Viva Piñata: Party Animals
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| Viva Piñata: Party Animals | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Krome Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release date | October 30, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Party |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) |
| Media | DVD-DL |
| System requirements | Hard Drive or Memory Unit |
Viva Piñata: Party Animals is a video game developed by Krome Studios for the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console and set in the world of Viva Piñata. The game was first announced at Microsoft's E3 2007 press conference on July 11, 2007, and was released on October 30, 2007 in the US, and November 16, 2007 in the UK.
Unlike the original Viva Piñata, Party Animals is based on elements from the television show, including its characters and voices. Furthermore, the title provides a mini-game based experience, similar to the Mario Party series, rather than the sandbox environment of the original. There are over 40 mini-games, as well as kart-style races which are conducted on foot.
A 974MB demo appeared on Xbox Live Marketplace under the Bringing It Home banner on September 20, 2007.
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[edit] Gameplay
Similar to titles such as Fuzion Frenzy 2, Viva Piñata: Party Animals is framed as a game show, where contestants compete against each other while announcers provide colorful commentary.
A game of Party Animals consists of three or more race events, each followed by one or more randomly selected challenge mini-games (depending on selected game length). The goal is to be the player who has earned the most candy ("Candiosity") after the final challenge is completed. Games always feature four player characters, although only one of these need be human-controlled. Multiple individuals can play on a single console (causing races to be conducted split-screen), or players can play online via Xbox Live.
Players earn candy based on their performance during the challenge mini-games, with fixed awards for first, second, third, and fourth places. The races themselves do not earn players candy, but instead determine a bonus which influences the winnings from the challenge events which follow. As a result, candy awards are always a combination of these two separate placements, with players required to do well in both event types to guarantee overall victory.
There are eight playable characters: Hudson Horstachio, Paulie Pretztail, Fergy Fudgehog and Franklin Fizzlybear, as well as their newly introduced female counterparts.
[edit] Reception
| Reviews | |
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| Publication | Score |
| GameSpot | 5.5/10[1] |
| GameSpy | 3/5[2] |
| IGN | 5.6/10[3] |
| Compilations of multiple reviews | |
| Compiler | Score |
| Metacritic | 55%[4] |
Viva Piñata: Party Animals was not particularly well received by the gaming press, despite the appreciation of its vibrant visuals. IGN criticized the fact that many of the mini-games were simply minor variants of each other, with most being aimed at young children. The review remarks that, "A few of them will be enjoyable for those under the age of seven, but if you're any older than that there's absolutely no challenge to be found within Party Animals."[5] The GameSpot review similarly frowned upon the lack of true variety, noting that "... the [minigame] variants end up feeling so similar to one another that the game might as well just have six minigames."[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Viva Pinata: Party Animals for Xbox 360 Review.
- ^ GameSpy: Viva Pinata: Party Animals Review.
- ^ Viva Pinata: Party Animals Review.
- ^ Viva Pinata: Party Animals (xbox360: 2007): Reviews.
- ^ Ahearn, Nate (2007-10-30). IGN: Viva Pinata: Party Animals Review. IGN.
- ^ Davis, Ryan (2007-10-31). Viva Pinata: Party Animals for Xbox 360 Review. GameSpot.
[edit] External links
- Official Viva Piñata: Party Animals game page on Xbox.com
- Viva Piñata official site
- Viva Piñata Wiki - PinataIsland.info
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