Another year, another platform, another serving of Order Up.
I hope you left room for a little HD.
Originally released in 2008, Order Up was one of that year’s best surprises on the
Nintendo Wii.
A then-exclusive release, it unfortunately slid under the radar.
But the game was awesome, and so it’s nice to see the developers at SuperVillain Studios
aren’t afraid to reheat this thing for new patrons.
Of course, this is the second time Order Up has been repackaged.
But the nice thing is that each one at least has its own perks.
The iOS version is great because it puts Order Up in your pocket, which is the perfect place
for a game this addictive.
And this version, obviously, gives the game a slick makeover in HD.
At its core, though, this is the same Order Up.
You play as an ambitious chef who literally lands on the island of Port Abello.
Using a food pun to name the island upon which it takes place instantly won this game points
with me, and once you begin this culinary adventure, you find a lot more to like about
this awesome little game.
Order Up is a cooking simulator, for the purposes of categorization.
But this one has always had a bit more meat on its bones, so to speak.
Not only is the food preparation far more involved than you’d find in a game like
Cooking Mama, but it’s actually just a portion of the overall experience.
In practice, Order Up is like a culinary...management...empire builder.
Thing.
So the first thing you do is buy a restaurant.
You take out a loan, and you purchase a crappy little abandoned diner called Gravy Chug.
But with each passing day, you work toward making it a five-star establishment.
You grow the menu, you add specials, you improve your facilities, you hire new help...and once
the doors open, you cook.
The portion of the game when you’re in the kitchen—the cooking part—made a huge impression
on Wii because it made such great use of motion control.
And the same is true of the PS3 version.
The controls aren’t as conceptually impressive as they were during the early years of Wii,
but what’s still impressive is their effectiveness.
Once again, multitasking and speed are the name of the game in the kitchen.
You’re forced to work really fast and prepare several ingredients at once if you want to
earn maximum tips.
So while the burgers are cooking, you might want to tear the lettuce.
That is, provided you don’t forget about the chicken you have frying.
Order Up is really hectic once the orders roll in, and that’s part of the fun.
Of course, once the day is over, that’s when the management starts.
The same core concepts of buying restaurants and keeping your kitchen stocked apply, although
the new version also makes some nice additions.
There’s a new restaurant to purchase, new chefs to hire and perhaps best of all, a turn-based
multiplayer mode.
We’ve been pretty vocal supporters of this game, and to have a version with some new
features and HD graphics makes us very happy.
If you’re looking for a PlayStation Move game with great motion controls and addictive
gameplay, Order Up is still a tasty choice even four years later.
I don’t know what kind of preservatives are in this thing.
But...I mean, who cares?
Chop the peppers!