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Viva Piņata
By: Rare
More Information
Could have been a really fun game
On: 2008-12-07Well it was a fun game it would be even better if it was 2-4 player and the AI did not get stuck. I even said if it was 2 player it would be the best game ever. The one thing that made me stop playing was... well nothing really. Yea the doctor got stuck on nothing and all my Pinatas died and I quit playing the game. Another one also got stuck and it died and it could not be removed so I would have had a dead pinata there for the rest of the game. I would have been really good but no. My sister also had this stuck problem too. It ruined the game it would have been 5 stars. I dont know about the new one and Im not going to buy a 360 for it.
This kind of game is right up my alley
On: 2008-12-06Being a longtime Tycoon,Sims type of game player, infact I seen this advertised on the sims 2 site year or so ago and though dang I gotta get that someday .I just recently picked this outta retailers cutout bin as platinum hits. Its a cool concept gardening, pinatas etc. Kids would love this as well as us Adults .It provides hours of fun. Definitely a game for fans of zoo tycoon and sims 2 and such. Theres so much too this game .Its is one of the cutest games I have ever seen and has beautiful graphics.
Viva Pinata
On: 2008-11-11I and my wife spent many nights playing this game. This game might look like a game for kids, but it is for everybody who doesnt like bloody violent video games nowadays.
Kids love this game
On: 2008-10-25I bought this game for my grandkids. They have video day on Saturdays only, and this game is not only fun, but keeps them alert and makes them think. It is even fun for a Grandma like me
Viva is great
On: 2008-10-19A rather challenging video game -especially if you dont look up hints online. A great way to raise your xbox 360 gamerscore without going into a bout of post traumatic stress disorder. Its marketed for kids but once you get past the high cuteness factor youll end up spending hours and hours playing. Good clean fun.
It's a good way to occupy time, when bored...
On: 2008-09-28This is a decent game. Not the funnest game, and not very much to do, but it occupies time when your bored and dont have much to do. I would recomend picking it up sometime.
Great Fun!
On: 2008-09-08Picked this game up for my wife whos not a game player but had seen this and wanted it.
So far she has really enjoyed playing the game and having a farm of animals. She has stated it is very similar to Animal Crossing for the Gamecube.
If you like having virtual pets and taking care of them, Im sure youll enjoy this game!
Variety, challenge and family fun!
On: 2008-09-06We have had this game for well over a year now and continue to enjoy it. The depth and variety is great. As a level 55 gardener, I still have 30 levels to go and more pinatas to attract! A must for any family. I have pre-ordered the new version and cant wait!
Never had a game like this!
On: 2008-08-29This is really a game of its own kind. I have never had a game like this before, and it is so fun. I have the XBox 360 version, and it works just fine. I have never had any problems getting it to run, work, or doing anything with it. The game itself is perfect, havent even ran into any glitches.
Someone said they didnt like this game because all you do is mate your pets and build houses, and plant. There is so much more to this game than that! Why not tell people what it takes to get pinatas to mate? Before a pinata can mate, first they have to become a resident. You have to meet all the requirements before a pinata will become a resident. After they are a resident, before you can mate them of course you need 2 pinatas of the same kind. Then you have to meet the requirements for mating. Some pinatas might need to eat a certain fruit before they can mate and have a certain thing. Other pinatas might need to eat OTHER PINATAS before they can mate. The mating process is not as easy as what some of these people say it is. You have a process you have to go by, a certain way to do it, and sometimes you might have to do that every single time before they will mate. Some pinatas need to eat a certain fruit before EVERY mate.
It is not just about mating and building houses, even though decorating your garden is really fun! You dont just plant seeds, you plant what you need. You have to meet the reqirements of your pinatas. So if your pinata needs a blueberry then your not going to plant a pumpkin. So it is not just about planting, it is about doing it in the right way to move up in the game. If you plant stuff you dont need at the time, you can just sell it for more money.
It upsets me that someone would call this easy and not entertaining. You dont just mate your pinatas and build houses, then everything is done and that is it. What about the sour pinatas? They come into your garden and ruin things you have done, they make pinatas sick. Then when a pinata is sick a annoying little man will come and break them. Then your pinata is gone forever. The whole process of making more starts all over again.
If you dont do your garden right, or if too many pinatas get broken then your garden will become empty. Animals will leave, and you have to try and attract more. You also have to try and keep them there.
Some pinatas require certain things before they will visit. I made a river in my garden and finally the frogs came to stay, and the ducks. You need a certain amount of water before they can stay. So I made a large amount of water and finally got the water pinatas.
There are a few things you have to do before mating and making residents. You just have to look at a pinatas information and see what you need. It doesnt always work or it takes a long time before they will become a resident.
The garden starts off with a small piece of land. At level 11 it will get bigger. The more you level up it will get bigger. There are a lot of levels to this game. I heard someone say they are up to level 108. Not even sure if that is the last level. It is a forever going game. You progress more and more as you go. You get bigger more better looking pinatas as you level up.
If your not enjoying this game it is because you havent gotten far enough in the game & you probably havent figured out exactly how to do it.
When I first played this, I had no idea what to do. Finally, I figured it out. There is a lot you can miss. If you dont do it right then you can not progress and not really enjoy yourself with it. So make sure you KNOW your doing it right and you havent missed anything before you judge that it is nothing.
It is a very good game, and unlike any I have ever played. Waiting for the DS version to come out Sept. 8th AND I CANT WAIT!!!
Fun game for the kids, but fun for adults as well.
On: 2008-08-25My daughter (6 years old) loves this game. But she has to fight over it with my wife who loves it as well. If your looking for a good family fun game this is it.
Addictive Family Fun
On: 2008-08-08I am 22 years old, I liked Animal Crossing, although I got bored with it, and if anyone who has played it knows, I always changed the time because I got impatient. I had a Wii for awhile and I loved playing the game "The Sims" but recently got rid of my Wii, so I got this game hoping that it would be similar. I really love this game!
I love that its not too hard to get achievements, it doesnt discourage you. Time goes by soo fast, I have found myself playing this game for 5 hours straight. My boyfriend (who is 28, and in law school) will be on the computer and I see him staring at the screen while I am playing, and asking me about the different pinatas, and about my garden. I also love the freedom it gives you - its your garden to do whatever you want with it. Sure, you want to have a couple pinata houses, and stuff for them, but other then that its all you.
Gotta go play!
Pinata fun for the whole family
On: 2008-07-30Wow, how can I rate this game? Well, I hardly ever see my husband anymore on his days off, hes so into it. Both of our sons play it and my husband. They each very much enjoy playing this game.
Viva Pinata
On: 2008-07-29This game is really funky. I bought this game to my little brother and he loved it. It may not be the most action packed game but its curious and fun in a addicting kinda of way. You start out as a gardner raising pinatas and move up to being a master gardner. The reason its addicting is when you start making the pinatas "romance" which is really funny you get into it and cant really stop. Overall this game is fun, but its not action every second and has sorta of a storyline, so anyone looking for a game for kids or just an easy game (which gets pretty hard actually) this is the game for you.
Fun for non-traditional gamers
On: 2008-07-02Im a 24 year old female graduate student with a boyfriend who plays MMORPGs. Wanting SOMETHING to do while he was playing his games, I decided to try this. Its super cute, and really easy to get into. Im not going to turn into quite the gamer he is, but its really a lot of fun just to goof around with. Id highly recommend it to anyone.
Tons of Fun
On: 2008-06-10This is one of my all time favorite games! Im 21 and Ive been playing this game for over a year. The colors are so vibrant and the pinatas so much fun to collect! I cant wait for the sequel!
