Developer: Rare
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: 11-9-06
I don’t think I have ever been more surprised about becoming addicted to a game as I was when I played Viva Pinata. It was the extra game I got in a two pack along with the controversial Banjo-Kazooie Nuts and Bolts so I wasn’t expecting much. I thought it was going to be a simple platformer based on a strange cartoon from the waning days of network Saturday morning cartoons. What it turned out to be was one of the oddest farming/animal raising sims I have ever played. It’s a game that takes place in a world populated by freakish mask-wearing humans who raise colorful creatures who only exist to be smashed open to reveal their delicious candy inside. What’s weird is that hardly any of the human characters were in the cartoon. It focused instead on the pinatas who could suddenly talk and did all the gardening themselves. I have no idea why a game and cartoon series made at the same time to promote each other are so starkly different. It’s almost as if we live in a chaotic and senseless universe that only gets more ridiculous as time goes by. Or they were made by different companies that didn’t communicate very well. Either way it’s a head scratcher.
I don’t think there’s ever been a game the evoked the MST3K Mantra more than Viva Pinata. It’s a game that’s so weird that its whole concept falls apart if you think about it too hard. All you can do is say “it’s just a game, I should really just relax.” So you have this garden that starts out as a pile of dirt. You smooth it out and start to grow various plants. As you make changes to your garden various creatures called pinatas start to show up. Your goal in the game is to raise pinatas and have a valuable garden while also gaining levels and nominally defeating the game’s villian Professor Pester. Nothing much really ends up happening to him however which is a bit of a letdown. When pinatas show up it’s time to start romancing them so you can get more and more of them to sell or just watch wander around your garden not doing much in particular. You romance them by meeting different requirements such as having them eat a particular fruit or pinata. When they romance you are sent to a mini game where you have to collect hearts and avoid bombs. They then go back to their house to dance and an egg is delivered. You then repeat the process without any regard to the relationship between pinatas. It doesn’t matter if an offspring breeds with its parents as they are all immortal androgynous beings. I told you not to think about it too hard.
Does this game sound like very much fun? Because let me tell you, it is very, very fun. It’s one of the better exclusive Xbox 360 games. It’s a game where every little task feels like solving a mystery. New levels bring new seeds and new objects for the garden. Each new item brings with it a mystery of what it is used for. It’s a game that spreads over multiple gardens because one isn’t big enough to fit everything. You’re constantly on a quest for more money which means breeding bigger and better pinatas and learning how to do this efficiently makes this game a strategic one as well. I love a game where money and items are always useful, and this is a game where you can never have enough of either. There’s always the decision to make space for fruit trees for the money they bring in or saving the room for more pinata houses. Then there are the different tasks that have to be done to bring in more species. This requires even more planning because of the space limitations. There’s always something to do. It’s not a farming game where you sit back and watch crops grow. It’s constantly active. Also every task only earns experience the first time, so you can’t just breed the same pinatas and get to the higher levels. It’s a game that encourages the player to experience everything.
There are downsides of course, and they mostly come from the execution. It can be a frustrating mess of menu screens at times. I really wish there was a quick key for the shovel and journal because I was having to use these tools all the time. I really got tired of having to bring up the menu every time I wanted to switch to my shovel especially since I had to use it quickly sometimes. Rare had to sneak some villains into the game in the form of sour pinatas who will make your pinatas sick, ruffians who will do all kinds of damage to your garden, and main antagonist Professor Pester who will straight up destroy your pinatas. While they certainly don’t ruin the game experience they are more annoying than exciting. There’s nothing worse than getting sours in my garden while trying to feed my pinatas and having to try to quickly switch over to my shovel so I can do damage control. I also disliked having to smooth out all the dirt at the beginning of the game. It takes a long time and doesn’t add much to the game. A little streamlining could’ve done this game some good.
Complaints aside, however, this game is a winner. It turns out that Rare didn’t completely lose their way when they joined Microsoft. I am going to put this one right under Pac-Man which seems to be my cutoff for most games. I really need to be brave and admit there are better games than old arcade games, but I don’t think I am quite ready to yet. Hopefully my journey into Microsoft games will yield even more surprises.
1. Super Mario Odyssey
2. Galaga
3. Donkey Kong
4. Exodus: Ultima III
5. Pac-Mania
6. Wrecking Crew
7. Super Pac-Man
8. Pac-Man
9. Viva Pinata
10. Dragon View
11. Excitebike
12. Drakkhen
13. Arc the Lad
14. Clu Clu Land
15. Artifact Adventure Gaiden DX
16. Mickey’s Racing Adventure
17. Metro-Cross
18. Ice Climber
19. Gaplus
20. Dragon Spirit
21. Pinball (NES)
22. Ninja Golf
23. Super Soccer
24. Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (GBC)
25. Red Sea Crossing
26. Baraduke
27. Tennis
28. Hogan’s Alley
29. Gamma-Attack
30. The Legend of “Valkyrie”
31. Galaxian
32. Evoland
33. Cosmic Commuter
34. Hot Pixel
35. Wild Gunman
36. Defunct
37. Gyruss (2600)
38. Looney Tunes Racing
39. Squidlit
40. Baseball
41. Birthday Mania
42. Bad Street Brawler
43. Burly Men at Sea
44. X-Men (HyperScan)
45. My Name is Mayo
46. Marvel Heroes
47. Ben 10
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