vivapinata posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Viva Pinata DS / Xbox 360 connectivity figured out, not happening

by Scott Jon Siegel { May 20th 2008 at 6:30PM }

The clever men and women at Rare actually figured out a way to offer connectivity between Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise on the Xbox 360, and the Viva Piñata game on the Nintendo DS. Unfortunately, they figured it out a bit too late in development, and the unprecedented "Three-Six-DS" (say it out loud) connection will not make it into either game.

How would it have worked? Trouble in Paradise on the 360 uses the Live Vision Camera to interpret special codes on Viva Piñata trading cards. The camera's resolution is high enough to even read card codes off of digital screens, like iPods, Zunes (lawl) and portable gaming systems.

According to MTV's Stephen Totilo, Rare realized that codes could be placed in the Nintendo DS Piñata game to allow content to be transferred from the portable to the 360 version. Sadly, this realization came too late in the development cycle of the DS game, and reportedly could not be included. It's the thought that counts, right?

Viva Pinata lives, gets subtitle

by Candace Savino { Apr 19th 2008 at 4:30PM }

The BBFC seems to have confirmed two things about Rare's upcoming DS game, Viva Pinata. The first is that THQ will be publishing the software, and the second is that the subtitle for the game (at least in Europe) will be Pocket Paradise.

Until we hear something more tangible, though, we'll chalk this one up as a rumor.

Gallery: Viva Pinata DS

[Thanks, jimmcq!]

Viva Pi�ata proposer tying the knot today with game-themed cake

by Griffin McElroy { Apr 5th 2008 at 11:35AM }

We all had our hearts warmed last year when we heard of David Rosowski's delightful approach to nuptial queries -- the young man proposed to his girlfriend Jenn by sending her a diamond and question-popping note in Viva Piñata, immediately following up with a bended knee and a real-life rock. Nearly seven months later, their wedding day has come, and after trading vows upon a cruise ship, the two will chow down on a matrimonial pastry topped with a Horstachio and a veiled Pretztail (two of the game's more recognizable papier-mâché critters).

You can watch their big day unfold on David's YouTube channel, if you have nothing better to do this Saturday morning. We here at Joystiq HQ won't be in virtual attendance, but we'd still like to wish David and Jenn a long and happy marriage, full of fulfilled romance requirements and bushels of joy candy.

[Thanks, jimmcq.]

2008's Biggest Blips: Part III

by Alisha Karabinus { Feb 11th 2008 at 12:00PM }

Over the past two weeks, we've previewed more DS games than you can shake a whole pack of sticks at, and we're not yet done. In the final part of our look at 2008's most interesting upcoming titles, we're going to zip through a few last intriguing titles. Some of them haven't settled on anything close to a release date, and for others, there's little information available, but for one reason or another, they're all exciting enough to get us to sit up and take notice.

Unfortunately, they're probably also going to have a serious impact on wallets everywhere. As though we weren't already faced with the prospect of buying tons of games! We've never been happier that DS games are at least cheap.

Continued →

Rare talks Viva Pinata DS with the fans

by David Hinkle { Nov 26th 2007 at 12:20PM }

The folks over at Rare on the Viva Piñata DS team have been busy answering questions from their fans about the game. The questions asked pertain to both the Xbox 360 and DS games, as it's revealed that the DS game is more or less just a portable version of the Xbox 360 title. But, the DS game will have some different piñatas in it, as well as an Episode mode.

What little we've seen on the game so far has us intrigued. We think the game is the perfect pick-up-and-go title, to tell the truth.

[Via Go Nintendo]

Viva Pinata DS as learning experiment for small-scale games

by JC Fletcher { Nov 13th 2007 at 2:50PM }

Microsoft Game Studios UK's Phil Spencer spoke to Develop magazine about the lessons the company is taking from Rare's scaling down of Viva Pinata. While it might seem strange to put one of their flagship titles on a competitor's system, the DS is a great platform on which to learn about casual and shorter games, while also making piles of money.

Speaking about Rare's previous handheld experience, Spencer said the following: "When we acquired the studio that expertise was there and the team was there. As Microsoft we had a discussion – do we want to build that expertise? We decided yes. Not so much because we need to support Nintendo – their platform will do fine without us – but because it is important for us to build that experience as a publisher and game developer and understand what it means to build lightweight, maybe shorter session experiences, and maintain that design innovation."

Where does Microsoft hope to apply the lessons learned from Viva Pinata? Not the DS! As it turns out, Microsoft has their own platform for small-scale games. We don't know exactly how a portable version of a full-size Xbox game translates to Xbox Live Arcade development, but if it drives the company to experiment further, it's a good thing.

[Via Next-Gen]

Look! It's another single screenshot for Viva Pinata!

by Alisha Karabinus { Oct 31st 2007 at 5:40PM }

Dear Rare,

Listen, guys. We love you. We're always thrilled when you return home to Nintendo fans and put something together for us, and when it's something as genuinely neat as Viva Piñata, we're all in. We're resting comfortably on the hype train. So stringing us along with one screenshot at a time isn't really necessary. We can wait a few weeks and see three or even four at once. Really! We won't forget about you, okay? So don't worry.

Love,
Us

p.s. But we'll keep putting those single screenshots in our gallery here. We'll do this for you, out of love. Hugs and kisses!

Gallery: Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise

New Viva Pinata screens burst out

by Alisha Karabinus { Oct 23rd 2007 at 5:50PM }

We're very slowly getting a look at Viva Piñata; Rare is letting screens drip out a bit at a time, just to keep us interested. Normally, that would worry us, but this is Rare, and at least we know how they're handling the port, so we'll let them take their time. Aren't we nice?

