Viva Pinata
SCORE: 95
Microsoft has really been grooming the Xbox 360 along quite nicely in order to attract families to the console. Family Friendly Gaming has taken notice, and jumped into the pond with coverage. Viva Pinata is based on Pinata Island, where the little party critters are groomed in garden as opposed to being created. The player starts out in an area that has seen better days, and needs some tender love and care. This is where we the game players come into play. We are needed to cultivate the garden. As the garden grows, it winds up attracting different pinatas. These animals will have requirements to appear, enter the player’s garden, and then become a resident. When two of the same pinatas as present they can then start to romance one another. Romancing will have a stork like person bringing an egg which will hatch into another of the same animal. This game is also based on the cartoon show of the same name.
The graphics in Viva Pinata are amazingly bright and colorful. If you read my preview you will know just exactly how great the graphics are. The details are simply suburb as well. The garden, items, pinatas, shops, water, and all other items have a great artwork style. Certain pinatas will eat certain other pinatas (just like real life), this is handle in a cartoon style violence of one pinata shooting small balls of light at another one until the pinata bursts leaving behind candy. The player can try to stop pinatas from attacking each other with various tools.
The sounds are really great in Viva Pinata. When a trouble maker pinata arrives in the garden, a sound will announce their arrival, as does fighting pinatas. This is very handy especially when the garden gets bigger, and the player can not watch every corner every single second. The various music in this game is spectacular. I found myself lingering on some menu screens because of the music.
With plenty of pinatas to attract (reside, and romance), various plants, and trees to grow there is a ton to do in Viva Pinata. This is the kind of game that can be played for a few minutes, or for a few hours. The garden waits for the player to return, so no addiction issues there. Pinatas can be traded with other players, and more than one player can play at a time. Viva Pinata is worth your hard earned dollars in my humble opinion.
The only complaint I have with the gameplay is the slowdown during the numerous auto-saves the game has. This can be bothersome when I was trying to get something done fast. I also wish Rare had included an easier way to rotate the camera. Otherwise the controls are done well. The ability to change the garden for different pinatas, and then reverse that later is brilliant.
Nature has animals eating one
another in some gruesome fashions. Microsoft went out of their way to
keep the violence in Viva Pinata to a minimum. Sure some animals need to
eat others, but what a wonderful way to educate your children to that
reality. Learning to improve the environment is also a very good lesson
to learn. Viva Pinata is safe for the whole family. Very close, but just
shy of the seal of approval.
- Paul
Graphics: 93%
Sound: 97%
Replay/Extras: 100%
Gameplay: 91%
Family Friendly Factor: 94%
System: Xbox 360
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
ESRB Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence}
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