As I've mentioned in other reviews, the Wii is not my console of choice. I bought it for my wife to keep her busy while I logged hours in front of the Xbox 360.
I bought Order Up for my wife as a birthday gift. I feel bad that three days later, she's logged about 45 minutes at the controls, and I've beaten the game at 5 hours, 59 minutes in.
The game is simply that addictive. From the first burger you make until the last visit from the food critic at "Chez Haute" restaurant, you will not want to put this game down.
Your first reaction might be to think that at 6 hours, this game is very short. This isn't untrue, but this is a game that better rewards the casual player. In my course through the game, I served less than 10 "non-perfect" dishes. I refused to serve "good" food, and instead would throw food away multiple times until earning a "perfect" score. Also, by mastering the art of spicing (which is clearly defined within the game) I was able to generate upwards of $200 per table served, and would end a "work day" with over $800 in the bank. Because of this I was easily able to keep my spices stocked, hire the best employees, and upgrade my kitchen very quickly. As a result I made money very fast, and progressed through the game with lightning speed. My wife on the other hand is not nearly as perfectionist, and is satisfied with serving Good or OK dishes. This can end up making for a longer play through the game. I say this as a good thing though - this game will entertain her much longer than it did myself.
Many reviews from gaming sites gave less than satisfactory remarks on the controls, saying that everything except folding burritos or omelettes worked well. This is simply not true. Every motion with the Wii control can be easily learned and skillfully mastered. From flipping steaks to cutting swordfish to tearing lettuce to folding crepes - I could earn perfect every time. Speed is the key, and some careful precision "aiming" with the remote helps. Also, note that in the instruction manual it states that the "nunchuk" attachment is not needed, but adds some redundant controls to ease gameplay. THIS IS VERY TRUE!! The control stick on the nunchuck offers quicker ability to scroll through your cooking stations instead of having to leave the 'A' button on the remote and reaching the D-pad. With the nunchuk connected, I drastically reduced my meal prep times. I could serve a four-guest table in less than 2 minutes.
What makes this game so much more fun is that you are responsible for running a business. At the start of every day it's up to you on how to spend the wares of the previous day. You may want to unlock some new dishes, hire a new assistant cook (you have a limit of two,) purchase the recipe for exclusive "chef's specials," or - and this was always important - stock up on spices. You could also upgrade various aspects of your kitchen, making appliances work quicker, making grills and stoves cook faster, or even make you knives sharper. In some regards this made the game more challenging because it's harder to juggle three cooking stations when they all cook faster! In the end, you spent nearly as much time outside of the restaurant as you did inside, and both areas were equally entertaining.
I will agree with others that the game could have used more depth and length. Another restaurant or two would have been nice. A two-player mode would have been fantastic. I personally would have liked to see more "mature" patrons at the nicer resturants - I got tired of the guy wearing a soup-can hat and farting on my surf-and-turf dinner... The only real dissapointing part I felt was the "delivery guy" who could bring you super fresh meat or seafood, or fresh, "organic" vegetables. The downside was you had to pay $1 to call the delivery guy, then when he showed up, had to pay upwards of $10 to pull a slot-machine handle built into his delivery truck, only to not win anything at all for your troubles!! After this happened 5 times in a row, I never called the guy again. There should have been a better reward system implemented to make this work. But obviously it wasn't needed to enjoy or complete the game. Lastly, I could not earn a perfect score on my pizza because the game wanted you to place pepperoni in some perfect pattern without any clear explanation. That, as a perfectionist, simply drove me crazy. Luckily I cooked all of 4 or 5 pizzas through the entire game.
Order Up was a very enjoyable experience that I look forward to continue playing even after I have beaten the game. I think that in itself says all that needs to be said. Serve me up another!