Rare duo: Viva Pinata left in Gears' wake
by Justin McElroy 
{ Oct 12th 2007 at 4:00PM }
Interestingly, the two say that the game was supposed to be more of a symbol for third parties, showing that Microsoft was serious about games for kids. The sales were still low though, something that, in part, they chalk up to the marketing force put behind Gears of War, which shared Viva's launch window. "So much of the money went towards Gears of War, which is going to sell millions anyway," Thomas said. "It was a bit of like, 'What about the other franchise?' I think we got left in the wake somewhat. Hopefully with the PC version this Christmas, it might get something of a second wind."
We'd be more likely to attribute Viva's sales to the fact that the game is too complicated for most kids, but sports cartoon graphics that turn many adult players off. That said, we're sure that Gary Jules on TV every 30 seconds didn't help matters.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jonah Falcon @ Oct 12th 2007 4:06PM
You seem to forget that Microsoft was counting on the kid's TV show to supply "advertising" for the game, just as He-Man and GI Joe supplied "advertising" for the action figures.
mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Oct 12th 2007 4:06PM
I was interested in this game until I saw an episode of the TV show and vomited small, grape-like chunks of arsenic sputum from my belly-button.
Bloo @ Oct 12th 2007 4:14PM
Let's be honest here. First off, there is no way you were ever interested in this game. Secondly, if they made a Smash Bros cartoon and it was the worst cartoon ever made, that wouldn't stop you from buying the next Smash Bros game.
mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Oct 12th 2007 4:43PM
Yes, I was interested in this game. I liked the style and the premise of it. I was not interested enough to buy a 360, but I did think it looked fun.
Secondly, I already know that I like Smash Bros. I bought a Gamecube for it. Had there been a TV show about it (I'm trying to imagine that) and it was terrible, it may have dampened my spirits about buying a Gamecube for it, though I had already played the N64 version.
Thirdly, I was not as interested in Pinata as I am in Smash Bros.
Bloo @ Oct 12th 2007 6:03PM
Apparently you took me too literally and missed my point. So... my point is... there is no game that will make you excited enough to buy a Xbox 360 and there is no Wii/DS game that you are interested in that any bad cartoon will stop you from getting.
mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Oct 12th 2007 6:52PM
Well, Pinata is coming out for the DS, and I'm not going to get it.
I've been interested in Pokemon for a while but have never bought one because I'd just be repeating "pika pika BUL BA ZAR" over and over again in my head.
If there was a No More Heroes show that resembled, say, Power Rangers, it would make me reconsider my purchase.
mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Oct 12th 2007 6:58PM
But you are right, there is no game that would make me buy a 360. I don't have the time or the money for it, and I don't appreciate that Microsoft is just in the games business as a trojan horse for a media center.
But that doesn't stop me from admiring one of the games on the system. Am I not allowed to?
hvnlysoldr @ Oct 12th 2007 11:28PM
Sure you are. As a Sega defender you've experienced it all your gaming career. /jk
Right... I occasionally watch Pokemon since I love their games and had got hooked to the anime when I was a kid. But I find the Viva Pinata show repulsing-I've lost interest in morning cartoon shows-and the game too resource complex for me.
NATO_Duke @ Oct 12th 2007 4:08PM
They really dropped the ball on marketing this game - it was a damn shame. Though I do agree that it is too complicated for kids. Adults should pick it up for the change of pace it offers, and since a little light hearted fun wouldn't hurt them.
The game was top notch in its design, and I am sure they would have got better sales and talk if they hyped it and released the toys they said they would when the game came out. I don't think the toys are out yet as of now.
Count Noobula @ Oct 12th 2007 4:13PM
Gears of War came and left a bloody trail of locust, Pinata, and PS3 entrails all over the world. Long live the lancer!
Kristof @ Oct 12th 2007 4:13PM
I kept thinking this would be a great game for the Wii ... but ... yeah.
Honestly though, I don't think the 360 and family 'G' entertainment mixes all that much. You've got 'M' rated action and sports games ... that seems to be the 360 crowd. Wii is where you find the quirky games based on what I see. The 'kids' who play 360 are more up towards the teens wanting to play Halo and 'T' for teen games.
It shouldn't really be a stigma, but it is what it is.
