 Preview By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | Rare |
| Publisher: | Microsoft | |
| Genre: | Simulation | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live (content DL) | |
| Estimated Release: | 11/09/2006 |
As those of you with any sense of videogame history certainly know, Rare Ltd. wasn't always a Microsoft developer. In fact, the studio most of you probably remember is the Nintendo ally of old, the one that produced such widely popular games as Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark, both for the Nintendo 64.
However, in 2002, Rare parted ways with the big N, becoming a first-party developer for the big M. Soon after finding itself under the wing of Microsoft, Rare naturally began developing games for the Xbox. Unfortunately, their showing was at best a poor one with only two games released for the original Xbox: Grabbed by the Ghoulies and Conker: Live and Reloaded. Both sold poorly.
With the next-gen era already with its foot in the door, Rare is looking at another (and perhaps its last) chance to reclaim the glory and success it found so often on the N64. So far, the two games that Rare has developed for the Xbox 360 have been Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo: Elements of Power. And, while neither sold as well as initially expected, they are not what I would call original properties either: PDZ is a prequel to the N64 game and Kameo has been strung along from console to console for three generations now before finally being released on the Xbox 360.
Despite all that, perhaps Rare's best chance for success lies in a brand new, um, brand, instead of another familiar product. Though it has only been mentioned that the development studio was hard at work on new Xbox 360 games, mum's been the word...until now, that is. Just announced as a joint effort between Microsoft, Rare and 4Kids Entertainment, Viva Piñata is a franchise to be released later this year and beyond, and from almost every angle.
Key to the franchise's success is the animated show that will start everything out this fall. Viva Piñata will be a 3D, CGI-animated Saturday morning cartoon that will air on Fox. As the game won't be released until months later, during the 2006 holiday season, Viva Piñata has plenty of time to build up a fan base of the (mostly) young, cartoon-watching, mommy-can-I-buy-this demographic. That said, when Microsoft does jump in with the game, they are poised to make a big splash. For a sort of continuity between the two aspects of the franchise, both the game and TV show will take place on different parts of the same island, but with recurring characters and leads from the show making in-game cameos. And, finally, to cap of their marketing bonanza, 2007 will kick-off a year of licensed merchandise.
Of course, Viva Piñata isn't exclusively for kids, and that may also be very crucial to the success of the franchise. Heck, I'm over 20 and I'm pumped about this game. While I'm not saying I'm going to run right out and grab myself a Viva Piñata sleeping bag or lunchbox, the game may be reason enough to plunk down that money for an Xbox 360. In my opinion, it seems the perfect marriage between Harvest Moon and POKéMON, two of my favorite series.
When you first start Viva Piñata, you'll only be given a small patch of land in which to create your garden paradise and, like in Harvest Moon, it isn't too much to look at. Making the land suitable for piñata to take up residence is going to take lots of work...your work, and all you'll have in the beginning is just a few basic tools. Chief among those tools is your shovel, which you'll use for everything from clearing land to, shall we say, removing any unwanted piñata (no blindfold required), and it's upgradeable too (again, like in Harvest Moon). Now, whereas you would normally need to build a chicken coop or build a barn or something in Harvest Moon to maintain a certain type of animal, in Viva Piñata it will take a combination of the right types of plants, land forms (such as a pond), garden decorations and even other types of piñata!
Now, as I've said, there are a variety of factors that go into luring a new breed of piñata into your land, but there are also some easier ways to, provided by the convenience and accessibility of Xbox Live Marketplace. In the Marketplace, players can get a variety of items needed to snag that breed of piñata that has been eluding them for so long, and maybe even some items that will allow you to get a breed you wouldn't see otherwise. There are also a variety of tools you can get from Xbox Live. As a piñata moves into your town, you can use these tools to help personalize your piñata, giving him the special flare to reflect your own taste and even your garden, not to mention the costumes and accessories that will be available. Also, if you have a breed your friend needs, you can also use Xbox Live to trade them, or you can even create competitions between one another, fostering the same social atmosphere that has helped rocket POKéMON to the success it has found over the years! Players can also trade items to help out a friend's ailing garden, and even lend a hand from time to time.
Apart from Harvest Moon and POKéMON, Viva Piñata even has an element of Animal Crossing to it, that element being surprise. As you play, there's no telling what could happen. Wild piñatas could come into your garden and try to wreck all that you have done if you don't stop them in time, resident piñatas can become ill, develop rivalries and friendships between each other, and sometimes there might even be a fight, which is just one of the threats that could possibly bust open your candy-filled inhabitants. So it's clear, whether you take your game online or off, that players are going to have their hands full.
Combining the best elements from some of the most popular (and niche) titles around, including POKéMON, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, not to mention a marketing strategy designed to target consumers (or at least their children) from every direction, Viva Piñata could very well be Microsoft's next big hit!
Posted: 2006-03-23 18:11:11 PST