Why must you taunt us, Microsoft? First, you release one of the best games of 2006 to with no fanfare. Next, you package said game in one of the oddest looking, most childish packages in videogame history. Then, uber-nerd Bill Gates calls gamers who like your brilliant product "little girls". Finally, you tease us by releasing a silly party game title as opposed to an all-out sequel. Is a Viva Piñata filled with burp races better than no Viva Piñata at all? That is the question.
Microsoft follows up one of the most surprisingly creative, thought-provoking games ever to grace a console with a party game. Granted, there is nothing wrong with party games, per se; but the move feels akin to a Superbowl team failing to make the playoffs the following season. It is the kind of disappointment that makes you question your fanhood for the franchise.
The good news is, though not a Rare game, the developers do a solid job of recreating the island of Viva Piñata. The island is just as lively, vibrant, and colorful as you left it. The race finish lines are chock-full of other piñata creatures from the first game cheering you on. One of the mini-games even let you take control of the annoying Ruffians, allowing you to smash into one another to knock candy from your opponent in the hopes of picking it back up yourself. The voice work and winner/loser animations for the piñatas feel very much in tune with the original game's tone. Sadly, they are not varied enough to keep you from growing tired of them after the first few games.
The lack of variety is an unfortunately recurring theme in the game. With only eight characters to choose from, half of which are only female variants, it is a shame that the game does not include the ability to unlock new characters. The characters play the same, leaving no discernable difference in most game segments, including the races. Gamers selecting smaller piñatas, like a Preztail, will notice a slight edge in the games where squeezing between battling piñatas for candy is necessary; but in most other games you are all pretty much the same.
The game does a surprisingly good job with the race events, which is a good thing given how frequently you play them. The game really only has three modes, only differentiated by the number of 'Challenge Events' that space each race. Quick, Medium, and Long modes really just change up how much emphasis you want to put on your racing events. The races play out like just about every other 'kart' game you have ever played, with power-ups, to blast your enemies or fly by them, and shortcuts, to find along the way. While the races run well, they are a tad on the easy side. Even when you select the pre-game option to keep them close, you are unlikely to finish anywhere other than first. In addition, they are never lap races that take time to complete. Each race lasts about two to three minutes, and is over before you know it. While they last, the racing is a good time, and the piñatas handle the course with ease, allowing even the youngest gamers to have a good time.
What the game lacks in modes, it makes up for in the number of challenges; at least on the surface. The game boasts forty-two challenge events. With gamers needing to win one event to unlock another, it will take quite a bit of time for gamers to see them all. When you start delving a little deeper into the unlocked challenges, it will become apparent that there are not quite forty-two truly unique mini-games here. Several of the mini-games are slight variations on another; similar to how they try to pass off eight characters when it is really the same four characters plus a wig.
