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A virgin to the world of Viva Piata
Tonight I'm getting my hands on a copy of Viva Piñata. I've never really played many sim games other than Sim City 2000 back in the day ... so I may be a little rusty when it comes to playing with piñatas in a living/breathing virtual world. Anyway, I'm looking to you fellow fanboy readers for some advice. Anyone have a copy of Viva Piñata, do you have any advice for me, any warnings, any crates you want to send me? I want to know the secrets to getting the best possible experience I can from this game. I guess I'm just uber excited about getting my hands on these fluffy little guys and maybe whacking one open to see what spills out. Come on fanboys, take off your alpha male hats, activate your piñata brain, and give me some advice on the world of Viva Piñata. I've got my pen ready.
Rare reluctant to pursue Microsoft's vision
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Rare's lead designer Gregg Mayles sounded reluctant about developing downloadable content for Viva Piñata. "We've got plenty of ideas for what we can do ... But the jury is still out," said Mayles. For now, Rare seems content to sit back and watch other studios' successes and failures. It's clear that if Rare is to continue to provide downloadable content, it doesn't want to go the EA route; that's not to say the developer is in the business of hand-outs. Ill-reception of Kameo's premium content has forced Rare to rethink its strategy, leading the studio to consider that resources are perhaps better spent on the 'next' project. Despite forming a branch of the Microsoft camp, Rare is having a difficult time adopting its parent company's content-for-now, content-for-later model.
Nintendo wants GoldenEye back
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Nintendo_Wants_Goldeneye_Back'; MTV's Stephen Totilo recently grilled Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime about all things Wii. When questioned, the NoA president didn't hold back his desire to see GoldenEye returned to Nintendo's platform, revealing to Totilo, "Suffice it to say we would love to see [GoldenEye on Virtual Console], so we're exploring all the rights issues."So how far is Nintendo willing to "explore"? If GoldenEye is to enjoy its homecoming, royalties could certainly be owed to Microsoft, which now owns developer Rare, and Activision, which scooped up the Bond license earlier this year. Judging by Reggie's comments -- "the pain is worth the gain" -- Nintendo may be willing to cut those checks.
Customizing the classes with rare and epic ability drops
Mike over at the Eye on MOGs blog has an interesting idea about how to customize classes even further than talent trees: implement rare and epic ability drops. As you probably know if you've hit 60 and run the higher level instances, there are already ability drops in the game-- I've seen a few Manuals of Evicerate IX drop in UBRS, and my Shaman has already gotten a few Tablets from AQ20. But all of those abilities are just higher ranks of current abilities (and they'll be trainable when the expansion hits anyway). I think what Mike is talking about is abilities that can seperate players even within the same class-- as an example (don't argue about the gameplay aspects of these, I just came up with them on the spot), Warriors could obtain an item that gave them a learnable root ability. Or Druids could find an epic drop or quest reward somewhere that would grant them a strength or agility debuff of some type.To be fair, these things do already exist in the game-- Warriors can use Really Sticky Glue as a root, or Pallys can use the Boomerang trinket for a ranged attack. Likewise, as we enter into the expansion, there will be lots of different items that drop with strange procs, or items that (via jewels or enchants) will give classes special abilities in some way. Mike is, of course, talking about items that give us learned class abilities, free of some item, but the truth is that almost anything you want to do can be done with an item you find somewhere in the game, so there's not much call at the moment to implement more learned abilities.And finally, if Mike's goal is to customize the classes, I'm not sure rare or epic drops will do that much anyway. My Shaman has the Totem of Sustaining (a rare drop in Scholomance), which gives an extra boost to my Lesser Healing Wave, but every resto Shammy I've seen around has one, too. The classes aren't any more customized-- we just all decided that was the best Totem for us to have, and grinded away until we got it. Any rare or epic drop in the game, I'd hazard a guess, would end up playing the same role-- if you were expected to have that ability, you or your guild would just work away at it until you got it. But that isn't to say we shouldn't have items floating around that can better define the classes and their different specs. My guess is that in the expansion (and I'm sure feral druids will agree with me), that's exactly what we'll see.
Metareview: Viva Piata
Microsoft's Pokémon inspired children's title, Viva Piñata has finally hit the market and is picking up some reviews. Most of the reviews are very positive, though some note that Viva Piñata probably won't satisfy the twitch-happy Gears of War crowd. Then again, it's not really designed for action fans, though many reviews are claiming that it's actually very complex. Sitting somewhere between The Sims and Animal Crossing, Viva Piñata is performing admirably. It currently has an average of 85 on Metacritic. Gamespot (8.3/10) - "It oozes charm and personality from its every papier-mâché-covered pore. While it's accessible enough for those with very little gaming experience (and their children), it also has enough depth to keep any of you with a Pokemon-style "gotta catch 'em all" mentality--or perhaps a penchant for gardening--entertained for many hours." IGN (8.5/10) - "... it seems like a serious oversight to not include the ability to show off your garden in some way to your friends. Here is a game where you spend all of your time cultivating and shaping your garden space -- and you can't show it to anybody on Live. The only way for them to see it is to be right next to you." 1UP (9/10) - "Rare has certainly recaptured its former glory here, and in producing one of the most misunderstood games of the year, it has also produced one of the finest in its history, and certainly one of the most intriguing on 360. To dismiss it as "just for kids" would be foolish. You are not too cool to enjoy this game." 1UP wasn't the only review to share the ironic sentiment that Viva Piñata -- a franchise specifically designed to rake in your kids' cash -- is one of the best Rare games in years. Will Microsoft's famous investment finally pay off?
