxis going to give us the spiral staircase we’ve been asking for in the forums for years!?

There is also a new couch; wait there is a new couch set actually, the couch, love seat and chair. They also look like big long rectangles with no shape or definition. Not to mention that the armrests are metal. Like I said, Maxis went more space themed with this than they did glamorous.

You're also going to be getting a new rectangle shaped stereo. I do wish Maxis would update the songs too, and also the fact that when you buy a new stereo the Sims just turn it on constantly. It's annoying!

Moving on:

For the bedroom your Sims can now enjoy a new bed. It looks like a box with a mattress. It’s not this fancy four post marble bed us Sim fans have been dying to see. Nor is there any canopy beds yet either! Man! You’ll be getting your cubicle bed, enjoy!

It comes as a set though; you’ll also get your perfect square end table, and perfect square dresser. Yay, it’s like a bunch of boxes in the bedroom, just different sizes! Let’s clap for the creativity behind this one.

I swear Maxis has to consider hiring some Sim object designers. Perhaps that genius that makes Sims worth playing. The web/sim designer at www.xmsims.com could take The Sims to the next level. I have no clue why Maxis continues to hire people who throw together a bunch of cruddy objects for the game and then allow it to be sold for $20 worldwide.

Also as a Sim fan one would be expecting a renovation in the bathroom department! I mean it’s where are Sims spend most of their time. How about a new shower Maxis? Or a nice step stair tub?! Seriously folks you can find better things to download at www.thesimsresource.com or www.modthesims2.com

I’ve been completely disappointed with Maxis lately, and the Sims Glamour Life Stuff just totally plops the cherry on top of an already bland cake.

Fans of the Sims are expecting way more than this. So far all Maxis has been doing with the Sims is letting it die by repeating garbage we had already seen from The Sims 1. Not only are they copying expansion packs with newer graphics, but they’re also angering a lot of fans by releasing garbage like this every season for $20 thinking it’s okay. Stuff like this should be available to download off of the site for free.

It’s been a pretty pathetic year for Maxis. Not only was The Sims Pets a total repeat of the first, but all of the “Stuff” packs have been nothing more than total rip-offs. I’m hoping for at least an, I’m sorry incentive out of Maxis with its newest release sometime at the end of this month. (The Sims Seasons) Hopefully they can redeem themselves with this expansion pack. Otherwise they’re going to lose one heck of a fan.

Video Game Review: Super Mario 64, for Nintendo DS

Super Mario 64 by far has to be one of the best Mario games ever made to date. I don’t care what next generation technology is available today; this game still surpasses them all.

Like most Mario games it starts of cheery. The Princess Peach has invited Mario to her castle to have some cake. He arrives only to discovery she has been kidnapped ‘again’ by the lizard king, Bowser.

The game starts outside of the Princess' castle, which is an entire game all its own. It's filled with a beautiful landscape. A lawn, trees, bushes, a moat. Everything one would expect to be outside of a beautiful Princess castle.

There are so many hidden treasures outside of the castle for you to find. You can climb trees and find coins in them. You can take a dip in the river that surrounds the castle and find more coins. Here you will find hidden doors that need keys that you will discover elsewhere in the castle. Everything is in 3D, which was at the time the first time I had ever seen any game done in this manner. It was like being alive when the Wizard of Oz first aired in color. I was in awe.
I was also surprised at how far and how high Mario could jump, once I gained some speed.

The music that is played while your outside gives you that true feeling. Bird’s chirp, and whistle while a low pleasant tune plays in the background. The outside of the castle should be treated as a tutorial. Use it to practice jumping, and getting a feel for the controls before you enter the castle.

Once you enter the beautiful 3D rendered castle you will at first be amazed at the beauty and detail that has been added. You will talk to the Toad and he will give you a quick conversation on what happened to Peach. You will then move on to your mission.

Throughout the castle are doors, all of which have stars on them, and a number. This number represents how many stars you need to unlock the door. Only a few doors open in the very beginning. In each door is a painting. At first you will have no idea what the heck to do with the painting. If you move up close to it, it ripples like water. You can jump into the paintings, and this will warp you into the world that the painting will represent.

At first you enter bomb man land. Your mission is to collect as many stars as you can from the lands by completing the mission that is asked of you. Your main mission however is to collect all 100 stars.

In each land/painting there will be a boss to defeat at the end. They range from extremely easy to difficult. You will run into giant bombs, foot races with turtles, slide races with penguins and walruses. Each battle boss has a weakness. It won’t take long for you to be able to figure out what it is, and usually there are clues that make it easy to spot the weakness. For instance, if you grab Bowser by the tail and spin the controller’s analog, you can easily throw him off of the board. Some bosses only require you to stomp on them. You will find that missions throughout the game are actually harder than the bosses.

Other Lands You Will Encounter:

There is a snow filled land that played jingle like music, so you feel like you’re in a world of Christmas. There are snowmen that throw snowballs at you, penguins that squeak, and ice, which is slippery.