A Little World, a Lot of Fun
On: 2008-04-06This has to be one of the most surprisingly fun games Ive played in awhile.
Ill be honest, I have no idea whats going on with the story nor have I ever even heard of the television show so I dont really know the whole point of the game but I do know one thing, its a lot of fun.
So the game begins with you at your farm which you were just given the deed to. There is this green lady crying over your farm and she later gives you a shovel to get to work on fixing the place up (if she had the shovel why didnt she do anything about it?).
As you begin to change the atmosphere of your farm (by breaking down the tough dirt, planting grass, or digging pond space) animals begin to take notice and join into your ecosystem. As the animals join others who prey on those animals also come. You can also plant flowers, trees, or vegetables in order to attract other forms of animals.
The animals interact by preying upon species which they find to be tasty. For example, the fox pinatas will eat the rabbit pinatas that they see in your garden so you have to be careful if you want to keep them around.
As you progress youre given new abilities (like digging the ponds), you attract better pinatas, and are given more land. So the game starts off fairly simple and becomes more complicated as you go which is the correct way to handle the learning curve. Its a beautifully designed game in that sense, I must say.
As for the level of maturity of the game, Id say grade school children could probably easily play. Reproductive related activities are present in the game between pinatas but they just do a love dance and a flying faery lady comes by and drops off an egg. The food chain preying also isnt too bad and when the pinatas crack open candy comes out (just make sure the kids dont start thinking real animals have candy in them).
The game also has an XBox Live component which was nice of the developers to work in but I have yet to experience it so Im sure someone else here can give a better review regarding that.
All in all a great game and just as much fun for us adults as for kids.
Is and is not a kiddy game
On: 2008-04-01I was a little concerned this would be too young but when it arrived, my kids werent home so I tried it myself. At first my fears were realized, as it has a very young feel to it, but once I started working on my garden I really enjoyed it and played for hours. My kids arrived home and soon each had created their own garden. They will play for ages. The graphics are very good and the effects - like a drop of water on the camera lens are really cute. There is skill in keeping a good garden, free of pests and the kids learn they have to work to attract exotic pinatas to their garden. I gave it a 4 because I am now a little bored with it myself and for a 5 it would have to keep me entertained too [smile] but since the kids still love it, it is well worth the $20.
A whole lot of fun
On: 2008-03-11I bought this game for my girlfriend because she is really anti-gaming and she loves it! It is a very clever and creative doll house game that has been very entertaining for the most part.
Although it is designed for younger audiences, it does keep the older ones entertained as well.
this is the funest game in the world
On: 2008-01-22I got this game 5 months ago and its my favorite game my brother tells me he hates it but when ileave the room he will play it right now my xbox360 is getting fixed i want to play viva pinata so bad rigt now yesterday i ordered it for the computer
Hours of entertainment
On: 2008-01-17I bought this for my son and he loves it. Keeps him busy caring for his garden, enticing new pinatas and figuring out tricks to make big money.
fun game!
On: 2008-01-05i always knew the gaming world existed, be it highly crafted computer games, or those for the wii or xbox, however i just turned my nose up at them because they just did not interest me.
my wonderful fiance bought me this game two days ago, and i have already played it over six hours! i know that is not much to hardcore gamers out there, but remember, though i am 27 i am new to the gaming world....im normally a reader.
my fiance though has a better garden than i do, he must have stayed up late last night playing after i went to bed lol. he is one of those shoot em up gamers, and i dont like that. thats what turned me off of gaming. but viva pinata is a great game where you dont have to win all the time. you create eco systems for pinatas to live in and you have to entice them and keep things from eating them. its great just sitting back for hours doing something enjoyable where you dont get stressed because you dont have to win.
but dang, how do i get the horse thing to come into my garden? i tried for 30 minutes to coax it into my garden and it just sniffed, walked away, and didnt come back....and then my daises died after i planted the trees, i guess because they didnt get enough light or something.
see, the game is totally addictive. definitly check it out!
Fun for everyone!
On: 2007-12-22Viva Pinata pits you as an individual who has just recieved the deed to a defunct garden. Your objective is to restore it back to its original luster. You go about doing so by planting different types of fruits/flowers/etc, which in turn, attracts pinatas to your garden. The different type of plants/objects that you put in your garden will predicate the different species that will visit/become residents of your garden.
You also try to make your pinatas "romance" to reproduce. You go about doing this by completing tasks with your pinatas, like eating a certain food, or by having a certain object in your garden.
The game is so simple a 7 year old can get the basic premis, but intuitive enough to keep me (22) coming back for more.
The game is addictive, fun, and has incredible replay value. And now that the game is only $19.99, it is easily accessable to anyone. If you like games like "The Sims", and "Animal Crossing", then youll love "Viva Pinata". If not, go buy "Gears of War", because its awesome.
Fun for everyone!
On: 2007-12-21Viva Pinata pits you as an individual who has just recieved the deed to a defunct garden. Your objective is to restore it back to its original luster. You go about doing so by planting different types of fruits/flowers/etc, which in turn, attracts pinatas to your garden. The different type of plants/objects that you put in your garden will predicate the different species that will visit/become residents of your garden.
You also try to make your pinatas "romance" to reproduce. You go about doing this by completing tasks with your pinatas, like eating a certain food, or by having a certain object in your garden.
The game is so simple a 7 year old can get the basic premis, but intuitive enough to keep me (22) coming back for more.
The game is addictive, fun, and has incredible replay value. And now that the game is only $19.99, it is easily accessable to anyone. If you like games like "The Sims", and "Animal Crossing", then youll love "Viva Pinata". If not, go buy "Gears of War", because its awesome.
Viva Pinata the pinata party
by: Anonymous On: 2007-12-17
I love this game so much. I had like twenty pinatas and then seedos came and planted all kinds of poison ivy and killed all but two! But that led me to like this game even more. Since then ive gotten about four more pinatas. If you like a good life game this is great for you, and all the different kinds of pinatas avaliable is almost uncanny. There are hundreds! You must meet certain goals to get some pinatas so its like youre always playing and having fun. Well that ends my reveiw I hope it was helpful.
Surprising fun!
On: 2007-12-14My 13 year old son asked for this for his birthday and I was quite surprised. It is a very pleasant change from the brain numbing shoot em ups. He really enjoys it and gets quite in to it much to my amazement. A similar premise to SIMS I think where you are building up your garden and the things in it to attract pinatas.
Not just for kids!
On: 2007-11-19I purchased this game to take a break from some of the recent shooters coming out. Let me just tell you that this game is one of the top 3 games I have ever played. The game features mutiplayer co-op. Which is just 2-4 people sharing the same cursor. It really helps if you are playing with younger kids or someone new to video games.
Pros
good graphics
easy controls
lasting appeal
great game for kids or adults
Cons
seriously I cant really think of any.
All in all this is a terrific game if your an adult and you choose to overlook this game because it looks a little-kiddish than thats your loss.
Fun for any type of gamer
On: 2007-09-18My husband and I are in our late 20s and have both really enjoyed this game. Bright, pretty graphics and amusing creatures have provided hours of entertainment. The game has a few annoying mechanics and functions, but the fun far outweighs the annoyance. If I could give it a 4.5 star rating I would.
So much fun.
On: 2007-09-17Ill be the first to admit, that when I saw the video on Xbox Live, I thought this game looked stupid. My husband though was really excited for it. We ended up getting it, and I cant stop playing it! The game is innovative, and not like anything else Ive ever seen. Its fun to play (and easy to pick up!) I like the way you can dress up the pinatas to make them worth more and that sending them to the parties make them go up in value as well. I think the game is good for both adults and kids. Although if you are a completionist and like to get all of the achievements and in game rewards it will take a long time to finish! There are hours and hours of gameplay in this game!
