Restaurant Story 2: The review (part 1)

It has now been over a month since Restaurant Story 2 got its worldwide release on iOS devices, and so at last I'm going to provide some of my thoughts on this sequel title which had been in the pipeline for so long.

Title screen for Restaurant Story 2

Since there's lots to discuss I'm going to split my review into three posts. Today I bring you my thoughts on all things cooking, while in a fortnight I'll turn to decorating before closing out with the social aspect and some loose ends.

Game update: 28/01/15

It's playtime! This update takes us to the fun house with lots of stuff to keep the kids amused!

Notification for kids playground update

As well as items for the kids theme (which are all unlocked at level 11) there is a whole load of Valentine's Day content on sale at 20% off. Although most of it is listed at the start of the relevant tabs of the market, only a few of the decorations are actually new and thus included in the traditional list.

Suggestions Box (Jan 2015)

Every month I list five things I'd like to see added, altered or abolished from the game. Because even though my long time of playing Restaurant Story clearly shows I love it, that doesn't mean it's perfect. Some of the ideas I'll air will be significant game changers while others will be low-key and irrelevant in the eyes of many of you readers.

In no particular order, here are this month's entries...

Game update: 21/01/15

It's Wednesday, and that means another Restaurant Story update! This week we're journeying to Asia.

Notification for Asian themed update

In particular, Korea is our destination, with a range of new content which is unlocked within the first few levels of the game. Here's the list of all the new stuff:

Another parts lowdown

Constructible parts are an important aspect of Restaurant Story. Without them you cannot build any of the appliances included in the goal updates, and thus cannot complete the goals to unlock some exclusive decorations.

As a result a lot of players ('parts players' if you will) like to accumulate a stock of parts via gifting for when the goals roll around so that they are in the best position possible to get the goals done in a reasonable amount of time.

But with 48 parts currently available to gift, which ones are the best bets? I've answered this question twice before, but that's the magic of the game - things are always evolving and changing - so there's no guarantee that conclusions drawn many months ago are still accurate.

So now we shall delve into the archives and observe any changes to the general trend of parts required for constructing new appliances. Since the last such analysis took into account appliances added between October 2013 and April 2014, it makes sense for me to count all the cookers introduced in the time since.

Game update: 14/01/15

Anyone fancy a coffee? This week in Restaurant Story we're grabbing a quick cuppa and a fancy pastry with a coffee themed update.

Notification for coffee themed update

There's a LOT to discuss within this update, so let's get straight to it with a list of all the new content:

Winter 2015 goals content report

Last Wednesday's update was the first of 2015 and revolved around the Winter season. Included was a new set of goals which unlock a large number of the additions in the update. Here I will cast an eye over this content.

But before that I'd like to take the opportunity to apologise for the lateness of this report. Usually the content report is posted after I have completed the goals, which typically is on a Monday at the latest. However the nature of these goals made it a tougher challenge, and so I've only just polished off the goals this afternoon.

Now that I've got that out of the way, it's on to the new stuff. The two appliances and their accompanying recipes are key to the goals so let's start off there. Both the Frozen Lake Fountain and Frozen Lake Stove are nice designs. The icy finish on top of the fountain is great in that it matches the floor tile, table and counter from the update. This means that all these items can be put together in a really coherent layout.

Winter 2015 goals (in full)

Please note that this set of goals expired on Monday 9th February 2015.

Ice Ice Baby! The opening set of goals in 2015 are here as part of the first update of the year.

There are 34 days available to finish these Winter goals, so the deadline looks like being Monday 9th February. So if you want to get hold of the three floor decorations, two appliances and six recipes included in these goals, you need to get on with it!

So here is the complete list of goal steps:

• Step 1: We All Scream for Ice Rink
• Step 2: Rink Around the Rosie
• Step 3: Grand Skater Granny
• Step 4: Ice to Meet You
• Step 5: Don't Get Too Chilly
• Step 6: Broccoli & Cheese Please
• Step 7: A Heart-Warming Stew
• Sidestep A: An Ice Rink Stink
• Sidestep B: Sit or Skate

Game update: 07/01/15

Get your skates on! We're taking to the ice this week, with the latest update.

The first update of 2015 is very much centred on the chill of Winter, and comes with a new set of goals. Here's the list of additions, all of which open up at level 12:

Year in review 2014

Another 12 months have passed, and now it's time to take a nostalgic look back at some of the highlights (and lowlights) of another year in the life of Restaurant Story.

With January 1st landing on a Wednesday, we opened up the year with a New Year celebration. Headlined by the New Year Party, this update was welcomed by most despite coming after the real world festivities. This was because we'd been starved of New Year themed content the previous year.

Following on from this was the first goal set of 2014, which revolved around Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year themed section of The Garlic Tree

The January goals can sometimes be a little lacklustre since they fall between big themes, but this one was fantastic. I've never celebrated Chinese New Year before, but with the Dragon Dance in full swing in my foyer section I was certainly getting involved this time!

Game update: 31/12/14

Happy New Year everyone! Yesterday brought the 53rd and final weekly update of 2014, with a space theme seeing out the year.

Notification for space update

It's certainly not the theme we were all expecting, but here's the list of new stuff all the same...