"With the recent release of Viva Piñata, something I've noticed happening more and more is that people are overlooking great games for fear that they will be mocked into oblivion for having it appear on their "played games" list. . . . "

http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2006/11/27/539170.aspx

If someone avoids trying a game because they're afraid of being mocked they are almost as big of an idiot as the person doing the mocking. Kameo was an excellent game yet I saw some people saying---I don't want to fly around as a fairy.

If you want to try a game do it. My problem with Viva Pinata isn't in how it looks as much as in what the gameplay is like---I don't think I'd get into the whole virtual world for Pinatas. However, a co-worker of mine got it an absolutly loves the game and so does his wife.

To be honest, I think I would laugh at any of my friends playing this game, at least initially. How could you not when there are so many games that we could be playing that aren't about cartooney bugs or pinatas or some other childish weird concept. They would say: "Sloth, you've gone soft on us. You are a disgrace." To which I would reply "Yes, I don't know what I was thinking. Call of Duty here I come". That simple

I would also jibe my friends for having the game on their profile. Until I played it this weekend for the first time. I bought this game for my girlfriend, but there is no denying how addictive this fun and definitely warped game is. Its also a very attractive game to play and has a whole lot of gameplay to it. I feel bad for anybody who overlooks what is definitely a big sleeper for 2006.

I used to listen to nsync when they was underground yO

I have viva pinata on my played games list...what's up now b*tches!?!?!?!

RICHUT96

Interesting premise but I would hope the majority of guys on here (I'm guessing starting from the late-20s/early 30s on up) really don't care what others think about what they play.

Viva Pinata reminds me of Animal Crossing (which everyone in my house likes to play) and we all like Viva Pinata as well. For me it is a nice little diversion since I have such a short attention span when it comes to games.....ie I have to bounce around from Civ IV, to Gears of War, to a Live Arcade title, to an old NES or SNES game, to Viva Pinata, to Oblivion, to Sid Meier's Railroads, etc.

Heck, I'll have some DOAX2 achievements in a little bit (getting the game sometime this week) so if I can deal with the heat Mrs. Wok will apply to me for playing that game :D ...someone razzing me about Viva Pinata will be a piece of cake.

When I think of doing something macho, playing video games--any game--just doesn't come to mind. The moment my self-esteem is affected by something as unimportant as playing a colorful video game is the moment I should stop thinking about the real world. I play games as an escape from the real world, not as an attempt to prove anything to anyone.

I picked up VP last week. It may look like a kiddy game but it gets more in-depth as you progress. It's a very addicting game and it's nice to play something different than Shooters (I love FPS, but nice to have a break).

When I think of doing something macho, playing video games--any game--just doesn't come to mind. The moment my self-esteem is affected by something as unimportant as playing a colorful video game is the moment I should stop thinking about the real world. I play games as an escape from the real world, not as an attempt to prove anything to anyone.
The definitive post on the topic!

Some good natured razzing is irresistible - I mean, contrasting GoW and VP is pretty striking, wouldn't you say? ;)

So somehow it's all good to pretend to be a soldier fighting make-believe bugs, but it's not quite as good to have something to do with a colorful pinnate? Maybe I don't get it. In terms of manliness, they're both equally low on my scale. Nobody is going to get a tough-guy award for being a wannabe soldier thumb-twiddler as opposed to a wannabe party favor thumb-twiddler.

Video games are for fun. Play what is fun, and respect that others are playing what is fun for them. The moment you start judging games on some sort of "pansy-factor" you're probably missing out on some fun. Don't confuse fun with manliness.

So somehow it's all good to pretend to be a soldier fighting make-believe bugs, but it's not quite as good to have something to do with a colorful pinnate? Maybe I don't get it. In terms of manliness, they're both equally low on my scale. Nobody is going to get a tough-guy award for being a wannabe soldier thumb-twiddler as opposed to a wannabe party favor thumb-twiddler.



I dont know about you but using the "Hammer of dawn" in Gears of War makes me feel manly. lol now if i could only figure out a way to get a satillite signal indoors.