A great game for all ages
On: 2007-06-18I got an XBox 360 for my birthday last week and I bought a few games for it, including Viva Piñata which I got to play with my 4 year-old daughter. Little did I know that out of all the games I got (Pirates of the Caribbean at Worlds End, Just Cause, Top Spin 2 and Fight Night Round 3) this one is the one I like to play most, not only that but its hard for me to give up my piñata garden so that my daughter can play in hers. This is the only problem with the game - its so addictive and its really a single-player game because you get so attached to your garden that its almost impossible to let anyone else mess with it, so although two players can control the game at the same time it works best for those times when youre alone in the house or after everyone else has gone to bed. However, this is the sort of game that youll find yourself playing deep into the early hours of the morning - I found myself rolling into bed at 5am on Sunday morning after a long play session.
One of the great things about Viva Piñata is that even my four year-old can look after the garden on a basic level. She can get her shovel out to whack the bad guys when they enter the garden and she can click on the piñatas to direct them and feed them the foods they need in order to change their colours or romance them. Watering plants with the right amount of water is a bit of a challenge for her though and feeding them fertilizer is well beyond her capabilities, so when it comes to plants I have to step in. Id say in a year shell be capable of doing everything in the garden, so Id expect the game is good for people aged 5 to 105.
If youre into the cutting edge hardcore games and youre wondering about whether youll enjoy such a kid-themed game, look at the other titles I bought (Im very much into hardcore games). If I love this game, almost everyone will. Theres a lot of stuff going on in the game that will keep you interested. Just like a hardcore strategy game its full of decisions that influence what happens in the game and like a good adventure game it has lots of puzzles in the form of romance mazes. What it doesnt have is fast-paced FPS fun, although whacking the sour piñatas is somewhat rewarding for the part of me that likes shooting stuff. The game also has lots of unlockable content, from pinata variants to so-called wild cards - piñatas that evolve rare traits such as extra legs or tails. Basically this game is a sandbox where you can control almost infinite variations of plants and animals.
Dont wait - buy this game now - you wont regret it.
A fun game for children and adults
On: 2007-06-05I purchased this game looking for a break from all of the First Person Shooter [FPS] games that are always hitting the market, little did I know that the game would be easy to pick up and play yet in depth enough to keep me [and just about everyone else I know] coming back to it.
At the beginning of the game you are placed in your new garden and I admit it does start out a bit slow as it teaches you how to use all the different tools available to you throughout the game but keep in mind that this is an all ages game and the tutorial is great for young ones. But once you get through the tutorial the game quickly picks up the pace. Youll need to come up with a strategy on how to construct your garden in order to attract different pinatas.
Id highly recommend this game to everyone out there.
I highly recommend this game to everyone.
This game is awesome!
by: Anonymous On: 2007-06-03
Viva Pinata is so cool! The graphics are awesome, and its very similar to those addicting tycoon games! The T.V shows not so cool, but the game is awesome. If your a parent looking for a birthday gift, get this! I sure loved it on Christmas morning!
Don't listen to them!
by: Anonymous On: 2007-06-03
To the people who said this game was only for little kids: YOURE WRONG!!! It only looks like its for 6-8 year olds. Trust me, its not. I know people in middle school who love this game. This game is for the whole family, and the smaller kids love it, too. This is a game you dont have to worry about when the 7 year old comes in when youre playing. The only problem is sharing the controller!
Conisder it like a SIMGarden experience
On: 2007-06-03This game is really fun and takes some strategy to find the right balance. Fans of SIM style games should enjoy the planning and management of your garden. I thought this looked like a silly kid game but it is very involved and seems to be fun for anyone. Rare makes great games and this is up there with their best.
Viva Yo Momma
On: 2007-05-12Viva Pinata is exciting, cute, and fun. The most vivid game for the Xbox360 yet. However, it has some flaws. The annoying tutorial being one of them. Once youre on your own though, thats it. Youre on your own. Sometimes you find youre supposed to do something, and then, you wonder how youre supposed to do it. An example of this was how I needed long grass, but I had no idea how to get it. I didnt find out until hours later that you had to buy it from the shop. There are several other instances of confusion like that, but the game is still very fun and unique. If you like games such asThe Sims 2, you might enjoy this game.
This is a FUN game.
On: 2007-05-12We purchased this for our son for his birthday. He loves it.
Continuous enjoyment for the family
On: 2007-05-12All of my family members love this game, it offers a continuing environment of change and entertainment. Even company that comes over seem to want to try it out and end up loving it too. We also sit and watch each other expand our green thumbs in Viva Pinata as well.
There is lots do do in this game, and learning involved as well. Because you have to consider chocolate coins as your currency math is involved. As well as many other aspects of learning it is simply fun. Try it out.
We highly reccommend this game to all families. I did not innitially want this game, I was coaxed into getting it for my child and am glad we did. You will be too if you purchase it.
Not exact product as pictured
On: 2007-05-09The came came in an awkward child version case. I would have preffered the normal, standard case like in the picture...
Harvest moon x10
On: 2007-05-07If youve ever played and enjoyed Harvest Moon on any platform youll love this. The amount of things you can plant is easily twice that of harvest moon and thats leaving the whole pinata thing out of it! They are all very cute (exept for the Sour ones) and all have there own unique behaviors. Sooooo much fun!
Fun, but not for wee ones
On: 2007-04-30Everyone says this game is for kids. Unless your 7-year-old is a MENSA candidate, I beg to differ. From the artwork as well as the television cartoon, you would think a 6-8 year old could play this game. Maybe they could, but I doubt they would get too far on their own. Its quite fun, but it gets exceedingly difficult to manage all of the tasks, including mating more advanced piñatas and coaxing some of the more difficult plants to grow. The game seems more marketed to the inner-kids in the teen to adult set. In fact, there are even some sexual innuendos (you are getting animals to procreate, after all), which are innocent from a childs perspective yet able to be picked up and understood by adults. A kid could certainly play with the help of an adult, stick to the lower levels, or would even enjoy watching an adult play (which is easy to do for hours and hours on end), but even I get frustrated playing it at times. I can just imagine how a younger child would fare. It really is great fun, but be mindful of the purchase because I feel the age group for this game is slightly misrepresented.
Similar to The Sims but a lot better!
On: 2007-04-18Viva Piñata is a mix of elements from The Sims, a little bit of Pokemon, and some new elements unique to this game. Like The Sims, you start with a small lot and your objective is to build it into your dream home, or in this case dream garden. You start with a small lot that expands as you progress in the game and you can fill that space with plants, such as flowers or crop, or structures. Depending on which type of items you have in your garden you will attract certain types of piñatas. For example, by planting flowers you can attract butterflies and bumblebees. If you meet certain requirements the piñatas will become residents in your garden. Also by having certain types of piñatas as residents you can attract even more piñatas (i.e. snakes will come if you have mice in your garden, more on this later). Using your chocolate coins, you can work and rework your garden to build it to your specific tastes and to attract the types of piñatas you like. As the game goes on the piñatas get more interesting. You can have lion and elephant piñatas become residents in your garden, but also the requirements to do so get much more difficult.
Like Pokemon you can make your objective to collect all of the different types of piñatas on Viva Piñata, but this would not be easy because many piñatas have requirements that contradict other piñatas. For example one piñata might require you to have more the 60% of your garden covered with water, while another piñata might require you to have 60% of your garden covered with tall grass. Also, some piñatas do not get along and will fight each other if left in the same garden. This requires that you develop your garden to attract only the piñatas you want and, possibly, to exclude the piñatas you dont want. Typically in a single game you will not be trying to get all the piñatas to become residents but building a garden around certain specific piñatas. Since you can have multiple gardens, or just continually redesign a single garden, you can create gardens catered to your different favorite piñatas.
