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Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise

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For the original game, see Viva Piñata.
For the cartoon released in conjunction with this game, see Viva Piñata (TV series).
Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise
File:VPPPbox.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s)Rare Ltd.
Publisher(s)THQ[1]
Designer(s)Gary Richards
SeriesViva Piñata
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Genre(s)Life Simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise is a life simulation game developed by Rare Ltd., for the Nintendo DS video game console and based on the original Viva Piñata, rather than being an all-new game in the series.

This version was developed by Rare's handheld team, as opposed to Viva Piñata: Party Animals and the PC version of the original game, which were developed by separate third-party developers. This is Rare's second Nintendo DS project, after Diddy Kong Racing DS, which was developed by the same team.

Gameplay

Main game view (info panel displaying the Garden Terrain % and the appearance of a Chocstrich)

Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise is, like its predecessor, a sandbox game that tasks the player with turning a neglected plot of land into a beautiful garden. The game retains the majority of features and all of the piñatas from the original. As the game was built from the ground up for the DS, Rare’s handheld team took the opportunity to add additional features and changes.

Controls

The most obvious difference between Pocket Paradise and the original is that the entire game is controlled using the stylus [2], giving the player a very direct, intuitive method of interacting with their garden. It is now possible to simply ‘draw’ grass onto soil, or double tap a flower to remove its head.

The game also makes use of the two screen on the DS where, for the majority of the game, the main garden view is displayed in the lower screen of the DS. In the upper screen, there is a context sensitive information panel [3] that is unique to this version of the game. The information that is displayed dynamically changes to reflect what is currently selected - ranging from an individual piñata's romance requirements to a percentage breakdown of the garden's floor tiles. It is even possible to swap the screens around and interact with the information panel, to view a comprehensive piñata encyclopaedia, a journal, an awards page and a piñata pyramid (amongst other things).

Unique Features

Overhead map

Other than control changes, there are also a handful of design changes that are unique to this version of the game. First off, it is no longer possible to buy fertiliser or romance sweets[4]. Fertiliser (which is now accessed via the main tools pallet) is only produced when a Taffly is made to interact with a piece of fruit - the colour of the fruit dictates the colour of the fertiliser. Romance sweets are now earned by completing Viva Piñata Central challenges, putting much more emphasis on what was originally a purely optional aspect of the game. Another major difference between the DS version and the original is the addition of an overhead map [5] that enables the player to view the whereabouts of their piñata instantly.

A new game mode has also been added that mirrors the "Just for fun"[6] mode in Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, named “Playground”[7]. This is a no-pressure version of the main game (set on a beach) where young or inexperienced players can experiment without having to deal with the challenging aspects of the game, such as Dastardos or Ruffians. It has also been announced that there will be seven new types of piñata.[8].

Rare explains on their website that "you'll also be given free reign with an expanded selection of tools and tool actions, upgraded forms of the Journal and Encyclopedia... and Episodes (tying in more closely to the TV series and allowing fans of the show to spend quality time with familiar faces)." They also state that “DS wireless connectivity... lets you send prime Piñata specimens to your friends, making the act of parading your Doenut around in a humiliating pirate outfit easier than ever."[9]

THQ has unveiled a poster of the piñata that appear in the game, but missing the seven new piñata (which appear to be secret).

Development

Back in 2005, Electronic Gaming Monthly reported that Rare was hard at work on two projects for the Nintendo DS. Their first Nintendo DS game released was Diddy Kong Racing DS, so that game and Viva Piñata were most likely the two projects mentioned.[10]

Viva Piñata for the Nintendo DS was first hinted at in an interview between Microsoft Game Studios and 1UP.com at the DICE 2007 Summit in Las Vegas. “A Kameo or a Viva Piñata on a DS makes a lot of sense in a lot of ways from a franchise perspective. I think it’s fair to say that we’re going to continue to invest in that property [Viva Piñata]. Whether that is in the form of a sequel, a product line extension or through merchandising, whatever the case may be, that’s something that we’re going to stick with.” ” Whether you’re talking about [publishing games on] mobile or the DS — you probably won’t see it on the PSP, though.” - Shane Kim Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Game Studios[11]

The game was announced later at Comic-Con 2007[12] and on May 13, 2008 THQ officially announced the release of Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise in the Fall of 2008.[13][14] On May 22, 2008 Rare opened a dedicated Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise section on their website.[15]

In a May 2008 interview with members from the team, the question "Was it always the plan to transfer Viva Piñata across to the DS, or did it take some prompting?" received the response "In discussions for a follow-on project for DKR DS it became a greater focal point, and in hindsight, seeing what we came up with, it's proven to be a complete no-brainer. We love it." from the game's producer, Paul Machacek.[16]

The game's producer, Paul Machacek, was interviewed on IGN[17], spoke in a Live Chat[18] and a video interview with him and the Lead Designer appeared on GameSpot (3:52 into this montage)[19]. The designer and an engineer were interviewed at play.tm[20]


Critical Reception

Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise received a very strong and positive critical reception from initial demos, interviews and previews prior to the games release; Videogamer[28], GamesRadar[29], TotalVideoGames[30], 1up[31], GameSpot[32][33], palgn[34], Eurogamer[35], Play.tm[36], Destructoid[37], JeuxVideo[38], WiiWii.tv[39], Rare-Elite[40], Kotaku[41], dsfanboy[42], videogamesblogger[43], CVG[44] and montages of previews and comments are at MundoRare[45] and NeoGAF[46].

