Hands On: ‘Food Network: Cook Or Be Cooked’
I walked into the Namco preview event yesterday and the first demo placard I saw has the Food Network logo on it. In the past, my reaction to this would have been an apathetic “pass.” But having been recently unemployed and after learning the true value of home cooking, I was intrigued.
I have yet to play the Cooking Mama games, so I can’t say how the two games compare head-to-head, but Cook or Be Cooked is definitely a realistic take on culinary skills. It attempts to emulate the entire cooking process, starting with the collection of necessary pots, pans, and ingredients and following through with mixing, chopping, frying, baking, warming…whatever the recipe calls for. You’re doing all the prep work and cooking with the Wii remote, with the Nunchuk is used to navigate around the kitchen, as well as for additional cooking functions (like aiming a potato masher). At the end of the process you’re judged on certain aspects of your meal.
The Namco rep giving the demo intentionally overcooked his steak, which appropriately received a 0/5 review. The better your score, the more recipes you can unlock, which come directly from Food Network cookbooks. There’s even a convenient fast-forward feature so you don’t have to actually sit and watch steaks fry for five to seven minutes per side.
As it stands right now, the presentation’s a bit drab — the only Food Network personality is Susie Fogelson, judge from The Next Food Network Star. With the wide array of talent and cooking styles on the network, it’d be a shame if you couldn’t challenge Bobby Flay to a grilling throwdown, learn interesting gastronomic trivia from Alton Brown, or watch Giada De Laurentiis walk around. But what they have here is a good base to work from, and structuring the game so you have to time your cooking so that all dishes are ready at once really captures the feeling of cooking a meal at home.
What’s the most impressive thing you know how to cook? During my employment break, I finally learned how to make pizza from scratch.
%7Cutmcsr%3D(direct)%7Cutmcmd%3D(none)%3B%2B__utmv%3D24820686.-%3B){kind=small}
%7Cutmcsr%3D(direct)%7Cutmcmd%3D(none)%3B%2B__utmv%3D24820686.-%3B){kind=small}
Comments
Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!