E3 '07: Viva Pinata becomes Party Animal

Another Pinata title announced by Microsoft at its E3 opening conference.

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--A second helping of Viva Pinata is coming before the end of the year, as Microsoft's Peter Moore revealed at the company's presentation at the E3 Media and Business Summit.

A brief trailer was shown for the new game, which showed the colourful animals playing a variety of minigames, including one where a group of the animals pushed their boats toward the end of a pool in a race…by burping.

Click to enlarge!

Titled Viva Pinata: Party Animals, the trailer told gamers that they should aim to be "The Ultimate Party Animal." While the original Viva Pinata was the product of Microsoft-owned Rare Ltd., development duties for Party Animals have been entrusted to Krome Studios.

The first Viva Pinata, a 360-exclusive title, was released in November 2006 and featured a variety of colourful Pinata animals in an open-ended, family-friendly gardening game. Microsoft also revealed during the briefing that a PC version of the original was on the way.

GameSpot will bring you more details on Viva Pinata: Party Animals when they become available.

56 Comments

  • jimmcq

    Posted Jul 16, 2007 12:01 am PT

    You can read the impressions of Party Animals from one of the developers of the original Viva Pinata at http://pinataisland.info/forum/showthread.php?t=4029

  • Toadstool1969

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 7:30 am PT

    I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft introduced a Wii-type controller along with this game. There goal all along with Viva Pinata was to attact the castual/family game player -- something the Wii has done in spades. We'll have to wait and see.

  • jesus_knight

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 9:18 pm PT

    yes where is banjo and kazooi?

  • zyxomma100

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 8:02 pm PT

    If this is half as good as the first game, I'll buy it. But it won't be.

  • videogamr49

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 6:49 pm PT

    Nice...but...WHERE'S BANJO THREEIE!?!

  • King_Dodongo

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 5:51 pm PT

    VIVA PIÑATA!

    YEAH I?M NOT FROM US TO SAY ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ

  • Proman84

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 4:12 pm PT

    ~Clear out throat~ My name is Proman and I like to Party! ~Ducks from tomatoes~

  • DouglasBuffone

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 3:32 pm PT

    I think that this game won't sell well, but if it is like the other game, it should

  • abu123

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 3:30 pm PT

    I'lll pass.

  • amirkalloe

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 12:26 pm PT

    I think the game is overrated

  • Legacyoftain

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 8:43 am PT

    Lol PC version = Vista Pinata ....PUN!

  • flipohippo

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 8:33 am PT

    yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
    i love this game

  • Lucas_371

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 8:28 am PT

    Viva Pinata was very fun, maybe this one is too

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 8:06 am PT

    Minigame oriented games are alright I guess, but I have doubts about this one. Trying to be "The Ultimate Party Animal?" C'mon now...

  • SaxxyGamer18

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 7:49 am PT

    Well, I think Viva Pinata is probably the funnest game on the 360. Gears is too generic and Oblivion is way too big. I like it. But then again, this is coming from someone who LOVES Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon. So there...

  • snarple_basic

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 7:45 am PT

    Im just glad Rare isn't doing it, the 1st game was such an un enjoyalble game. Let rare go make good games like Banjo on the 360, instead of stupid lame games that have no actual game mechanics..... Who's stupid idea was it that gardening would make a good game??? Just stupid!!

  • -DaNuTz-

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 7:44 am PT

    ooo my sister will be happy to play it

  • Pete5506

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 7:40 am PT

    I don't think so

  • JaMeS4418

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 7:39 am PT

    I am glad there is finally a new VP

  • Sonovius

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 7:16 am PT

    360 needs an answer to Mario Party so I personally welcome it. And I liked Viva Pinata a lot.

  • f15srcool

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 6:51 am PT

    We rollin'.

  • blacktorn

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 5:36 am PT

    meh

  • EarthThatWas

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 5:08 am PT

    I'm with Vladimir and Camisado on this one.

  • rivertrolls

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 5:01 am PT

    i guess this is the start of the 360 "family based games" at an aim to take some market share from the wii, this could be either VERY good or be so bad it makes small children attack each other.
    Either was you can bet Rare will be working on viva pinata 2

  • VladimirCrow

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 4:53 am PT

    I want a sequel, not a party game

  • CamisadoBlue

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 4:50 am PT

    I don't want another damn Party game, I want Viva Pinata 2, with bigger gardens and more pinata!!

  • Willy105

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 4:46 am PT

    Not a Rare developed title. Boo!

  • mjwickstrom1

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 4:39 am PT

    Ya neveer know, this could be as good game. Surprisingly, the frst one was!

