|
Personal Trainer: Cooking | 
 enlarge
| From: Nintendo
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $17.00
You Save: $2.99 (15%)
New (14) from $17.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 46
Platform: Nintendo Ds
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Operating System: Nintendo DS
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 4.9 x 4.9 x 0.6
MPN: DS-NTRPCNVE
Model: NTR P CNVE
UPC: 045496739805
EAN: 0045496739805
ASIN: B001F62U4M
Release Date: November 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Features:
|
| Accessories:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Personal Trainer: Cooking brings gourmet cooking from around the globe to your Nintendo DS. It features a DS Chef, your own private cooking instructor who talks you through 245+ recipes from over 30 countries worldwide. It's a combination of interactive cookbook and live cooking demonstration that'll have you cooking like a pro, even if you've never lifted a ladle before. With so many recipes, you can find something new and tasty to make no matter what you're in the mood for. You can search a map by country to find regional dishes or select options for low-calorie foods, specific ingredients or short cooking times. Each recipe contains step-by-step directions and photos to make it possible to prepare dishes you've never tried before. Use the stylus or simple voice commands to "turn the page." Hands covered in batter? Keep your DS clean using voice commands to continue to the next page, repeat a step, go back, and more. A tap of the touch screen lets you adjust the serving size automatically, and users can write and save cooking notes, just as they would in a paper recipe book. Recipes include photos of the dish as well as instructional videos on how to perform different cooking techniques, such as how to chop an onion or clean a fish. Users can access a handy reference function to explain unfamiliar terms and cooking techniques when they appear. The software includes a timer and calculator, as well as a search function to help you find what you're looking for. Cooking Guide also includes an ingredient checklist to use as a shopping list. Just put a ? mark next to the items you need and bring your Nintendo DS to the grocery store. You and the Chef will collaborate on a wide variety of recipes, with videos of techniques, explanations of ingredients, and expert advice. With its innovative interface and the interactivity that only the DS can provide, it's a perfect learning tool for the budding chef. As you browse recip
Amazon.com
Personal Trainer: Cooking brings gourmet cooking from around the globe to your Nintendo DS. It features a DS Chef, your own private cooking instructor who talks you through 245+ recipes from more than 30 countries worldwide. It's a combination of interactive cookbook and live cooking demonstration that'll have you cooking like a pro, even if you've never lifted a ladle before. - You and the Chef will collaborate on a wide variety of recipes, with videos of techniques, explanations of ingredients and expert advice. With its innovative interface and the interactivity that only the DS can provide, it's a perfect learning tool for the budding chef.
- As you browse recipes, just tap a box to mark ingredients you need to buy. The DS will automatically store them in your in-game shopping list. Later you can take your DS to the store and check off the ingredients as you put them in your cart.
- Search for recipes by ingredients, calorie count, cooking time, difficulty and more.
- Hands covered in batter? Keep your DS clean using voice commands to continue to the next page, repeat a step, go back and more.
About the game: The first thing to do is select a recipe. With 245+ to choose from, Personal Trainer: Cooking makes it easy to find what you're looking for by helping you browse by country, ingredients, difficulty, cooking time, cooking technique or even calorie count. Once you've found something that looks tasty, take a look at the ingredients. Out of butter or need to buy some cumin? Just tap them with the stylus to automatically add the ingredients to your Shopping List. Making several dishes tonight? Just keep tapping ingredients - your Shopping List keeps it all in one place for you. Now that you've got your ingredients, it's time to start cooking. The DS Chef is there with you, talking you through every step along the way. Don't know how to fillet a trout? Watch the demonstration video when you get to that step. Didn't quite catch the last step? Just say "Repeat," and the Chef will explain it again. You can pause the recipe at any time to consult the Cooking A-Z guide, and prompts will appear within recipes for specific terms you might need more information about. Becoming a Better Cook: When you finish each recipe, you put a stamp on the in-game calendar, marking what you've made and when you made it. Later, you can search by whether or not you've made a dish before, allowing you to perfect your technique on a particular recipe, or keep expanding your culinary horizons. With an extensive in-game reference of cooking terms, pictures and demonstration videos, you can tailor your cooking experience to your level of skill, then watch that skill grow as you keep cooking. Special Input Options: The game can be controlled entirely with the stylus, for maximum accessibility. When your hands are full, covered in cookie batter or otherwise unavailable, all of the in-recipe commands can be given by speaking to the DS microphone. The keyword search function uses handwriting recognition, so you can simply write out that you're looking for a "sweet" something. Finally, that same handwriting recognition is used to make notes on recipes. If you want to remember to reduce the salt, or simply that this recipe was especially tasty, the software takes the same role as the handwritten note in a cookbook.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 Perfect Introduction to Cooking...from a Video Game November 25, 2008
150 out of 154 found this review helpful
The Nintendo DS is an amazing piece of technology with far more potential than to just play video games (though it's certainly ideal for that). Personal Trainer: Cooking is the rare software that pushes the DS in a new direction while putting this potential to great use. You won't find high scores, cute characters or bonus levels in this game, because it's really a cookbook - a really good cookbook.