Jonah Falcon @ Oct 12th 2007 5:54PM
Well, someone thinks it'll be a great game for the DS, since it's headed there.
baby sea tuna @ Oct 12th 2007 4:14PM
I really feel for Rare on this one. VP really did get shafted, marketing wise, which is really a damn shame since it's a fantastic game. Seriously, a year later and I'd probably rather play it than Gears (which, is still a very good game.)
I genuinely hope that with the PC release and 360 version's price drop, they can sell enough of these suckers to justify a sequel with the Bungie.net-esque functionality of Halo 3. The only problem that I ever had with it was that I could never send people vids and screenshots of the garden I put so much time and effort into cultivating.
I'm thinking that if the biggest barrier to understanding Viva Pinata is the controls, a stripped down Wii version would sell a shitton to the Pokemans crowd. Just a thought.
T3H WICKERMAN (FDF) @ Oct 12th 2007 4:15PM
Boo Hoo. Go cry with the shadowrun devs. Let the man faced Kimona hold you ever so close. Really what did they expect? The majority of the installed base are not 5 year olds. I did have some fun playing the game with my family, but my son lost interest in it pretty quick. So now their pc version gets to go up against Gears Pc version this holdiay season? HA.
bm @ Oct 12th 2007 4:16PM
"but sports cartoon graphics that turn many adult players off."
Adult? I believe you mean "players in the middle of puberty."
jfls @ Oct 12th 2007 6:30PM
Unfortunately, the two are not mutually exclusive...
h0mi @ Oct 12th 2007 4:18PM
The game is a bit complicated, and you're never introduced (AFAIK) to the actual characters in the show... just generic pinatas of the same type.
Ordeith @ Oct 12th 2007 4:21PM
My 4 year old loves the game. I don't know where the "too complicated" comes into play.
Dumb kids perhaps?
Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 12th 2007 4:24PM
Actually the first game I bought was for the XB360 Viva Piñata the special edition, it was cool but my problem was that I wasn’t effing able to build on pause like in the Sims and the analog stick isn’t well suited for this game, I rather have a mouse and a keyboard.
Is still a good game but I rarelly feel like playing it anymore.
Mr Khan @ Oct 12th 2007 4:24PM
Yeah, you can't say the game was under-promoted, it had a TV show, for god's sake, Whatever Gears had going for it, it didn't have that
nick @ Oct 12th 2007 8:27PM
Viva Pinata is one of the best games I've played on the 360, but it suffered from the following problems:
The original packaging was too "childish" to be picked up by any adult. Everyone originally thought it was a childrens game, especially since the TV show was beyond childish, but it was really meant for adults. Poor marketing all around.
The only reason I discovered the game, in the wake of Gears of War, was positive word of mouth. And even then, I had trouble locating the game on store shelves. Nobody was really stocking the game, and if they did, it was in low quantities.
It probably should have been cheaper by about $10 from the beginning. Build an audience with the first release.
Even today, those who haven't played the game still consider it a kids game.
neight @ Oct 12th 2007 4:31PM
This game was too complex for kids. And it didn't have a passing each level structure that the kiddies would've probably found more rewarding.
Mike-453 @ Oct 12th 2007 4:30PM
They really just dropped all the plans they had for the online functionality, due to lack of sales I would assume, but still, it's a shame.
It being better on the Wii? Call me a graphics whore, but those pinatas are too damn pretty.
Though i'm normally a supporter of dual analogue sticks, they really do restrict being able to do micromanagement in games.
Hirsbrunner @ Oct 12th 2007 4:31PM
Would someone please tell me what animal the pinata on the left of that pic is supposed to be?
It looks very disturbing to me.
mike @ Oct 12th 2007 4:33PM
Woah are they way off. Viva pinata only sold 500 000 copies because of the gameplay. People purchased this game because the style was fun. I was one of these people. This game was actually being made before viva pinata and was later changed to be based off pinatas from the series. Unfortunetly, The game imposed far to strict a limit on your garden and would fill up so you cannot do anything just as your adding stuff to make it look good. It became way to limiting and basically all the gardens you made had to be crappy or with a single focus, as any true creativity was halted by the game limit. Now whether or not these limits were poor implimintations or the 360 was simply unable to process anything larger without frame loss, is a moot point. The game idea just didnt become fullfilled
The thing about viva pinata is the upcoming viva pinata party animals game is going to do terrible. Its a completely different game but still has the pinatas in it. And Like I said, we were not buying viva pinata because it was a kids game. In fact, if they had made viva pinata originally without the pinatas and kids game focus, Im sure it would of done better (million + copies maybe?)