Viva looks interesting, but here's my problem. The game is time consuming...okay, what game isn't!...but I think this game just came out at the wrong time. I'm having a hard enough time keeping up with the following:

Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
F.E.A.R.
Gears of War
Call of Duty 3
Rainbow Six: Vegas

Let alone I have Test Drive that I still like to play, along with GRAW too.

All have great single player campaigns, and fantastic online play. I know this sounds super lame, but I'm almost at the point where I'll need to make a calendar and play each of the above games one day a week! And my friends all hate me because they are fighting over me to play co-op or multiplayer with them in different games...and we all own the same games! LOL!

This is a FANTASTIC problem to have being a gamer. I've never had so many titles at one time to play. Christmas came in November for me. And what's even more sad is I have no time to play my HD-DVD movies in the add-on I got in November! I really need a life. :D

Is it wrong for me to sit in my cubicle and quietly hum the Viva Pinata song to myself? With periodic outbursts of "Filled with fun, FILLED WITH FUN!"? If so, I will have to endeavor to keep it to myself. Sniff.

In any case, this game is great; hard to argue with something which is fun for all ages.

If someone avoids trying a game because they're afraid of being mocked they are almost as big of an idiot as the person doing the mocking. Kameo was an excellent game yet I saw some people saying---I don't want to fly around as a fairy.

If you want to try a game do it. My problem with Viva Pinata isn't in how it looks as much as in what the gameplay is like---I don't think I'd get into the whole virtual world for Pinatas. However, a co-worker of mine got it an absolutly loves the game and so does his wife.



So you wouldn't laugh at any of your friends for playing that game where girls are on the beach and you can pan the camera and even zoom in on them? I think it's DOA or something like that..

Now I would never criticize someone for VP... its seems to be an interesting game. now Sneak King.. I have sent more than one PM asking "WTH are you doing!"

Seriously 6 people have VP on my friends list and other than one they all play shooters almost all the time. Its a game for more than just kids it seems.

I watched part of the Viva Piata "interactive video", and anyone who can suffer though the anyoing voices in that game for more than a minute or two is clearly more of a man than I. :p

The game actually doesn't include any of the irritating voices from the cartoon. The animals (errr pinatas) in the Viva Pinata game make animal noises. The only voice acting is from the merchants and mask-wearing human characters such as Leafos, most of which are quite tolerable. I do admit that Costolot's voice gets grating after a while, but mostly because you've heard her say the same thing 500 times, e.g. "I wish I could say I replace defective items, but I kind of... don't".

Well that is good to hear as I seriously couldn't take ever watching that video again, I suppose I'll check the game out at some point then. I wish game makers would be better about releasing demos lately.

From what I am reading at other forums, VP is being loved by adults. I guess the colorful and whimsical video lets think you it is a game for kids but it isn't.

I am going to get this afternoon.

Hey, Kameo was stacked. I had no problem watching her for the 8 hours that game lasted :P

The nice thing about the achievements is that you can show you beat RAAM on hard-core or COD3 on Veteran to offset Viva Pinata :)

So you wouldn't laugh at any of your friends for playing that game where girls are on the beach and you can pan the camera and even zoom in on them? I think it's DOA or something like that..

You're talking to the person who bought Rumble Roses---:)

And I didn't buy it for the T&A. I heard it had a pretty good fighting control system.

The T&A part was kind of embarassing actually. I wound up selling that game because I just didn't like the gameplay of it.

I very nearly bought Viva Pinata this week in the Buy.com $20 off deal. However, because its $49.99 I have to add another item--cheapest I could find was around $5---but then the shipping came to $9 and it took away most of the savings. Its still $10 off the price---but I was only thinking about getting it if I could get $20 off.

If you're scared to play a game because you're afraid of what your friends will think, it may be time to get some new friends.

My wife is addicted to VIVA PINATA and she has not been into a video game before. I have played with her a little and it is fun.

Hey, Kameo was stacked. I had no problem watching her for the 8 hours that game lasted :P

QFT. That saucy little wiggle and hand on the hip pose got me every time. Her sister's quite the saucy little minx too.

