 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action Developer: THQ Publisher: THQ |
When the Nintendo DS has been home to so many SpongeBob SquarePants games over the year, the latest game in the franchise
attempts to offer players with something a little bit different than before. As fans of the television show are very well aware, SpongeBob
SquarePants is considered one of the greatest short order fry cooks in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. However, there hasn’t been
When the Nintendo DS has been home to so many SpongeBob SquarePants games over the year, the latest game in the franchise an
opportunity for gamers to take control of the yellow sponge behind the grill firsthand. “SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-
Off” throws players into the middle of a cartoon culinary battle of the ages, complete with some sickening sea themed food and
sweating plankton sous chefs to top it all off.
The core game play mechanics of the game are centered around a variety of kitchen techniques that use the stylus and touch screen to
make the creation of fine dishes feel a bit more realistic. Memory based games require players to stack a variety of ingredients on a
burger in to correct order, while the reflex based games will have players flipping burger patties and swooping basket strainers through
the hot deep fryers. Some of the tasks, such as the circular flattening of dough or meat require a very small amount of skill, while
stirring and whisking various fluids at a steady speed can be a little bit trickier than other tasks. Either way, the players abilities will
improve rapidly as they complete each challenge, as will those of the plankton staff that help SpongeBob SquarePants in the kitchen
setting. There are a set number of dishes to prepate in each shift in the game, giving players the chance to take a short break and
control the pace of an otherwise frantic game play experience.
Progress and experience in the game earns players currency, which can be used to purchase new recipes that continue with the
seafood titles and new decorations to spice up the look of the Krusty Krab burger restaurant. Increased skills for the plankton helpers
allows them to perform tasks with much greater quality, which is a good thing for those playing the game because players will be
tasked with running from one station to the next wherever assistance may be needed. This of course creates a very interesting short
order cook simulation for players to work with, where honed techniques must be applied in a fast paced and somewhat overly chaotic
environment. The artificial design of the unique cooking techniques can be easily overlooked by the average gamers, or surely by the
younger players because this is a cartoon cooking game, but the choice of characters to serve as the kitchen staff is somewhat
questionable at the very least. If someone were to actually one a restaurant of their own, would they really want to hire a clinically
depressed cephalopod to work in their kitchen staff or would they want to hand a bunch of very sharp knives over to a dim witted
starfish?
Running between one station and another, performing a variety of technique games has an element of fun that can’t be undeniable,
with a variety in each of them that makes the elements pleasantly unpredictable. However, there are only a limited number of these
tasks for players to perform and unlock, and this can make the game feel a little bit repetitive to any player of any age. The developers of
the game seem to have forgotten that repeating a task over and over again, even at elevated speeds, does not make it more enjoyable
for the players. Going through each recipes in the game in steps to finally produce a final product might have given some better context
to each game and has given them a better sense of control over the quality of the final dish created. The challenge mode offers this
element of persistence, but it appears only sporadically throughout the game. The higher the quality of the food, the better the tips the
come in are, and the game ultimately rewards players with that currency. Unfortunately for players the game’s currency seems to suffer
like that of so many other games in the past. There just isn’t enough to do with the money that players earn throughout the game.
Hiring a more competent kitchen work would have been something that would have been useful in the game.
As expected for any game in the SpongeBob SquarePants series, this cook off is full of vibrant colors and distinctive artistic design. The
characters themselves between two dimensional forms to three dimensional figures, but they look great in both forms. The voice-overs
are one thing that should be noticed, because this is where all the cast of the show perform with full enthusiasm. SpongeBob
SquarePants himself narrates much of the story as well as the tutorial, though some of his one line jokes during game play can be a
little bit grating at times. He even makes fun of the legal messages that display when the game first loads. The sound and music are
also excellent, with the classic show theme music alternating instrumentals as the player passes from one menu type to another one.