The game has in inbuilt piñata food chain. You will probably be required to feed some of your resident piñatas to the visiting piñatas to get them to become residents. For example, to get the snake piñata to join it must eat a mouse piñata (the mouse only has to eat a turnip to join). You can imagine this only gets much more complicated for piñatas like the lion. This is done very tastefully. The attacking piñata will throw objects at its prey until it breaks the piñata open and then proceeds to eat the candy that spills out. This piñata food chain is one of the innovative features that make this game unique and add to the complexity of the game.
Another feature that makes the game is the ability to breed your piñatas. Once you have a piñata as a resident there is a second set of requirements you must meet before breeding, and of course youll have to meet them with at least two piñatas. In Viva Piñata the piñatas have no gender so you can breed any two piñatas of the same species. One youve met the requirements you can tell the two piñatas to "romance" and after playing a short maze style mini-game you will get to see a short video of that piñatas "Romance Dance". Neither the game nor the dances are suggestive and would be deemed acceptable by any conservative homeshool mom. The breeding is essentially the way to make money as you can sell your piñatas for a pretty large amount of chocolate coins.
Viva Piñata is a great looking game, but the big seller is the game play. If you like The Sims then you will love Viva Piñata. This game however isnt limited to a specific demographic. You might feel like a little kid putting this brightly colored game into your Xbox 360, but you will have nothing but fun building your garden and breeding your piñatas. This game is truly a can not miss title for anyone with a 360.
As an added note you can trade items with other players over Xbox Live. That is the only online feature of this game, but you can trade even if you only have an Xbox Live silver membership. Parents with younger kids will be happy to know that this game is appropriate online as well as offline and the game comes with instructions on how to set up your childs Xbox Live account. For those parents who are also interested in the romance dance you can watch a video on it by going to this website:
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Repetitive But Easy
On: 2007-04-06At first the game is exciting, you find yourself having fun building pinata house and watching them change colors. Then planting seeds and waiting to watch what they grow into is very interesting. But you find yourself doing the same things over and over. Plant a seed, wait for it to grow, romance a pinata wait for it to hatch and change colors. Then as you progresses and you become a higher gardener then Sour pinata (the bad guys) will come to your garden and start knocking down trees, house and they will kill your pinatas; you spent so much time romancing, then you find yourself having to do everything all over again and again and again trying to put everything back the way is was before the sour pinata destroyed it. I see why some find this game a bit boring having to do things over and over, but it is also a bit Addictive you find yourself wanting to try and get the garden just prefect and beat those sour pinatas.
If you like an easy game were you have to out wit a pinata youll enjoy this game, but if your into fast running, shooting games youll find this game very boring. I enjoy it like a good puzzle on a rainy day; trying to put everything in the right place, when your stuck inside with nothing else to do.
Great game... and not only for children
On: 2007-04-05When you hear the name Viva Piñata and you know that theres a childern tv series, you may think that this is a game for children. But thats absolutly wrong, this is one of the finest games for the xbox 360, and the level of diculty is enough to make happy to all those "Sims-like" games fans.... this is a real master piece from our Rare-MGS friends... give this game a chance... belive me, you wont be dissapointed
A solid, unique game everyone should try.
On: 2007-03-28Though it may seem like a kiddy game, everyone with an Xbox 360 should try this game. Its pretty fun; however, it sucks that they give you a limited garden at the beginning of the game. Overall, the game is fun and looks great, but does get repetitive after awhile, much like any game for that matter.
I'm in trouble at work
On: 2007-03-25As a few other reviewers have writen, I bought this game, hoping that I could play this with my girlfriend, who told me the last game she really got into was Animal Crossing--I never played it, but heard the comparisons.
Ill cut to the chase, I just hit the 50 hour achievement, and Ive only had the game two weeks. Wow. Not only am I hooked, but so is my girlfriend, and together, weve really lost out on a lot of sleep. Well be sitting on the couch, looking at the clock read 2:00am, knowing that we still need that Dragumfly to become a resident in the garden, but that will take at least 2 more hours because of all the other tasks were juggling. Tons of fun. Expect to lose sleep, and hopefully not your job!
**note, to beginning players, dont be affraid to invest in the tower of sour pieces (they prevent sour pinatas from coming into the garden, and thus, disrupting all your tasks) you can turn them off whenever you want, to attempt to turn them into resident/good pinatas. Oh yeah, give the begger 1,000 coins as quick as you can, which unlocks his shop, so you can upgrade your watering can and garden items (that sword looking thing / and the desardos statue) which prevent pretty much any *bad* thing from entering your garden. This will save you a huge amount of time and headache.
A game for the family
On: 2007-03-24At the begining I thought the game was boring, but after a few minutes of play it became more and more interesting.
It is a game for the whole family, above all because it is one of those few games for Xbox 360 that does not consist in killing a human fellow. Children and adults can play, and parents can play in a cooperative mode with their children.
The game consists in taking care of a garden, the better you do it, the more animals (Piñatas) will be willing to live in it. The more Piñatas you have in your garden, the more trouble you get into. The better you do it, the more space they give you for your garden.
There are so many things to do in the game that sometimes one does not even know where to start first. Actually, it sometimes feel overwhelming. Those who likes building things from scratch will love this game while they turn a deserted dump into an Eden full of life.
This is hours and hours of gameplay while you strive to get all the achievements. After some hours of striving to create a paradise full of peace and beauty, though, you may start to get bored of taking care of the conflicting Piñatas who constantly fight between each other. Plus you are constant need to make them fall in love between one other to sustain the balance of the species in your garden as well as to make money to buy other services and goods. Also they get sick and need to be protected from a few enemies.
Very good game!
by: odyssasthai On: 2007-03-21
If youre into "SIM" type games, youll probably love Viva Pinata. Its creative, innovative and a lot of fun. Granted this might not be for everyone, however if you are interested in the general genre, Id highly recommend this title. Pick it up!
addictive
On: 2007-03-19This is a great game for first time users, who get put off by war games. Its easy to get the hang of. Non threatening and very involving. You manage your garden, plant trees and flowers, and attract pinatas to live there. Ive really enjoyed naming my pinatas but then its a bit upsetting when other pinatas eat them. Bad pinatas come into your garden and you have to bash the bad sweets that they leave before your good pinatas eat them and get ill. Its a bit annoying when youre trying to romance pinatas, like ducks that keep flying off. You have to keep your pinatas happy by buying them sweets or accessories. The graphics effects are well considered and the weather effects are very convincing. I love the style.
Viva Pinata is a Great Game
On: 2007-03-10Dont let the cover scare you away. This game is amazingly addictive and fun. I recommend it for age 10+ as it may be to complex for anyone younger. It has a learning curve of about 20 mins. Once you understand how it works and how to progress you will play for hours on end. It is Animal crossing meets sim city with pinatas. You start off with this garden that has been abandoned and you can do with it whatever you like. The idea is to expand it and make it a living habitat that welcomes all kinds of pinatas. As an example a Pinata will come to explore your garden and it will have needs to be able to live there. What your job is to change or add things to better suite the pinata and then it will decide to live in your garden. Soon enough another one of those pinata will come along to expand the family of those pinatas. I highly urge any and all to at least try this game.
viva pinata
On: 2007-02-24i love this game it is fun and wild for all ages at least teens and adults
enjoy
What am I missing?
On: 2007-02-19I was really excited to get this game after all of the reviews sounded so positive, plus Im a huge fan of the sims and animal crossing which its been compared to.