I was blown away by the quality of production for this game. It's much easier to use than I expected. By default you can select a country from a map and browse popular recipes from that area, or you can search the entire contents by main ingredient, calories or cooking time. All the menus are straightforward and both the hand writing recognition (which you can use to make notes) and voice commands work great, despite loud noises (pots and pans clanking) being picked up erroneously. The included videos are similarly high quality and very helpful if you are unfamiliar with any part of a recipe. You'll also find a glossary, conversions, sustitutions, and a handy timer.
When making one of the nearly 250 recipes included, you'll get a step-by-step walkthrough. It's easy to go through the entire recipe before you start to see what you'll be doing, but it's certaily not neccessary. The ingredients and kitchenware you'll need are listed for you when you bring up the recipe. Just lay out the DS on the counter where you can see both screens and if you need to go back and repeat instructions to any step or go ahead to the next step at any time you can do so with a voice command or using the touch screen. As mentioned, short videos are available to show you many of the required culinary skills. You can bring up the appropriate video for a step (when applicable) with voice command or touchscreen as well.
If you are a seasoned, worldly chef, you'll likely find the production values to be overkill and many recipes too basic. Yet the average home cook will likely find the perfect introduction to at least a few dozen unfamiliar dishes. For the young or inexperienced cook, this game is a cheaper and better pimer than practically any cookbook.
Fantastic for Those Less Experienced in Cooking December 1, 2008
32 out of 32 found this review helpful
Personal Trainer: Cooking is a great purchase for those of us who are either relatively inexperienced in cooking, or just looking for fun and tasty recipes to make at home. Someone with much more experienced (as already mentioned by a previous reviewer) will most likely find the recipes basic, however.
The game itself is a great cookbook purchase: Some technologies are just lazy while others are highly convenient. The voice recognition makes it very easy to move back and forth and get more information even while your hands are busy or covered with dough, though it can be frustrating that it tends to recognized many louder noises as a voice command - during one recipe I had it repeat and move back a step dozens of times after a plate would clink or the refrigerator would be closed.
If you like to prepare on your own, you can start the recipe steps at the cooking portion so that you don't have to go through ten extra preparation steps.
"Cooking A-Z" includes a lot of information especially useful for beginners. Preparation terms, vocabulary, ingredients, cooking utensils, possible substitutions, etc are explained briefly, and a selection of "how-to" videos are included. There are recipes for homemade ingredients to use in recipes, such as stock and pizza dough.
The recipes themselves (245 of them) can be searched by keyword, ingredients, country, type of dish... It's very easy to find what you would like to make, and the recipes vary from very simplistic and almost obvious to slightly more advanced. All information is given and a timer is included as well - preset to the necessary time. The shopping list is not the most convenient - this is one of the things in the game that is better off written down as long as nothing is forgotten: the shopping list is out of order and can be hard to go through if you have more than one recipe's worth put down. There is no way to delete ingredients from the shopping list - you simply check them off and they remain on the list for awhile with just a red x.
I would definitely recommend this to the beginner cook or someone cooking with younger children. Most cookbooks come in at around $20 anyway, and Personal Trainer: Cooking contains not only a good amount of recipes, but of variation as well. It is a wonderful introduction whether headed in a serious direction, or just looking for family dinners to prepare.
Genius December 5, 2008
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
This game (if you can call it a game) is very user-friendly. It's easy to navigate and responds to voice commands nicely.
The recipes range from unique to the yummy simpler foods.
There is also a handy little feature that lets you select what ingredients (i.e. onions, pork, curry, etc...) you don't like.
The recipes are super easy to follow, too. I'm looking forward to letting the two boys I take care of (11 and 13) use this game/cookbook to whip something up all on their own. With my supervision of course. ;)
Really great for beginners! December 9, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I love cooking, and I love cooking gadgets so I had to pick this up. :D
I'm really amazed by the detail in this game, honestly. There are lists of ingredients in case you aren't sure what something is, there are these cute little how-to videos on certain subjects, there are whole glossaries about preparation, tools, etc.
I also love that you can preview every step in a recipe before you decide on it. And that they don't use illustrations! There are real pictures for every step for every recipe! :D Plus, there is a clear ingredient list and utensil list for every recipe, plus tips and advice.
There's also a menu where you can omit anything ingredients you don't eat - you can then choose to have those recipes not show up at all when searching, or you can simply mark them so you know they contain something you're not okay with. Great for finicky eaters or those with food allergies. :)
On the opposite side, you can also perform a search for ingredients you want in a recipe. You can also search for recipes based on cooking times, calories, difficulty, and cooking method. You can also search by country - there are different recipes from all over the world!
