Xbox's Pokemon
On the surface Viva Pinata has all the appearences of a Pokemon Clone, however appearences can be decieving. The game actually proves to be quite fun and challenging. One of the best features the game has is it's graphics, the backgrounds and various characters are bright and have lots of color and detals to them. Of course the halmarks of Viva Pinata are of course, the Pinatas, all of which are very colorful and are come in a wide variety of speices. Another thing this game gave it's creatures are personalities, which can change over the course of the game, at times a Pinata can become sour/aggressive and pick fights with other pinatas or hinder the player, other times it can be helpful and friendly.
The game, unlike Pokemon, can prove to be very challenging, and at times has all the hallmarks of a strategy game. This is because the game has included elements that one usually would find in a game like Sim City or Civilzation. Outside of the ocasonal battle the player also has to raise and take care of the Pinatas that live in the garden the player owns, since like real animals the Pinatas can become sick and require treatment. The game also is far more open ended then most games in this genre, allowing the player to shape his/her garden as they see fit.
Despite it's good points, Viva Pinata has it's fair share of flaws, the primary of which is the controls, especally the select icon. This however comes from the Xbox's controller's joystick more then from the game. The joystick makes diagonal selections a challenge, especally for new gamers. Another problem is that at times, the control menu can blend into the background, when it's over something of the same color.
Overall Viva Pinata is a game with a lot of potental that is held back from being an instant classic by a few flaws. The game is a nice change of pace, especally if you need a break from the blood baths that make up the majority of Xbox's library. It's colorful characters and setting will easily appeal to young children or fans of Pokemon, while it's stratagy based gameplay will appeal to the more hardcore community and fans of games like civilzation and sim city.