I dont know if Im missing something, but its just not fun at all. Really repetitive, and I know people have said that its better than animal crossing because Animal crossing was so repetitive, but at least there was strategy and a storyline. This is more like.. plant stuff, get your pinatas to hook up, build a house, plant stuff, get your pinatas to hook up, build a house.
I really want to like it, and I really hope Im missing something and its going to miraculously get better as I go along but I dont know how much more I can take.
Great Game For Everyone
On: 2007-02-11This game can be played by anyone and for all ages. I love this game, you can be creative on how to arrange your garden and little critters that happen to visit your garden.
It is an excellent game for younger children, it teaches them to be creative,responsible,attentive, and how to be aware of things happening in the garden.
This is not a game with blood gust, or violence nor is it a game with sexual overtones. It is a game even the parents can take interest in how the child is arranging theyre garden.
This is a game for all ages you not not have to be a young one to play this.
Great gameplay, lots to discover, long-lasting
On: 2007-02-01This game is a lot of fun. Im a dad, and I have a 5-year old daughter. I have been playing my own garden and have been helping my daughter with hers. This game is generally kid-friendly.
Open-ended games can sometimes get boring, but so far, after countless hours of playing since Christmas, Im not tired of this game yet, and I still have a lot to discover and explore. The game has sufficient guidance -- meaning that the characters will guide you through some of the gameplay, and there is a journal that contains a wealth of information. If you need to look anything up, the information is readily available...and the information is only specific to your current game.
Graphics are great -- its very three-dimensional and realistic, and the various pinatas all have their own personalities. They do the things you expect that kind of animal to do. In terms of "real-time" play, the game engine does a great job of tracking multiple things...pinatas "romancing", plants growing, other pinatas visiting...etc. Theres a lot going on in this game, and at times, it can seem quite overwhelming. But that is part of the challenge.
In terms of challenges, there are a lot of "achievements" to reach. It takes quite some time to reach some of them, but this extends the playability of the game. The randomness is good -- you can create different gardens and handle them differently, and you get different results. This was evident with my daughters garden, when she attracted Pinatas that I had not attracted to my garden. Different combinations and different variables yield different results.
There are some bugs in the game, and at times they can be quite annoying. Pinatas sometimes get stuck between items, things get in the way of other things, etc. Im also not happy with the "transitions" between opening menus, but I guess this is "eye candy" added so that the system can load data in the background. Sometimes I just wish it would run "faster".
There are a lot of things to try, and a lot of things to find. Overall it is a great game with great long-term playing potential. Its not perfect, though, and I find it odd that some of the problems that so many other people report made it through their quality testing.
Great game for the whole family
On: 2007-01-30Like Sims with a garden full of living Pinata. A lot to discover and uncover as well. This is really a genuinely excellent game. You can get some clues about what you can unlock from the TV series.
starts good ends bad
On: 2007-01-21im 16 and my sister is 15 so everyone knows
well, i rented viva pinata and i was excited at the most. i did have alot of fun in the beginning but as soo as you reach level 35(which takes around 11 hours of gameplay) it all goes down hill. at times the game is annoying because of all the bad things happening in your garden but it is fun managing and getting new pinatas. my sister also got bored and shes only level 20. i would tell anyone to RENT THIS GAME FIRST. it will save you 50$ of your hard earned money. im pretty sure a younger person such as 10 or under will NOT be able to understand the concept or be able to manage all that going on. so, all in all very fun for 10 hours, then not so fun. so glad i rented it!
So Fun!
On: 2007-01-19I am awful when it comes to playing video games. And when we got our XBox I was less than thrilled. But my 10 year old put in Viva Pinata and it cought my interest. Now the entire family is addicted and we actually have to set the timer to limit our turns, because before you know it you have been playing Viva for 3 hours!! It is that much fun. My 3 year old loves it but doesnt yet have the hand eye coordination for the controls. My 6 year old loves it too, and I am an "old lady" and I too am hooked. I reccomend for all ages and genders. It is very colorful, interactive and educational. It is a great learning tool on how to earn money. There are also little hidden tricks in the game to make your garden more successful. ie; growing jumbo snapdragons with the help of fertilizer can earn you many chocolate coins. And flying Taflys through a fire can turn them into Redhotts. Its great fun to find out the little tricks of the game. We all start cheering all over the house when we figure something out! I highly reccomend this game!!!
Must be good
On: 2007-01-15I said to my friend hey do you wanna borrow Fight Night Round 3 and Rainbow Six Vegas and ill borrow Viva Pinata and he said HELL NO! I acted like i was going to borrow it anyways when i was over at his house and he came running up stairs to see if i had it :)
One of the best games on Xbox 360
On: 2007-01-13Im a 27 year old male, I do not have children and I think this is one of the best games that was released all of last year. If you even remotely enjoy games by Will Wright (The Sims, SimCity) or Peter Molyneux (Populous, Black & White, The Movies) you will love Viva Pinata. This game has been marketed very poorly. Everything from the box art to the cartoon series (which has a tenuous relationship to this game) will steer Xbox 360 owners and adults away from this game. Viva Pinata is the most addictive video game to ever be released on the Xbox. While I would not directly compare this game to Pokemon, I would say that it successfully combines the sim management gameplay of a Will Wright game with the gotta catchem all addictiveness of a Pokemon game.
Graphically this is also one of the best games on the Xbox 360 and a true showpiece of new owners of the console. Rare has a solid reputation for producing amazing visuals (Donkey Kong Country, Conker) and Viva Pinata maintains the tradition. I have played almost every single game Rare has released since Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo and Viva Pinata is only bested by GoldenEye. Thats right diehard Rare fans, Viva Pinata is better than Killer Instinct, Banjo-Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini, Conkers Bad Fur Day, Blast Corps, Diddy Kong Racing, Perfect Dark, etc.
If you are a Nintendo fan then you know how good Rare games can be when they are at their best. Viva Pinata is another shinning moment of brilliance in Rares long history. This game is being grossly overlooked because it does not aesthetically appeal to the Xbox 360 demographic. Dont be fooled into thinking this is a simple childrens game or a low quality cartoon based property. Viva Pinata is a triple A video game that can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages. There is more to Xbox 360 than violent shooters. Gamers willing to expand their horizons beyond sci-fi shooters and military shooters need to try this game out.
not a kiddie game!!
On: 2007-01-13When I first heard about Viva Pinata I had no intrest. I am agrown man , what do I want to play w/pinatas for? Well let me tell ya, this game will suck you in if you arent careful. Onceyou get past the beautiful but very cartoony graphics you will find a fairly deep strategy game.I actually think this game is way to complicated for the age group the acrtoon is aimed at. Lots of resource management , figuiring out which pinatas can live together and which ones eat each other. Lots of fun, very deep, and pretty complicated. This game has no real story line and is lite on the help but if you invest your time youll have a blast.
Great for kids, but dont get too attatched
On: 2007-01-10I am 20 years old, and this game still amazes me. I finally bought it from Amazon after constant badgering from friends, and I am very pleased with it.
The game has wonderful graphics, crisp and clean images (even on a standard-definition TV) and a bright and cheerful environment (most of the time, sometimes it rains - thats life!).
If you have an Xbox 360 and younger childeren, this is a must have. There is a ton of fun to be had while building and bettering your garden, attracting and naming pinata-animals, constucting homes, and more. There is even some strategy involved (If you want it) as it is important to use your garden space to create value efficiently.
A quick note - Dont let your kids (or yourself) get to attatched to the animals in your garden, because they will be, occasionally, broken apart and/or eaten (Its all just part of the circle of life!!)
Great fun that never runs out and is suitable for the whole family.
