From HandWiki - Reading time: 13 min
| Gardening Mama | |
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Nintendo DS cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Cooking Mama Limited |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Composer(s) | Yasuhiro Kawakami |
| Series | Cooking Mama |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Release | Nintendo DS iOS
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| Genre(s) | Simulation, minigame |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gardening Mama (Japanese: ガーデニングママ Hepburn: Gādeningu Mama) (stylized as gardening mama) is a gardening simulation-styled minigame compilation video game for the Nintendo DS, and it was later ported to iOS in 2010. It is a spin-off from the Cooking Mama series.[1]
The gameplay is similar to that of Cooking Mama, with players using the stylus to plant bulbs, dig trenches and water plants.[2] Players can also make items such as jack-o-lanterns and jams from their fruits and vegetables, and players can trade their produce with others.[3]
A sequel to Gardening Mama, Software:Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends, was released for the 3DS in September 2013.
"Let's Get Growing" is the main game mode where the player grows a variety of plants in a garden, ranging between flowers, fruits, and vegetable. Players initially start with only a few flowers, but are able to unlock more plants and garden areas after finishing complete flower cycles (from planting the seed to when the flower blooms). Like previous Mama games, for a plant to grow the player needs to complete a series of mini games; however instead of playing each stage consecutively, only one stage can be played at time. The next stage becomes available once the player completes another stage for a different plant, or the next time the player turns on their handheld device.
After completing a stage, the player's performance is evaluated with a numerical score out of 100, and awarded either a bronze, silver, or gold medal. After completing a full plant cycle the player's overall performance is evaluated, and given an averaged score out of 100 and a corresponding medal.
There are many different mini-games available, for example: planting seeds/saplings; watering plants; cutting off or removing weak/dead parts of plants; shooing away pests and rodents; harvesting produce; and making rainbows using a watering hose.
Players also have a "practice" option.
In the "Let's Play Together" mode, Gardening Mama supports wireless multiplayer, along with "Download Play". During such a contest, players compete in individual minigames. Players can also exchange produce they have grown with the "Cute Treasure Chest" function.
If a player completes a stage under a certain time they receive a "bonus sapling". For every three bonuses earned players receive an unlockable item, such as accessories for Mama, decorative gardening items, or extra items that can be used in the game.
There are two bonus sections: "Decorate the Garden!" and "Make it Fancy!"
In "Decorate the Garden", players can add decorative items they have unlocked to their garden, such as small flower pots and garden gnomes. The "Spruce Up Your Screen" menu can also be opened from here to change the appearance of various gardening tools and background items.
In "Make it Fancy", players can use unlocked clothing items to customize Mama's appearance. Various accessories, like glasses and earrings, can be added; Mama's clothing can also be changed.
Special fertilizers can also be unlocked via the bonus saplings, which allow growing unique plants that can be grown in an area called "Special Garden".
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The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[13] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one eight, one seven, one eight, and one seven, for a total of 30 out of 40.[4]
Game Informer's Brian Vore said that while Gardening Mama was on par with previous Cooking Mama games, it shared many of the same issues. Vore criticized the game's "repetitive minigames, spotty control, and lack of depth."[14]
Chris Hoffman of Nintendo Power was more positive, scoring the game 8/10 and praising the "more arcadelike and skill-based" approach to minigames when compared to other Mama titles.[15]
| Cooking Mama | |
|---|---|
Nintendo DS cover art of Cooking Mama | |
| Developer(s) | Office Create |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Series | Cooking Mama |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS iOS |
| Release | Nintendo DS
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| Genre(s) | Simulation, minigame |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Cooking Mama (クッキング ママ Kukkingu Mama) is a cookery simulation-styled minigame compilation video game for the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and iOS platforms, developed by Office Create and published by Taito, Majesco Entertainment, and 505 Games. It was awarded IGN's "Best Of E3" award for 2006. It was followed by a sequel for the DS, Cooking Mama 2. Two games have been made for the Wii: Cooking Mama and Cooking Mama.
In Cooking Mama, the player is tasked with cooking various meals using the device's touch screen. Following the instructions of the titular "Mama", the player uses the stylus or their finger to perform different kitchen tasks, including chopping vegetables, slicing meat, flipping food in pans, and arranging the final items on the plate. The version of the game for iOS also takes advantage of the accelerometer in its devices with some similar gameplay to Cooking Mama. Each of these tasks is performed by completing a mini-game which usually lasts less than 10 seconds. The gameplay structure consists of the player progressing through a series of short minigames. The game features a total of 96 different dishes.
