Review: Viva Pinata - PC, Xbox 360 (PC Version Review) - 8.3

Rare’s Viva Pinata was well-received on the Xbox 360, and in typical Microsoft fashion, the game was ported to Windows platforms to help boost sales. This review is a focus on the differences between the PC and Xbox 360 versions.

Piñata Island begins on a patch of land that once belonged to a legendary gardener named Jardiniero. You\'ll be given a shovel, a watering can, and a packet of grass seeds with which to get started on your piñata paradise. The game doesn\'t present you with many specific tasks at any point; your goal is simply to create and maintain a garden that increasingly demanding piñatas will want to make their home. It’s a game for people who want to have a more light-hearted and less adrenaline-pumping experience that once finds in shooters or RTSs.

The most noticeable warning signs of this PC port are the vast multitude of bugs with the game. This stems from the still-unstable "Games for Windows Live" service. The game can’t log in sometimes, and this prevents you from saving its progress.

In standard fashion, you can play with either a controller or a mouse and keyboard. This is one of those games where you should use a controller, but it isn’t strictly required. In either case, the selection diagrams and menus are aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.

Viva Piñata still looks great a year after the 360 version. Widescreen displays and higher resolutions are supported, so it definitely looks great on the right PC.

Underneath all the bugs and porting quirks, Viva Pinata is a beautiful and fun game which has its own sense of personality and unique game-play style. It’s a great game for kids or adults that want to blow some steam off. 

Gameplay: 8.5 - The game is a lot of fun with its freedom and problem-solving
Presentation: 8 - The game is mostly a straight port off of the 360 version, and as such, doesn\'t really take advantage of the pc platform strengths.
Graphics: 8.5 - Viva Pinata is colorful and great to look at.
Sound: 8 - Viva Pinata has some charming and fitting sounds.
Value: 8.5 - The game gives you quite a bit to do, so it\'s mostly money well-spent.

Final Score: 8.3 - Viva Pinata is a great game that loses some appeal with its shoddy porting job.

Marcin Skok
Editor-in-Chief
"The Gaming Corner"