One piece from TotalVideoGames said "Pocket Paradise is already shaping up to be a mightily impressive outing on the DS. Perfectly at home on the Nintendo DS, arguably more so than on the Xbox 360, we're staggered that Rare have managed to squeeze the entire experience onto a DS cartridge, but also by the fact that Pocket Paradise improves upon many of the original's little niggles"[47].

Destructoid's verdict included "...by the time they forced me to put the DS down, I was desperately trying to make a Taffly turn pink at the last second. Once the game gets its hooks in, they are very hard to shake off, and Pocket Paradise is looking like it will be a most worthy addition to the Nintendo DS library. Gamers searching for their next portable drug might want to keep a close, bloodshot eye on this one"[48].

dsfanboy said "The familiarity and ease of use of the new interface should turn out to be a boon to the title..."[49]

videogamer.com confirmed "There's so much depth to the game that it simply can't all be covered in a single preview. Suffice to say that Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise on DS is looking brilliant and is everything I, as a huge fan, wanted from a handheld version."[50] and "...what I played for an afternoon is shaping up to be one of the best DS titles of 2008"[51]

CVG added "Hats off to Rare, then. After all, shoehorning all the Piñatas and the gameplay onto the DS is quite the technical achievement - and one that's translated remarkably well." and "For a game that's relatively simple in concept, Pocket Paradise offers a substantial amount of play time, whatever your skill level, and could well be the best Viva Piñata to date."[52]

References

  1. ^ MundoRare | Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise is on the way to Nintendo DS
  2. ^ Exclusive: Rare Talks Viva Piñata DS
  3. ^ http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=149255&page=2
  4. ^ http://ds.ign.com/articles/880/880554p2.html
  5. ^ http://ds.ign.com/articles/880/880554p1.html
  6. ^ http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/v/vptip/
  7. ^ http://ds.ign.com/articles/880/880554p2.html
  8. ^ Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise Interview
  9. ^ 30/7/07: Handheld Horstachios
  10. ^ Rare working on 2 DS games
  11. ^ Microsoft - Viva Piñata, Kameo makes a lot of sense on DS
  12. ^ Viva Piñata heads to DS
  13. ^ THQ Press Release
  14. ^ THQ press release on Rare's website
  15. ^ Rare's VP:PP Homepage
  16. ^ May 2008 Interview
  17. ^ IGN interview with VP:PP producer
  18. ^ Producer interviewed in Live Chat
  19. ^ Producer/Designer interview on GameSpot - starts @ 3:52 into video
  20. ^ play.tm interview
  21. ^ Dutton, Fred (August 29, 2008). "Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise Rare's green-fingered love-in hits the DS". Official Nintendo Magazine (34): 90–91. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Bramwell, Tom. "Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-09-04. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  23. ^ Bozon, Mark (2008-09-02). "Viva Piñata Pocket Paradise Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-09-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ P, Matthew (October, 2008). "Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise Don't beat 'em, join 'em!". GamesMaster_(magazine): 71. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Wales, Matt (2008-09-03). "Viva Piñata Pocket Paradise UK Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-09-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise - DS". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  27. ^ "Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  28. ^ Videogamer Preview
  29. ^ GamesRadar Preview
  30. ^ TVG Preview
  31. ^ 1up Preview
  32. ^ GameSpot Preview
  33. ^ GameSpot Preview at E3 2008
  34. ^ palgn Preview
  35. ^ Eurogamer Preview
  36. ^ Play.tm Preview
  37. ^ Destructoid Preview
  38. ^ JeuxVideo Preview (French)
  39. ^ WiiWii.tv comments
  40. ^ Rare-Elite Preview
  41. ^ Kotaku Preview
  42. ^ dsfanboy Preview
  43. ^ videogamesblogger Preview
  44. ^ CVG Preview
  45. ^ MundoRare Preview Montage
  46. ^ NeoGAF Preview Montage
  47. ^ TVG Preview Verdict (extract)
  48. ^ Destructoid Preview Verdict (extract)
  49. ^ dsfanboy Preview (extract)
  50. ^ videogamer.com Preview (extract)
  51. ^ videogamer.com Preview (extract 2)
  52. ^ CVG Preview (extracts)
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