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Gardening Mama
Publisher: Majesco
Developer: Cooking Mama Limited
Genre: Simulation
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Platform: Nintendo DS
ESRB: E - Everyone
Reviewer: Eric
Cooking wasn’t enough for Mama. Oh no Mama has to haunt us when we tend to
our gardens. Wait, gardening isn’t popular any more? Well then lets have Mama
teach us how fun gardening really is.
Mama will help you through the process of gardening. You will learn how to plant
seeds, harvest fruits and vegetables, moving pots, tying up your plants and too
many other boring activities that will make you put your shovel and seeds away
in your garage. Gardening is real hard so if you have the urge to garden you
might want to say no.
The same can be said about this game. Most of the games you have to complete to
tend to your garden is hard because of the lack of instructions. The developers
failed to explain how to do some of these games. If they do explain what to do
there is a good chance the game is leading you into the wrong direction.
Some of the worst mini games in Gardening Mama is when you have to shovel up
dirt and fertilizer. The game tells you how much you need to do but all you are
supposed to do is move the stylus left and then drop it. How am I supposed to
win when the game tends to do its own thing? I try to do different movements
with the stylus but I am still taking a gamble in the end.
Between the poor controls there is another aspect of the game that is quite
annoying. There are so many different gardens you have to tend to and in those
gardens you have numerous plants, fruits and vegetables. After each time you
tend to one of these you’ll get a message that another plant, vegetable or fruit
needs some love. You can never truly do what you want in this game; you are
being forced into a certain path.
Gardening Mama does offer some single cart multiplayer features. As you play
through the game you can unlock these timed events. Good luck trying to find
anyone who wants to play with you.
One a bright note the game still does have those same super cute graphics and
creepy spoken words. As pissed as I get with Mama I always smile, even if she
sounds like a smoke-a-holic. Even the extra outfits you can earn during gameplay
look good on Mama but I doubt you will want to earn them.
Final Verdict
I think it might be best to keep Mama in the kitchen. If more time was put into
the touch screen controls then we’d have a good game here. All Gardening Mama
delivers is frustration at the price of $30. Thanks Mama, don’t expect me to be
around during your birthday, mothers day, Christmas…hell I am not coming over
for anything!
Rating Breakdown
Gameplay: 5 out of 10
+ Same as the Cooking Mama series…
- Except for the good controls.
Graphics: 6 out of 10
+ Gardening looks good on the Nintendo DS.
- Gardening is gardening.
Audio: 6 out of 10
+ Mama is as sweet as ever.
- No real groundbreaking sound in gardening.
Replay Value: 5 out of 10
+ Enough can be done to enjoy Gardening Mama for a good bit.
- All of the bad might make you cry and Mama won’t help you
out.
Overall
5.50 out of 10
Gardening Mama Trailer
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