Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the kitchen... Mama has recruited you to handle some yard work instead. Majesco Entertainment has today announced that Gardening Mama, the "first offshoot" of the popular Cooking Mama series, will arrive on Nintendo DS this March.
From the screenshots and press release (after the jump), it appears that Gardening Mama is exactly what you'd expect -- a series of timed, touch-screen minigames that reflect each step of the planting and harvesting process -- but the title will have some new tricks up its elastic protective sleeves.
First off, you can actually do something with the plants you create, producing items like strawberry jam from strawberries, for example, or using flowers and baskets to decorate your garden. But in a first for the Mama series, developer Cooking Mama Limited (formerly Office Create) has also seen fit to embrace online play. The game will feature a four-player competitive online mode where each races to harvest their vegetables (hopefully not as simple as it sounds) and a "Treasure Box" mode where they can share their creations with friends online.
Friend codes will no doubt rear their ugly head, but for those who already have friends who love Mama, we're sure online play will be a very welcome addition.
Pouring hearts with the left hand, squashing viruses with the right -- when it comes to gardening, Mama don't mess around.
Press release:
EDISON, N.J., December 2, 2008-Rising out of the rich soil sprouts Gardening Mama, a new Nintendo DS™ gardening simulation that was announced today by Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market. Developed by Cooking Mama Limited, the team that created the award-winning Cooking Mama franchise that has sold 2.5 million units domestically, Gardening Mama brings back the beloved matron to cultivate a cornucopia of fruits, flowers and vegetables in her backyard.
"Mama has become a certifiable icon since her original introduction in Cooking Mama DS," said Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco. "Her first brand offshoot captures those features that made the Cooking Mama series a best seller--an innovative concept, full Touch Screen control, approachable gameplay for everyone and, of course, a charismatic mentor who pushes you in her own endearing way to give a gold medal performance every time."
Gardening Mama transforms the DS stylus into a universal gardening tool that players will use to plant, nurture and harvest flowers, fruits and vegetables. Gamers can manage their garden through the seeding, blooming and maturation phases, and then produce items from the plants they've grown (i.e. grow strawberries to make jam or raise pumpkins and then carve a jack-'o-lantern). A robust multiplayer mode lets up to four friends compete to grow the biggest harvest and Treasure Box mode lets players share items they've grown with online friends. Gamers can also decorate various gardens while creating goods like pergolas and hanging baskets. In addition, players can change Mama's outfit to their liking while customizing the screen design to their preference.
Just as millions of players enjoyed slicing and dicing with Mama in the kitchen, they can now move to the great outdoors-planting, pruning, picking, and creating-in Gardening Mama!
Gardening Mama for DS is expected to release in Spring 2009. For additional information about Majesco's exciting line of products, please visit www.majescoentertainment.com.
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:42 pm
People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegetables will see you HANG for this!