[Trist]

Seeing as some people have already got this one imported and UK copies should be turning up today and tommorrow its user reviews time!

A 10 should only be given for a landmark game that sets new rules, a 9 for a truly excellent game without flaw, and an average game that does things right but nothing special should get a 5 (not a 7 or 8 like some would have you believe).

Average score: 8.05
Number of votes: 44
% of 10 votes: 7%
% of votes 9 and above: 34%
% of votes 8 and above: 80%

Updated 29 August 2007

[Munkey Boy]

And please vote in the poll only when you've played the game enough to comment! It's not a comment on how good you think it might be, but how good you think it is! Cheers.

[Valleyman]

Don't really have time for an in depth review but i've been playing this for about a week on and off. There are NO spoilers ahead.

I have to say it's excellent. Despite it being labeled a kids game it offers some fairly serious challenges for the rest of us. Yeah, a small kid could sit there and watch whirlms (the lowest of the low pinata) and the odd other creature wander around the garden, but getting some of the higher level pinatas is a real challenge. Don't be put off by the "kids game" feeling of it, really...don't. Oh and it's loaded with secrets which encourage experimentation.

For kids, it has bright colours and it's easy to understand... yet at the same time it's loaded with inuendo and campness that just makes it amusing for all. "Do you fancy something seedy today?"... heh.

I've heard complaints about it not having a real story. Well, yeah, maybe not... but I think a proper story would have ruined the sandbox feel of the game. Their are enough goals and advancements as you get better to justify continued playing without thinking "what's the point?". And for those who like to get achievements, it's one of the best sets of achievements I've seen. It really encourages you to sell off everything in your garden and start again to make the perfect paradise to get those last few points.

If I have one complaint it's that I feel the population limit for trees/pinatas/houses etc is a wee bit too low. I can see space on the ground yet it won't let me plant a tree there!!!! Arg. I can see why they've done it, the garden should be dynamic, with trees/pinatas/houses etc all being sold off whilst others are growing. Still I felt it was a wee bit too low. This is probably the only evidence it's being kiddified that I could see. Lower population limits decrease confusion.

In conlusion if you like strategy games and the shear random-ness of a game made by people who are clearly insane, then this is for you. Oh and if any of you have girlfriends, just dont' let them see it.

[cHk4]

Originally Posted by Valleyman

Don't really have time for an in depth review but i've been playing this for about a week on and off. There are NO spoilers ahead.

I have to say it's excellent. Despite it being labeled a kids game it offers some fairly serious challenges for the rest of us. Yeah, a small kid could sit there and watch whirlms (the lowest of the low pinata) and the odd other creature wander around the garden, but getting some of the higher level pinatas is a real challenge. Don't be put off by the "kids game" feeling of it, really...don't. Oh and it's loaded with secrets which encourage experimentation.

For kids, it has bright colours and it's easy to understand... yet at the same time it's loaded with inuendo and campness that just makes it amusing for all. "Do you fancy something seedy today?"... heh.

I've heard complaints about it not having a real story. Well, yeah, maybe not... but I think a proper story would have ruined the sandbox feel of the game. Their are enough goals and advancements as you get better to justify continued playing without thinking "what's the point?". And for those who like to get achievements, it's one of the best sets of achievements I've seen. It really encourages you to sell off everything in your garden and start again to make the perfect paradise to get those last few points.

If I have one complaint it's that I feel the population limit for trees/pinatas/houses etc is a wee bit too low. I can see space on the ground yet it won't let me plant a tree there!!!! Arg. I can see why they've done it, the garden should be dynamic, with trees/pinatas/houses etc all being sold off whilst others are growing. Still I felt it was a wee bit too low. This is probably the only evidence it's being kiddified that I could see. Lower population limits decrease confusion.

In conlusion if you like strategy games and the shear random-ness of a game made by people who are clearly insane, then this is for you. Oh and if any of you have girlfriends, just dont' let them see it.

I saw this in the shop and thought *** load of **** that is.
After your review I want it
Thanks for the review quick and to the point

[Shaunio]

Agree with everything Valleyman said

The sandbox feel is kind of the main reason I went for this game, a game that you can just drop into every now and then and tinker about with.

At the very beginning it felt very "kiddy" during the tutorial bit and I was thinking "what have I done?" but once the game started properly it is great.

There is an absolute ton of stuff to tinker about with in the game (such as personalised labels for your eggs, names for all your Pinatas, etc.), but if that's not your bag then you don't have to do it at all

[Tetlee]

Originally Posted by Valleyman

Oh and if any of you have girlfriends, just dont' let them see it.

Well this is me but for different reason. I promised my gf I wouldn't be ordering any more games after CoD3 & GoW, then a couple days later I just had to put this one on order aswell

Might have to play this one while she's sleeping

My girlfriend aint into sports games or shhot em ups but she's always liked things like the sims and the "tycoon" series and is always complaining there are "no girly games" (her words not mine) out for the 360 i've told her to go but a nintendo ds for that dog thing but is there a chance that this is finally a 360 game for her. (not that she gets much chance to go on it anyway apart from the odd game of hexic).

[gillette 73]

yes yes yes ..and she would get help getting animals on the trading thread ...fab game.

[Kahled]

Finally, one replacement 360 later, I got the game up and running.

My expectations were high with the hopes of recapturing the fun factor found in Animal Crossing, with which comparrisons were inevitably drawn, and I was surprised at just how different it actually is. Not that its bad that its different, just... different. Animal Crossing by comparrison seems positively pedestrian as in VP you are all over the place trying to sell off the kids and get items and the like to attract new visitors.

While the mating games might not present much challenge some of the romance dances are incredibly amusing.