We wouldn't mind having some idea of a release date, however. Jeux-France theorizes that we'll see the title by the end of the year, but we've yet to see any official word on that. Are we alone in thinking it's much more likely to be sometime next year? But all release date speculation aside, we've compiled the new with the old in a gallery below for your viewing ease.

Gallery: Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise

Rare talks Viva Pinata on the DS

by David Hinkle { Oct 15th 2007 at 1:10PM }

We all know about the whole prerendering thing with the DS version of Viva Piñata, it being the only way the fine folks at Rare could squeeze the title down to cartridge-friendly size. But, we didn't know about some of the other alterations Rare made to the title, such as the stylus-exclusive control scheme, allowing for more accuracy in digging and planting seeds, etc.

James Thomas and Justin Cook, software engineers who conducted this interview, also talk about some other DS title they've been playing and drawing inspiration from. These games include Theme Park and SimCity DS, other "god-type" games.

Rare duo: Viva Pinata left in Gears' wake

by Justin McElroy { Oct 12th 2007 at 4:00PM }

Viva Piñata has found moderate success since its release late last year, with about 500,000 units sold, but it's far from the "next great family franchise" it was positioned as. Over at Gamasutra, James Thomas and Justin Cook of Rare discuss why they thought that Viva made less of a splash than many hoped.

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.

Party Animals achievements hide gamer in-jokes

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 10th 2007 at 4:30PM }

We're not sure exactly where to file this story. We've got "sneaky developers" and "sneaky marketers." We're pretty sure it should go in one of those files. We're just not sure which. Microsoft has sent out a list of the achievements available in Viva Piñata: Party Animals, and they contain a few surprises for the older gamers out there. There are a few pop culture references in there, such as the "Coulda Been a Contender," "Do You Feel Lucky, Piñata?" and "Int'l Piñata of Mystery" achievements. What really surprised us, however, were the handful of gamer in-jokes. First up is the "Classic Gamer Reward" which states, "Enter the classic gamers code while on the START screen. For a hint, go right into your manual..." We can only assume it refers to the Konami Code. Then there is the "All Your Game Are Belong To Us" achievement. Then there is our favorite achievement, "So Awesome!," the text of which reads "You, the master of unlocking." A Penny Arcade reference and a Resident Evil reference in the same achievement? Wow. Considering Party Animals is aimed squarely at younger gamers, we're betting these achievements were tossed in to bring a smile to all the dedicated gaming parents out there.

Continued →

Viva Pinata could be coming to the Wii next

by David Hinkle { Sep 25th 2007 at 2:15PM }

Hot on the heels of the announcement that Viva Pinata would be gracing the DS comes whispers about the rumor mill that the franchise could also find its way onto the Wii. The source of these rumors (the latest issue of gaming mag EGM) states that due to the success of minigame compilations on the Wii, Viva Pinata: Party Animals could very well hit the console in the near future.

As you all know, we honestly think the Wii needs less minigame compilations and more actual games. Like, those with a beginning and an end, preferably a plot tossed in there for good measure. Maybe some sort of conflict and resolution?

Oh, who are we kidding? The Wii isn't capable of such things, apparently.

[Via Game | Life]

Viva Pi�ata Party Animals demo now live

by Richard Mitchell { Sep 20th 2007 at 3:15PM }

Ask and ye shall receive. It looks like the Viva Piñata Party Animals demo promised by Piñata Island has made its way onto Xbox Live Marketplace. Unlike the original Viva Piñata game, Party Animals makes more use of the licensed characters, endowing them with the voices and personalities that viewers have become accustomed to on the television show. As a party game, it also takes a simpler approach than its predecessor, which was arguably a little to complicated for its target audience. But, enough talk of marketing and design decisions, go give the game a try and see what you think.

Viva Pi�ata Party Animals demo inbound? [update]

by Richard Mitchell { Sep 20th 2007 at 11:35AM }

[Update: The Viva Piñata Party Animals is now available, for more details, click here.]

According to Piñata Island, the source for all things Viva Piñata, a demo for Viva Piñata Party Animals should be on the Marketplace today. Actually, according to them, the demo should be available right now. Considering that it isn't available right now, we're guessing one of two things: A) Piñata Island got some bum info or B) something has gone awry. Seeing as Piñata Island has some close friends in the Viva Piñata circle, we're betting on column B. Here's hoping we'll see it sooner rather than later. If you're unfamiliar with the title, check out our impressions of the E3 demo (which is likely the same demo being prepared for XBLM).

[Thanks, xenocidic]

Viva Pi�ata marks its first wedding proposal

by Justin McElroy { Sep 13th 2007 at 9:00AM }

Niagara Falls? For suckers. Having a plane write it in the sky? Boring. On the Jumbotron at a World Series of Video Games event? Sadly impossible. There's officially only one cool way now to propose to that special someone: Through Viva Piñata. Unfortunately, user PINATAcast on the official Viva Piñata forums just beat you to it.

We've seen video games and matrimony tied up before obviously, but this has to be one of our favorite combos. In one sense, it's metaphorical, as marriage is really all about figuratively smashing your partner to bits and eating the delicious candy inside them. (Just kidding, sweetie!) Perhaps Rare Community Manager George Kelion said it better in an email to us: "It's not quite as extensive as a full-on WoW wedding, but personally we think it's a bit more romantic (less chance of a drunken dwarf brawl ruining the atmosphere, for one thing)."

Good luck, you crazy piñata farming kids.