Viva Pinata takes stab at Genji jokes

45 Comments by Ross Miller Nov 29th 2006 12:15PM
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online

Rare's latest title, Viva Pinata, looks to have reopened the now-infamous -- and somewhat tiresome -- crab joke from Sony's E3 2006 press conference. A GameSpot forum member stumbled upon this during his game time and took a picture for everyone's amusement. Consider this one company using a first-party title to give its heated competitor a paper cut and pouring lemon juice on it.

After the E3 2006 press conference, the PlayStation 3 title Genji: Day of the Blade was derided for the description of "real-time weapon changing" and "giant enemy crabs" which you could "attack for massive damage." The meme has gone on to be more popular than the game itself, which has received poor reviews since its release alongside the PS3. Viva Pinata, for its part, has actually garnered some positive critical reception, given developer Rare some much-needed praise.

Now that Microsoft has taken the bait and retold a seven month old joke, can we please, please, please let it go?

See Also:
Pile on: Contact takes a jab at Sony meme

[Thanks, Brandon]

[Update: Missed one part of the joke -- real time weapons changing -- and fixed Rare's first-party status.]

Tags: crabs, genji, viva pinata, VivaPinata

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

CakeOrDeath: Nov 29th 2006; 12:32PM

"A GameStop forum member"

I am guessing you mean Gamespot

CamSS: Nov 29th 2006; 12:33PM

"Now that Microsoft has taken the bait and retold a seven month old joke, can we please, please, please let it go?"

Public service announcement brought to you by Sony.

Now you know!

Skippy: Nov 29th 2006; 12:34PM

I think the real joke is that Viva Piñata is the best game Rare has created in almost a decade. I really hope this isn't all Rare is capable of now.

KBeat: Nov 29th 2006; 12:36PM

For those who haven't played it, btw, Viva is a great game. It's actually kept me away from Gears. Too bad the game has been so poorly promoted.

DeezNuts420: Nov 29th 2006; 12:37PM

LONG LIVE "MASSIVE DAMAGE"

DarkSubterfuge: Nov 29th 2006; 12:38PM

Why let it go ... arn't people still saying "All your base are belong to us" lol. I think it's brilliant, the firt time I saw it in the game I literaly laughed out loud. :)

Nate: Nov 29th 2006; 12:38PM

"Now that Microsoft has taken the bait and retold a seven month old joke, can we please, please, please let it go?"

Ummm....aren't you guys the ones making a blog post about it? Giving it more pub?

In fact maybe Joystiq is the ones not letting it go.

adg1034: Nov 29th 2006; 12:40PM

You're forgetting the "real-time weapon change" aspect of the tip.

clo1_2000: Nov 29th 2006; 12:41PM

mnah mnah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8A6aYVu2FU

Ross Miller: Nov 29th 2006; 12:41PM

CakeOrDeath --

quite right, quick fix. Shhhhhhhhhhhh

"Cake please"
"I'm sorry we are all out of cake."
"So my choices are 'or death' ? "

Hinkmania: Nov 29th 2006; 12:47PM

Massive damage? I'll have the chicken then, please.

Sinnix: Nov 29th 2006; 12:48PM

Seriously though, that joke needs to die. It's old and tired. All we need to do is attack it's weak point for massive damage and we're done.

silkylove: Nov 29th 2006; 12:55PM

To all the people who want the joke to die. Don't you all realize that the joke will be around at least until PS4 comes out?

get over it: Nov 29th 2006; 12:56PM

real time weapon change for massive damage...

is that anything like the gears of war perfect reload for increased damage?

footlong!: Nov 29th 2006; 12:57PM

You also have to consider that this joke was put into the game months ago during the development so you can't play it off like they're still making the joke today.

J.Goodwin: Nov 29th 2006; 1:01PM

First party. Rare is a wholly owned studio.

logikil: Nov 29th 2006; 1:03PM

I saw this while playing Viva a couple nights ago. I thought it was pretty funny.

jc: Nov 29th 2006; 1:03PM

Come on... the presentation at E3 where he talks about the 'historical accuracy' of Genji and then talks about 'giant enemy crabs' was priceless. The massive damage was just a bonus... a 'two for one' if you will.

This truly classic saying that will go down in history, just like:

"let them eat cake"
"I have a dream"
"I am not a crook"
"I'll be back"

Miniboss: Nov 29th 2006; 1:09PM

Is it sad that I want this game now?

Random Insanity: Nov 29th 2006; 1:16PM

@6

Roses are red
Violets are blue
All of my base
Are belong to you

:)

CakeOrDeath: Nov 29th 2006; 1:24PM

Ross Miller--

:)It's amazing how many Eddie Izzard fans I uncover with my Username.

Derbeste: Nov 29th 2006; 1:30PM

"11. Massive damage? I'll have the chicken then, please."

Tastes of crab, sir.

"It's amazing how many Eddie Izzard fans I uncover with my Username."

And we've all got flags.

Darth Vader: Nov 29th 2006; 1:30PM

Given that this sad excuse for a blog site constantly repeats quotes and comments many months after they've been said I suggest they should practice what they preach.

logikil: Nov 29th 2006; 1:32PM

Skippy:

I wonder if you've played the game to make that statement. Despite the cute exterior, the game is incredibly deep and filled with near infinite replay. So if this is the best that Rare can do, then kudos because its a wonderfully charming game that i am proud to have in my 360 library.

Brian (the REAL Brian): Nov 29th 2006; 1:37PM

I don't know if anyone mentioned it here, but the joke was also featured in Contact for the Nintendo DS.

I forget exactly what the professor says, but it's right before you fight the first boss, a giant rock-creature.

audioeric: Nov 29th 2006; 1:37PM

Wow, I saw this a while ago and posted a comment on X360FB.com...

