Rare isn't looking too good. Ever since Microsoft bought them they have been on a downward slope. Their games aren't up to their old standards and, while they are still well-made games, they lost their old charm. Sure, Conker: Live & Reloaded had their old charm but that's because it was an old game. Now, Rare has decided to put out another game on the Xbox 360 and this time it's a simulation game. Viva Pinata tasks you with running a garden and getting Pinatas to live there. Does this weird concept equal a good game? Or should it have stayed just a concept?
Viva Pinata really doesn't have a story, you play as a faceless gardener who must restore the run-down garden to it's former splendor. There are little tidbits of information that you can earn by playing through the game, but they don't factor into anything simply making them a neat aside, therefore the story won't have a score.
Viva Pinata is all about the gameplay and it shows. You move a cursor around the gardern and interact with your resident pinatas or your other objects. Your goal is to get pinatas to live in your garden and this is done in multiple ways. One way is to get wild pinata to enter your garden and stay which is done by meeting certain requirements. Each pinata wants different things to stay in the garden and balancing them all can be a challenge. Two other ways to get pinatas are the hunter and the pet store. The Pet Store is self-explanatory, allowing you to buy pet pinata that can't be encountered in the wild, and the Hunter is as well. The pinata the hunter can get for you are ones you have had before which is useful for pinata with higher requirements.
The last and most important way to get new pinata is through breeding. Pinata have romance requirements which, once met, will allow them to mate with another of their species to produce an egg. When two pinata romance, they initiate the Romance game which forces you to control the suitor who needs to be guided to their mate. The egg grows rather quickly and soon becomes another full grown pinata allowing you to continue the process all over again. You don't need to worry about getting pinata of a certain gender either as all are gender-less. You can also earn money by selling things or pinata or simply by playing the romance game.
Money is used in the many shops around the garden that are accessed through the menu. These shops sell items for the garden such as decorations or more important items such as seeds to grow some plants. Plants do more than add some life to your garden they can act as food for your pinatas or they can be sold for more money. You can dig holes to plant the seeds as it will make them grow faster and better. You can also flatten the ground in order to plant grass and you can dig ponds. You can do a lot here and it's all very enjoyable, not to mention addicting. It's great fun and it's great to see Rare continuing to make enjoyable games.
The music is very catchy and can be pretty soothing. The sound effects also sound a lot like they're from Banjo-Kazooie which is another great thing. There is some voice work and it's okay, it's nothing fantastic but you get to like the strange shopkeeps and other people wandering around the world. It's Rare quality and that's the best compliment to give any game.
The visuals are some of the best I've seen on the Xbox 360. The colors are bright and vibrant and crisp. The pinata models look awesome and there is definitely some creativity going on here. The animation looks great and there is a nice day-to-night cycle. The lighting and water look great and everything runs smoothly. It's an extremely attractive game and it's definitely uses the most out of the Xbox 360.
PROs
- Addicting and with plenty to do
- Fantastic music and great voice work
- Entertaining characters
- Beautiful visuals
- Everything tends to run smoothly
- Rare seal of approval
CONs
- None to really speak of
Overall, Viva Pinata is probably the best game exclusive to the Xbox 360 and it shows that Rare still has it in them. It's beyond addicting and it's beautiful to the eyes and ears. If you own a 360 and have any feelings for Rare, do yourself a favor and buy this game. It's nice to see a company continue to do new things and not limit themselves. I stamp it with a Rare seal of approval.
Story: N/A
Gameplay: 10/10
Audio: 10/10
Presentation: 10/10
TOTAL: 10/10