Of course by domestically they mean in North America, with the company's number one franchise racking up more than four million sales between the five games in the series, which includes the recently released Gardening Mama. The company is also lowering the price for Cooking Mama World Kitchen for the Nintendo Wii to $29.99, which puts every game in the franchise under the $30 mark.

"We are thrilled to reach this significant milestone. Majesco's #1 franchise continues to resonate with gamers of all ages and genders," said Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco. "We will continue to explore ways to expand the Mama brand with innovative and compelling products that offer new entertainment experiences."

And it doesn't get much more innovative or compelling than Crafting Mama.

Yes, the handling of meat and icing the cake of the Majesco's Cooking Mama series gives way to an all new set of sexual euphemisms come March 31st, when Gardening Mama ships to retail outlets across the country. Mama praises your ability to cultivate fruits and vegetables and encourages you when your cucumbers aren't quite as impressive as they should be, in a new bunch of mini-games that should prove highly entertaining to people of all levels of dirty-mindedness.

Just be careful how you handle the melons. They bruise easily.

Mama encourages you to grow plants, decorate your garden, and share your creations with your friends in Gardening Mama, which takes the mini-game formula of the Cooking Mama series and tosses it out the window into the backyard. As you can see from the current crop of scenes, things are pretty much business as usual in the Mama household, with the big-headed matron granting words of encouragement whether or not you win or lose, though the fire in her eyes when you fail layers on the guilt as only a mother can.

Gardening Mama is due out in April for the Nintendo DS, just in time for whatever it is that gardeners do in April. I think it might involve a hoe.

Taking the same simple, charming, and addictive stylus that made Cooking Mama an international hit, Gardening Mama takes the fun outside, where players will be able to grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Sound exciting? But wait, there's more! Gardening Mama also features creative uses for the things you grow, such as carving jack-o-lanterns or making jam. Players will be able to compete for the biggest harvest, share items they've grown online, and dig holes to bury the ones who have failed Mama in the past.

Majesco plans on bringing Gardening Mama to North America DSes this Spring, just in time for whatever it is gardening folks do in the spring. Tilling or something. I don't know.

MAJESCO ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES 'GARDENING MAMA' FOR NINTENDO DS

New Handheld Game Stars Mama from the Multi-Million Selling Cooking Mama Franchise

EDISON, N.J., December 2, 2008-Rising out of the rich soil sprouts Gardening Mama, a new Nintendo DS™ gardening simulation that was announced today by Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market. Developed by Cooking Mama Limited, the team that created the award-winning Cooking Mama franchise that has sold 2.5 million units domestically, Gardening Mama brings back the beloved matron to cultivate a cornucopia of fruits, flowers and vegetables in her backyard.

"Mama has become a certifiable icon since her original introduction in Cooking Mama DS," said Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco. "Her first brand offshoot captures those features that made the Cooking Mama series a best seller-an innovative concept, full Touch Screen control, approachable gameplay for everyone and, of course, a charismatic mentor who pushes you in her own endearing way to give a gold medal performance every time."

Gardening Mama transforms the DS stylus into a universal gardening tool that players will use to plant, nurture and harvest flowers, fruits and vegetables. Gamers can manage their garden through the seeding, blooming and maturation phases, and then produce items from the plants they've grown (i.e. grow strawberries to make jam or raise pumpkins and then carve a jack-'o-lantern). A robust multiplayer mode lets up to four friends compete to grow the biggest harvest and Treasure Box mode lets players share items they've grown with online friends. Gamers can also decorate various gardens while creating goods like pergolas and hanging baskets. In addition, players can change Mama's outfit to their liking while customizing the screen design to their preference.

Just as millions of players enjoyed slicing and dicing with Mama in the kitchen, they can now move to the great outdoors-planting, pruning, picking, and creating-in Gardening Mama!

Gardening Mama for DS is expected to release in Spring 2009. For additional information about Majesco's exciting line of products, please visit www.majescoentertainment.com.

While Taito's offerings aren't the stuff of attention grabbing headlines and long queues, it has a few tricks up its sleeve; Gardening Mama for the Nintendo DS for one, giving "Mama" something to occupy her time between meals in Cooking Mama 2 for the Wii. There's also Space Puzzle Bobble, which you'll find me hunched over at the Makuhari Messe this year.

Get excited... on a very small scale.

Taito TGS 2008 [Taito via DS Fanboy]

First there was Cooking Mama, now there's Gardening Mama? [Pocketgamer]