Presenting some sweet Viva Piata swag
The package pictured above showed up on Gamertag Radio's doorstep yesterday. The box had a copy of Viva Piñata, a "passport" to Piñata Island, some purple Easter grass, and of course, the piñata. A sweeter piece of game related swag we haven't seen in a long time. Yes, we're afraid that it even tops RoboBlitz T-shirts. Sadly, packages like this rarely make it past the automated Nerf turrets outside Fanboy Towers -- they're not lethal, just really annoying. It's too bad really, because it's a nice bit of kit we could have given away. Speaking of Viva Piñata, has anybody picked it up yet? Is it any good?
An actual Viva Piata ... piata?
It's natural really. American Greetings has signed a deal with 4Kids Entertainment to create, ahem, "social expression products" based on Microsoft's would be Pokémon killer, Viva Piñata. These products are to include stickers, gift wrap, gift bags, greeting cards, Christmas ornaments, and (drum roll please) party goods! Oh please, let them make honest-to-God piñatas. I actually saw a Viva Piñata branded piñata while picking up my copy of GOW, but I think it was purely promotional. Besides, it was tiny. It would hold, like, hardly any candy at all. So, if you love (or hate) Viva Piñata and would dearly like to smash your own, your dream is one step closer to reality. Don't get your hopes up just yet, though: the product line isn't scheduled to launch until Fall of 2007. Full press release after the break.
Goldeneye throwback maps for download, Xbox Goldies only
Microsoft and Rare have released updated versions of Goldeneye's Facility and Temple (now "Ruin") multiplayer maps for use with Perfect Dark Zero. The pair is free to download, but only available to Xbox Live Gold members (hey, it pays to pay). Throw in a polished-up Complex, and we just might consider re-investing in this game.
PDZ gets new maps, world still turns
It's been a long time since Perfect Dark: Zero received any downloadable content. It should come as a joyful surprise to loyal fans then, that there is a new map pack available for download on Marketplace. It should come as an even better surprise that the content is free. The pack contains two new maps, Facility and Ruin. Both maps are based on classic maps from previous games. Just curious, but who's still playing PDZ? Any die-hard fans out there? Tell us what has made the game appealing for so long. Will these new maps convince lapsed fans to go back?
Viva Piata achievements cracked open
Piñata Island, the wiki for all your Viva Piñata needs, has a big stick. They have taken that stick, swung it smack into the piñata that is the internet, and cracked it wide open. "What was inside?" you ask. Why, nothing other than a listing of Viva Piñata's 20 non-secret achievements. There are 50 in all, with 30 of them being secret. The achievements range from easy (name one of your piñatas) to requiring Pokémon like dedication (attract 50 piñatas) -- and all of them are worth 20 points. Supposedly, all achievements should be unlocked through normal play. Our favorite is Wealth Master, which requires the player to amass 100,000 chocolate coins, the game's currency. We don't care if they are chocolate, anyone with 100,000 chocolate coins is wealthy in our book. [Thanks, jimmcq]
Now there's a Rare site
Rare is back online with a new and, dare I say, boring website design that seems focused on...Piñatas. Imagine that. You might as well pay a visit after checking out their latest "more than a video, less than a demo" offering on Marketplace.
Viva Piata demo on Marketplace, sort of
There is a new Viva Piñata "demo" available on Xbox Live Marketplace. It is dubbed an "interactive video," which means it's not really a demo proper. We have been trying to download it all day, so that we could tell you what it's all about. It seems like the Live gods are against us, however, as we have been unable to actually complete the download. It keeps getting stuck at lower and lower percentages, too. Has anyone else been able to grab it? What's it like? Inquiring minds want to know.
Lost rarities -- the hard to find gems of console gaming
Developers spend a lot of time and money trying to sell as many copies of their games as possible, but sometimes different reasons cause a game to be produced in extremely limited quantities. A developer may have gone out of business, the publisher pulled the plug early, or the game might have featured topless women on the NES. Whatever the reason, when a game squeaks out the door in low numbers it means one thing to people: highly collectible.Racketboy has compiled a list of the 20 most noteworthy "Holy Grails" of console gaming. These are the most sought games for systems ranging from the Nintendo Virtual Boy, to the Turbo Grafx, to the Atari 5200. The list topper is a Nintendo World Championships: Gold Edition cartridge; only 26 units were produced, and it is valued at over $10,000.Time to start searching those bargain bins, checking eBay, and chewing out mom for throwing away your old games.
