Second Viva Pinata bash starts Sept. 2

Microsoft confirms North American street date for Rare's Xbox 360-exclusive party favor breeding sim; UK gamers to receive title Sept. 5.

From the first day Microsoft unveiled Viva Pinata as a Rare-developed Xbox 360 game and a Saturday morning cartoon, it made its intentions to expand the brand undeniably clear. Since then, Microsoft has ported the original to the PC, produced a spin-off in Viva Pinata Party Animals, and is following that up with a THQ-published DS port, Viva Pinata Pocket Party.

Pinatas on parade.

Now, two years later, the first proper sequel to the game has a release date. Microsoft today announced the official North American and UK release dates for Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. Gamers in the New World will be able to get back to breeding Sparrowmints and Bunnycombs beginning September 2, while their cross-Pacific counterparts will have to wait a bit longer for the planned September 5 UK launch.

Trouble in Paradise expands the world of Viva Pinata beyond the garden of the first game, allowing users to cultivate the festive fauna in both sandy and snowy locales. Other additions include a host of new pinatas to collect, two-player cooperative action, and Xbox Live Vision camera support to read special bar codes and import additional pinatas into the game.

For more on Trouble in Paradise, check out GameSpot's hands-on impressions.

76 Comments

  • mathias897

    Posted Jul 9, 2008 1:17 am PT

    Hopefully it's as good as the first

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Jul 8, 2008 12:16 am PT

    looking forward to this one since i really enjoyed the first one

  • Steel_Rain777

    Posted Jul 7, 2008 9:16 pm PT

    I hope it improves on the first. I loved the first game

  • makemeweak

    Posted Jul 7, 2008 8:13 pm PT

    I'm looking forward to this - the first one was a blast!

  • cooldude03

    Posted Jul 7, 2008 3:46 pm PT

    These Viva Pinata games are addicting. I'm not a big fan of card collecting but the coop play should make this interesting, especially over Xbox LIve, and a $40 price point.

  • klugenbeel

    Posted Jul 7, 2008 9:52 am PT

    This guy must be the reincanation of Columbus...thought he was taking about the pacific, but is really meaning the Atlantic....UK to America....thats the Atlantic ocean, not the Pacific...fail Geography much?

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Jul 7, 2008 6:07 am PT

    Meh the worlds round...they just took the scenic route.

  • backinthekrak

    Posted Jul 7, 2008 12:41 am PT

    Cross-Pacific? Check the map, dude....

  • Spartan_418

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 4:44 pm PT

    The first game was completely innapropriate for young audiences. I actually found it pretty disturbing. Hopefully the second one will have fewer subliminal messages lolololol just kidding

  • CharlieFubar

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 4:10 pm PT

    only problem i have is - "Gamers in the New World will be able to get back to breeding Sparrowmints and Bunnycombs beginning September 2, while their cross-PACIFIC counterparts will have to wait a bit longer for the planned September 5 UK launch." um wrong ocean?

  • Alan1187

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 1:33 pm PT

    @Collins & The Fell One. I've been playing this game a bunch lately since my girlfriend picked it up, and I got to that point as well. But then I found that you have to keep trying random stuff to get to the next point. Such as trying to convince two different species to bread, one of the pinata's has to actually be fed a specific fruit and hit with a shovel before he gets sick to make him evolve into another species. The simplest evolution you can get is setting one of the pinata on fire, and then putting him out with the watering can. And then trying to figure out how to get other ones is fun as well. Such as how to get the dragon egg.

  • kbaily

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 11:59 am PT

    It's amazing that they're making a sequel. I mean the game was good but bombed at retail and yet Microsoft is convinced that Rare will make the kiddies drop their Wiimotes and buy 360s.

  • Korny_boy

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 11:59 am PT

    all i have to say is, awsome!!! (and all the words before it, and these ones.)

  • lanmanna

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 11:07 am PT

    Can't wait!

  • collinsworth

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 10:27 am PT

    i agree with the fell one i bought this game for 12 bucks cause i was really f***k*d up and i wanted to play something silly. finally got to a point where i was like ok i have half these achievements and nothing is going on.

  • flackstone

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 9:34 am PT

    dude vivapinata on shrooms thats where it is at

  • decrot

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 9:27 am PT

    these games seem like a lame attempt to create a pokemon type franchise.

  • The_Fell_One

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 8:27 am PT

    I hope this one has a point. That was the only thing that frustrated me about Viva Pinata, when you got to a certain point you just had to say to yourself, "Why? What is the point of continuing?" Also it starts to become really hard to tell what you're supposed to do, if there actually is anything you're 'supposed' to do.

  • Maskedgamer1

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 5:56 am PT

    ya dennis8, what is with that

  • COD4ME

    Posted Jul 6, 2008 12:42 am PT

    I knew them Horstachios just couldn't resist me...

