MS Aims Young With Viva Piñata for 360

Rare and Microsoft send us scurrying for our character maps for its bright new Xbox 360 game. First screens.

The Xbox 360 is home to a lot of adult-themed stuff, so leave it to Microsoft and in-house developer Rare to soften that image with the announcement of Viva Piñata, a new game based on a TV show created by Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! pushers 4Kids Entertainment.

In the real world, piñatas are goodie-filled animals popular at kids parties. In Viva Piñata you'll be able to bring your own created characters to life to in a Sim City-like world at your command. Your challenge is to build a living garden ecosystem and to get it thriving, so that other piñata animals come to live in it.

As you progress through the game, your piñata paradise will continue to grow in real-time. You'll even be able to get your sweet-filled residents to evolve, dance and fight.

P L E A S E   V I S I T   O U R   S P O N S O R :

The show, set to air this autumn in the US, may be aimed squarely at the younger set, but Microsoft is promising an experience that will captivate gamers of all ages. Viva piñata will be out for Xbox 360 worldwide this Christmas. You can find out more about the game (and the TV show) at the official Viva Piñata site.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games