G4TV:
As it stands right now, the presentation's a bit drab -- the only Food Network personality is Susie Fogelson, judge from The Next Food Network Star. With the wide array of talent and cooking styles on the network, it'd be a shame if you couldn't challenge Bobby Flay to a grilling throwdown, learn interesting gastronomic trivia from Alton Brown, or watch Giada De Laurentiis walk around. But what they have here is a good base to work from, and structuring the game so you have to time your cooking so that all dishes are ready at once really captures the feeling of cooking a meal at home.
GameZone writes: "As far as cooking games go, the Nintendo Wii has seen a number of genuinely fun titles. However, many of them are designed as weekend family diversions, with cartoonish visuals in trite "beat-the-clock" scenarios that only look like cooking. Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked is a powerful brand license has the potential to raise the bar on cooking games, weaving authentic techniques with realistic Wii-mote mechanics. The question is, just how well does it stand up to the heat?"
DEN writes: "I am not sure how many people are looking for Food Network to come into their homes to lecture them about their cooking habits. I do know that no one needs another half baked Wii game that plays for the so-called "casual" gamer. There is nothing worse for the videogame industry than most of these shovelware games. I assume people are still buying them, but ultimately the only way to stop these bad games from becoming the lackluster standard is to avoid these games altogether."
Military writes: "It's a dangerous thing, playing a cooking game alongside your wife. Strong play on your part guarantees increased expectations on your real-life kitchen aptitude.
My wife suggested as much after I scorched her in a cooking duel of eggs and bacon, as played out on the Wii."
