Viva Piñata: candy coated crack
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Dec 7th 2006 at 2:30PM }
360 Fanboy blogger, Dustin Burg, laid his hands on Viva Piñata a few days ago, and my rental copy showed up yesterday. Having finished blogging for the day, I popped the game into my 360. I did nothing else for two hours straight. I only stopped because my wife came home and we were going to dinner. When we got back from dinner (coincidentally, it was Mexican food), I showed Viva Piñata to my wife.
Now, we play a few games together -- mostly dungeon crawlers and puzzle games -- but for the most part, I am the gamer of the house. Still, she loves The Sims and it shares many similarities with VP. She started playing at 7:00 and did not set the controller down until nearly 11:00. The urge to do "just one more thing" is a quality that Viva Piñata absolutely nails. Whether it's meeting the mating requirements for a species, building that house, or just planting seeds, you will always have something you need to attend to. Once you've done that, you'll remember that other thing you wanted to do, and so on and so forth. So, let this be a warning for those who haven't picked this up, and those who want that perfect game for the casual gamers in your house: Viva Piñata will claim your soul and your 360. Remember that before you hand the controller over to someone else "just to try it out."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
adam @ Dec 7th 2006 2:41PM
ive almost forgotten i have an xbox after i bought this game for my girlfriend assuming she'd be bored with it after 30 minutes or so.
let me tell you now, four hours is only the beginning.
Tony @ Dec 7th 2006 2:43PM
The game is excellent. It's the first Rare title I've really enjoyed since Blast Corps.
I wish my Live friends actually had the game. The only person who has it still hasn't even been on to add me as a friend.
I'm Lime Balthazar if anyone wants to trade stuff or send me a gift.
Particle @ Dec 8th 2006 4:50PM
This is for the most little of us. This games annoy me
Insomnious @ Dec 7th 2006 2:48PM
Blast Corps! What a game! As it turns out, the only game I really enjoyed on the N64.
Based on this article, I might go buy it. There's only so much killing and cover-taking a guy can take in one month!
jimmcq @ Dec 7th 2006 2:57PM
For answers to common questions about Viva Pinata, see http://PinataIsland.info/viva/FAQ
DeadPlasmaCell @ Dec 7th 2006 3:04PM
I might have to pick this up.. I've heard nothing but good things about the game and trying to teach my wife how to play R6:Vegas is becoming a real chore.. maybe I'll just have her play this instead.
terinraber @ Dec 7th 2006 3:10PM
Game is awesome....picked it up for the wife, and turns out i sat down and got hooked myself. I still swear that the clocks in my house speed up when I play this game. Feels like 15min but my clocks say 3 hrs.
TDot @ Dec 7th 2006 3:21PM
i have in the past been an alcoholic and drug abuser ..pinata is like free base ....just one more, just one more again and again and again.... (btw clean and sober since 94')
BigDog969 @ Dec 7th 2006 3:22PM
In all honesty the game looked a little weird, but I got it anyways,
And now all I can say it that I like my candy coated crack very much, thank you.
Originally the game was for my girlfriend, but we keep having issues over who gets to control (shared control feature with 2 controllers doesn’t work to well for us)
Now we have separate gardens and it’s a peaceful place now……. But mines better :P
Gamertag: BigDog969
cubbiechris @ Dec 7th 2006 3:45PM
That's it I'm buying the damn game! I've heard too many good things about it!
King Keepo @ Dec 7th 2006 3:42PM
Mmm, delicious candy coated crack... Minutes turn to hours turn to days. I have to force myself to turn the 360 off and go to bed every night, and then I forget what I was doing the next day.
Both myself and my housemate are now addicted with seperate gardens, and it's nice that we've branched off towards getting different Pinatas.
Layla @ Dec 7th 2006 3:33PM
my boyfriend's getting this for me for X'mas :D!!!
audioeric @ Dec 7th 2006 3:52PM
This game really is candy coated crack.. It's insane.. Last night I got home at around 5:30pm, started playing and figured I'd play for an hour or two.. 11pm I finally just had to save & quit.. In the mean time I got like 5 more Master Romancer awards and am now around Level 33..
You really can't just sit and try stuff. I wonder what will happen if I make this Pinata eat this fruit.. What happens if I make a Pinata fly into the flame then put him out with my canteen.. Woah, that's a cool Sour Pinata, I need to try to tame him.. Hmmm... Hours will pass and you won't even realize it..
AWESOME GAME!!!! If you don't have it, pick it up. I'm actually playing VP more than Gears at this point...
LunarDuality @ Dec 7th 2006 3:53PM
The word of mouth on this game is so good for one simple reason: It's just plain fun!
I am also hooked on this game (even though I haven't had nearly as much time to devote to it as I would like) and as stated above..."just one more thing" becomes another hour so quickly.
Good to see that people are finally letting go of the "kiddie" game/"game for the girlfriend" stereotype and realizing that it's a great game for *anyone*.
Peacefuloutrage @ Dec 7th 2006 6:32PM
Bought it yesterday, played it this morning. Had to stop before I went to work. I can definitely see how this game is addicting. After the tutorial ends, it's fun, and i'm working on getting the Master Romancer award. I already have a casualty when a visiting pinata ate my bunny (forgot the pinata name)!
Terry2Dix @ Dec 7th 2006 6:06PM
For all that are thinking of getting this game think no more just go buy it, its the most addictive game i have played in years
Jonathan @ Dec 7th 2006 6:30PM
Seriously. -Do not buy this game. Your life will be ruined!
I thought I was a strong person, but man I was wrong. This is simply the most addictive game I have ever played. Not in the same wat a RPG or MMO does. No, its not a "I must level up"-addiction. This is a "I just want to do this thing, then I go to sleep"-addiction.
Amazing, just bloody amazing game. I have played for a good amount of hours and has yet "only" reached level 25. This is for sure a game I will play for many years to come. Love to Rare for this title. A LOT of love actually.
Gamercard? Me: Spelaren
Peacefuloutrage @ Dec 7th 2006 6:35PM
PeacefulOutrage is my GT, by the way.
Malphas @ Dec 8th 2006 10:14AM
I got it from my bf for my birthday, he bought a copy for himself too. The game is awesome, and I love to sprinkle my Sparrowmints with water! They are so cute when they do that little dance.
And indeed, if you want to do one more thing before going to bed, you end up doing a lot of things and having trouble to wake up the next day. Very addicting indeed :)
C0ldf1r3s @ Dec 8th 2006 10:34AM
My girlfriend never used to like the X360. Now after VP, we play it together constantly, she hangs on www.pinataisland.info gathering information and neat tricks, writes them down on a paper. The paperamount on our living room table is now over 50 pages high. One weekend we played it from 05:00 in the afternoon on saturday and we didn't stop until 8 in the morning, sunday morning. Just crazy! VP rocks!