Fun, Cute and Addicting
On: 2007-01-09I bought this game this pass weekend and I am hooked to the game. I must admit when I saw the commercials for it on T.V. it looked really stupid and dull like other kiddie games are for adults. However, after reading some gaming reviews and seeing that it was voted the best game never played for 2006 I was curious and wanted to see what they were talking about. I have yet to be disappointed. I play all genre of games on game consoles so i have a wide range of games and game types to compare Viva to and this game ranks up there with Halo, Gears of War, etc. I know it not a shooter but its addicitng and it makes you not want to get off until you have accomplished a certain goal that you have set for yourself.
Also, it makes any "macho" gamer keep coming back for more. My husband, who never plays any of the "cutsie" games, has started a garden after watching me and now we are actually trying to compete against each other to see who will get all the pinatas first, who can get the most accomplishments first, and who has the better garden. This game is all around fun, enjoyable and has a lasting appeal to it. Yes this game you actually have to do some thinking and figuring out where to put what and to make sure that your pinatas have met all the requirements for certain things but hey not all games can be just point and click.:)
Colorful, fun, addictive, a true joy of a game!
On: 2007-01-06After opening the package, I popped in the disc intending to play for about 20 minutes or so; I just wanted to get the feel of the game and controls.
Cut to five hours later and Im commanding myself (out loud) to put down the controller and go to bed!
I love Viva Pinata and have been recommending it to all of my Xbox 360 friends. This is a truly fresh twist on god games, suitable for gamers young to old. My children (8, 10 and 12) and I each have our own gardens and enjoy the freedom of tending them however we want.
The "tutorial" is very good at telling you what you can do in the the game without telling you what to do. Your resources (journal and helpers) are easy to access and use, but how you use them is entirely up to you.
Conflict between pinatas is inevitable, as are the hard decisions youll have to make to have a productive, lively, and profitable garden. But it works so well that any lip-biting is quickly forgotten as you accumulate chocolate coins (currency), attract new pinatas, protect and expand your garden, create pinata variants through diet or other conditions, accessorize your pinatas, romance your pinatas, keep everyone happy and healthy, and more.
The game is brilliant and I cant recommend it enough.
Delightfully Challenging
On: 2007-01-05I had been looking forward to this title MOST since Id heard of the game about a year ago--even more than Halo 3 (dont worry, my excitement is now there where it belongs). I was so glad I was not disappointed. There were a couple of days when I wouldnt go near it b/c my pinatas or rather those pinatas that merely "appeared" made me frustrated. :)
Although the achievements make me goal-oriented and I only have a few to obtain I see myself playing this game for a long while. There are still many pinatas I need to make residents, variants to find, master romancing to be done...
My 4-year-old daughter has a garden. Despite not being able to read she is very good at spending all my chocolate coins. :) She is a bit young to grasp the whole game but I like to see that she has fun w/ it. I know its something she can grow up w/ and continue to enjoy.
My husband hasnt played it although hes watched me play it and has asked me about it. Hes admitted hes tempted to play it. :)
I definitely recommend this title.
A Surprise Celebration!
On: 2007-01-05When I heard that Microsoft was doing an Animal Crossing/Harvest Moon style exclusive video game for the 360, I was more than hesitant. However, I can now say after having been glued for hours to the game and the cartoon of the same name that I am all for Viva Piñata. The game play is based around creating a working piñata ecosystem with interesting characters and a story base to boot. The graphics and sound are just pitch perfect and the consistent change or evolution throughout the games primary story base is endearing and quite cute. I personally own the limited edition version which includes a bonus disc with a full episode from the cartoon series. For kids and the kid in all of us; may Piñata Island continue to blossom and grow!
Cute, Warm, Fuzzy Feeling Game
On: 2007-01-04As you may have heard, this is the game for all ages. Even my 13 year old son who lives for shooting aliens likes this game immensely. You have to cultivate your garden and attract pinatas that hopefully become residents. They form an ecosystem that needs to be nurtured and strategized. This game is not wimpy by any means.
Additictive and Fun
On: 2007-01-03This game defines what it means to be an addictive game with lots of tasks to do that start off easy and slowly build up. The tasks in the game are varied from planting flowers to growing huge trees, from keeping track of tiny worms to finding space for a stable of horses or huge grizzly bears. There are lots of little elements that make it challenging like how to keep out some of the bad guys from your garden, how to turn the bad guys into good pinata, and how to make some of the strange combinations like Jack-o-Lanterns or carrot cake.
I actually play it with my girlfriend because shes addicted to playing it as well.
The game is a lot better than I had expected so its been a great gift.
Awesome Game!!!!
by: Anonymous On: 2006-12-30
This is the best game that has been released for the Xbox 360!! You start out with a pretty small garden, then as you get more pinatas and your gardening gets better, you get uprades and a bigger garden. As you get more things for your garden, more pinatas are attracted to it and start to visit your garden. You can also evolve your pinatas so they become other pinatas!! You should try to get the sour pinatas to become residents because once they do they become tame, start to appear outside your garden, and the sour version of it wont ever come into your garden again! For example, if a Sour Shellybean became a resident, it would turn into a regular Shellybean and the Sour Shellybeans wouldnt come in your garden again. This happens because Jardinero(which I probably spelled wrong) comes out of his house to give you a piece of the Tower of Sour whichs keeps away that particular type of sour pinata once youve tamed it. Also, once it has been tamed, Shellybeans will appear and visit your garden. Overall, I would rate this game five stars because of how much fun it is and you can never run out of things to do on it, whether its planting trees and flowers or getting more pinatas in your garden!!
Don't believe the hype--a no fluff review by a real gamer
On: 2006-12-26Basic premise of the game is you have a garden and maintain it with pinatas and you have to watch it, maintain it, help form more pinatas, etc. I had a friend pick up this game for me because of all the hype. Im here to say that this is one of the most disappointing overly hyped titles I ever played. This feels more like work than playing a game. You have to constantly monitor your "pinatas", garden, plant seeds and a whole bunch of other tasks that weigh on you while a whole lot of characters, messages, etc. are on your screen. Also "bad" pinatas may enter and ruin all your work, you also have to help "manually" procreate which can be extremely frustrating since you have to have "requirements" in order for your "pinatas" to perform. I also would never recommend this to kids much less anyone for that matter. After level 10 Ive found this to be boring and while my friend was watching me it put him to sleep. Also its just not fun to play. Just my 2 cents from a real gamer with an honest no fluff review.
Best game ever played!
On: 2006-12-26This is a very cute game for kids! The pinatas are soooo cute! You can create your own garden. There are builders, pet shop people, general shop, and hunters. I think this game might get a little bit boring after awhile... but when you first play it.. i was on it for hours! hope u liked my review! toodles
Don't believe the hype--a no fluff review by a real gamer
On: 2006-12-25Basic premise of the game is you have a garden and maintain it with pinatas and you have to watch it, maintain it, help form more pinatas, etc. I had a friend pick up this game for me because of all the hype. Im here to say that this is one of the most disappointing overly hyped titles I ever played. This feels more like work than playing a game. You have to constantly monitor your "pinatas", garden, plant seeds and a whole bunch of other tasks that weigh on you while a whole lot of characters, messages, etc. are on your screen. Also "bad" pinatas may enter and ruin all your work, you also have to help "manually" procreate which can be extremely frustrating since you have to have "requirements" in order for your "pinatas" to perform. I also would never recommend this to kids much less anyone for that matter. After level 10 Ive found this to be boring and while my friend was watching me it put him to sleep. Also its just not fun to play. Just my 2 cents from a real gamer with an honest no fluff review.
