I have almost completed all the dishes in Cooking Mama 2 and I’d say it’s more worthwhile playing than the first Cooking Mama (which was the first game I bugged my husband to buy for my DS). Lots of new recipes and new instructions on top of a couple of new features. Some of the original tasks have been modified to make it a little bit harder to get a Gold though it’s still a no-brainer for adults (but I like it).

Help! I’ve unlocked a lot of items but I can’t use them on Mama!
Actually, you can! And here’s how to do it. This is where the Write in Diary function comes in.

Image taken from the official website

You can save an entry in your diary every time you complete a dish, whether you cook with Mama or cook for your friends. The key is to save an entry. After that, go back to the main screen and tap on Write in Diary and choose an entry you’ve just saved. Tap on the bottom screen again and you’ll get a Seal option on the bottom right. Tap on it and you’ll be able to add the items you’ve collected onto the picture just like this screenshot!

After the opening sequence, you’ll have 6 options to choose from:

Cook with Mama - The usual follow instructions and cook as the previous version.

Cooking Contest - It’s the same as the “Use Skill” function in the previous version where you try to best your own scores.

Write in Diary - *new function* As above.

Let’s cook - *new function* You get to cook for your friends - a total of 10 characters including Mama, very easy to unlock. You will be cooking without instructions this time, however, it kinda bores me that the recipes are repeat of the Cook with Mama option.

Change Design - *new function* Here, you’ll be able to change Mama’s outfit, accessories, color of the utensils, kitchen and even the backdrop for the top screen. All items are unlocked when you complete a recipe successfully.

Options - I think this is pretty self-explanatory.

How to unlock?
Alright now, firstly, you unlock items whenever you complete dishes or you get present for accumulating bonuses. When you finish a task (e.g. chopping garlic) fast enough, you’ll be awarded a star. Every 5 stars will allow you to pick a present and you will get a random item inside the present.

Official website of Cooking Mama 2

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Tags: クッキングママ, クッキングママ２, compare, cooking mama, cooking mama 2, dinner with friends, games, guide, how to, items, japan, nintendo ds, review, taito, unlock, walkthrough