  • kbaily

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 4:29 am PT

    Viva Pinata was a good game, but it had dismal sales because cute, cartoony games can't sell on the Xbox. I wish Microsoft would give Rare back to Nintendo and go back to what they're good at, making bloody violent, online shooters. I mean no one bought Viva Pinata so why would anyone want to buy a Mario Party knockoff based on a game no one bought?

  • JoeSmith34 posted Jul 11, 2007 4:10 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    JoeSmith34

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 4:10 am PT (hide)

    Xbox 360 really is the best system in every genre of gaming. Even in the areas of Puzzle games and Party games. This Viva Piniata Party game looks so FUN!

    And I am SO HAPPY the way the Xbox 360 is doing so well in the genres of RPG and Real Time Strategy with games like Two Worlds, Overlord, Command & Conquer 3, Blue Dragon, Mass Effect, and so many others!

    Microsoft didn't have that many surprises at this years E3 because they focused 100% on the Holiday 2007 lineup of games. Microsoft is 100% correct that thier 2007 Holiday lineup of games for the Xbox 360 really is the best Holiday lineup of games EVER in the history of console gaming!

    Microsoft didn't need to talk about 2008, because that would have taken attention away from 2007.

    It was like Microsoft said, the most successful Holiday sales season ever was 2004, because of the top three games that were released: Halo, Grand Theft Auto, and Madden Football.

    Like Microsoft said, Xbox 360 is the only place where gamers can play Halo 3, the Complete version of Grand Theft Auto 4, and Madden Football running at 60 frames per second upconverted to 1080p. The Playstation 3 version only runs at 30 frames per second.

    When you consider that the Xbox 360 has all three of those best-sellers from 2004, but this time all of them are on the same system, it means the Xbox 360 really does have the best holiday lineup of console games in the history of gaming.

    Especially when you think about how new games like Mass Effect, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Rock Band, Bioschock, Assassins Creed, Call of Duty 4, and dozens of others will all be released in time for the Holiday 2007 season, just like the people at E3 said!

  • supine

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 3:45 am PT

    360 goes casual - and thats a good thing.

    Few surprises this year though....

  • Radiozo

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 3:16 am PT

    YES! The first Viva Pinata is one of the best games so far for 360. I hope this one is just as good.

  • thestrateger

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 2:04 am PT

    awesome , i loce this game

  • Steel_Cyclone

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 1:54 am PT

    Can't we just get a real sequel, instead?

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 1:25 am PT

    Tried the first one and hope this will be as good as that one

  • zinkeboy

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 12:24 am PT

    "I think it is Hilarious that people think that EVERY party game is a rip-off of Mario Party. Why would someone want to rip off a game that has not been good in over 8 years. "

    Lets see...

    1.) Mario Party invented the genre of board games with mini-games as we know it today.

    2.) Pretty much every party game is a rip-off of Mario party. You can tell by the fact that most of the formula is simply cut and paste because other companies hope they're version will catch up (Sonic Shuffle... etc)

    3.) You can say Mario Party sucks, but that doesn't change the fact that they sell like hotcakes. Someone seems to think they're a lot of fun otherwise they wouldn't be selling through the roof every yearly iteration.

  • Syntinal

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 11:54 pm PT

    I think it is Hilarious that people think that EVERY party game is a rip-off of Mario Party. Why would someone want to rip off a game that has not been good in over 8 years.

  • AvIdGaMeR444

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 11:42 pm PT

    I thought Viva Pinata bombed in sales? It is a great game, but why waste time and money if people don't care about the original, much less a sequel?

  • asmodeus_z

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 11:26 pm PT

    Another Rayman Raving Rabbids?

  • SilverArrows

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 11:23 pm PT

    Rip off or not, it is something that the 360 needs, and it is cute and colorful. I hope its a success

  • s0njas0n

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 11:19 pm PT

    again, it was cute... that's all

  • AnFangs_Endes

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 11:17 pm PT

    laymnis

  • LessThanMike

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 10:54 pm PT

    i don't think that Viva Pinata would make a good party game

  • Thetikiguy92

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 10:53 pm PT

    No Rare. No good.

  • akatsuki0wn3d

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 10:46 pm PT

    its not made by RARE, its bound to suck.

  • Kreestas

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 10:44 pm PT

    I am not too sure about this, I really liked the gameplay of the first one.

  • club-sandwich

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 10:42 pm PT

    -r4z0rbl4d3-

    Mario Party rip-off, anyone? -----------------

    QFT!!

  • remaGloohcSdlO

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 10:40 pm PT

    I think it looks good... the charm of Viva Pinata is hard to deny!

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