Best game to enjoy with your Girlfriend or wife
On: 2006-12-24I bought this game for my girlfriend so she would have something to play instead of watching me play the usual splatterfest (COD2, GOW, Dead Rising etc.) Next thing I know, we are both playing it and I cant believe im even a little addicted to it. If you have a significant other whos even remotely interested; BUY IT. Its easy enough for all ages but complex enough for us older folk as well. This game has ended up being alot of fun for us and something we can play together. Now if I can only get her to play GOW co-op we will be all set..lol.
Cheaper at Best Buy
On: 2006-12-22Havent played the game but heard it is a blast! Thinking about getting it but its only $29.99 at Best Buy right now through Christmas.
DO NOT BUY IF YOU DON'T HAVE XBOX LIVE - THE GAME WILL NOT RUN
On: 2006-12-15Buy this game without an XBOX LIVE hook-up available and you will have blundered into SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED HOW DO I BUILD THIS BICYCLE MY KIDS ARE SCREAMING AT ME CHRISTMAS DIMENSION OF DOOM. My system is top of the line and less than 4-months old, but because I dont watch TV much, and my computers are in a different room, I have no digital hook-up near my XBOX, or installed TV (which is impossible to move - thus no monitor even if I move the XBOX). SO - this game aint never going to work for me without endless hours of work, or massive expense. There is no reason they couldnt have made this thing run without the XBOX live access, especially since many people choose not to allow their children online access for safety reasons and this is (in essense) a kids game. So thank you Microsoft Grinch, for using your technical capitalist mumbo jumbo to mess w/ my Christmas. Dont let it mess w/ yours. And one more time - WILL NOT RUN WITHOUT AN XBOX LIVE UPDATE. Just says "Sorry, you cant play this game unless you ..." REALLY? CAUSE I BOUGHT THE XBOX AND I BOUGHT THE GAME ... WHATS THE PROBLEM? ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGH! Now imagine my frustration w/ your screaming kids holding the cool game packaging in their little hands while you try to explain to them why it wont work. No one should buy this game for Christmas on principle. SHeesh.
Ground-Breaking
On: 2006-12-10Viva Pinata - where should one begin on describing the games deepest complexities? In laymans terms - Viva Pinata is not just a kids game. In fact, it requires higher thinking and could easily be problematical to younger audiences. Ive been playing this game for a few weeks now, and while Im not playing it religiously, its still wickedly addictive.
Many people are referring and comparing Viva Pinata to Nintendos Animal Crossing. While the games are similar in many facets, theyre just as different as they are the same. I was never a fan of Animal Crossing, never. I traded the game almost immediately. After all the hype, acclaim and positive reviews, I thought Animal Crossing would be a very safe bet. I was wrong.
After reading about Viva Pinata, I thought this would be Animal Crossing all over again, so I approached very cautiously. Again, much praise and positive reviews. So, I took the risk. This time however, it was a purchase Im more than happy with. Theres many more possibilities with Viva Pinata. Read the following to hear details about the game itself.
First and foremost, the concept behind the game is the driving force of its greatness. You construct, manage and watch your very own ecosystem flourish before your very eyes. This is no cakewalk however, if you fail to manage your garden correctly, youll find yourself having to improve the conditions in order to advance. Secondly, the graphics are sheer amazing. Some real eye candy here. It doesnt get much better than this visual wise. If youre in a position to buy a game for the entire family, theres no better fit than Viva Pinata. If youre into complex and challenging games, and are looking for something to break away from your typical run-of-the-mill FPS or RPG, youll find Viva Pinata a great getaway.
Ground-Breaking
On: 2006-12-09Viva Pinata - where should one begin on describing the games deepest complexities? In laymans terms - Viva Pinata is not just a kids game. In fact, it requires higher thinking and could easily be problematical to younger audiences. Ive been playing this game for a few weeks now, and while Im not playing it religiously, its still wickedly addictive.
Many people are referring and comparing Viva Pinata to Nintendos Animal Crossing. While the games are similar in many facets, theyre just as different as they are the same. I was never a fan of Animal Crossing, never. I traded the game almost immediately. After all the hype, acclaim and positive reviews, I thought Animal Crossing would be a very safe bet. I was wrong.
After reading about Viva Pinata, I thought this would be Animal Crossing all over again, so I approached very cautiously. Again, much praise and positive reviews. So, I took the risk. This time however, it was a purchase Im more than happy with. Theres many more possibilities with Viva Pinata. Read the following to hear details about the game itself.
First and foremost, the concept behind the game is the driving force of its greatness. You construct, manage and watch your very own ecosystem flourish before your very eyes. This is no cakewalk however, if you fail to manage your garden correctly, youll find yourself having to improve the conditions in order to advance. Secondly, the graphics are sheer amazing. Some real eye candy here. It doesnt get much better than this visual wise. If youre in a position to buy a game for the entire family, theres no better fit than Viva Pinata. If youre into complex and challenging games, and are looking for something to break away from your typical run-of-the-mill FPS or RPG, youll find Viva Pinata a great getaway.
Addictive Barely Describes It
On: 2006-12-08I bought this game on a whim being a fan of Animal Crossing. I was worried that it would be childish and a waste of money. Now I find myself drawn into the "donut of life".
I am typically not the gardening type, but this game is extraordinary. You are required to not only garden, maintain species, and help in the evolution of species but you also have organize labor.
While I think that this would be a great game for an older child who wouldnt be disturbed by the death of pinata and could understand the concept of the "romance dance" between pinata (those scenes are a little iffy even if they are intended to be benign). I think that the average adult would also be easily drawn into this one.
Cooperative play over XBox Live is also useful for trading pinata and meeting other gardeners! Viva Pinata!
So cool!!!
by: Anonymous On: 2006-11-29
I played this with my friend and it is such fun,I wish they would make it for playstation 2 though or nintendo ds,The horse is really cool and it is a great game for little kids as it is so bright and colourful but its great for adults aswell.
Brilliant colors and a ton of fun
On: 2006-11-28Ive always enjoyed Animal Crossing style games where I can go about my business without any real structure. This game sure fits the bill. Ive only played for a few hours now, but so far it is fantastic. The colors look brilliant and the gameplay is fabulous. This game is a great game for people of all ages, but be warned, its pretty addicting. I was playing last night and before I knew it, it was 2 hours later. The only downside to the game that Ive found so far is that its a bit slow at the beginning as you are forced to do certain tasks (sort of like a tutorial) to learn the general features of the game. This tutorial is helpful, but seems to drag on at times (all told its only about 5 minutes, so this isnt even much of a complaint) Overall 5 stars!
Tons of fun, but plagued by a devastating glitch!
On: 2006-11-25All the wonderful things about this game that other reviewers have raved about are absolutely true; this is an incredibly cute and fun game (although it would have been better without the ruffians).
Unfortunately, there is a horrid glitch in the game that causes things in your garden to turn invisible--forever. Fo no discernible reason, I keep losing more and more of my pinatas, flowers, trees, fences, pinata houses, etc. every time I play the game. Its so frustrating and ruins the fun of the game. I have to keep selling off the invisible items (assuming I can find them) and go through the trouble of replacing them.
Its amazing to me that this sort of game-breaking glitch survived their beta testing, considering how widespread it is among everyone whos played it. Im on the verge of returning it unless they can get it fixed. Its not fun to suddenly lose, through no fault of your own, pinatas and a garden you worked very hard for.
So yes, its a wonderful game, but I would strongly suggest you stay away until they release a patch that addresses this.
Favorite game since animal crossing
On: 2006-11-23A mix of animal crossing and harvest moon, Viva Pinata is a colorful game with much to do. It is a very full game and is addictive. I always seem to lose track of time when playing it. It is open ended, so one just worries about their garden and works to improve it which is great fun.
