The past few weeks I have played a variety of games. I think out of the bunch, Viva Piñata and Company of Heroes stood out.  When I day dream about a game, I kind of know it's something that has me hooked.

I was persuaded by a few friends to try Viva Piñata, and one of them is someone you know, Kevin aka fiddlecub. He went on and on about this game and said if I liked Animal Crossing I would like this one. I had to be honest with him; I never cared for Animal Crossing so why would I like Viva Piñata?  After trying the game I was hooked, and other games like GH2 and Company of Heroes were neglected for a while there.

Viva Piñata may be considered a kiddy game to some people, but I tend to take it more seriously. I will admit that when I used to see video clips featured On the Spot, I would chuckle on how serious someone could take a game like it, even if I am known to like things that are adorable or cute. 

Last Saturday morning while flipping TV channels, I bumped into the Viva Pinata cartoon. I had been playing the game every day for over a week so when I saw this I started wondering if this game was targeted towards kids. Viva Piñata may have a lady's voice who acts as if she is talking to kids but I tend to avoid listening to her as often as I can. I visualize Jo Frost from Super Nanny when she talks, so each time I receive an alert message I'll make sure I click it fast enough to avoid listening to her. I have nothing against Super Nanny, I like to watch the show if I happen to come across it but the thought of being scolded by her makes me feel like a child again. If there is a sequel, it would be nice for them to ask how old you are and change the game in some areas to welcome that age group of players. 

I have mainly been a PC gamer for the past 10 years, so if I find a game on a console that I can't get enough I become really impressed. Viva Piñata is now up there with games like Beyond Good and Evil and Primal.

As for Company of Heroes, it has some great new gameplay features I normally don’t find in real time strategy games.  I love how the cinematic clips are, and it makes me want to see more and more about the history of World War II.  However, the game does seem to crash frequently. I believe the latest patches I installed aren't working properly so I am in the process of reinstalling the game when I get back from the Christmas Holiday.