There is also a tropical island paradise world with a pirate like theme. Here you feel as if you’re really on an island. You have to dig up treasure, take caution in the water, for the giant shark, which will actually have your heart pumping once you encounter him.

On your adventure you will also come across a sewer plant like world. There is oil leaking everywhere and you have to figure out how to stop it. You will also encounter a huge robotic shark. You must figure out how to free him from the pollution.

You will find a land that is so high in the sky that if you fall it will take quite some time to get back up to the top again.

Each land you come across will be just as, if not more impressive than the last. Like any Mario game, the deeper you get into the harder the missions become. Yet they are still all very enjoyable.

You will find secret staircases that lead to places out of this world, holes in roofs that will take you to a mission, tornado's that swoop you up and kill you, switches that causes rivers and ponds to drain, lava that dances towards you, 10 foot cactus's with spikes that slowly make their way towards you, intimidating you the whole time, bridges that fold up on you, and warp zones for shortcuts to other areas within the land.

You will also come across a few secret rooms within the castle allowing you to gain more stars. You will find secret races, and slide games, and one particular cloud land that Mario fly’s through trying to collect coins and find the star before time runs out.

You will meet up with strange characters throughout the lands. Owls that lift you into the sky, rabbits that you have to run after and catch to obtain keys, pieces of cement blocks that have come to life with rage, eels, and killer fish. You will also recognize a few classic characters from the original games. The toadstools are still present, but in 3D making them look spectacular. The bombs now have feet and run towards you crazily, the man-eating plant is also present, and not limited to only popping out of the green tubes. They’re everywhere.

Mario will also have the ability to fly once you find the secret stomp switch. Once you hit the secret switch, all of the red blocks will give Mario the ability to soar throughout the skies. It will add wings to his hat.
There are also 2 other secret switches you must find hidden throughout the castle, a blue one, and a yellow one.

DIFFICULTY:
I’m going to have to say that at time this game could get very difficult. There is still a wall kick mission that I have yet to complete without kicking myself over the ledge of a mountain and dying, or landing on the ledge correctly could be just as difficult. The camera controls are easy to use, it only requires the push of the yellow arrow buttons, however at times it can get all quirky and actually cause you do die.

In the beginning it may be difficult to grasp the controls, however after a few jumps and spins, you pretty much get the knack of it.

It would be difficult for me to put a grading on the games difficulty. Some lands and missions are easy as pie, and other lands are close to impossible to complete. There is really no middle. Either the task is so easy its pathetic, or the task is so hard your ripping your hair out and screaming.
However with my own personal experience on the game I would have to give it a 4 out of 10, seeing how there are a lot more easy missions throughout the game than brain bleeder missions.

SOUND: Mario actually makes noises, and talks. He however is limited to ‘its-uh mee Marriiiooo’ or ‘whooay’ ‘hyahh’ ‘woo’ and other cooing noises he makes throughout the game. He will huff and puff and wheeze if he is almost about to die. He will make loud screaming screeching noises when he jumps high.
Each land has a theme, and with each theme the music matches it. I liked this a lot. If you’re in a Boss castle, the music is scary and intimidating. If you’re racing the music is fast and upbeat. If you’re at the beach, you hear seagulls and appropriate background music to give the player a full effect feel for the land they are in. I’d easily give the music a 7 out of 10. You don’t have to have today’s greatest hits playing for the game to have enjoyable music and sounds in it.

GRAPHICS:

I said this before, and I will say it again, I adore Nintendo’s cartoon like games. Back in the 90’s this game would grab a 10 easily, out of a 1-10 scoring on graphics. Honestly today I can still say it still deserves a 10.
It paved the way to all 3D games that followed shortly after, yet none could equal Super Mario 64’s originality and charm.


Super Mario 64 is filled with beautiful and fantasy/mystery like surprises. There are hours upon hours, upon more hours of game play that this game will deliver. I would recommend this game to everyone and anyone.

PC Game Review: Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack

Maxis has finally decided to release a concept that has been begged for from Sims fans since the birth of the Sims 1. Weather! Took you long enough fellas! Gez.

The Sims 2 Seasons is the newest Sims 2 expansion pack. It’s not like those crummy rip-off add on packs.

In the Sims 2 Seasons your Sims will have a bunch of new things to do. However like most of the expansion packs, the so-called ‘new’ gets old really fast, seeing how they don’t give you that much.

So my Sims now have 4 seasons. Summer, winter, fall and spring, all in that order too. However your Sims only get approximately 4 days to enjoy the new weather changes.

That sort of sucks, and if you want to change the weather you have to buy this big huge satellite and place it on your lawn to change the weather. The thing is gigantic, and ridiculous looking.

Before I rip this expansion pack to shreds let me explain the seasons, and the new activities your Sims can now enjoy.

