With improved controls and better management, Fast Food Panic is a game that works best on the smaller screen(s).

Game Summary

Popzara Rating

There's certainly no shortage of restaurant-management games available on the DS, and its a shame that Fast Food Panic doesn't do more to distinguish itself from the pack. Though it does sport a unique visual style and distinctly Japanese attitude, the game's unrelenting micro-management responsibilities may be too much for those who prefer their casual games on the mild side. Compared to its Wii console counterpart, the DS version comes out on top, thanks to the intimacy of the smaller screens and more accurate stylus control, although both versions could have spent more time in preparation. Release Date: 01/07/10 ESRB Rating: E Publisher: SouthPeak

Written by Herman Exum

In this new era of casual dominance, players looking to test their skills in the kitchen have flocked to games like Cooking Mama, while those itching to flex their multitasking muscle have made Diner Dash a massive hit.  But what if these two styles were combined?  While we've had countless games push our culinary and micro-managing abilities to the max, Fast Food Panic for the DS ramps up the intensity by letting the player pull double-duty responsibilities by managing both dining room AND kitchen areas of this virtual restaurant.  Sounds delicious, but will fans eat it up?

Despite its cute anime visuals and Japanese-style aesthetic, the core gameplay of Fast Food Panic doesn't stray that far from what we've come to expect in other restaurant-management simulations.  You'll take on the largely streamlined duties of a fast food restaurant, serving customers by taking orders and preparing their dishes in a timely manner.  Add to this the duties of greeting, seating, and other familiar duties and it won't be long before you've got your hands full.  As your status grows, so will your menu options and - no surprise - so will the game's difficulty.

Other activities include pleasing picky food critics and scaring rodents from the floor.  There are no food inspectors in this world of manic restaurant management, but you'll probably find the game's frantic pace and  challenging gameplay nearly as exhaustive as the real thing.  Unhappy customers make for an unsuccessful restaurant, and you'll need to have extra-nimble fingers if you expect to complete the game's main event with anything resembling a satisfactory rating.

You’ll have to focus on both screens at all times, as the top half displays the restaurant activities, while the bottom has all the stylus-tapping kitchen action, with both arenas working in tandem.  For the kitchen area, its all about preparing and cooking the actual dishes.  The actual menu is quite limited, with stereotypical dishes like pizza, sushi, pasta, curry, hamburgers, and steak keeping things relatively simple.  This is a good choice, as each dish requires its own series of stylus swipes and timed actions to prepare properly, with molding sushi to rolling dough, there's more than enough to keep you busy.  Handling the dining room isn't any easier, with buttons on the lower touchscreen to help you greet customers, clear tables, and even chase out the occasional pest.

Keeping track of what's happening on both screens can be a challenge, especially when business starts to pick up the things get really frantic, and it won't take much for the harmonic balance of your perfect restaurant to explode into utter chaos.  Thankfully, the stylus controls of the DS version are generally superior to those of its Wii cousin, with points and swipes proving far more accurate than waggles.

Unlike the Wii version, there isn't any multiplayer to speak of, with the bulk of replay value limited to replying completed levels and the various mini-game activities to keep you busy between sessions.  They're mostly random bits, like truffle-hunting (with pigs, no less) and eating contests, each with plenty of fast stylus-swiping action to go along with the action.  Just the thing for those who may quickly tire of serving billions and billions of customers in the main game.

There's certainly no shortage of restaurant-management games available on the DS, and its a shame that Fast Food Panic doesn't do more to distinguish itself from the pack.  Though it does sport a unique visual style and distinctly Japanese attitude, the game's unrelenting micro-management responsibilities may be too much for those who prefer their casual games on the mild side.  Compared to its Wii console counterpart, the DS version comes out on top, thanks to the intimacy of the smaller screens and more accurate stylus control, although both versions could have spent more time in preparation.