Viva Piñata: Party Animals

true Game: Viva Pinata: Party Animals Genre: Party Game Platform: Xbox 360 <img src="/contributed/1194282160PkiuQckyHD.jpg" width="210" height="300"> Man, this is a hard one. No matter how I write this review, someone is going to disagree with me. I know party games aren’t for everyone, especially obnoxiously funny party games with talking animals and bright colors. However, I enjoy a good party game when I have some friends around to play it with, so for the purposes of this review, I’m going to pretend you do, too. As a fan of the first Viva Pinata game, I was disappointed when I heard that Rare’s next installment in the series wasn’t going to be a sequel, but instead a mini-game festivity not unlike Fuzion Frenzy or Mario Party. I ended up having a ton of fun playing it, though. I’ve been known to chastise the Wii once in awhile for having too many of these games, but on the 360, you don’t have much in the way of party games. Viva Pinata: Party Animals serves its purpose by filling a void that could have already been taken up by Fuzion Frenzy 2, had it not sucked so badly. The player determines the length of each game, and the tournament is split up into races and actual mini-games. The races themselves are comparable to Mario Kart, and for me, this isn’t a bad thing. I had loads of fun taking out other racers with absurd power-ups and almost always crossed the finish line first. Sadly, the computer players don’t offer much of a challenge, but as long as you’re playing against at least one real friend, you’ll have a good time. The only real problem with the races, besides the repeated environments, is that the camera can sometimes randomly shift on you, causing you to crash into walls and lose your lead. Despite that annoying point, the races are quick and fun and help break up the monotony of straight mini-games. <img src="/contributed/1194365333zVixylmhgj.jpg" width="335" height="189"> As for the games themselves, I found them to be pretty enjoyable. They’re not revolutionary or ground-breaking; if you’ve played a party game before, you’ll be able to catch on pretty quickly, although the instructions are a little unclear on a few of them. Some of them are button-mashers, some have you running around to collect candy, and other times you’re just trying frantically not to have things explode in your face. In the end, as with all party games, the fun factor is largely determined by who you play with. This isn’t something you’re going to sit down and play by yourself for hours on end; on the other hand, if you have a friend, roommate, or significant other handy, you’re in for a good time. Party Animals has made it easier than ever to find someone to play with by throwing online play into the mix as well. <img src="/contributed/119436532385NEbbMLy8.jpg" width="348" height="196"> The $50 price point is kind of an issue, even though that’s almost a budget price for a 360 game. I thought this was a little on the expensive side, but then I remembered that the Mario Party games are also 50 bucks, and I’m pretty sure I enjoyed this more than the last Mario Party game. Besides, if you’re thinking about buying this game, you know what you’re getting into; it’s not like you’re expecting Assassin’s Creed and getting some quirky animal races instead. Honestly, while my roommate and I were playing this, we were pretty much in agreement over the fact that it should be a “rent it” title based on the price. But then we kept playing. And playing. And playing. And you know what? If this is the kind of thing you’re into, you will definitely get your money’s worth. So that’s why, like it or not, I’m gonna tell you to go ahead and get it. <img src="/contributed/1194366361HkuVKrdKrr.jpg">       <a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-2481309-10416249"> </a> <a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-2481309-10416249"> <img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-2481309-10416249" alt="Video Game Rentals Delivered" width="300" height="250"></a> review

2007-11-06T11:28:25-05:00

Game: Viva Pinata: Party Animals Genre: Party Game Platform: Xbox 360 <img src="/contributed/1194282160PkiuQckyHD.jpg" width="210" height="300" /> Man, this is a hard one. No matter how I write this review, someone is going to disagree with me. I know party games aren’t for everyone, especially obnoxiously funny party games with talking animals and bright colors. However, I enjoy a good party game when I have some friends around to play it with, so for the purposes of this review, I’m going to pretend you do, too.

8638

1013

2007-11-07T04:40:33-05:00

2007-11-06T11:28:25-05:00

11177

8.0

viva_pinata_party_animals_xbox_360 published This Game Should Not Be This Much Fun Viva Piñata: Party Animals - Xbox 360

2009-03-02T11:51:14-05:00

763