1. SUMMER-

This is the game play you are used to. The Sims 2 always seemed to be set in summer mode. You could swim in the pool when you wanted, wear what you wanted, without risking getting the flu because it is cold outside. Summer in the Sims 2 Seasons is the same. However now if you dress your Sims in long sleeved shirts or sweaters they can risk overheating. My Sims however only seem to overheat in the summer time when they work out on an exercise machine. Other than that my Sims can walk around with sweaters on without any problems. If your Sim happens to over heat you can simply give him or her a shower, or you can blend yourself up a once cup of cold lemonade.

How do you make Lemonade?

This is also a new feature. Gardening. You Sims now have the ability to make greenhouses, and grow fruit trees. The fruit trees grow the fruit, and the new juicer juices your fruits into beverages.

Keeping up with your garden takes up a lot of time; so seriously don’t bother making a garden with more than 4 tiles. Your garden will always be unhealthy. No matter how much time my Sims spend tending to the garden, it never seems happy. However it will still grow fruits and vegetables.

What angers me is Maxis lack of instructions on how to go about getting more vegetable varieties. As of now I only can grow tomatoes in my garden. I figured if I joined the garden club, I would be given some new seeds for different veggies. No such luck. Maxis does not explain this to you, and they don’t even let you know if you can grow more than just tomatoes. Your fruit trees are limited to oranges, lemons, and apples.

Like I said if you happen to plan on having a family, or running a business, forget about gardening.

In the summer time your Sims can also now enjoy a few new summer dresses, a slide for the pool, a new rounded pool tile so you can get a round edged pool, and a new pool game to play while they are in the pool. Marco polo. It’s cute to watch them play it once, but always having to direct them to play it is annoying. I wish they could just do it on their own. It’s bad enough having to direct them in the pool, now you have to direct them how to swim, and play. Pretty annoying. You will also be given some summer patio furniture, and a new BBQ grill. No lawn mower yet! Dang it!

What else have we got?

There are fireflies that you will see flying around at night. Your Sims, if directed can catch them in a jar and put them in the house. They also give off a cool glowing light when they are placed inside of the house. However they die pretty fast. So it’s useless in thinking you can keep them as a new form of light.

THERE IS MORE:
Your Sims also now have the option to go fishing. You can only fish in ponds that you have placed on the lot. The ponds also have to be deep enough to support fish. You simply click on the pond and you are asked, what type of bait. I find this odd seeing how the only option they give you is a worm. If anyone knows how to buy different types of bait, please comment me. I think it is stupid to ask which bait you want to fish with, when only one type is available; but whatever.
So far I have only been successful in catching bass fish and boots. I don’t think there is anything else in the ponds. Bass and boots.

Oh yeah and now your Sims have the option to play catch, and throw water balloons at each other. Another little action that gets old quick, not only that, but the Sims will do this on their own all too much.

2. WINTER-

It snows. Surprise! It’s pretty easy to figure out when the snow will start. Your Sims will automatically get a new action with a snowflake on it. They get this action before it starts snowing, so it is odd. All of a sudden the snow falls. It also looks like it is falling inside of your house, which I find annoying. However snow will not fill your home, it will just look like its coming down in your living room. It’s also obvious because your computer will slow down when the snow starts. Once it starts though it will run normally again.

As soon as there is enough snow on the ground your Sims can go outside and play in it. They can have snowball fights, make snow angels, or build snowmen. Not only that but they can also freeze. Plus if one of your children happens to freeze they will get taken away. So watch your Sim kids temperature thermometers and make sure they are in the green and not the blue.

If you happen to have your thermometer fall into the blue, you can go inside and brew yourself a cup of hot chocolate.

-A strange event happened to me after building a snowman and not completing it. I had a rather large and fat penguin come up to the snowman and pee next to it, the thing then walked through my house and left. I guess this is the ‘surprise’ guest for this expansion pack.

I know the Sims Pets had Hilary Duff however she never visited me. Blah! Most of the time to get the guest celebrity to visit you, you had to pull off an extreme event. The penguin came out of nowhere.

-Your Sims will also get the flu a lot during this winter season. I wish Maxis would add in some medicine for my Sims. They lay in bed the entire season because they are too sick to go outside and enjoy the snow.

3. FALL-

My Sims didn’t even know it was fall. See if you don’t place any trees in your lot, you won’t even notice that this season is occurring. Without trees they can’t die. Your fruit trees will grow dormant, so they don’t produce leaves. You need to place the older trees on the lot for any of them to land on your lawn.

Once you have trees, and leaves you can now start raking the leaves up, and playing in them. You can also use the dead leaves to add to your compost bin, which you use as fertilizer for your garden.

There are also a few fall themes objects, but nothing special. Maxis still fails to give fans a friggin light up pumpkin for cryin’ out loud. Maxis could have really gone the extra mile with the fall season. Yet sort of left it alone. Just like spring.

