The savory sequel to Mama's first appearence gives her kitchen and her cook book a bright and vivid update

User Rating: 8.5 | Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends DS
Now that Mama's got a fan base, "Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends" is here to please crowds and cook supper. Cooking Mama's shallow gameplay doesn't exactly have room for innovation, but Dinner With Friends really makes a great sequel, regardless. The dishes are much more interesting, the kitchen is much brighter, and the extras are much more prevalent. Most of all, Mama's voice is heard for the first time, albeit at a significantly higher pitch than in the future sequels. Tellific! Bettel den Mama!

In the first game, none of the dishes were particularly unique. There were several dishes that were virtually identical, save for just a few ingredients. DWF breaks the mold, making each of the recipes as diverse as possible. You can make comfort food classics like Peanut Butter, Bagels, and Pizza, or you can go for exotic fare like Escargot, Panna Cotta, and Loco Moco. No two dishes are alike.

As stated before, there's not much you can do to revolutionize the way things work in kitchen. All of the same cooking actions (as well as many new ones) are here, and while none of them are earth-shattering, they provide more of the same (same = good). Cooking for your friends is a cut-throat alternative to cooking with mama; there's no guidance from Mama, and if you screw up, your dinner is toast. This feature introduces a much needed level of difficulty to Mama's otherwise care-free gameplay.

All in all, if you love Cooking Mama, or if you just love to cook, there's no reason why Dinner With Friends shouldn't be part of your collection.