And you can write notes about the recipes you make and search that way as well.
You can also change the number of servings you want to make - up to 6. And the calories for recipes are listed.
All in all, I am very impressed. I've been having cooking classes with some friends and I think I'll have to show them this - I really think it'll help. I'm also hoping to get a few meals out of the boyfriend - it's so easy and there are so many pictures, I really don't know that you could mess up! :D
Yes, Virginia you can learn to Cook. December 16, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'll admit I don't like to cook much and make the same old things.
This addition to the DS's abilities is quite nice. You can learn how to cook a whole meal step by step right there in the kitchen. Has a wide variety of choices and shows and spells evey step out.
My one recomendation is if you tend to drop or spill things sit the DS above your work area. If on counter put a saran wrap over it to keep it from damage due to spills.
I think even flour getting in it would be a bad thing.
I highly recommend this to cooks and non cooks alike. It makes cooking fun.
|
The Nintendo Wii goes on sale on Sunday, November 19. Thanks to the inclusion of the simple--but infectiously fun--Wii Sports game, the Wii is the first console in recent memory that lets you have fun straight out of the box. Still, there are a few key Wii accessories you'll want to pick up to maximize your Wii experience--especially if you're buying it as a gift.
Extra controllers: Like all recent consoles, the Wii ships with just a single controller (well, one two-part controller: one Wiimote, plus one nunchuk). But the real fun of the system is playing the head-to-head Wii Sports games such as tennis and boxing. To do so, you'll need at least one extra set of controllers--and again, that's one Wiimote ($28.99) plus one nunchuk ($12.99). The Wii supports as many as four, but just the one extra controller set should suffice--at least for Christmas morning.
Rechargeable batteries: The Wiimote takes two standard AA batteries. They're included--with the Wii, and with the sold-separately version of the controller mentioned above--but avid players may find the juice draining pretty quickly, especially if they keep the nunchuk attached (it draws its power from the Wiimote). Instead of buying an endless stream of costly AAs, consider investing in a set of rechargeables. You can score a charger and four rechargeable nickel-metal-hydride batteries for less than $25.
GameCube controllers: The Wii is fully backwards compatible with the Nintendo GameCube, but there's a catch: to play the GameCube games, you'll need a GameCube controller ($15.99). You can even go wireless with the Nintendo WaveBird ($59.99). If you already have a GameCube, your existing controllers will work just fine--just plug them in to one of the four ports underneath the flip-up panel on the Wii's topside. GameCube controllers should also work with the Wii's "Virtual Console" games--which saves you the trouble of having to buy a Classic Controller.
GameCube memory cards: One other annoyance when playing GameCube games: your progress can only be saved to GameCube memory cards, not to the Wii's internal memory or to an SD card (we're hoping Nintendo fixes this with a future firmware update). Like the controllers, your old GC cards will work just fine--there are two slots right next to the GameCube controller ports. If you don't have any onhand (and you want to save your games on GC titles), you'll need to spring for a $26.90 (2GB) memory card.
Wii Points: One of the big attactions of the Wii is its Virtual Console, which lets you purchase classic games that originally came from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Super NES, the Nintendo 64, the Sega Genesis, and the TurboGrafx16. By the end of 2006, at least 30 titles should be available, including Donkey Kong (NES), Super Mario 64 (N64), and Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis). To purchase the downloadable titles, you'll need to use a Nintendo currency known as Wii Points (similar to the Microsoft Points on Xbox Live), which currently have an exchange rate of 100 points per U.S. dollar. You can buy Wii Points directly through the console's online store, or use prepaid cards (2000 Wii Points) available in various denominations.
SD card: If you're close to filling the Wii's built-in 512MB of storage with your Virtual Console games, you can always expand your available space with an SD card. Nintendo sells its own, but any run-of-the-mill card will do. Fairly spacious 1GB cards are available for less than $20--even less with mail-in rebates--and they'll work in plenty of other gadgets as well.
Wireless access point: In addition to the downloadable Virtual Console games, the Wii offers online "channels," including news, weather, and even an Opera Web browser (head-to-head online gaming is said to be coming sometime in 2007). You can get online for free via the Wii's built-in Wi-Fi. To do so, of course, you'll need a nearby wireless access point or router. Alternately, you can plug the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector into any nearby PC on a wired network, and the Wii--plus your Nintendo DS--will be able to use it to get online instead.
Component video adapter: The Wii doesn't have the graphical horsepower to handle high-def graphics, but it can do DVD-level 480p video, which will look considerably better on large HDTVs. To see the Wii's games in 480p, you'll need Nintendo's proprietary component video adapter, which should run about $20. |
|
|
|
|
www.seeker-wii.com | |