4. SPRING-

Like fall, Maxis failed to add really anything here. It rains a little more and maybe you will get one lightning storm if you are lucky during the 4-day season. You are not given a raincoat though to go outside, which stinks, and an umbrella would have really been awesome. Nope, instead they sit out in the rain looking like a bunch of idiots.

Your Sims will not really interact or do the new actions available unless you direct them to do so.

I WANT A NEW JOB

The Sims 2 Seasons also comes with 6 new career paths, which I find to be neat. With all 6 new jobs your Sims can also unlock the career rewards. This is where we have an issue; some of the career rewards are identical to what old rewards only they look a little different. I was very disappointed in the new reward objects that were added. None of them are any good, and one career only gives you a stupid statue. It does nothing special at all, just sits there and takes up mass amounts of space.

WHAT DO THE NEW CLOTHES LOOK LIKE?

Baggy and stupid, just like all of Maxis’ clothing add-ons. All of the winter clothing is too big looking on the Sims. They have a few options, about 9. Before you know it everyone in town is sporting the same winter outfit, which is annoying. The website www.thesims2.com will tell you they now can sport hats and gloves and scarves. Hooey! If you want to have your Sims wear a hat you have to choose it while you create your Sim. So all year round he will sport a winter hat. Pretty lame. You really have to download clothing online to get a wide assortment. My favorite site has always been www.modthesims2.com

OBJECTS, GOT ANYTHING NEW?

Yes, however there are not many. You actually get more new objects with the add-ons. There are a few new lamps that are just hideous looking. They are too big, and look terrible on any nightstand. There are a few new statues, all of which are too big to place anywhere reasonable looking. There are no new items for children though, which is disappointing. I’m so sick of the same teddy bear, and toy box. How about a new swing set? That would be sweet, or a sand box? Maybe the next expansion pack will focus on the kids. Who knows?

YOU STINK!

What else stinks- when your Sims do an activity leaves, flowers, sun, or snow will now sprinkle around their heads and dance in a circular motion as they gain personality points. Maxis fails to let people know what this means in the game. The new graphic is there, but no one knows why? I am assuming that if you have your Sims spend time cooking in the summer, perhaps he is learning to do cooking more in the summer time than any other time. That is just a guess though? I’m stumped.

I was expecting a lot more for $30. Again Maxis fails to deliver. The idea was wonderful, and the initial idea actually came from Sims fans. However as soon as Maxis got hold of the idea it turned into a gigantic mess. The game focuses more on the summer time and wintertime. Fall and spring got totally left in the dirt.

Boo!!! Maxis Boo!!!!


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Taken from the box:

· Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista
· 1.3 GHz or faster processor
· 256 MB of RAM (512 MB RAM is recommended for Windows Vista or if you are running with a multiple expansion packs installed)
· 8X or faster CD/DVD-ROM drive
· Minimum of 1.5 GB of free hard drive space
· DirectX 9.0c compatible Video Card with 32MB or more memory required (64MB for Windows Vista)

I’d recommend saving your money on this one. It’s a waste. Not only that buy the guide. There is way too many things that go unanswered with this expansion pack. You won't even know how to use, or do most of the things available without it. What a rip-off! Can't even give buyers a small instruction manual?! Shame on you Maxis!

Video Game Review, Sonic and the Secret Rings for Nintendo Wii

I’m going to be completely honest. Sonic and The Secret Rings is HARD! I’m one of these people who have little patience. If I can’t beat a board after 5 or 6 times of trying I throw the remote to the floor and have myself a gigantic pity party. I whine, I cuss, I give the TV the finger, and I get depressed. A game, defeats me!? I won’t have it! It is unheard of!

Someone defeated me, and honestly I don’t even know who. That is really how poor the storyline is.

Once you start the game you have to sit and listen to about 10 minutes of the most boring dialogue you have ever had to suffer through. (Like I said, I have no patience, and hate long cut scenes. A minute is more than enough for me, however I sat through it just so I could write this review)

Sonic is told by some genie, (she’s a girl) that the final pages to some book called Arabian Nights have gone blank (Yeah sounds pretty stupid right?) it is some dude named Erazor who is responsible for the blank pages. It is up to Sonic to collect these magical rings in order to beat Erazor and restore the blank pages to the book. Yay!!!

Blah blah, the genie gets a cold, she sneezes, and before you know it your thrown right into game play without even knowing whom your enemy is. Where is Dr. Robotnic?

WHERE WE GOIN’?

You will be taken to many different lands; however the first place you begin is just a tutorial, the desert oasis. Everything here is just a bunch of idiotic tasks you must perform in order to get to the next chapter inside of the storybook (or world). You will have to run through boards without breaking a jug (elebits anyone?), you will have to kill 10 enemies and not miss a single one in the level. You will be asked to collect 50 rings. All of the tasks are fast paced, and most of them are simple. However some tasks are close to impossible to complete.

The game is similar to how the original was. Sonic won’t die if an enemy hits him so long as he is carrying some rings. If he has zero rings, he will die, and you will have to start the level over again.

