Ad critic: cooking with Wii

27 Comments by Ross Miller Dec 27th 2006 3:25PM
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii, Puzzle, Simulations, Business

Gaming site Jeux France has uploaded this Japanese ad for the Wii version of Cooking Mama. Since Nintendo's video commercials, which point the camera at the players themselves, would not translate effectively as a stationary print advertisement, publisher Taito has decided to rotate the camera 180 degrees and present the Wii as a cooking utensil.

The logic here, of course, would be, "if you buy this game, you will chop peppers. Peppers are food. Everyone likes food; ergo, everyone will want this game" -- or something similar, we're sure. The advertisement is minimalistic -- lots of unused white space -- placing a greater emphasis and surface area on the pathos-appealing mock-up of the Wiimote being used to cook eggs and prepare meals while relegating screenshots to a tiny row on the bottom.

We think it's a fair assessment that Cooking Mama is not pushing the graphical limit even for a Nintendo Wii game; in fact, it looks identical to its DS counterpart. The raison d'etre for the game is an experience that is meant to be easy and fun to play for a wide demographic. In that context, do you think the ad is effective?

See also: Ad critic archive

[Via bits bytes pixels & sprites]

Tags: ad critic, AdCritic, cooking mama, CookingMama, taito

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

Quando: Dec 27th 2006; 3:39PM

Are we a focus group or something?

unidentified creature: Dec 27th 2006; 4:01PM

Why is accesability so often used as an excuse for half shod visuals? Zelda is plenty intuitive, yet it boasts some of Wii's best in the visual department. Other than style, there isn't any real excuse for doing a half job on visuals, or any part of a game for that matter.

ndt: Dec 27th 2006; 4:10PM

@3
Of course there are legitimate reasons to have low-quality graphics. Do you think it's cheap to pay an artist to create high-poly normal-mapped models, or a programmer to create an engine capable of rendering them in real time? Cheaper production costs is an absolutely real excuse.

Player1: Dec 27th 2006; 4:12PM

The demographic for this game doesn't seem that wide to me. It seems like a cooking simulation from the ad. When I cook, I at least get to eat when I'm done. Otherwise, it sounds about as fun as virtual lawn mowing or some other chore. I could see this appealing more to kids who aren't old enough to use the stove and knives.

Rubang: Dec 27th 2006; 4:19PM

A lack of realism alone doesn't make a game's graphics bad. If you can recognize the food and tell what you're doing with it (and nothing looks so awkward it distracts you) then the graphics are doing their job.

Rubang: Dec 27th 2006; 4:21PM

And virtual lawnmowing would kick ass. Throw in some sweet jumps, some enemies (Paperboy style), and a level editor, and I'm sold.

Aex: Dec 27th 2006; 4:59PM

Hehe, the Wii is becomming Nintendo's PSP. Instead of the DS getting wii ports, the Wii is getting DS ports!! ROFL! Ok, Ok, settle down fanboys, it was a joke. Either way, like pokemon, I don't think the Wii version of cooking mama will do very well. It is just... too shallow of a game not to be on a portable.

Rubang: Dec 27th 2006; 5:20PM

Comparing the Wii and the PSP is an insult to humanity.

burninhell: Dec 27th 2006; 6:10PM

Cooking Mama on the DS was surprisingly fun, but it was also priced appropriately for what it offered at 20 bucks. This Wii version had better offer a lot more than the original if they intend to get 50, or even 40 dollars for it. For 30 bucks it might be worth it...

Jason: Dec 27th 2006; 6:13PM

At least the PSP has better graphics that the wii.

Nicholas Sulikowski: Dec 27th 2006; 6:52PM

@ 11
*cough cough* fanboy.

Ed Danger: Dec 27th 2006; 7:14PM

Sigh... if only cooking in real life were as fun! Remind me of an old Hamburger making game (conveyor belt style) I used to play on Atari or NES - What was it called?
http://playwithyourwii.com/

mjparker: Dec 27th 2006; 7:44PM

@Rubang...

Now you're talkin'... Wii Competitive Landscaping. Virtual online neighborhoods, weed wackers, chainsaws, lawnmowers.... dogs, cats, raccoons, desperate housewives...

Sounds like fun to me.

Vexorg: Dec 27th 2006; 7:45PM

Rubang: Try looking up Hover Bovver by Jeff Minter at some point. It's got lawnmowing, enemies, and plenty of livestock (no level editor I'm aware of though.)

Nightram: Dec 27th 2006; 7:56PM

I believe the ad is very effective in showing the style of gameplay and functionality for the Wiimote. It's not crowded, as many game ads are, and gets to the point.
It's almost of creative breath of fresh air in the world of game ads.

vidGuy: Dec 27th 2006; 8:07PM

"At least the PSP has better graphics that the wii." Hahahaha, nope

Graphically speaking: Wii>GC>PS2>PSP>DS

coffee: Dec 27th 2006; 9:31PM

Let's see if someone put the wiimote into the frying pan

Rubang: Dec 27th 2006; 9:48PM

@#13, Burgertime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgertime

Wow, the Wikipedia page says there was even a DOS version. I had the NES one and it rocked. Level 4 was impossible.

Rubang: Dec 27th 2006; 9:56PM

I just read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hover_Bovver and it seems like he's got the right idea. I wonder if I can get him to produce my Wii Competitive Landscaping game.

@13, it could be set up like a game show where teams have to race to mow 2 of the same lawn, or they're both on the same lawn but trying to mow a higher % of it. You could design lawns with quicksand, tar pits, volcanoes, you name it. And then you have to mow them and survive.

Tomas: Dec 27th 2006; 10:06PM

effective or not, that game is gonna rock !

now i'm hopeful that they'll bring their Wii version of Densha de Go! to the States. (>_

Tom: Dec 28th 2006; 12:34AM

I don't want to play a game that makes me hungry.

Ikthog: Dec 28th 2006; 1:23AM

For an "ad critic" post, this isn't really offering any kind of criticism (or even thoughtful analysis). The ads are cute, and kind of clever, and they express the key concept of the game in an eye-catching and memorable way. Is there something else to know? Hey, you didn't by chance produce these for an advertising design class, and post them here looking for our opinion, right?

Korova: Dec 28th 2006; 1:50AM

One of the recent gamer mags i get had a feature on the most red neck games ever and lawnmower racing was in the top 5, if i remember correctly.

They said that it could be fun for people who watch lawnmower racing on a small tv that sits on top of a larger nonworking tv.

But i kid. Almost anything could be fun if done right. I remember that shifting packages with Mario was fun, or jumping over barrels with donkey kong, so why not -

if a mower is your muse,
artist needs no more excuse.

Fidel: Dec 28th 2006; 4:46AM

Joystiq, please, renew the staff, every new post will get more and more boring. This is more a site of "talk about stupid things around videogames" more like a videogames.

Agent MOO: Dec 28th 2006; 11:37AM

You guys are reading waay too much into this. Print ads are not epic masterpieces, this is a cute ad for a cute game. Nuff said.

Sonic: Dec 30th 2006; 1:30PM

You've obviously never played the original if you think those screens are identical to the DS version.

Also, Cooking Mama wasnt developed by Nintendo.

bruterules: Jan 2nd 2007; 2:42PM

Wow, the Wii fans are here like always. Biased reports and comments. All you Wii fans better get used to 16 bit graphics, Nintendo is not about pushing the graphics, Just game play. So enjoy your SNES graphics while i enjoy My Sony and MS systems!!!

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