More addictive than fizzy cola bottles
Sitting beside my Xbox 360 I have two games that I’ve been waiting to play for a long time, Gears of War and Rainbow 6: Vegas. These are two AAA titles that both offer superb single player campaigns and engaging online warfare; so why have I been religiously playing Viva Piñata at every opportunity? I’ve had messages from friends questioning why I would choose to play this kid’s game rather than joining them in an action packed online session and my usual response is that they should try it before dismissing it as a game for kids, because Viva Piñata is the most addictive and wacky game that I've played this year and I'm 32!
The truth is that, Viva Piñata sucks you into its colourful world of weird creatures and unique gameplay by allowing you to control and customise every aspect of piñata life. There are so many things to do, such as keeping the creatures of the garden well-fed, breeding baby piñatas, watering plants and building homes, there are so many ideas that you’ll want to experiment with and numerous entertaining ways to construct your oasis that you actually end up caring about every one of your piñatas; when the eye-catching Parrybo was attacked by one of the evil, sour piñatas, I was furious!
Click for larger imageIf you haven’t watched the computer animated TV show you may be wondering exactly what a piñata is. The piñata tradition was actually said to have begun in Mexico where Spanish colonists made bright containers from materials such as straw and papier-mâché. They filled them with sweets and then the locals would be blindfolded as they poked the piñatas in order to break them to collect the candy.
Click for larger imageMicrosoft and Rare brought the idea of piñatas together with a concept that began with a videogame called Your Garden in 2002; the result is a living breathing world where colourful piñatas take the form of bizarre animals that are attracted by the lush plant life and many other factors in your garden. In Viva Piñata you build a sanctuary for these wonderful creatures. It’s a place where you step into the shoes of a green-fingered gardener and turn a plot of junk-filled land into a haven where piñatas dwell and go about their daily business. You breed them to make more piñatas, cross breed them to create new species, feed them and ultimately attempt to sustain their happiness by creating a multi-coloured oasis; in short Viva Piñata is a weird, psychedelic garden simulation.