SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-Off

SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-Off
Developer(s)	The Fizz Factor
Publisher(s)	Play THQ
Designer(s)	Phil Anderson
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Release date(s)	NA March 3, 2009 EU March 6, 2009 AUS March 5, 2009
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Story Mode, Multiplayer

SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-Off is a 2009 SpongeBob SquarePants video game developed by The Fizz Factor and published by Play THQ. In the European Union, the game is known as SpongeBob SquarePants: Frantic Fry-Cook.^[1]

Plot

The player, as SpongeBob, works at the Krusty Krab. Both Mr. Krabs and Plankton want to cook for Jack Kahuna Laguna's Beach Party. Since they can't come to an agreement, Jack demands a competition to see which cook is the best. The winner would get to serve their food at the party. SpongeBob is adamant on the Krusty Krab winning but he needs help since they don't have much staff. Plankton's cousins want to help him, but since he won't pay them anything, SpongeBob recruits them and tells them that Mr. Krabs will pay if they want to help him in the competition Throughout the game, you will play through 5 "Episodes", each with a new judge after every 3 workdays, and a New theme for the Krusty Krab. The player will then need to help SpongeBob train a group of Plankton’s cousins to become the best chefs in Bikini Bottom. Throughout the game, the player helps SpongeBob and his friends train them to cook multiple foods like the Krabby Patty, Fried Seaweed Sandwiches, and many more. The player works on a daily schedule to serve a number of customers before being done for the day. Each customer asks for certain orders that you must fulfill by performing several mini-games related to the dish. High-scoring dishes receive larger tips, which can be used to buy more recipes or skills for the plankton helpers.^[2]

Gameplay

The game consists of cooking mini-games, similar to Cooking Mama, and restaurant management. The player oversees the staff of Planktons as they work to fill the orders of the day. Occasionally, the player will be asked to help a Plankton complete a task by playing a mini-game representing a cooking activity. In all, there are 25 different mini-games that are used to represent tasks like slicing, stirring, whisking, and garnishing. ^[3]

The game also has a multiplayer mode, in which the player who prepares the dish in the least amount of time is the winner. The graphics are decent for a DS. They are a bit granulated, but apart from that, the characters are appropriately designed. The main characters including Plankton's are clear but in some cases there is a little too much pixelation and it gets a bit difficult to differentiate food items and characters. The cast was available for voice overs, but in the game it's primarily SpongeBob who is talking. In some scenes they just just nod and agree with what is being said but usually the other characters barely talk and just stand there which gives the game a repetitive sort of feel and makes the player feel strange.

While the Planktons do most of the work during the regular shifts, challenges where the player must prepare an entire recipe on their own are unlocked after a few shifts. The player can also buy new recipes, manage the menu, and decorate the restaurant.^[3]

Since it is a Nintendo DS game, everything is controlled with the touch-screen. Almost everything you do will rely on dragging,flicking, tapping, which is done using the stylus on the screen. The stacking of the burger for example would require the user to drag the ingredients and place them in a specific order while the tossing of the salad would be achieved by flicking the vegetables in the air and catching them in a bowl.^[4]

Overall,the game is above average. It's engaging for children and does its fair share to help hone adolescents skills and their reflexes. SpongeBob fans will love the graphics and sounds, which do a great job of conveying their favorite cartoon character in a positive and cheerful manner.

Reception

Beach Party Cook-Off received mixed reviews from critics. Common Sense Media gave the game 3/5 stars based on 5 reviews. Metacritic Metascore gave the game a 53/100 from 3 reviews. GameTrailers gave the game a 7.2/10.

References

External links

• Buy Beach Party Cook-Off at eStarland.com.
• The trailer at Google Video.