Thanksgiving Tech: Cook or Be Cooked!

Okay, it’s not exactly a Thanksgiving gadget, but it could help you get in the right culinary state of mind for the task ahead. A Nintendo Wii exclusive, Cook or Be Cooked! is Food Network’s first entry into the world of gaming. Developed Mushroom Men creators, Red Fly Studio, the game is a step up from the popular Cooking Mama series.

With over 30 recipes taken from the Food Network, Cook or Be Cooked! hopes to give a more realistic experience. Motions made with the Wiimote closely correspond to the food preparation happening on the screen. According to Wired.com, Michael Symon of “Iron Chef America”, prepared a dish in live while the same dish was being prepared in the game to demonstrate the point. Aside from having an Iron Chef’s seal of approval, digital versions of “The Next Food Network Star” judge Susie Fogleman and Food Networks Kitchens Chef Mory Thomas are in the game acting as guides and judges of your culinary prowess.

The game has several different play modes including Solo Play, Hot Potato, and Cook-Off where players compete against each other “to see whose cuisine reigns supreme! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) In between all the cutting, seasoning, and cooking being done, players need to also be mindful of the clock since every meal has a certain time they have to prepare the meal. Virtual chefs can speed up the process by multitasking which also nets them extra points.

I’m not totally sure a game can inspire someone to want to cook or learn how to cook, but if your interest does happen to be piqued, the game’s website offers a few cooking tips and recipes for chef wannabes to try out in your their own kitchens. Who knows, this game might be the thing to light a fire under lazy relatives’ butts. You know, the ones who expect someone else to go through the grueling task of preparing Thanksgiving Dinner so all they have to do is show up, eat, and prop themselves up contentedly watching football. I doubt it, but it’s worth a shot.

Would you give Cook or Be Cooked! a fair shake in the digital kitchen? Yay or nay in the comments section.