MOST BEST GAME IN THE HISTORY OF GAMES
On: 2006-11-22this is the best game ive ever played...i love the garden and that the garden becomes huge! there are tons of different animals that can appear in front of you. my friends say "Oh theyre so cute!". its an addicting game.
the aspect that most of the animals are built on real animals, is awesome. one thing that does stink really bad is that when your pinatas are sick they can be smashed..............
A Great Game, Not Just for Kids
On: 2006-11-21In Viva Pinata you have inherited a garden in a fantasy world populated by living pinatas and an assortment of odd characters. Your mission is to build your garden to attract pinatas to live there. Everything you grow in your garden, including the pinatas, vegetables, flowers, and trees, can be sold for chocolate coins. You can use the coins to buy more seeds and grow more plants or to otherwise improve your garden. Viva Pinata is like a cross between Pokemon and The Sims and virtual pets, but I found that the result is greater than the sum of its parts!
This is a sandbox game of the best sort. You can make whatever decisions you want to and your garden can look however you want. You have the ability to dig ponds, grow grass, build houses for your pinatas, and all sorts of other activities that I am still discovering several hours into the experience. The decisions you make about how your garden develops will determine the kind of pinata who want to live there. The open-ended nature of the game is its best feature, and it really makes you feel like you are in control of the games environment. The feeling of empowerment that kids receive playing Viva Pinata is enhanced by the excitement of constantly finding new things to do and play with.
I am impressed that a game that is so easy for kids to pick up is also so complex. My daughter is nine and was familiar with the controls and basic concepts within a half-hour. Yet the underlying concepts of the game are complicated. The skills I see her working on in this game primarily have to do with resource management, which as we adults know is critical for daily life. You have a limited amount of space for your garden (just like in real life), yet if you are not organized in your approach then the garden will quickly become a place of chaos. Kids will also learn the concepts of working to make money and how to budget for the next big item they need to improve their garden.
As other reviewers have stated, this looks like a game for kids, but it will suck an adult into its world just as easily. I couldnt wait for my kids to go to sleep the first night so I could start on my own garden. Time is greatly accelerated in the game, and the result is that you are very busy - you may suddenly look up from the game and see that a few hours have passed in the real world almost as quickly. The pinata are just the right amount of cute so that they are fun to watch, not annoying. There is no lull in the action for at least a few hours, at which time you may have been able to hire some helpers to take off some of the pressures of a big garden, such as watering and gathering your sellable items. This too is a good introduction to kids of the concept of people management. Lots of times you have to tell your helpers what to do, rather than just letting them do their own thing. Otherwise, their priority list is typically different from yours and those plants that you just planted may die because your helper was busy watering something less important.
Viva Pinata has way too much to offer to cover it all in such a short review. The environment is incredibly well done, from the sounds to the graphics. The game play is very addictive. Playing Viva Pinata actually got me excited to go out and do lawn work in the back yard! For parents wondering if this game is suitable for their kids, I will say that I am picky about what I let my kids watch and play and there is nothing here which offends me. There are all sorts of euphemisms around breeding pinatas (they call it "romancing") that sound very innocent but will make the adult chuckle. It is very tastefully done. And there is no doubt that your kids will be using their brains a lot more while playing this game than while playing the typical platform-style kids game. This is exactly the kind of game I was looking for to provide my kids with an enriching, non-violent video game experience. If Viva Pianta is an indication of the future of kids video games then the future is very promising.
A Great Game, Not Just for Kids
On: 2006-11-20In Viva Pinata you have inherited a garden in a fantasy world populated by living pinatas and an assortment of odd characters. Your mission is to build your garden to attract pinatas to live there. Everything you grow in your garden, including the pinatas, vegetables, flowers, and trees, can be sold for chocolate coins. You can use the coins to buy more seeds and grow more plants or to otherwise improve your garden. Viva Pinata is like a cross between Pokemon and The Sims and virtual pets, but I found that the result is greater than the sum of its parts!
This is a sandbox game of the best sort. You can make whatever decisions you want to and your garden can look however you want. You have the ability to dig ponds, grow grass, build houses for your pinatas, and all sorts of other activities that I am still discovering several hours into the experience. The decisions you make about how your garden develops will determine the kind of pinata who want to live there. The open-ended nature of the game is its best feature, and it really makes you feel like you are in control of the games environment. The feeling of empowerment that kids receive playing Viva Pinata is enhanced by the excitement of constantly finding new things to do and play with.
I am impressed that a game that is so easy for kids to pick up is also so complex. My daughter is nine and was familiar with the controls and basic concepts within a half-hour. Yet the underlying concepts of the game are complicated. The skills I see her working on in this game primarily have to do with resource management, which as we adults know is critical for daily life. You have a limited amount of space for your garden (just like in real life), yet if you are not organized in your approach then the garden will quickly become a place of chaos. Kids will also learn the concepts of working to make money and how to budget for the next big item they need to improve their garden.
As other reviewers have stated, this looks like a game for kids, but it will suck an adult into its world just as easily. I couldnt wait for my kids to go to sleep the first night so I could start on my own garden. Time is greatly accelerated in the game, and the result is that you are very busy - you may suddenly look up from the game and see that a few hours have passed in the real world almost as quickly. The pinata are just the right amount of cute so that they are fun to watch, not annoying. There is no lull in the action for at least a few hours, at which time you may have been able to hire some helpers to take off some of the pressures of a big garden, such as watering and gathering your sellable items. This too is a good introduction to kids of the concept of people management. Lots of times you have to tell your helpers what to do, rather than just letting them do their own thing. Otherwise, their priority list is typically different from yours and those plants that you just planted may die because your helper was busy watering something less important.
Viva Pinata has way too much to offer to cover it all in such a short review. The environment is incredibly well done, from the sounds to the graphics. The game play is very addictive. Playing Viva Pinata actually got me excited to go out and do lawn work in the back yard! For parents wondering if this game is suitable for their kids, I will say that I am picky about what I let my kids watch and play and there is nothing here which offends me. There are all sorts of euphemisms around breeding pinatas (they call it "romancing") that sound very innocent but will make the adult chuckle. It is very tastefully done. And there is no doubt that your kids will be using their brains a lot more while playing this game than while playing the typical platform-style kids game. This is exactly the kind of game I was looking for to provide my kids with an enriching, non-violent video game experience. If Viva Pianta is an indication of the future of kids video games then the future is very promising.
fun game for all ages
On: 2006-11-18Great game and truly for all ages. Love the animations. Easy to learn. Provides many, many fun-filled hours of gameplay.
Only drawback: Watch out - it can get addictive :-)
Highly Addictive Gameplay
On: 2006-11-12When I first heard about this game, it reminded me of Animal Crossing for the Nintendo Gamecube. I never liked Animal Crossing because the game was just a bunch of item collecting.
Im glad to say that Viva Pinata is 100% better than Animal Crossing. Youre basically building an ecosystem of pinatas in the game, there are alot of tradeoffs based on your actions.
Youre even capable of sending items from your garden to people on your Friends list, which is a neat extra feature.
To give you an idea of how fun and addictive this game is, I bought Gears of War earlier in the week (one of the best games Ive played in a long time) ... and I ended up playing Viva Pinata instead of Gears over the weekend.
Great fun for all ages!
On: 2006-11-11This game is addictive fun. I picked it up today - began playing - and before I knew it - 3 hours of gameplay passed. I found myself sitting at the edge of my seat, focused on the happenings of my garden. As noted in the title of my review - a person of any age can have fun playing this game - Im 26.