
	Platform DS, PSP Genre Simulation Developer Play First Publisher Eidos Interactive ETA May 23, 2007
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Diner Dash

Greasy spoons can be a great place to eat for those who want something fast, cheap, and that will launch their cholesterol into the stratosphere, while expanding one’s waste line at breakneck speeds. That being said, what better way to avoid burning off all that heavy, greasy food than to relive the experience as a restaurant owner on the DS with Diner Dash.

In the game, players take control of a woman named Flo who has decided to leave the corporate world so that she can pursue her dream of owning a five-star restaurant. With that, players will slowly work their way through the culinary food chain, improving the dishes served in the restaurant, as well as the service. All the while it will be important to keep an eye out for the all-important food critic who will periodically appear in the restaurant to review it. If this person gets a bad impression of the establishment, it could spell certain doom for Flo’s dream.

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The whole process is divided into 50 levels, with players unlocking new goodies that will help customers enjoy their meals more, such as stereos, new dishes, decorations, and so forth. Depending on how well players perform, they will be able to open new restaurants as well where, presumably, they will be able to try new culinary themes.

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One thing that is particularly interesting about the game is that you can play as a number of different people in the restaurant, such as the chef, the Maitre d, and so on, each with their own unique tasks to be completed. Diner Dash will also have a number of additional play modes besides the standard single-player game, such as survival mode, and first to serve.

For the longest time games with cooking and / or restaurants as a main theme have largely stayed in Japan or on budget PC titles (Diner Dash even got its start as a Shockwave game). It’s nice to see companies taking a chance at expanding into the realm of consoles and handhelds with this niche genre. Will Diner Dash be a boon or bust to culinary games when it hits the DS and PSP? Who knows, but we’ll be able to find out ourselves in mid May of this year.

Jeff Nash

May 2, 2007