LAND HO’!

You will be taken to a desert oasis- this is the lands where your tutorial will take place. You will also be traveling to dinosaur land where you find yourself running away from some huge stampede in the beginning, robot land where you will do combat with a bunch of different types of robots, pirate lands, floating lands and more. Each land consists of about 20 missions. Some of these missions will be fast and easy to beat in only about a minute or two, while others can take around 5 minutes, or more depending on whether or not you die. There are a total of 7 fantasy lands, and one tutorial in all. So really there are 8, if you want to count the long boring tutorial.

SONICS’ GOT SKILLS

Depending on how well you completed a mission Sonic will also level up his ring. He will gain experience points depending on how well you did. You can only choose one ring out of 4 to level up. You can also customize your rings the way you want. For instance if you are on a mission that requires you to beat the world in a certain amount of time, you can customize the ring for speed.
You can either add speed, assault or defense when you customize your rings.

CUT! LIGHTS CAMERA, ACTION!!!!

Each chapter in the storybook you complete will take you to a cut scene. Sometimes a cut scene will even occur before you thought you finished the chapter, which can be annoying. Each cut scene is filled with more pathetic dialogue, and most of the dialogue in the scenes is 50% unnecessary. Why do we have to watch the genie sneeze? Why do we have to listen to Sonic say God Bless you?

OKAY

So what’s up with these controls?

Yeah it took me a hot minute to figure that one out too. See I was pointing the remote at the TV thinking that was how to control him. Nope. You turn the wii remote to the side and hold it like you would an old Nintendo remote controller. Now tilt it left or right. That’s how you get Sonic to move.

I find it stupid, and difficult even after a playing for a good hour or so. I don’t understand why the nun chuck was not used to move him, and the wii remote to jump and perform battle moves!

All of your battle moves will be done on the wii remote only, by flicking your arms forward. This is how Sonic kills things. However first you must jump, and then wait for the enemy to light up red. Then you can strike. Killing enemies takes a bit of practice and perfect timing. It is annoying, and most of the time your best bet is to just run passed enemies if you can.

You also can stop Sonic by pressing the 2 button. You make him jump by pressing the 1button.

However in order for him to jump high he must be completely stopped. Then you hold down the 1 button to get a higher longer jump. Weird, and in my opinion its lame to have to bring him to a full stop just to get him to jump high. Most of the time though he is running so fast it is impossible to get him to a full stop to perform a jump, so he just throws himself off of the ledge. This stinks because in most missions you will throw yourself off of ledges because you don’t know where they are, and they come up so fast. You will most likely die during these jumps until you’re aware of where they are, and when they’re coming up.

Sonic can also grind on rails. What I mean by that is he can jump up on rails and gain super amount of speed while he is zipping by. The rails however I would try to avoid. He slides so fast that once you see an enemy blocking your path, it is too late to perform any actions to kill it or get out of its way.

You can also tilt the remote back towards your body to get him to move backwards. Sonic will however go extremely slow when moving backwards, and it really messes with your vision when you try to back up.

What stinks about the controls in Sonic and the secret rings is how sonic is always moving forward. So if you happen to find yourself up against a wall, and an enemy behind you, it can get glitchy when trying to back up and smash the wall without getting killed by the enemy behind you.

SOUND-

Like I said before, the dialogue stinks, the tones of the voice actors are all over the place, and not only that but the songs in the game are all stupid little drumbeats trying to sound cool, but they are just annoying, and can give you a headache.

Not only do the songs and voices stink, but so does the fact that while in game play there is not a whole lot of different sounds. You will hear the chimes of rings being collected, sounds when Sonic hits an enemy, and a few others. There is not really a large assortment that you would expect. Each song and sound is the same as the last. Nothing really changes.

TONE DEAF?
Not only that but when a character is afraid, they sound happy. When they are mad, they sound calm. The tones of the characters are so off it can at times actually be funny, but not for long.
Eventually the whole dialogue just becomes a waste of your time, and really your patience.

I WOULD OF LIKED TO TAKE MY TIME AND SMELL THE ROSES-

There will be none of that in Sonic, and this is where I have the biggest bone to pick with the game. The graphics are beautiful, I will not deny that, the 3D scenes are beautiful; only, I can enjoy them for about a second.
Every world is colorful and charming. It is a mix of fantasy and reality and it does look stunning.

However Sonic runs so fast at times that I could see how one can easily pass out and start having an epileptic seizure. I found myself dizzy and getting headaches from this lightning fast game play.
It would have been nice if the fast packed action wasn’t such a blur. It would have been more enjoyable if I could have indulged in my environments instead of zipping through them with such ridiculously high speed.
The speed at times gets so out of control that you will not even be able to avoid enemies or spikes that pop up from floors or walls.