  • BlackSamvara

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 9:40 pm PT

    I can tell you this much, My girlfriend is way excited about this one. After all, she's a Veteran of the first game and is solely responsible for the achievements that I have on it!

  • godzillavskong

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 7:53 pm PT

    I couldn't get into the first game, so I think I'll pass on this one. I do think Banjo will be pretty fun though.

  • dennis8

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 4:10 pm PT

    cross-Pacific.... since when was the U.K. in Asia....

  • Gh0stFiend

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 3:21 pm PT

    Ohh I can't wait for this game. I loved the first Viva Pinata. I hope the coop mode is playable over xbox live.

  • combatsoldier

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 1:59 pm PT

    i havent played the first one yet but it did get great reviews. i just might check this one out.

  • faticusmaximus

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 1:07 pm PT

    No wonder i got an F in Geography. I thought the UK was across the Atlantic Ocean from the US.

  • Questlove711

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 12:02 pm PT

    yes Yes Yes YES YES!~

  • Kenji_Masamune

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 10:41 am PT

    $375 million dollars and 6 years later....

  • Sanguis_Malus

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 5:28 am PT

    The first game is unique, colourful and interesting. However, they need to make the second game much larger. The ground work is there they need to build on it, if they do then the new game will do well.

  • nnn2004

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 2:40 am PT

    i will bring it for my little brother cuz he like the first.

  • nick0501

    Posted Jul 5, 2008 12:22 am PT

    "Gamers in the New World will be able to get back to breeding Sparrowmints and Bunnycombs beginning September 2, while their cross-Pacific counterparts will have to wait a bit longer for the planned September 5 UK launch."

    last I checked, the UK is across the Atlantic from the New World, not the Pacific

  • 73X

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 9:09 pm PT

    Sweet!

  • CruxisXIII posted Jul 4, 2008 7:17 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    CruxisXIII

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 7:17 pm PT (hide)

    I loved the first viva (fav 360 game) this one will be just as godly as the Soviet Union; which means it will be amazing!

  • jericho119940

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 7:13 pm PT

    Yeah! This looks really promising, NEW ANIMALS!!!!

  • playa42018

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 4:52 pm PT

    Showing my support for Viva Pinata!

  • rbop

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 4:38 pm PT

    That's what I'm talkin' about!

  • OfficialBed

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 4:33 pm PT

    haha sweet

  • tonicmole

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 4:06 pm PT

    Sounds Good! Take that MGS 4!

  • Motown89

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 3:33 pm PT

    Why did that one guy compare it to Rayman Raving Rabbids? Completely different! Except from the awful Minigame collection.

  • CamisadoBlue

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 2:11 pm PT

    Wow thats a lot sooner than I thought.

    Can't wait though! Viva P is one of my Fav 360 games

  • SILKA_II

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 12:52 pm PT

    I liked the original, and them two games looks like i would like it.

  • TehPickle

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 12:29 pm PT

    It's quite embarassing how much I'm looking forward to this!

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 9:13 am PT

    --ColdfireTrilogy --
    "Oh boy i read a barcode reader in there. Here we go, not as many pinatas as they could ship are going to be in the game and the only way to get more is to scan them in for 5$ a pack .......... i dont care how good the game is that is just gimmicky and unnecessary for this day and age."
    ~~~
    Actually it's a rather neat bit of marketing. It would tie in the TV show with the plastic collectables. Buy the toys and then get to scan / import them into the game.

    It's not meant for me persay as it is for my kids.

  • athenian29 posted Jul 4, 2008 8:11 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    athenian29

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 8:11 am PT (hide)

    Viva Pinata confuses me. I simply have no idea what to think.

    Although, if we're comparing it to Rayman Raving Rabbids, then I'm sticking with Ubisoft's entry. I love Rayman.

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 8:10 am PT

    Oh boy i read a barcode reader in there. Here we go, not as many pinatas as they could ship are going to be in the game and the only way to get more is to scan them in for 5$ a pack .......... i dont care how good the game is that is just gimmicky and unnecessary for this day and age.

  • Sagacious_Tien

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 6:50 am PT

    Yay! I thought they might wait to E3 to announce release date.

  • aka_hal

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 6:36 am PT

    The first game was such an interesting challenge. I've had it for a year and still haven't unlocked half of it. I wonder how the second one will be.

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 6:30 am PT

    Oh man....next to rayman raving rabbids 2, viva pinata is the most obscure game that i love this generation. The characters are weird yet funny and the gameplay is different yet extremely addicting

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 6:24 am PT

    --Paynee --
    "The first one really surprised me, I actually didn't think it was going to be my kind of game, I was so wrong, I loved it, it was soooooo good. I think I put around 60 hours into it..."
    ~~~
    100% Ditto

  • twoism

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 2:31 am PT

    Can't wait to get addicted all over again!

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