So somehow it's all good to pretend to be a soldier fighting make-believe bugs, but it's not quite as good to have something to do with a colorful pinnate? Maybe I don't get it. In terms of manliness, they're both equally low on my scale. Nobody is going to get a tough-guy award for being a wannabe soldier thumb-twiddler as opposed to a wannabe party favor thumb-twiddler.

how true; how true; but we all like to pretend don't we? :)

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say how good Viva Pinata is. It very much does have a kiddie theme to it but it's more in that quirky Rare style that adults can appreciate.

This game has the do something-get a payoff effect that may interest some people.
The game is kind of free-roaming in style in that no two player's games will be alike.

You have no character and there is no on screen action from the players point of view.
You are basically given a very poor piece of land with a variety of things that you can add to make it your own. It has that discovery effect. Like "what will happen if I do this?"

You basically are given a plot of land in which you are to make it more inhabitable and level up by improving the land and creating more pinatas which are eventually requested by headquarters to send to parties all over the world. It's like sims but with Pinatas, if that makes sense.
On the downside there is a point you get to where you ask yourself what you are doing all of this for, especially when things start to come on your land an mess it up but whacking them with a shovel is always rewarding. It's a nice change of pace from World War 2 games that's for sure.

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/06/172251

I like it, although I agree it consumes more time then I'd like to dedicate to it. still a pretty solid Sims kind of deal.

From time to time is good to let Mr. Gears and COD3 rest in peace for a few hours and stop the blood bath.

then you have all those little garden noises in 5.1 filling the room with a peaceful atmosphere.. it's very relaxing, I can even lite a cigar while playing it. Try puffing a stogie while playing FPS and tell me how that goes... still after a while, all those high maintenance micro-managing also get on my nerves, and I am ready to pop some frags.

not sure why this game would affect anyone's manhood... it's not like Barbie Pony something... ;)

Viva Pinata is a fantastic game. I'm proud to have it on my games played list.

To be honest, I think I would laugh at any of my friends playing this game, at least initially. How could you not when there are so many games that we could be playing that aren't about cartooney bugs or pinatas or some other childish weird concept. They would say: "Sloth, you've gone soft on us. You are a disgrace." To which I would reply "Yes, I don't know what I was thinking. Call of Duty here I come". That simple
Umm.... that's not simple, in fact that is precisely the problem. That mentality is more "childish and weird" than any game itself.

Oh and people really need to learn the difference between "childish" and "childlike"... most intend to use the latter, but wrongly use the former every time.

If I had the time to concentrate on more than one game on one system/device at any given time, I most likely would have picked this up.

Maybe I'll get it from the bargain bin in the future.

i'm considering picking it up... one of my buddies loves it.

i get tired of shooters, to be perfectly honest. yes, they are awesome, but there's more to life than that. i like games to make me think, sometimes, beyond, what's my next target.

personally, my favorite game on 360 is lego star wars. i'm at about 70% complete. once you get past the missions, it's hard. you have to go through all of the levels without dying. on some, that's near impossible. it definitely ramps up as you go.

anyway, just pondering. :) i love all my games.

I play VP and love it...it is like a SIMS game only really weird.

If anyone questions your manhood about playing VP, just tell them you only play it when you drop acid.

My gf plays viva pinata for like 6 hours a day. At first this was cool, but now its a threat to my relationship. HA HA HA.

Fun game. I enjoy popping it in sometimes to take a break from the shooters. It's nice and relaxing, but stressful in it's own way. Managing the little critters and their relationships takes some attention.

I can't imagine anyone thinking that playing specific video games makes you tougher or cooler than anyone else playing video games. I enjoy everything from VP to GRAW to GoW back to Sneak King. :)

-JR

Viva Pinata is good.

I also have Kameo, DOAX2, and Rumble Roses XX on my playlist. I could care less what people think =)

Its an incredibly addicting game. Everybody should play it. Its relaxing and hectic all at the same time. Rare's best title in ages.