Diner Dash 5: Boom! Game Review

Celebrating Diner Dash's fifth anniversary, Playfirst released the fifth installment in the popular Diner Dash series. Diner Dash 5: Boom! How does this version of Diner Dash stack up to the previous editions?

Game play:

It's the same as all the other Diner Dash games. Seat customers, trying to match their clothing colors to the seats, take orders, serve food, clear tables-all while trying to keep customers happy and earn enough cash to advance to the next level. Along the way, upgrades become available and include podiums, speedy shoes, drink and dessert stations and more. There are a total of 50 levels (5 restaurant locations, each with 10 levels) increasing in difficulty as you proceed.

Diner Dash 5: Boom! introduces additional elements to game play, but unfortunately, it doesn't make this game any more difficult. Severe weather disasters, salad bars, and unconventional seating arrangements (bus stops and balconies) are all new to the game, but don't make Diner Dash 5: Boom! challenging. As a big fan of the Diner Dash series, I found this version way too easy. I received "Expert" scores on nearly every level. Face it, once you've mastered the chaining sequence of time management games, any level is passable on the first try.

Fans of "Endless Shift" will be disappointed to know that there's no endless mode on this edition.

Customer Types

Diner Dash 5: Boom! includes four new customer types including lawyers and clowns. All the old favorites are back-hotheaded business women, pompous celebrities, hungry lumberjacks and pokey senior citizens. This game also introduces "townies"-random (and hungry!) people who hang out on the street. You can match a townie to a group in your queue for a bonus, but it isn't required.

Graphics:
The graphics are bigger and more cartoonish than the other Diner Dash games. The clunky graphics seem to be the case with all of the Diner Dash spinoffs (Fitness Dash, Hotel Dash, Parking Dash and so on) and personally, I'm not a fan of the artwork. Playfirst seems to have taken a step back in time-the graphics look like something from a 1997 computer game.

Facebook integration:
Diner Dash 5: Boom! allows players to connect with other Diner Dash players on Facebook. Through the Facebook Connect feature, players can share high scores and send the "Super Sneakers" upgrade to their friends. Super Sneakers can only be earned through a Facebook gift.

Final Thoughts:
It's the same Diner Dash game we all know and love, expect with clunky graphics and too many unnecessary upgrades. The game seems like it was rushed through production to make a quick buck. Users new to the Diner Dash franchise will love the game but for us long-time fans, it's way too easy. It's a time waster and it's not very addicting.