Viva Piñata (Xbox 360)

This piñata's a little harder to miss.
9/10/2008 11:44 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 2

It's been nearly two years since Rare first released Viva Piñata, an interesting little title that took the best from the sim genre, sandbox gameplay, virtual pets and (to a lesser extent) role-playing games, and crammed it all inside some living, breathing papier-maché animals, alongside the peppermint pieces and chocolate coins. Though the original game had its share of faults, it struck a chord with critics and gamers alike, earning more than a few Game of the Year nods while even hardcore gamers found themselves eager to get their hands on the more elusive piñata pals. With the sequel, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, the party's just getting started for fans of the first game.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." For Trouble in Paradise, it looks like Rare used the phrase as a development mantra. At first glance, you'll be hard pressed to notice any real difference between Trouble in Paradise and its predecessor. As far as the presentation goes, it's virtually identical to its predecessor. The returning characters and piñatas look and sound exactly like they did the first time. Your toolbox still contains a trusty shovel, watering can and seed packet, ready for your gardening magic. It's not until you get into the gameplay that you realize how much things have changed (for the better) on Piñata Island.

One of the biggest issues people had with Viva Piñata was its occasionally clunky user interface. Sure, the basic tools were conveniently mapped to the d-pad, but in order to do simple tasks -- like planting seeds or dropping fruit to attract a piñata -- you usually had to make a tedious trip out to village shop, pick out a seed, plant it in your garden, go back to the shop, pick another seed, plant it ... wash, rinse, repeat. Tracking down specific piñatas in your garden often required dragging the cursor everywhere, hoping to find the right one buried among the other residents. But this time around, you have quick access menus where you can buy seeds, fruit, veggies and so on without ever leaving the garden, as well as quickly zero in on any residents currently in the garden. It's a simple addition that makes a world of difference during gameplay.

Another complaint about the original Viva Piñata game was its fairly steep difficulty level for younger or more casual gamers. To give gamers of all skill levels a chance to join the party, Trouble in Paradise includes a "Just for Fun" mode -- an "all-access" pass to Piñata Island. You start off with all of the best equipment, the largest possible garden space and more money than Fort Knox. As an added perk, the annoying Ruffians and sour piñatas that plague you in the standard game are nowhere to be seen. Of course, everything comes with a price: The Achievements are turned off in "Just for Fun," and so are the mail options, which allowed players of the first game to send crates packed with items and piñatas to friends via Xbox Live -- so don't expect to artificially pump up your Gamerscore or your main garden by getting rare piñatas from "Just for Fun." Still, it's a fun way to play around, especially for giving the kiddies a virtual sandbox without having to sweat the consequences.