Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise [Review]

Over the past seven days, I’ve spent roughly 30 hours raising pinatas, planting/maintaining my garden and traveling to “The Pinarctic” or “The Dessert Desert.” What have I completed? I have no idea.

Much like so many loot games I’ve squandered away countless hours with before (I’m looking at you, Too Human!), Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise sinks in it’s hooks, effortlessly withholding new pinatas for one more garden item, one new type of flower… always one more qualification until it’s two in the morning and your eyelids are falling as you desperately balance watering your new fir tree and fighting off a dandelion infestation.

The world of Viva Pinata isn’t just full of colorful pinatas but also a litany of humanish folks willing to offer advice, sell you stuff (seeds, garden items, etc) or provide you with specific services (such as building new garden items or tracking/recovering pinatas). It’s a colorful, though limited, world full of little logic or reason regarding plot/story. Story continuation from the first Viva Pinata game? Nope. How about an explanation of my motivation behind attracting/maintaining/trading pinatas? None to be found. (With the intention of full disclosure, I will say that the opening cinematic gives some idea of a plot/story. It just doesn’t show up with enough regularity to weave together any actual story.)

Let’s get things straight: Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise is a lot of fun. In the many hours I spent with it, I often needed little or no motivation for my actions. I, however, am not the consumer that Rare/Microsoft Game Studios are targeting. Children (and maybe more importantly, their parents) will likely see little more than a few Pixar-esque pinata intro scenes before the overly complex gameplay sets in and pushes them far, far away. So who is VP: TiP aimed at? I have no idea, but it may very well be you.

Other Stuff You Might Wanna Know:

Developer: Rare
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date: 9/02/08
Available for: Xbox 360
Price: $39.99
Rating: (Buy It, Don’t Buy It, Rent It): Rent it