Game Review: Science Papa (Wii)
Remember TV shows like Bill Nye: The Science Guy, Beakman’s World, and Mr. Wizard (for us old folks) who made learning about science fun? Well now you can make science fun on the Wii with Activision’s new video game: Science Papa.
First and foremost, I have to get this out of the way. Science Papa is in no way related to Cooking Mama. Totally different video game company and everything. It’s obvious they’re just using the similar name to ride the coattails of the more popular Mama titles. And I think that’s a little cheesy and dumb.
But Science Papa DOES play a lot like the Cooking Mama games. And in some ways, gameplay-wise, it’s “even better than Mama,” as she would say. Instead of culinary recipes, you’ll be performing various multi-step science experiments using the Wii remote to execute actions. Tilt the Wii remote to pour out liquid from a test tube, or make swirling motions with the remote to stir chemicals in a beaker, for instance. Control with the Wii remote is very responsive and it’s always clear what you are supposed to be doing, unlike a few of the mini-games in Cooking Mama. Some of the experiments are fairly realistic, like making potato-based sugars, while some are a little more ‘out there’ like gene splicing to make blue tomatoes. But hey, what’s science without a little imagination, hm?
One neat aspect about Science Papa is you don’t have to do each step one at a time, like in Cooking Mama. You can start doing one step, leave it going and come back to it later after finishing quicker steps. Completing experiments successfully unlocks more activities as well as earning you money and reputation points. Use the money to buy better upgraded equipment for your lab to make performing tasks easier and faster. Once you earn enough reputation points, you can compete against another scientist head to head for a chance to win the Helix Award for Science! You and another player can also compete against each other in split screen two player mode as well.
Really the only problem I have with this game (other than the title and slightly repetitive gameplay) is the two-player competitions with the CPU. They’re pretty challenging and you can’t move on to new experiments until you pass them. And if you lose, you have to sit through the whole dialogue before the competition again, and you can’t skip it! But if you like the gameplay of Cooking Mama styled games, you may still want to give Science Papa a try.
Kid Factor:
Science Papa is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Comic Mischief. Really the only violent thing you do is make and toss bombs to distract the other player and cover their screen for a second or two. And these explosives are pretty silly, like a bubblegum bomb. Reading skill is helpful as the instructions are all in text. Younger, less experienced players may get frustrated at the two player competitions against the CPU, as they are very challenging. Heck, it took me a few tries to even get past them. The rest of the game is fairly slow paced, though.
I wouldn’t say Science Papa is completely educational, but it may encourage kids to learn more about the stuff they make in the game, and encouraging kids to learn more about science is always a good thing. Plus it gives kids a chance to play around with science lab stuff without blowing anything up or causing injury. There are even a few lab and science safety tips in the loading screens. I would’ve liked to have seen more emphasis on lab safety, but at least it’s better than Cooking Mama, which offers no kitchen safety advice whatsoever. Kids who love learning about science and watching Discovery Channel shows like Mythbusters and How It’s Made will probably enjoy Science Papa, too.
July 20th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Thanks for this review! I’d just seen that this title was coming out & wondered how my 7 year old son would enjoy it. Based on what you’ve said, it would be a hit with him (as long as I was around to help with the vs CPU bits).
July 20th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Most consoles come with Wii controllers which are normally white, however gaming accessories such as tennis rackets and golf clubs can be attached to the controller to make the game more realistic for children http://videogam-es.com/games-for-kids/
July 20th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Science Papa Replies:
PisecoMom: Yeah if your son loves learning about science, he’ll definitely like Science Papa. I know my little brothers loved to do science experiments at that age! If he’s really good at video games, or is very patient, he might not have trouble with the vs. CPU battles like I did!
Video Games: Yeah, and I hate to say this, but my experience with such attachments is that they are totally useless and unnescessary. Sorry. 🙂 –Cary
July 20th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Wow, I might have to check this one out…
July 20th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Yeah, because you ARE a Science Papa! 🙂 –Cary
July 20th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Carlson has a bunch of terrific videos of his green haired self doing the Nye thing. I trust he can provide a linky if needed.
July 24th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Science Papa? Wonder who came up with That name.
July 24th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Heh, I can’t believe I didn’t leave a link the first time…. (I thought of it later then forgot to come back…)
I have a pile of fun science demonstrations you can watch for free on the net. Go to http://www.ScienceTheater.net or just search iTunes or YouTube for “Dr. Carlson’s Science Theater”…
They’re pretty fun to watch (at least I think so and my 3 year old agrees…). They’re targetted at the middle school but approachable by anyone.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
What age group would you say this is best for? My daughter is 12 years old, is this game too young for her (like most of the wii games seem to be anymore)?
July 25th, 2009 at 1:29 am
That’s a very good question! But it’s a little hard to answer. See, I’m 32 and I enjoyed Science Papa. Like Cooking Mama, it is geared toward younger players, but the challenge level and science themes are skewed for a little older as well.
Ask yourself these questions and maybe they’ll help with your choice. Does she like Cooking Mama games? Does she enjoy games even if they are slightly ‘kiddy’ in nature? Does she like science? If the answer is ‘yes’ to all three questions, then she’ll probably enjoy playing Science Papa! –Cary
August 4th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
That’s a good point about Cooking Mama and kitchen safety.
Science Papa doesn’t sound nearly as bad as I expected. I’ll probably end up renting it from Gamefly. Thanks for the review.
April 10th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
I just received a grant to get a wii for my science classroom. I made a lab to find the acceleration due to gravity via the ski jump in wii-fit plus and was looking for other “games” that may be of some use for general science, chemistry or physics.
The guys at the video game shop recommended “Gravity” but they had to order it. They had “Science Papa” in the store. Do you think it has enough quality info for a classroom/ remedial motivation tool/ anything at all?
April 10th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Yeah I think Science Papa would be a neat game to get for your class. You might also want to try We Ski and We Ski and Snowboard for Wii, or the Yoga Wii game. –Cary
January 4th, 2018 at 4:23 am
I like this game. And I also let my children play this game, it will train their creativity. Kids can do whatever they like and make their own dishes. On the https://www.freegames66.com/papas-games there are so many similar games you can refer and let your kids play