Enter a magical kitchen stadium in Battle Chef Brigade

I'm going to tell you all about this awesome-looking Kickstarter game--but first, let me take a voracious bite out of this raw yellow bell pepper, then stare directly into your eyes with an unflinching grin. As we all know, Iron Chef is the supreme televised cooking competition, because 1) it's the original and 2) it hails from Japan. But you know what would make Iron Chef even more amazing? A dash of anime fantasy, blitzed with some 2D platforming, topped with a light glaze of magical cooking minigames... and voila! You've just made a video game dish like no other: Battle Chef Brigade.

As one of several sorcerous chefs, you're tasked with impressing a panel of celebrity judges (be they orc, elf, or human). But acquiring ingredients isn't as simple as a hop to a well-stocked pantry--you've got to go out there and gather for yourself. Battle Chef Brigade looks like it'll combine so many awesome gaming experiences: the frantic chaos of overseeing multiple dishes at a time, the intensity of battle as you put down animals for meat, and the whimsy of a world where you cook using fireballs instead of frying pans.

First things first (I'm the realest): check out the Battle Chef Brigade Kickstarter page, then back the game if you're so inclined (it's already hit its funding goal, so everything else you contribute is just gravy). You'll probably still be all jazzed about magical cooking after that, so to help channel your passion for fantastical dishes, go read/watch a bunch of Toriko. It's still on my to-do list--but from what I hear, it's got enough monster-hunting, cuisine-revolutionizing action to tide you over for the long wait till Battle Chef Brigade's release in 2016.