Diner Dash

Diner Dash is a strategy video game developed by New York City, New York game development studio GameLab and published by PlayFirst. One of the top-selling downloadable games of 2004, Diner Dash was later ported to mobile phones by Glu Mobile, given a retail release, and made available via a 100% advertising-supported download. Versions have been created for the PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, and iOS platforms. A Xbox Live Arcade version of the game was released by Hudson Soft on November 18, 2009, the PlayStation Network version on November 25, 2009, the WiiWare version on February 16, 2010 in Japan, as well as Europe on March 26, 2010 and North America on March 29, 2010.

"Diner Dash" is also used to refer to the Diner Dash franchise, which has spawned numerous sequels - Diner Dash 2: Restaurant Rescue was released in early 2006, Diner Dash: Flo on the Go was released in late 2006 and Diner Dash: Hometown Hero was released in late 2007.

Plot
Flo is a hard worker at a big stock market. She's tired of doing all the work, and all the employees make a bash. Flo runs away, wishing she could work at someplace else. However, she spots a sold-out diner, in which she buys. She has to make enough money to have the diner for herself.

Gameplay
Gameplay involves seating customers and guiding Flo around the restaurant to serve customers. If enough money is earned after each level, play progresses to the next. As the game progresses Flo updates the dilapidated restaurant she begins with and builds three further restaurants, which provide new settings.

Gameplay centres around catering to customers within a time limit in order to gather as much money as possible. Flo can be moved around the restaurant in order to complete tasks. As customers arrive in the restaurant, the player must drag and drop them onto a table, where they sit down and read menus. Then the player must guide Flo to the table to take their order, which must be taken to the service hatch. After the chef has prepared the meal, Flo must deliver the food. When the customers are finished eating they must be taken a check, at which point the customers leave a tip and their dishes on the table, departing the restaurant. The dishes must be cleared by Flo before the next set of customers can use the table. Each successful action earns the player points, performing the same action multiple times in a row earns the player a chain bonus, which is broken once a different action is performed.

Customers have a series of hearts over their heads that indicate their mood. The longer the customer is forced to wait, the more hearts he or she loses. Each type of customer has different degrees of patience and tipping habits. Flo can perform various actions, such as talking to customers or serving them drinks, in order to revive these hearts. When customers lose all their hearts, they leave the restaurant, costing the player points. The goal of a level is to earn a certain number of points. There are also expert point totals for advanced players to achieve.

The game has two modes: Flo's Career, which follows the story of Flo, and Endless Shift, a survival mode in which the player must last as long as possible in a single level.

Reception
Diner Dash has been mentioned in The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, and in a variety of casual game studies, including Nicole Lazzaro's analysis of player emotions at the 2005 Game Developers Conference. Games Magazine gave it a favorable review, calling it "remarkably flexible".

Sequels
Diner Dash's success resulted in the game being ported to a number of different game platforms, as well as sequels. The first sequel, Diner Dash 2: Restaurant Rescue features Flo going to her friend's restaurants to earn money to prevent them being shut down. New customers such as the bookworm and jogger were introduced, as well as new tools like the mop, high chair and telephone.

Another sequel, Diner Dash: Flo On The Go was released in October 2006. The fourth game in the series, Diner Dash: Hometown Hero launched in September 2007. PlayFirst ran a promotion (Dress Flo Sweepstakes) where people could design an outfit that would be featured in "Hometown Hero".

The new "Dinertown Detective Agency" was released on June 23, 2009 for PlayPass members, and the 25th for non PlayPass members. "Avenue Flo" and "Cooking Dash: Dinertown Studios" were recently opened for beta testing; "Avenue Flo" was subsequently released to the public.

In 2006, PlayFirst published a spin-off, based on the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoons, named SpongeBob SquarePants: Diner Dash. It uses the same format as the Diner Dash games but is based around Bikini Bottom. A sequel to the SpongeBob SquarePants Diner Dash game has been released, and is available on the Nick Arcade, offering half-off for the first SpongeBob Diner Dash game.

It was announced on January 14 that Diner Dash 5 will be released on February 16.

Diner Dash 5: BOOM! has two versions. A standard version which sells for $6.95 and a Collector's Edition which sells for $19.95.