Monday 14 April 2014

DAY 104 / GAME 104 Viva Pinata

DAY 104 / GAME 104

Viva Pinata


          Another one of the first games I ever purchased for the Xbox 360, Viva Pinata is an absolutely beautiful garden simulator.  I think the intended age range for this game is probably somewhere between 6 and 10, but hell if a bunch of kids could complete this game.  
          This game is truly great for all ages though.  Because although some elements of it are quite difficult,  everything else about the game has a very relaxing and zen element to it.  Viva Pinata starts you off with a dirt patch and it's your job to cultivate it and turn it into a supple grassy paradise to attract a variety of local Pinata wildlife.
            There's sixty different pinata animals looming around the area surrounding your garden.  Each of them have a set of prerequisites your garden must satisfy before any of them will wander into the area and then make home there.  

             Everything about the game is so beautiful.  A fantastic showcase for the Xbox 360 back when it first came out, Viva Pinata features bright colourful designs, calming weather fx, blowing grass, glistening ponds and these cute and creative animal designs.   Turns out that Rare and the same team involved in the creation of the Banjo-Kazooie spearheaded this game.  Suddenly everything makes sense.  The fantastic looking world that is rendered so nicely, giving it a real tangible feel and really pushing the calming effect of tending to a living garden.



                 All the pinata animals are just great.  As they become permanent residents of your garden you can name them, give them little accessories and best of all, mate them to produce little pinata babies.  The mating process is pretty amusing.  Of course you must have two of every animal you intend to mate, they must have a special home purchased for them (Which is neat, because you can look inside and watch them sleep, or carry on with their day.) and they must meet a couple prerequisites in order to become ready for children.  AND THEN, the best part, is that you have to complete a little mini-game.  In the case of the Whirlm for example, you must make your way across a short maze.  When you do, you are rewarded with a little mating dance between the two pinatas and a little baby pinata.

        I enjoyed this game an absolute ton.  All the pinatas are all designed so well and other than the fact that I kinda hit a wall with my progress in the garden, it was a super relaxing game.  I never did play any of the sequels, but I'd love to try the sequel some time, especially if the garden is more complex.




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