Each minigame represents a different activity in the meal preparation, such as mixing, frying, or chopping the provided ingredients. The minigame mechanics themselves range from quickly drawing parallel lines in order to chop items, to a rhythm game where ingredients are added to a skillet or the heat is adjusted at precisely the right time. In many cases, players must look at the top screen of the DS for guidance on what to do next and then perform the task on the bottom screen. If the player makes a serious blunder or time expires without sufficient progress being made, that step in the cooking process is considered a failure. When this happens, a graphic of an angry "Mama" with flames erupting from her eyes is displayed, along with the caption "Don't worry, Mama will fix it!".
Completing a dish can require playing one minigame, or as many as a dozen. The player's performance is rated when each dish is finished, based on the average result of each minigame. Depending on the final score, the game may award the player a bronze, silver or gold medal. The highest medal earned for each dish is recorded and displayed next to each item on the selection screen.
The main game mode where players cook dishes. Players initially start with just a few simple recipes to choose from, with additional recipes unlocked as the earlier ones are mastered. Each recipe requires players to play through a short, timed minigame for each ingredient or group of ingredients. For example, to make a sandwich, the player would first be required to chop a cucumber into slices before the time limit elapses.
When cooking a recipe which has previously been mastered, the player sometimes has the option to change the dish being made "on the fly" between two minigames. If completed, this new recipe is then unlocked for future play.
A player also has a choice to practice a recipe.
In this mode, players can take the recipes which have been unlocked and combine them to make something new. For example, the "Fried Eggs" recipe can be combined with the "Rice" recipe to make an entree.
In this mode, players put their minigaming ingredients, peeling, stewing, tearing, and more. The player is ranked at the end of each task.
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The DS version received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[16] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four sevens, for a total of 28 out of 40.[2]
411Mania gave it a score of 7.5 out of 10, saying that "At $19.99 this makes yet another quality and affordable title for the Nintendo DS library."[17] Detroit Free Press also gave it a score of three stars out of four, calling it "a game best played in small bursts. It's perfect for waiting in line or during road trips."[12] However, The Sydney Morning Herald gave it a score of three stars out of five and said it was "A lot of fun but unlikely to satisfy your gaming appetite."[13]
The original Cooking Mama sold more than 500,000 copies in the United States as of August 15, 2007,[18] and sold more than 1 million copies in PAL regions.[19] It received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[20] indicating sales of at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[21]
As of January 30, 2008, the Cooking Mama series sold more than 2.6 million copies worldwide.[22] Majesco also credited it, among other games, for an increase in revenue in early 2007.[23] By May 2009, over four million copies of the series were sold in North America. Miley Cyrus was found to be a huge fan of the game, and even gained a large number of fans due to how much she enjoys it.[24]
The animal welfare group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) created a Flash game titled Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals[25] intended to both criticize the video game's use of meat-based recipes and to encourage veganism.[26] The creators of Cooking Mama responded to the PETA in a press release stating that "I would never put rat in my ratatouille", and indicated that not all of Mama's recipes are meat-based.[27] PETA stated that they were happy with the release of Gardening Mama, a spin-off of the series.[28]
A pseudo-sequel, Cooking Mama, was released for the Wii in Japan on February 8, 2007. Replacing touchscreen control with use of the Wii Remote to guide the cooking activities, it was later released in North America on March 20, 2007 and on May 11, 2007 in Europe.
The second Nintendo DS game in the series Cooking Mama 2, was released in November 2007. Along with new recipes, this title expands the total number of different minigames and adds several new gameplay modes.
Cooking Mama for Wii, was released on November 18, 2008.
A sequel for the Nintendo DS, Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop had a hands-on demo available at E3 2009, and was released in North America on October 20, 2009.
Mama from Cooking Mama is the main character in the games Babysitting Mama, Crafting Mama, Gardening Mama, Camping Mama, and Gardening Mama 2.[29]
A sequel entitled Cooking Mama 4 was released for the Nintendo 3DS on November 16, 2011 in North America.
A sequel entitled Cooking Mama 5 was released for the Nintendo 3DS on September 16, 2014 in North America.
A third pseudo-sequel entitled Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop was released for the Nintendo 3DS in November 2014 in Japan, and in April 2017 worldwide.
Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]
Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]
In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]
On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]
In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]
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