Reviewed: October 30, 2008
Reviewed by: Arend Hart

Publisher
Zoo Games

Developer
SuperVillain Studios

Released: July 22, 2008
Genre: Action
Players: 1

8
7
7
8
7.5

Supported Features:

Order Up! puts gamers in the role of a short order cook who works his (or her) way up through the ranks to full-fledged restaurateur in the small island community of Port Abello (the first of many such puns). During the course of the game, the gamer will run a fast food chain (Burger Face), a greasy spoon (The Gravy Chug Diner), a Mexican restaurant (El Fuego), an Italian eatery (Stuffolinis), and finally a fancy French bistro (Chez Haute).

Each restaurant charges gamers with the tasks of managing wait staff, preparing the entrees, and washing the dishes. At first, the player must perform all of the motion-based food preparation and cleanup duties manually. However, as the player accumulates notoriety, more and more paying customers arrive with cash, simultaneously affording and requiring the gamer to hire staff to automate the kitchen duties.

The motion controls are well implemented, with accurate gestures used to simulate chopping vegetables, grating cheese, and shredding lettuce. The motions do not simply consist of swinging the Wii Remote around willy-nilly – the player must be deliberate and metered to make the most efficient use of time in getting the order to the customer.

I’m not sure if it was a coincidence or not, but Order Up’s gameplay mechanics seem surprisingly similar to those in Sony’s superb EyeToy Play 2’s restaurant minigames – everything from the rhythmic chopping of carrots to the bell-dinging signal of order completion reminded me of the Eye Toy’s burger-stacking action. Believe me, this is a good thing because EyeToy Play 2 was sorely underappreciated.

Although the overall visual theme is cartoony and stylized, Order Up! is definitely one of the better looking titles on the Wii. The character animations are a bit sparse, and the backgrounds are a tad on the static side, but the visuals definitely have a unique appeal and seldom seem boring or dull.

And while Order Up! might not win any awards for the lackluster background music, the fact that the game features a good deal of quality voice acting certainly makes up for the boring audio tracks.

Navigating through the complete career in Order Up! is not a cakewalk, and it will definitely keep many gamers hooked for quite some time. Especially when the game begins adding resource management tasks like ordering specialty ingredients, or assuaging health inspectors – the seemingly simple task of managing a restaurant grows increasingly more complex.

Thankfully, SuperVillain keeps the game in check – making it appropriate and enjoyable for young and old alike. And although Order Up! does not support multiplayer gaming, it does lend itself to party-style play allowing families and friends to pass the controller around.

Order Up! might not be the most exciting game, but it is definitely and enjoyable and challenging experience. Fans of the Cooking Mama series are surely going to find something to like in Order Up!, and Sims and Tycoon vets will appreciate the refreshing addition of motion-based minigames in amongst their micromanaging tasks.

And while Order Up! is undoubtedly going to have a tough time going up against the upcoming Cooking Mama 2: World Kitchen, the fact that it comes at a bargain price should attract more than a few gamers to its tasty gameplay.