The Basics Of A Cooking Game

By Author: Aaron Bell
Total Articles: 3698
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There is a new variety of online game occupying arcades. It follows in the successful footsteps of other time management games such as Dinner Dash. I've always found these games to be intriguing. They don't sound interesting on the surface but if you try one you'll soon realize that the last two hours of your life just went up in smoke. These games are incredibly fun and addictive time wasters that just about anyone can pick up and play. They are the essence of an arcade game.

The idea is really simple for the entire genre. You have to commit the right actions at the right times. Then again, that could be said for just about any video game. The real challenge is effectively playing a game of overpowered Simon Says. All of the games will break down into a series of commands you have to follow. It tries to capture the true essence of a roadside dinner by throwing orders at you in rapid fire fashion. It is your job to fulfill said orders in a timely fashion and usually meet some type of monetary goal. I've generally found that the better games reward efforts that are merely competent and form an expert rating for those ...
... that care about forming perfect combos in synchronism with the cycles of the moon. The point is that you don't have to be perfect to pass on to the next level, and failure is usually only punished with a forced do-over.

Each one flows on a simple basis for the most part. You will usually receive the orders over a period of time. It is your job to make the clicks in the necessary order to cook the items before the customers get mad and leave. Most games have customers with varying levels of patience and varying complexity of orders. As they are introduced you'll receive a little note explaining such eccentricities so you can plan accordingly. These characters and crises will make you change orders regularly and break up your pace if you want to keep the overall flow. Things would get boring pretty fast without these little additions to change the game.

The stories that follow are usually pretty clichéd. Saving the restaurant is the old standby, especially since it gives you plenty of reasons to buy upgrades along the way. A sense of progress tends to add a lot to the addictive quality as you feel like you're making a real difference. Replacing the cracked walls with a nice wallpaper solution really feels good after 15 minutes of hardcore cooking. Then again the purpose of the upgrades can be quite useful. There are always options for more cooking space, faster service, or treats to pacify those upset guests. Little extras like this make your efforts in the future a bit easier.

I guess the point to this is that just about anybody should be able to enjoy a good cooking game. If you can manage to get to the online arcade you should be more than competent to figure out your own way to play the game. Failure is never too damaging in these games and the focus is always on the fun of bringing order to chaos one click at a time.