Diner Dash

When Diner Dash was introduced to PC gamers a long while back, it was a game that gave you a peek at the life of a busy restaurant owner/waitress trying to keep her eatery afloat while satisfying all her hungry customers. Its appealing gameplay style had that old school charm and its fast-paced puzzle gaming action made serving food so much fun. Diner Dash: Sizzle & Serve has come to the PSP as well as the Nintendo DS for those who have been waiting for a portable version of this enjoyable game. Still, on Sony’s handheld, the game just isn’t as appetizing as the DS version of the game.

Sizzle & Serve comes served in three platters: Career mode, Endless Shift and the multiplayer mode. Career mode follows the exploits of a young woman named Flo who is tired of the office drudgery and has opted to try her hand in the restaurant business. Buying a rundown diner nearby, Flo begins to build up her business, hire a cook and do the serving herself. Of course, she’ll soon find out that in this business she’ll constantly be on her feet and dealing with customers that demand good service. You’ll find a tutorial in this mode as well so Career mode is the best place to start for those who have never played the PC version of the game. It is here that you’ll even unlock a number of extras such as new restaurants to own and operate as well as various upgrades for your restaurants.

You’ll start with the basics such as the counter where you’ll leave customer food orders for the cook to prepare, a tidy spot where you pick up the hot plates of food, a bus station for dirty dishes and a just a few tables. With all the basics in place, you’ll soon encounter that there are a variety of customer types who each demand their own particular brand of service. There’s the students that tip poorly and lingers at the tables and then there’s the businesswomen who are impatient and demand fast service. Knowing the service tastes of each customer is key in how quickly you can get them out the door to seat other customers and thus the fun part about the game. There is also a new addition to the game like reservations where you have to seat customers at the appropriate reserved seating table.

Along the way, of course, you’ll find the number will increase and you’ll always find some extra duties to perform. Occasionally, a food critic will show up and, depending on how well you treat her, she will offer a positive or negative review. Families are the most demanding of your customers seeing as the baby will need a highchair and they’ll constantly make noise and spill drinks you have to clean up. Thankfully, the game offers boosts and power ups that will certainly help. Radios, for example, will give a happiness boost for the more impatient customers while a podium will allow you to chat with your customers waiting in line so they won’t get irritated and leave. Energy bars allow Flo to move faster and you can always upgrade your restaurant with extra tables and a phone booth where you can call for extra help that comes in the form of bus boys and even entertainers.

If you fancy a game mode where the shift never really ends unless you drop the ball and have too many unsatisfied customers is Endless Shift. Endless Shift mode has you playing a non-stop game where the challenge increases quickly and is, simply put, a game mode that’s really hard to put down. There’s even a multiplayer mode you can share with a friend. The wireless multiplayer mode has three different game types such as Survival, Highest Score and First to Serve X Customers.

With multiplayer and Endless Shift mode - not to mention a lengthy Career mode with many levels - you would think the game is a true Diner Dash experience. Unfortunately, the game just doesn’t feel at home on the PSP and most of it has to do with the game’s control scheme. Having to drag and drop customers using the touch screen in the Nintendo DS version works beautifully but here it’s a tad slower and in a game where time is a factor this is not a good thing.

As for the game’s graphics, they will bring to mind those classic arcade games of yesteryear and that’s not bad if you can look past the game’s dated looks. The game’s backgrounds and characters are actually quite charming and watching the more impatient customers get angry is amusing. There’s music that plays its upbeat lounge and while it’s repetitive it’s not annoying. You won’t find any voice acting in the game either but you will encounter some sound effects that come in the form of the cook at work and customers in making a lot of noise when they show up.

In the end, Diner Dash: Sizzle & Serve remains to be a highly-energetic and fun arcade-styled game that doesn’t feel quite at ease on the PSP. Poor control mechanics aside, the repetitive nature of the game might offer thrills the fizzle out way too quickly. Still, for those who loved the PC version and have been waiting for a decent handheld version of the game, this might not be a bad game to consider buying.

Gameplay: 6.5
The game’s controls might not be as fun as the Nintendo DS version of the game (especially when it comes to seating your customers) and this makes things a tad more frustrating since time is of the essence. Still, there are challenges aplenty and Career mode comes packed with more than 70 levels. Oh, and there’s a multiplayer mode.

Graphics: 5.5
This might not be the most visually impressive-looking game but the retro appeal makes this a pleasant game to look at and to top it all of the characters are easily distinguishable. There are no flashy effects either but at least the cut scenes look good.

Sound: 4.5
The music doesn’t bring to mind a diner but it works nicely throughout the entire game. As far as the sound effects are concerned the only thing you’ll really hear are the customer chatter, crying babies and the sound of the cook chopping away. 

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Quite possibly every aspect of the food service business is covered here and there are many times when you’ll be overcome by orders, dirty dishes and grumpy customers that want to be served immediately. There are power ups but there are also reverse power ups that play against you. In short, this is a challenging game.

Concept: 6.0
Career mode is quite lengthy and there are various restaurants for Flo to try her serving prowess but it’s Endless Shift that will keep you busy. The table reservation feature adds an interesting new twist on the gameplay and there’s even wireless multiplayer.

Multiplayer: 6.5
The three game mode types run at a smooth framerate much like the single-player version and while you can only compete against one friend there’s some fun to be had here.

Overall: 6.6
Diner Dash for the PSP might not be the best portable version of this arcade-styled game but for those who enjoyed it the first time you might want to consider buying this for your Sony handheld. Then again, if you own a Nintendo DS, you might want to buy the DS version instead for the touch screen controls.