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few weeks ago, I reviewed the original Viva Piñata, and it was one of the best games
I had played in a while. From the colorful visuals to the interesting yet simple simulation
gameplay, it showed that creativity in game development does still exist. However, after
the game spawned a whole franchise, it was inevitable that a party game would be created
with the name. However, unlike other series that try to create a party game to cash in
on the success of the franchise, this one is actually really good. It’s Viva Piñata:
Party Animals for the Xbox 360. Viva Piñata: Party Animals plays out in a
game show type of format. With four contestants consisting of either online opponents, your
friends, or just you against the computer, the goal is to get as much candy as possible
by the end of the game. Now, unlike games such as Mario Party, there is no game board
in Party Animals. Instead, you race from point A to point B in order to gain extra points
for each challenge event, their word for mini-games. The races are a lot of fun, similar in style
to Mario Kart, with power-ups and weapons to use along the way. Some of these do almost
feel like cheating, but I guess that’s kind of like Mario Kart, too. There’s no blue
shell, though, and I think we can all agree that’s a very good thing.
Now, the mini-games are a little bit different. Most of them are a ton of fun and simple enough
to learn quickly, like shooting targets or stomping bug piñatas to get candy. Some of
these also have you attacking the other piñatas so they can’t score points. However, there
are a few that seem to be based on luck, and these can be pretty frustrating. The game
does control very well, however, and it doesn’t really ever feel like you lost because of
a flaw in the game or any sort of bug or glitch. Luck maybe, but not a flaw in the game.
Party Animals’ real selling point, however, is its tone. The game has a friendly yet humorous
vibe that can suck in people of all ages. Think of shows like Foster’s Home for Imaginary
Friends or Jimmy Neutron. There isn’t anything that kids won’t understand, but the humor
is pretty ageless. Characters also have, well, character. It’s cool to see a series like
this really working to let people know how different it is from other games.
Party Animals is also one of the best looking games on the 360. Now, it doesn’t have incredibly
character models or environments, but its style is still just beautiful. It’s full
of color, everything has personality, and the framerate is perfect, in contrast to the
occasionally sluggish framerate of the original Viva Piñata. Voice acting is over-the-top,
but it doesn’t sound bad, and the style works well in a game like this. The banter
between the two broadcasters is pretty funny, and there are some lines I really didn’t
see coming. I wasn’t really sure how a party game using
the Viva Piñata license would be, but this is a fantastic game that really showed me
how versatile this series is. This would definitely be a good choice to play if you have some
friends coming over.