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Many of Gameloft’s recent iPhone games have seemed…familiar, let’s say. There’s the Halo-like N.O.V.A., the SoulCalibur-aping Blades of Fury , and Modern Warfare’s iPhone equivalent Modern Combat, just to name a few. The publisher’s latest target is Taito’s culinary title Cooking Mama, which it basically clones entirely in Pocket Chef ($4.99).
Like Cooking Mama, Pocket Chef challenges players to prepare meals by completing a series of cooking-themed minigames. The minigames themselves are very similar to those found in Cooking Mama — players will slide a finger to slice meat, break apart eggs with two fingers, and shake the accelerometer to mix ingredients throughout 25 interactive recipes.
To its credit, Pocket Chef at least features its own unique aesthetic. The 3D graphics are more realistic than Cooking Mama’s cartoony style, making completed dishes seem that much more appealing. Pocket Chef also includes a selection of unlockable real-world recipes — a nice feature that the Cooking Mama series notably lacks.
Still, the similarity to Cooking Mama’s gameplay is striking. Watch the video below and you’ll likely agree. I have no doubt that Mama can fend for herself — witness her reaction to Activision’s Science Papa — but it’s a worrying trend nonetheless.
[...] Gameloft Challenges Cooking Mama with Pocket Chef “The 3D graphics are more realistic than Cooking Mama’s cartoony style, making [...]