YOU SMELL SONIC, TAKE A BATH AND CLEAN YOURSELF UP

What stinks about Sonic and the secret rings is that the game play doesn’t continue in order. You must go into the chapter in the storybook, then click on the chapter you want to play inside of the chapter. Confusing yes? It’s not really hard to figure out when you are playing the game, however I find it annoying to have to continue to go back to the pages in order to play the next part of the game. Why could it not just continue in succession?
Not only does that stink, but the replay value stinks as well. I couldn’t fid myself wandering back to this game after completing it. It’s pretty and all, but it just lacks that ‘lets play more’ (again) aspect.

CAN MY FRIENDS PLAY?

They sure can, in party mode there are 30 different mini-games that come with Sonic and the secret rings. They are sort of fast paced Warioware type games, or Mario Party type mini challenges. All of them are fun, however after you’ve played each one they don’t really have that much replay value.

This is not what I was expecting from a $60 game purchase. The original charm from Sonic has been erased and fans have been striped of what made them fans in the first place. I really hope if they add a part 2 for the wii that it is nothing like this game.

YOU’LL WANT TO TRY IT, BUT DO NOT BUY IT

I would not advise anyone to go out and spend $60 on this game. However it is slightly fun, and probably worth a rent. Nothing more.

Plymouth Bagged Rubber Bands Assorted Colors and Sizes

RUBBER BANDS!

Yes we can do reviews on paperclips, pens, notebook pads, and pencils, but there is just not enough reviews on RUBBER BANDS! What’s the deal with that?!

This review should put me in the spotlight, who else can say they are cool enough to write about rubber bands? (Oh yeah that guy before me)

Okay so rubber bands… where to start? I found my Plymouth assorted sizes bag at Staples. This means my bag o' fun comes in sizes small enough to fit around a highlighter, or large enough to fit around a giant kankle. That's about it. Some are wider than others, and some are so thin they snap the moment you stretch them out.
I got them for $3, Yeah they are hiking up in price. True!

WHAT'S THE POINT?

What I like to do with my colorful rubber bands varies from day to day.
Like when I’m in a good mood, I will put them on and use them as pretty fashion accessories for my wrist, and the boys go gaga, and the girls just get jealous with envy.

“Where Oh Where can I get One Of Those Bee-Yooty-Ful bracelet’s!?” They all ask. Tee-hee!

I know, not everyone can be as cool as me. I don’t tell them my fashion secret. These rubber band beauties are mine. All mine!

When I am in a playful mood I will wrap the rubber band around my pointer finger and thumb, -this is a tricky rubber band-flicking gun trick that only us rubber band pros know of. Once you lower your thumb the rubber band goes flying with major force and speed. If you aim correctly you will always hit your target. 90% of the time anyways.

If I’m in a bad mood, or if someone has just recently boiled my blood, I will use the rubber bands as weapons. This is similar to the rubber band gun, only it hurts a lot worse. Again position the rubber band on your pointer finger and your thumb. Walk up to the enemy, place the stretched out rubber band on their skin, and pull back and release. This will leave a nice red mark, and the sting is quite painful.

Another fun playful thing I like to do with my bag of rubber bands:
While I’m sitting at the office on a dead day I make myself a rubber band guitar.
That’s right! It's easy! Follow these simple directions:

You get yourself a ruler, and pick out the longest rubber bands from the assorted bag and you wrap a few around the ruler. You now have yourself a practical yet fun toy! Everyone will be so jealous at the office.

They are Oh so convenient too. You can also use rubber bands as hair ties! Yes they rip your fur out when you try to remove them, and yes it hurts, and yes it’s probably really really bad for your hair, but it still works. Not only that it’s like the “IT” girl thing to do. Haha.

What else, hmm hold on let me think for a minute Gez… try to contain your excitement! I know you’re just dying to own these rubber bands now!

Oh yeah! The RUBBER BAND BALL. This is another oh so fun thing you can do with your rubber bands. You first must get a ping-pong ball, or tennis ball. Keep wrapping rubber bands around them, over and over again. Eventually you will be left with one neat super bouncy ball. These are most fun, and everyone will try to steal it from you. It’s that cool!

THEY ARE FOR EVERYONE!

OFFICE GEEKS LIKE ME:

Nerdy people may want to use rubber bands to roll up documents or whatever. I find this unnecessary but some people may want to use the rubber bands for that. God only know why?

TEENS LIKE THEM TOO:

I’ve also seen some wacky teens wrap rubber bands around their fingers to cut off circulation. I don’t know what it is with teens and thinking it is cool to do this- but they do, so maybe you want to keep these rubber bands away from teens… they do weird things with them.

WARNINGS

Rubber bands should not be chewed no matter how cool a texture they are. You can swallow them and have them wrap around your insides and cause internal issues.
Don’t eat rubber bands, don’t chew on them, don’t suck on them… as a matter of fact don’t even put them near your face! Yeah you!

Also keep them away from children please. There is no warning on the bag, but lets play safe okay!? Kids can choke on them!