Walt Jay @ Oct 12th 2007 4:41PM
500,00 isn't bad at all for a new IP on a system not known for its family games. Rare has nothing to be ashamed of.
Sean @ Oct 12th 2007 4:42PM
I blame the Fizzlybears.
Lee Cary @ Oct 12th 2007 4:45PM
I think the challenge with Viva Pinata is that it was a PC Game experience that shipped on a console. If it tanks when shipped on the PC, then maybe I'm wrong. Still, I'd much rather play this game with a mouse and keyboard than a handheld controller.
Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 12th 2007 5:39PM
I feel the same,the analog sticks are simply inferior to the good old K/M combo really the analog sticks make a game like viva piñata a bit frustrating and that's too bad the game is simply cool but as I said even with the colorful style I don't feel like playing it anymore,I never finish it in fact is sitting there with PDZ and PRG3 3 games that I barely touched.
Banana Kid @ Oct 12th 2007 5:10PM
All of you who didn't buy Viva Pinata? You're bad people.
Mike-453 @ Oct 12th 2007 5:16PM
It may have sold better if it didn't have the pinata theme, I know I would have liked it better without the pinata theme. Not because i'm against unique deisng, but because i'm simply not into bright multi-coloured animals made out of paper and being broken open with chocolate spilling out.
NATO_Duke @ Oct 12th 2007 5:58PM
So, it would have sold better if it wasn't the game it was? Okie dokie then.
gst @ Oct 12th 2007 5:25PM
I consider the fact that VP only sold 500,000 to be perfect justification for my growing misanthropy.
All of the bunnycombs require hats!
Shockgamer @ Oct 12th 2007 5:40PM
360 gamers didn't get a 360 to play cartoons. Not enough space marines and not enough baldness.
James @ Oct 12th 2007 6:02PM
As a fan of Harvest Moon (PS2) and Animal Crossing (DS version) I was looking forward to this. But the mechanics are broken and it's not so fun to play.
Not as 'meh' as Lair or Heavenly Sword. But still a completely average borefest, along with Halo 3.
Mike-453 @ Oct 12th 2007 6:03PM
ohs noez
James @ Oct 12th 2007 6:04PM
Pardon?
Mike-453 @ Oct 12th 2007 7:31PM
Viva Pinata isn't exactly an average generic game, imo.
Evan @ Oct 12th 2007 6:12PM
I was really excited about Viva Pinata before it was released, not because I gave a damn about gardening pinatas, but because it looked like Microsoft was serious about making the 360 a well-rounded console! But Microsoft hasn't followed up, and has gone right back to focusing on FPS games.
Most of Viva Pinata's potential audience aren't going to buy a console with few games made for them. Maybe if Microsoft published more than one "kids" game, a wider audience might buy the system, and Viva Pinata might have done better.
That said, I think 500K is very impressive for a gardening game on a console almost exclusively owned by hardcore gamers.
Ryan de michigan @ Oct 12th 2007 8:03PM
The game was quite enjoyable but ultimately suffered from a small playing field. Even after you max out your gardens space, you constantly get the message that "The Garden is Overpopulated".
Courtney @ Oct 12th 2007 7:46PM
I gotta agree that half a million units for a gardening sim is kinda impressive.
We got this game for my daughter, who enjoyed it for about a week and a half, then moved on. My wife, however, totally geeked out on it and wouldn't leave it alone until she had mastered every single aspect of the game. So, maybe when they called it a family friendly game, they just weren't thinking of the right part of the family.
And, for the record, I ended up logging a good 20+ hours on it myself.
ThornedVenom @ Oct 13th 2007 2:22AM
Didn't Microsoft rip on the Wii for targeting younger audiences?
Burnt Meatloaf @ Oct 13th 2007 9:13AM
What's wrong with cartoon graphics?
Does everyone still want browned, bloomed, and buggered?
flameofdoom666 @ Oct 15th 2007 10:56AM
I personally love it. Its a very unique game. Rare has such a style that is unbeatable.
For a garden simulator, 500,000 on a "FPS" console is great. But Rare is usually making games that sell over double that- so maybe it is disappointing.
Even IGN said Viva Pinata is better then Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo.