Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #277 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Microsoft
• Released on: 2006-11-30
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Subtitled in: German
• Number of items: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review

In a nutshell:
Ex-Nintendo developer Rare is bringing a rather different style of game to the Xbox 360 as you tend a virtual garden to attract and tame magical talking piñatas. It may sound twee but its ability to addict is far more powerful than its cutesy graphics suggest.

The lowdown:
Unlike most first party Xbox games this is not an action game, but a gentler, more family friendly, simulation in the tradition of Animal Crossing. The basic premise is that you have a plot of land that you can turn from an overgrown mess into a beautiful garden. In so doing it will attract a range of 60 different piñatas who, depending on how you treat them, will then decide to live there. For something as simple as a piñata worm you just have to have a patch of earth for them to play in but other piñatas are a lot more demanding, while others first need to be tamed from their aggressive wild state.

Most exciting moment:
Not only can you accessorise your piñatas with items bought from Xbox Live Marketplace but you can also swap items and piñatas with other friends that own the game online.

Since you ask:
Viva Piñata has been conceived as a Pokemon style cross media franchise from the off, with all kinds of toys and merchandise already planned, as well as a new 4Kids cartoon series.

The bottom line:
At last there’s an Xbox 360 game the whole family can play and enjoy.
HARRISON DENT

Edge
Viva Piñata is rich with charm, ingenuity, artistry and genuine delight.

Manufacturer's Description:

Viva Piñata, the latest innovative gaming experience from leading U.K.-based developer Rare Ltd., invites gamers to create an immersive world where living piñatas inhabit an ever-changing environment. Beginning with a few basic tools, players build and take control of this environment, using their creativity and imagination to attract, protect and manage over 60 different piñata species that can visit their world and make it their home. Utilizing hundreds of customizable elements, players can create a unique piñata paradise.

Pushing the capabilities of the hardware, Viva Piñata brings a vibrant and engaging gaming experience to the Xbox 360 platform. Appealing to kids, adults, casual gamers and enthusiasts alike, this uniquely customizable and social game rewards and challenges all players regardless of their skill level. The Viva Piñata gameplay experience presents a customizable, social and spontaneous world in which gamers play an absolutely crucial role. The Viva Piñata world is an evolving paradise teeming with fantastic living piñata creatures and vibrant plant life, all determined by the player’s choices and actions.

Viva Piñata allows players’ imaginations to run wild by providing them with expansive freedom and choice. Your choice of contents will determine which of the piñata species are attracted to your world, since they all have individual requirements. Sowing grass, digging ponds, planting flowers and growing trees all affect which of the unique piñatas you will see. It’s not just about plants, either; there is a whole range of ornaments and structures that could be decisive. Your reward for creating an appealing paradise is to watch the piñatas visit and eventually reside there, which is where the fun really starts.

Once you have resident piñatas, you can begin to personalize your loyal community. Piñatas can be individually named and given their own personally designed tag to put on display as a declaration of their home turf. And the customization doesn’t end there. You can make the colourful critters more distinctive by customizing them with all kinds of costumes and accessories.

The Viva Piñata community is a rewarding place to be, whether you remain within the boundaries of your own world or venture out into the real world or your friend’s piñata world via Xbox Live, the first and only global, unified online console games service. Getting to know and understand the personalities and requirements of your piñatas is essential if you want them to stay happy and thrive. Make your world their ideal paradise, and they’ll want to raise a family and expand your community. Players decide how much help they want from the local guides, shopkeepers and work force. Go it alone or get them involved - you choose. Via the Xbox Live online community, players can contact other gamers to lend a hand, lay down a competitive challenge or trade items.

Viva Piñata is a constantly changing world where anything can and does happen.  It’s not just new piñata species that are drawn to your world; untamed sour piñatas with bad attitudes and troublemaking ruffians do their worst to spoil your creation and must be dealt with. Maintaining harmony within a growing community isn’t always easy when rivalries, illness, injuries and even candy-spilling fights occur. If players turn their backs, who knows what their piñatas will do?

About Rare Ltd.
Rare Ltd., one of the world’s leading video game developers, was founded in 1985 by Chris and Tim Stamper. Based in the United Kingdom, Rare is the mastermind behind some of the most popular video games available, including multimillion-dollar sellers GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64. In November 2005, Rare released Perfect Dark: Zero and Kameo: Elements of Power for Xbox 360, the second-generation video game console from Microsoft.

Customer Reviews

It's cute and fun but more for kids!
This game is VERY funny! all the little cute Pinatas! sadly once the novely has worn off and you have seen all the different types of critter -i found it just became a bit repetative. But hey it is aimed at kids!. I just got bored of doing my 'gardening' and found it a bit slow going. Visually its great! its the brightest game you will ever play! and theres no doubt that you WILL want a Pinata as a pet!. So its the sort of game you might want to borrow or rent to have a play and a laugh but perhaps not one that you want to own. Its worth just having a go - its very bizarre!.

Think about your target audience
This is a very odd game. At first glance its a super-cute Sims or Animal Crossing type of game. But on closer inspection it could have many interpretations, and I'm not entirely sure they considered who their target audience was. The main objective is to "breed" pinatas, by getting them to dance with each other. You can get them to "dance" with their own offspring, feed them to other pinatas, and then beat them to death with a shovel to a chorus of childish cheers. Not that I wish to spoil the "plot" but there is also some cross species breeding involved. And some of the things that the shopkeeper says are clearly not aimed at a young audience. The truth is tho, that I don't think there is enough about this game to appeal to most adults either, so as such, it's become a niche management game. Its good, and anyone who buys it, provided they are a completest will have many hours (I have spent 40 to date) trying to do everything. Its very addictive. But if bought for a child with an inquiring mind, be prepared to answer some tricky facts of life questions.

I love this game I love this game I love this game
I have never had so much fun with a game as this; not even Halo3 is as good! It is so addictive. In our family all 3 kids and both adults have profiles and we all have several gardens on the go. Gameplay is responsive and the graphics are very good. All the gardens you create will have a different feel, which is one of the great things about this game. If you get bored with one garden, just start another. It's also interesting to see what the kids have done with their gardens. Kids are also a great source of info on the game; they've all helped me get out of a rut.

HIghly recommended to gardeners and non-gardeners alike.