THERE'S MORE, OH YEAH!

You can also use these rubber bands for finger exercise. It’s like a workout for fat fingers. Like if your fingers are swollen for the day for some reason, you can do the rubber band workout. It’s most effective! My fingers are so tone and slender now.

Rubber bands come in a wide assortment of thickness and in length, not to mention colors.
Don’t go crazy now, but they come in…
Pink, blue, green, white, tan, yellow, red, orange, black, neon colors, pale colors, pastels, you name it, the rubber band can satisfy any color need you may be looking for.

The downfall about the rubber band though is that they can snap on you. If you stretch them too much they break. Now if someone could just invent the indestructible rubber band, then… well… wow I’d be impressed!

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS:

I should also add that rubber bands are made of, um, rubber- so if you are allergic to rubber, you may want to avoid these little guys.
Rumor has it that there is sulfur in the mix too, so sometimes your bands may smell like farts or rotting eggs. I have yet to smell this stink, these rubber bands smell like rubber. Nothing more.

PRACTICAL JOKES TO PLAY ON YOUR FRIENDS
1. You can leave a rubber band in the freezer and give them to someone who may need one. The rubber band will becomes so brittle that when someone goes to use it, it will snap. You get to sit back and laugh at your evil deed.

2. You can also leave a few of them out in the sun and give them to people. They will dry up into a sickly cracked look. These rubber bands are useless. The moment someone goes to use them they will flake apart. hehehe.

3. The poor mans braces. This is always fun. Wrap the rubber band around your back teeth, and position them on like braces. You can pick any color, and they're a real hoot. However I did say keep them out of your mouth, so do this at your own risk if you must.

I love rubber bands; I recommend everyone try them out. If you haven’t yet, go and buy a big huge bag, the possibilities are endless!

Now wasn't that fun!? Who said rubber bands had to be boring!?

Video Game Review: Cooking Mama: Cook Off, For Nintendo Wii

So last night I cooked up some minestrone soup all from scratch in less than 5 minutes, not only that I was able to prepare exotic foreign meals in seconds. However Mama herself rated my meals. She didn’t quite agree with everything I had to cook. As a matter of fact, most of the time she wanted me to try harder. Sniff sniff.
But Mama listen, it’s not my fault really, the controls on your game… um, well they blow!

Cooking Mama Cook Off was first released for the Nintendo DS, and after reading an excellent review on the DS version, I just knew I had to try the newly released Nintendo wii version of the game. Cooking Mama Cook Off has brought to me 55 food recipes from 10 different nations, using 300 different ingredients, which I now can prepare on my television set with the ease of just flipping my wrist around.

I can now cook foods from Japan, America, France, Mexico, India, England, Spain, China, Italy, and Germany. Sweet!

The entire game itself is basically a series of a bunch of mini games that are placed in order to complete a certain food dish. However each task is time limited. So if you don’t chop the vegetables fast enough or complete the task on time, Mama will tell you to try harder. But instead of giving you a re-try you are thrown quickly into the next ingredient.

For me Cooking Mama Cook Off was sort of a bore. Each different recipe pretty much asked me to do the exact same thing as the last recipe. Nothing is really that different, and tasks become tedious and repetitive. Let me explain some of the tasks that you will be seeing a lot of.

GET TO THE CHOPPA!
Some recipes ask that you chop up some vegetables, waving the wii remote up and down as if it were a knife. You will have about 10 seconds to chop the vegetables.

*This task is far too easy, and I honestly wish they would of at least tried to make it a little bit harder, or maybe longer.

PEEL IT!
In order to peel vegetables you simply wave the wii remote up, and then down and the skins will come off. Hmph!

*The controls for this task make it quite difficult for me to perform this task. For some reason when you hold the remote upright like the game asks me to do, the sensor does not read the remote, and gets stuck a lot. You will most likely fail this mini game many times. I know I did.

GRATE THAT POTATOE!
Some recipes call for grated potatoes, ginger, cheese, or carrots. Waving the remote left and right can do this easily, and the vegetable will grate. However sometimes the grater will get clogged and you have to hold the wii remote upright and pound it down. For some reason, (like peeling) the wii sensor does not sense the remote anymore, and will simply get stuck or do nothing at all.

*Although the controls will glitch up, you will still be given enough time to complete the grating process. You have about 20 seconds to complete the grating task.

BUTTER ME UP!
There will be some recipes that call for buttering up a pan. There will be a large pan on the screen and a pat of butter. You have about 40 seconds to cover the entire pan with butter. This task is pretty simple. All you do is move the wii remote around and fill in the blank spots. It sort of reminds me of coloring. You will finish this task before time runs out.

STIR IT UP!
Stirring can be done by simply moving your wii remote in a circular motion; It’s pretty easy to do, although sometimes things can get a little glitchy and just stop for no reason at all.

