While some may throw it off as a "kiddy" game, many will find it to be one of the deepest games this generatio
Gameplay: If anyone has played a Harvest Moon game, you’ll be right at home at the beginning of this game. You have a crappy garden with a bunch of… crap in it, and it’s up to you to clear it all out. As you progress you will get your first piñata, and will think “hey, this isn’t so hard to attract piñatas.” But later you will come to find that those thoughts of simplicity are thrown out the window. Rare has managed to make this game extremely deep and time consuming. Once you get going and have a few piñatas in the garden, things get hectic. You’re given the tasks of maintaining the garden, attracting piñatas, getting them to become residents, building homes, making babies, breaking up fights, and the list goes on and on. I honestly couldn’t see how a kid who likes the show and buys the game for that reason could keep up with that. But the fact that the game is pretty busy isn’t a bad thing. It keeps you with things to do all the time and gives you goals to reach. This game is really about managing your priorities. There’s a lot to do and a lot to accomplish. Any veteran of The Sims or Harvest Moon will be right at home with this.
9/10
Graphics: By far one of the most colorful releases for the 360 yet. The environments, while not particularly stunning, have a very unique feel to them. I am particularly fond of the piñatas’ paper-mache texture; it looks very true to life. Rare always tends to make great looking, colorful games, and they don’t disappoint here.
8/10
Sound: Most of the text from helpers are voice acted, and if you’re lazy like me, this comes in handy. I know it was VO’d for kids who don’t read well, but who cares? All the piñatas have their own noises and the garden is filled with other noises too. It has a soundtrack much like Banjo Kazooie, very cartoony, and it fits very well.
8/10
Value: Like I said, anyone who is a fan of The Sims and Harvest Moon will love this game. It’s guaranteed to keep you occupied for hours upon hours. Whether you play it for hours on end, or just as a break from curb stomping people in Gears of War, Viva Piñata will satisfy anyone looking for a way to relax during games, or a great sandbox game.
9/10