One oddly disturbing thing is the piteous whining the creatures make when you have beaten the *cough* paper out of them, after one of the sours ate the only pinata I had of a particular species I tried to deter it with the trusty shovel of behaviour therapy... its now just lays there whining all the time and I cannot (argh I cannot believe I cannot) bring myself to finish the job. Oh the guilt!!!

For what is billed and targetted at a younger audience I am honesty surprised with how much hits you in such a short period of time, quite frantic at times between new events occurring and trying to micro-manage stuff.

The graphics are lovely and the play just a nice refreshing pick up and play type game.

I gave this a nine even though it should probably only be a seven or an eight, the extra score was simply because it is so nice to see something original and fun for a change than the many variants on a theme there have been (just how many FPS's are there now?)

36 year old gamer and loving it.

[drskhaled]

Got this yesterday morning and must have spent hours on it. This game is ADDICTIVE (sorry for shouting). Faster paced than harvest moon so amassing cash is fairly quick and your not forced to sleep at night so i just kept sowing and trimming and building constantly. Havent got a huge garden yet and have only managed to breed a couple of species but theres no real rush.

Graphics are splendid, music and voiceacting is charming. It looks like a kiddy game but it really takes a bit of work to geat the bigger pinatas. nice thing is if you do have kids on it you can join in with a second controller and lend a hand.

Easily an 8/10 for me (going by the strict scoring guide in the OP) an excellent game. Lucky i finished GoW on hardcore on friday as its unlikely i'll be going back to that game in a while. Been a good month for the 360.

[BrianC]

Been playing this both with my five year old daughter (and my five year old son but not so much) and on my own for nearly a week. I've been really impressed at how deep you become immersed within the game, time really does fly while you are playing it. I also like the fact that the game is as easy or as difficult as you want to make it.

One feature that I make extensive use of is the shared gardens. The resources are shared between the gardens - this is ideal for me as I can earn the harder Piñata that my daughter wants for her garden. However this is a double edged sword as its possible for the owner of the other garden to spend all of your cash. I would have liked to see the option to choose if you want to link the gardens or not, yes you can use separate Xbox Live IDs but not everybody wants to fork out for extra Xbox Live subscriptions if you want to start trading Piñatas.

I feel that Rare have left out a lot of extra features such as the ability to evolve flowers/trees in the same way that you can evolve the Piñatas that could have added even more longevity to the game. I also feel that not enough was made out of the production of goods, the section is optional so it wouldn't have hurt to make it bigger. I guess there is plenty of room for improvement for a sequel. I have played a lot of Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon and I miss the ability to go deeper/wider into the game with Viva Piñata- perhaps a difficulty setting next time around? And I think it really needs a real time clock a la Animal Crossing to stop people from ram raiding the game.

Overall the game gets a big thumbs up from me, its ideal for wasting an hour or two a day, and a great kids game if you are prepared to help out catch some of the harder Piñatas.

[MonkeyKnuckle]

I just wish they had made the garden limit bigger. When you get the big pinatas such as the bear and elephant, you run out of space really fast.

[brookie84]

Well I have bought this but my girlfriend doesn't know - oops. I am waiting for her to go to bed so I can play it!!

[vicbarry]

Dont really like it tbh, but keep going back to it

[rio1981]

This game is such a breath of fresh air - a self-confessed action game fan, I have to admit that I've been hankering for something a little less frantic and noisy recently, if not to replace my other games but to at least add some variety.

I did buy this game for my Mrs for Christmas - a decision with a few selfish undertones, granted - but as she knew it was coming we decided to get it early.

As is pointed out above, this game is as difficult as you wish to make it, or as laid back as you wish to make it. The introduction and tutorial is a bit cringeworthy for a 25 year old fella to sit through - what is with that bloody Leafos piping up every two seconds?! - but as soon as you get to grips with the basics, she'll leave you alone and you'll be flying solo.

The dynamics and premise of the game is so utterly simple, wherein lies the game's beauty. The trick is that there is so much to be getting on with at any one time and you'll need a plan (do I want some new species of Pinatas, do I want to go after the Master Romancer for different species, do I want to rack up as much money as possible) - it's impossible due to constraints on space, and time, to do everything at once. This is where the game's longevity comes in, I think the Mrs and I are on level 25 now and are really starting to make some progress, but some on the main thread are mentioning things I still haven't come across or have a clue about!

For those that like achievements too there are 50 of them, so they're evenly spaced and will take time to complete.

For me it's encouraging to see Rare continuing to branch out developing in new areas - what is strange is that they are excelling in this type of game (I include Kameo), yet the one area you would have put your money on them doing well was Perfect Dark Zero - a game I got rid of pretty quick.

To summarise, don't be put off any pre-conceived ideas of a game lacking the ability to challenge, this couldn't be further from the truth. It looks beautiful, is simple to navigate and never stagnates for long enough for it to become boring.

And if you're ever bored, get trading your pinatas with those on these Forums

9/10 from me...

[Guttee07]

Since i bought this i can't get on my x box because of the kids are never off it.Aged 5 and 7.

[Tetlee]

Damn my Viva Pinata, was posted from playasia on Nov 18th & still hasn't arrived yet.

Hopefully it's just due to the Christmas post but bugger it's been a long wait!

Hope it arrives soon, dying to play this game. Age 32

[Guttee07]

Got mine off e-bay limited edition box for £33.

[Codehead]

Good fun game, I lost whole evenings to it without realising.

As others have said, the limit on objects in the garden at later levels is frustrating, especially when you have to build a chain of animals in order to attract or romance a specific creature.
Also, during the early stages of the game, the smaller garden sizes are restrictive, a couple of animal homes and you're full.
All that aside, the game is beautiful to look at, great fun to play and hard to complete.

6.5/10