Here's a better picture from my site:

http://www.audioeric.com/coppermine/displayimage.php?album=9&pos=5

VP is an awesome game and a total blast to play!! Loads of little innuendos scattered everywhere!

number40one: Nov 29th 2006; 1:41PM

Oh boo hoo. It's part of the gaming lexicon now. Get over it.

And to continue being a butthead, exactly what "bait" did Microsoft take? They took a (funny) joke/situation and ran with it. Nobody was setting them up with this.

DAKGOALIE: Nov 29th 2006; 1:54PM

Hahaha, but it IS a second party. Although it is owned by Microsoft, it still isn't a first party because it isn't Microsoft Game Studios making the game. It is a seperate owned company, but still not Microsoft Game Studios, making it second party.

Examples of first parties:
Microsoft Game Studios
Nintendo EAD (Entertainment Analysis and Development)
SCEI (Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.)

Examples of second parties:
Bungie
Rare
Retro Studios
Hal Labs
Insomniac Games

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thryon: Nov 29th 2006; 2:08PM

Real time tool change is an essential part of this game. You never know when sour pinatas will come to spread havoc to your ahppy garden. One minute you are planting grass, then all of a sudden a sour pops out. The power of the Xbox 360 D pad allows you to press UP and poof, your bag of seeds changes instantly to a shovel, which you use to wack those sours back to pinata heaven (or hell for the sours). All jocking aside, real time tool change is essential and I am glad they included it on the game, and not made you go back to the menu to change tool each time (like you must do to choose a shop).

KaneRobot: Nov 29th 2006; 2:11PM

Why? It never gets old.

Spilt_Milk: Nov 29th 2006; 2:43PM

It's not sad, miniboss. Viva is easily one of the better games put out in the last decade. It's fun, addictive, and everyone in the family can play it and have a blast.

It is much much deeper than you would ever think.

btboy500: Nov 29th 2006; 3:00PM

DAKGOALIE,

Rare is wholly owned by Microsoft, who purchased their stock from the Stamper brothers and Nintendo. Being a first party developer is defined through ownership to a company. For example, while Retro Studios used to be second party, it is now wholly owned by Nintendo and therefore a first party developer, as are HAL Labs and Bungie Studios to Microsoft. Second party development is defined through contractual obligation and partial ownership(like how it used to be with Rare).

crono141: Nov 29th 2006; 3:29PM

I thought HAL was a division of nintendo proper, not 2nd party. Otherwise, I believe you are correct.

Figboy: Nov 29th 2006; 3:54PM

dude, i'm the biggest Sony fan nowadays, but that's frickin hillarious.

i love that "attack it's weak point for massive damage" has permiated the gaming pop culture.

it kind of reminds me a bit of the days when Sega and Nintendo would take cheap jabs at each other through their various games and markings ("We do what Ninten-don't!"). it's all in good fun, if you ask me.

personally, i think the historical crab battles is funnier, but the massive damage joke, while old and tired, still gets me to chuckle when used right (such as this example in Viva Pinata).

love or hate Sony, you have to give them credit for the retarded, yet oddly humorous sound bites they give us at their E3 presentations (now that E3 is gone, what's going to happen to Sony's weird PR speak?).

to all my fellow Sony fans getting upset: get over it. it was a jab at the competition. it's all good.

Kevin: Nov 29th 2006; 4:06PM

Contact for the Nintendo DS also took a crack at this as well.

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1628/contactdmgza3.jpg

Petrie: Nov 29th 2006; 4:51PM

Contact came out earlier on the DS, and makes the same reference to attacking the Giant Enemy Crap for massive damage.

Bennyishere: Nov 29th 2006; 5:26PM

Oh no they didn't!

Someone had to say it...

Seriously, though. I really don't mind. I think it's funny, even if I've heard it a gazillion times.

reppy: Nov 29th 2006; 7:40PM

"Massive damage" is no longer cause for massive hilarity.

Figboy: Nov 29th 2006; 8:28PM

Defenestrator2.0: Nov 29th 2006; 9:09PM

I wonder if the Giant Enemy Crab plays RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RRRRRRRRRRRACER!!!!

You've got to have it. Who doesn't? It's Ridge Racer! It will retail for 599 US dollars. It will also have massive sea battles, only possible on the PS3. You are allowed to flip over this enemy crab on it's back. I think that it's a fantactic innovation.

....Whoops.
Though you can still have real-time weapons change. It's exhilerating, and what they're creating for the PS3 is inspiring. I herd dat the grafix on dat waz crayzy, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH2w2l1JTs4

Donald: Nov 30th 2006; 12:56AM

MASSIVE DAMAGE IS A MEME

http://home.comcast.net/~djsyndrome916/Massive_Damage.jpg

dvnt: Nov 30th 2006; 3:43AM

"Now that Microsoft has taken the bait and retold a seven month old joke, can we please, please, please let it go?"

Now we've found Joystiq's weakpoint. Quick, attack it for MASSIVE DAMAGE.

Corey Bingham: Nov 30th 2006; 11:08AM

I don't find the joke old at all and I got a slight chuckle out of it...I think the writer takes this a little too seriously if he is upset at a game developer poking fun of the idiotic Genji marketing.

The only people who think that the Massive Damage joke has been run into the ground are those who spend a lot of time on game messageboards...otherwise, I haven't even seen or heard that joke amongst gamers in general.

bynary: Dec 2nd 2006; 1:58PM

"Now that Microsoft has taken the bait and retold a seven month old joke..."

Games aren't made overnight. I'm guessing that when this text was added the joke wasn't more than a couple days old.

Rob: Dec 21st 2006; 12:55AM

>>Now that Microsoft has taken the bait and retold a seven month old joke, can we please, please, please let it go?

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