Bringing home a barrage of Xbox 360 trailers
Major Nelson has once again updated his blog with a convenient list of X06 additions to the Xbox Live marketplace. If you're in any way enamored with glitzy trailers, pre-rendered footage or relentless teasing, you'd best switch on your console and start downloading some of these clips: Call of Duty 3 Banjo Kazooie Marvel Ultimate Online Viva Pinata Assassin's Creed Splinter Cell: Double Agent Blue Dragon Lost Odyssey Bioshock FIFA 07 Rainbow Six Vegas Halo Wars If you're a more traditional gamer and actually enjoy interactive forms of entertainment, you'll be pleased to learn that several of our readers have spied F.E.A.R. and Sonic the Hedgehog demos scurrying about in the marketplace. Be sure to let us know what you think of them, but not before viewing the embedded video (after the break) and answering one simple question: What the hell is going on with that nose?
TGS: Viewing Viva Piata
Viva Piñata was our first in a series of Microsoft press events being held yesterday during the first day of the open-to-the-public portion of the Tokyo Game Show. Safely huddled away from the unwashed gaming masses filling the Makuhari Messe convention center to within an inch of its legal limitations, I pulled up a chair to be walked through Rare's holiday hopeful by Michael Johnson, a Global Product Manager at MicrosoftThough we're inclined to process their insistence that Viva Piñata offers a depth of play that makes the kiddie-happy "life simulator" appealing to older audiences as self serving (of course they think it will be), there are several elements of the game that strike me as a bit twisted, in a wry, British sort of way. In addition to being able to crack open your piñatas and watch their sugary entrails pour out, the sensitive issue of procreation is handled quite literally through a "romance dance." No Hot Coffee minigame here, just the right tunes and the right moves, and somehow a stork gets the message that he should whip up some offspring to be delivered in egg format -- no icky birthing process necessary!
TGS: Lost Planet and Viva Piata video
We know, it's been a slow couple of days if you don't like RPGs, and even though X360F is the one that brought you videos of all this turn based crap, we feel your pain. As such, we'd like to make amends with not one, but two videos of games that don't star doe-eyed pixie people with spiky hair. The first is a very long video of Viva Piñata that you can see above. The second video -- one we imagine is more interesting to action fans -- is of Lost Planet. Make sure you watch for the multiplayer madness at the end. Let's never fight again, okay?
New 360 Platinum Hits for $29.99
Microsoft has officially announced the first batch of Platinum Hits for the Xbox 360. The games are: Perfect Dark Zero Project Gotham Racing 3 Kameo: Elements of Power Need for Speed Most Wanted Conspicuously missing from the list is Call of Duty 2, the 360's first million seller. The first four Platinum Hits will be available for the bargain price of $29.99 starting October 15th -- the second set should be announced in the spring of 2007. It's a far cry from what we considered a bargain last gen, but it's definitely better than nothing. So, for those of you that haven't picked these up yet, will a $29.99 price tag make you reconsider? See the full press release after the break.
Viva Piata animated series on FOX, will your kids take the bait?
As promised, Microsoft, Rare and 4Kids Entertainment announced today that Viva Piñata, the CG animated series, will debute tomorrow morning. The cleverly disguised infomercial will debut on FOX, capturing the fascinations of children across the country and, in turn, gobbling up a chunk of their parents' incomes over the course of the holiday season -- and beyond. At least, that's the hope.With an Xbox 360 game on the horizon, along with the standard flood of licensed merchandise, Viva Piñata the CG animated series is nothing more than a "springboard" for turning a profit*. Forgive our naiveté, but wasn't there a time when cartoons where made to provoke kids' imaginations -- not just sell something? A time when games and merchandise where the afterthought -- not the end goal? Nihilo sanctum estne?!*The official press release reads: "The computer graphics (CG) animated series ... will act as a springboard for the new franchise..."[Via press release]
Viva Pinata gameplay revealed
If you've been hungering to know (and see) more specifics regarding Rare's upcoming game, Viva Piñata, take a gander at this massive video demonstration from Leipzig. Clocking in at over twenty minutes long, the video goes over just about everything you've wanted to know, including: Attracting piñatas to your garden Tending said garden Piñata romance (rowr!) Xbox Live features Piñatas, piñatas, piñatas. The game looks great. Rare's first game developed entirely on the 360 is colorful, vibrant, and overall very nice. Check out the video if you've got the time to kill. Anyone else think it's strange not to have a third person avatar in a children's game?
Viva Pokemon, Piata explored [update 1]
I flipped on my TV this past Saturday, and what did I see? Lo and behold, it was Viva Piñata. Naturally, it was my journalistic duty to watch an entire episode. Seriously, it had nothing to do with me being a full grown adult who still feels a powerful need to watch cartoons. Microsoft has reiterated time and again that Viva Piñata is their most important game of 2006. Gears of War? That's peanuts to Viva Piñata. Microsoft hopes to hook millions of kiddies on the show, and thus the impending video game. The question is, will it work?