IT’S GETTIN’ HOT IN HEA!
Heating foods are simple. Your dish will be placed in either an over, microwave or grill. You have to watch the bottom screen and make sure you turn off the device the moment the timing clock gets into the red. If you do not turn off the device fast enough you will burn your meal. You have about 6 seconds to get it right. You also do not want to remove your dish too early. This particular mini game does not call for any wrist motions. Simply click the ‘turn off’ button. It’s pretty simple.

FRY IT UP!

Fried foods can get tricky. You will be prompted to flip the fried foods whenever the screen asks you to. You can do this by flicking the wii remote in an upward motion and the food in the pan will flip around.
This particular mini game is easy except for the fact that everything is timed to precision. If you flip too early, or too hard the food will be ruined.

BARBEQUE, BARBE-QUE- A STINKY STINKY PEW PEW PEW!

The BBQ in Cooking Mama Cook Off is a little strange. You heat it up by using a Japanese fan. You move the fan back and forth to get the coals to start burning. Once the colas are burning be sure to keep an eye on the screen and not so much on the flame. You will be asked to flip the food that is on the grill. If you do not do this in time, your food will burn, and you will fail. Mama is not going to be happy!

LET’S COOK!

If you were to make minestrone soup, the first mini game you would be playing would be chopping the vegetables for the soup. Next you will be mincing them for about 10 seconds-Mama will then grade your chopping skills, next you will be grating some potatoes- Mama will then grade that, after this you are to stir the ingredients in a big pot. Stirring them can be difficult, the tasks are thrown at you fast, and everything is timed. You have to add ingredients when the game prompts you to, then you have to lower and higher the heat on the stove when you are told to do so, next you are to stir the pot. If you miss one prompt during any of the mini games Mama will decrease your grading.
After you have finished preparing the soup, Mama will give you an official rating based on how well you have done in each step. She can be generous and give you a gold badge (better than Mama), silver badge, bronze badge, or the big boot. Try harder.
After you complete a recipe a new recipe will sometimes be added into your recipe book. Yay!
Now what would of really taken this game to the next level would be to add the real recipe into my cookbook so I could prepare these foods in real life. Not having that is a little disappointing, seeing how the game itself is close to $60, adding in a few real life recipes wouldn’t of hurt. Fun and educational! No such luck.

MULTIPLAYER

Yes, Cooking Mama Cook Off will allow you and all your dorky friends to battle each other in this game. Well at least one anyway. The screen is split in 2, and you and a friend will be able to prepare a food dish. Whichever person prepares it the fastest and with the best accuracy will win the game.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS MODE
In this mode, you are basically challenging the computer. This is great for us dorks who don’t have many friends. Sigh* however you compete up against 10 different international foreign friends whom specialize in making certain foods from their country.
I totally hated this because for one the wii controls in Cooking Mama Cook Off are not so reliable, and the international friend is a specialist. The computer will never miss a beat, and you will. You will lose every time, so I am disappointed that this mode was even added, and why the computer ‘never ever’ messes up. Grrrr!

HOW’S THEM GRAPHICS?

They are pretty much like the majority of the Nintendo Wii games out right now; cartoony looking, and drawn in a childlike Japanese anime way. The colors are bright and sort of pretty, however there does not seem to be a large assortment of different colors so everything sort of looks the same. I’m going to give the graphics a 5 out of 10. Although they lacked colors, they weren’t terrible.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

Some dishes you will find in Cooking Mama Cook Off include, sushi, hot dogs, hamburgers, fried shrimp, octopus, pasta, fish, eggs, soups, custards, steaks, and more.

Alrighty then, let me tell you what truly annoys me about Cooking Mama Cook Off.

1. The fact that every time I get a gold badge for a dish, Mama has to annoy me with her high-pitched broken English squealing voice. ‘Gweat Joba, Bedda Den Mama!’
2. The fact that the controls are sometimes so glitchy that they stop responding.
3. The fact that I can’t beat any of the computer generated characters.
4. That each recipe basically asks for the same prompt as the last
5. That the game promised 300 different ingredients, but failed to mention that almost all of them are in the exact same white bottles just with a different name on them.
6. That the game does not include the real recipe so I could cook some of this sludge up at home. Octopus with ink sauce! Um… ech.
7. After completing a dish, I couldn't see myself wanting to go back and do it again. Basically once the 55 dishes are done, so is the game.

SO WHAT’S GOOD?

Well Cooking Mama Cook Off will provide you with a few hours of good fun. It is also pretty neat to play in multi-player mode and go up against friends and family members. Although the controls stink at times, it’s still a good game. Good game, not great, not excellent, just okay. Not only that but a lot of the mini-games will provide some arm exercise. Get them guns a little toned up!

PASS IT ON

I wouldn’t recommend buying this one quite yet, however it’s one of those games that I have a feeling will decrease in price quickly. The game play repeats itself, and gets pretty boring, pretty fast. Until the price of this game goes down, as of now it is only worth a rent.