There is a fair amount of activities to keep players busy, but the multiplayer mode is surprisingly bland. All things considered,
“SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-Off” should offer plenty of material to keep the kids entertained with just enough depth
of management to keep mainstream players coming back to the game time and time again.
attempts to offer players with something a little bit different than before. As fans of the television show are very well aware, SpongeBob
SquarePants is considered one of the greatest short order fry cooks in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. However, there hasn’t been
When the Nintendo DS has been home to so many SpongeBob SquarePants games over the year, the latest game in the franchise an
opportunity for gamers to take control of the yellow sponge behind the grill firsthand. “SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-
Off” throws players into the middle of a cartoon culinary battle of the ages, complete with some sickening sea themed food and
sweating plankton sous chefs to top it all off.
The core game play mechanics of the game are centered around a variety of kitchen techniques that use the stylus and touch screen to
make the creation of fine dishes feel a bit more realistic. Memory based games require players to stack a variety of ingredients on a
burger in to correct order, while the reflex based games will have players flipping burger patties and swooping basket strainers through
the hot deep fryers. Some of the tasks, such as the circular flattening of dough or meat require a very small amount of skill, while
stirring and whisking various fluids at a steady speed can be a little bit trickier than other tasks. Either way, the players abilities will
improve rapidly as they complete each challenge, as will those of the plankton staff that help SpongeBob SquarePants in the kitchen
setting. There are a set number of dishes to prepate in each shift in the game, giving players the chance to take a short break and
control the pace of an otherwise frantic game play experience.
Progress and experience in the game earns players currency, which can be used to purchase new recipes that continue with the
seafood titles and new decorations to spice up the look of the Krusty Krab burger restaurant. Increased skills for the plankton helpers
allows them to perform tasks with much greater quality, which is a good thing for those playing the game because players will be
tasked with running from one station to the next wherever assistance may be needed. This of course creates a very interesting short
order cook simulation for players to work with, where honed techniques must be applied in a fast paced and somewhat overly chaotic
environment. The artificial design of the unique cooking techniques can be easily overlooked by the average gamers, or surely by the
younger players because this is a cartoon cooking game, but the choice of characters to serve as the kitchen staff is somewhat
questionable at the very least. If someone were to actually one a restaurant of their own, would they really want to hire a clinically
depressed cephalopod to work in their kitchen staff or would they want to hand a bunch of very sharp knives over to a dim witted
starfish?
Running between one station and another, performing a variety of technique games has an element of fun that can’t be undeniable,
with a variety in each of them that makes the elements pleasantly unpredictable. However, there are only a limited number of these
tasks for players to perform and unlock, and this can make the game feel a little bit repetitive to any player of any age. The developers of
the game seem to have forgotten that repeating a task over and over again, even at elevated speeds, does not make it more enjoyable
for the players. Going through each recipes in the game in steps to finally produce a final product might have given some better context
to each game and has given them a better sense of control over the quality of the final dish created. The challenge mode offers this
element of persistence, but it appears only sporadically throughout the game. The higher the quality of the food, the better the tips the
come in are, and the game ultimately rewards players with that currency. Unfortunately for players the game’s currency seems to suffer
like that of so many other games in the past. There just isn’t enough to do with the money that players earn throughout the game.
Hiring a more competent kitchen work would have been something that would have been useful in the game.
As expected for any game in the SpongeBob SquarePants series, this cook off is full of vibrant colors and distinctive artistic design. The
characters themselves between two dimensional forms to three dimensional figures, but they look great in both forms. The voice-overs
are one thing that should be noticed, because this is where all the cast of the show perform with full enthusiasm. SpongeBob
SquarePants himself narrates much of the story as well as the tutorial, though some of his one line jokes during game play can be a
little bit grating at times. He even makes fun of the legal messages that display when the game first loads. The sound and music are
also excellent, with the classic show theme music alternating instrumentals as the player passes from one menu type to another one.
There is a fair amount of activities to keep players busy, but the multiplayer mode is surprisingly bland. All things considered,
“SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-Off” should offer plenty of material to keep the kids entertained with just enough depth
of management to keep mainstream players coming back to the game time and time again.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
