Viva Piñata: Party Animals
Encyclopedia
Viva Piñata: Party Animals is a video game developed by Krome Studios
for the Microsoft
Xbox 360
video game console
and set in the world of Viva Piñata
. The game was first announced at Microsoft's E3 2007 press conference on July 11, 2007, and was released on October 30, 2007 in the US, and November 16, 2007 in the UK.
Unlike the original Viva Piñata, Party Animals is based on elements from the television show
, including its characters and voices. Furthermore, the title provides a mini-game
based experience, similar to the Mario Party series, rather than the sandbox environment of the original. There are over 40 mini-games, as well as kart-style races which are conducted on foot.
A 974MB demo appeared on Xbox Live Marketplace
under the Bringing It Home banner on September 20, 2007.
Similar to other casual Xbox 360 titles such as Fuzion Frenzy 2
, Viva Piñata: Party Animals is framed as a game show
, where contestants compete against each other while announcers provide colorful commentary. A video showing gameplay.
A game of Party Animals consists of three or more race events, each followed by one or more randomly selected challenge mini-games (depending on selected game length). The goal is to be the player who has earned the most candy ("Candiosity") after the final challenge is completed. Games always feature four player characters, although only one of these need be human-controlled. Multiple individuals can play on a single console (causing races to be conducted split-screen), or players can play online via Xbox Live
.
Players earn candy based on their performance during the challenge mini-games, with fixed awards for first, second, third, and fourth places. The races themselves do not earn players candy, but instead determine a bonus which influences the winnings from the challenge events which follow. As a result, candy awards are always a combination of these two separate placements, with players required to do well in both event types to guarantee overall victory.
There are eight playable characters: Hudson Horstachio, Paulie Pretztail, Fergy Fudgehog and Franklin Fizzlybear, as well as their newly introduced female counterparts.
When asked why the studio was chosen, Microsoft VP Shane Kim explained, "They've got a long history in the industry and we have a ton of respect for their work", referring to Krome's previous efforts on series such as Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
and Spyro the Dragon
. In the same interview, Kim also noted that the Viva Piñata franchise was important to the success of the Xbox 360 in the casual game space. He summarized, "Our aspiration is to win this generation, and in order to do that, we know we have to appeal beyond the core gamer segment".
criticized the fact that many of the mini-games were simply minor variants of each other, with most being aimed at young children. The review remarks that, "A few of them will be enjoyable for those under the age of seven, but if you're any older than that there's absolutely no challenge to be found within Party Animals". The GameSpot
review similarly frowned upon the lack of true variety, noting that "... the [minigame] variants end up feeling so similar to one another that the game might as well just have six minigames".
Somewhat more positive remarks were earned from TeamXbox
, where the reviewer felt that the better mini-games balanced out the poorer ones. The review concludes, "The wide range of minigames almost guarantees everyone will find at least something they like in the title, and I’ve yet to find anyone who didn’t get a thrill out of the game’s fast paced racing".
Krome Studios
Krome Studios is an Australian video game company. Its headquarters are in Brisbane and it previously had offices in Adelaide and Melbourne. Krome Studios is best known for their Ty the Tasmanian Tiger games and for revitalising the Spyro the Dragon series...
for the Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
and set in the world of Viva Piñata
Viva Piñata
Viva Piñata is a life simulation game developed by Rare, for the Xbox 360 video game console. The project was headed by Gregg Mayles and the team behind the Banjo-Kazooie series, based on an idea from Tim Stamper. Although rumors of the title circulated among fans for some time, Viva Piñata was...
. The game was first announced at Microsoft's E3 2007 press conference on July 11, 2007, and was released on October 30, 2007 in the US, and November 16, 2007 in the UK.
Unlike the original Viva Piñata, Party Animals is based on elements from the television show
Viva Piñata (TV series)
Viva Piñata is a Canadian-American animated television series seen around the world. It is based upon the Xbox 360 video game of the same name. It is produced by an American company, 4Kids Productions and a Canadian company Bardel Entertainment, a children's animation company in Canada...
, including its characters and voices. Furthermore, the title provides a mini-game
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
based experience, similar to the Mario Party series, rather than the sandbox environment of the original. There are over 40 mini-games, as well as kart-style races which are conducted on foot.
A 974MB demo appeared on Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
under the Bringing It Home banner on September 20, 2007.
Gameplay
Fuzion Frenzy 2
Fuzion Frenzy 2 was universally not as well received as its predecessor. Many felt that Hudson had taken the series in an unwelcome direction, providing a "value title" at nearly full price...
, Viva Piñata: Party Animals is framed as a game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, where contestants compete against each other while announcers provide colorful commentary. A video showing gameplay.
A game of Party Animals consists of three or more race events, each followed by one or more randomly selected challenge mini-games (depending on selected game length). The goal is to be the player who has earned the most candy ("Candiosity") after the final challenge is completed. Games always feature four player characters, although only one of these need be human-controlled. Multiple individuals can play on a single console (causing races to be conducted split-screen), or players can play online via Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
.
Players earn candy based on their performance during the challenge mini-games, with fixed awards for first, second, third, and fourth places. The races themselves do not earn players candy, but instead determine a bonus which influences the winnings from the challenge events which follow. As a result, candy awards are always a combination of these two separate placements, with players required to do well in both event types to guarantee overall victory.
There are eight playable characters: Hudson Horstachio, Paulie Pretztail, Fergy Fudgehog and Franklin Fizzlybear, as well as their newly introduced female counterparts.
Development
Viva Piñata: Party Animals was developed by a team of roughly 60 people at Krome Studios, the first Australian studio to develop a first-party game for Microsoft. The involvement of Rare, responsible for the original Viva Piñata, was limited to supplying artwork and information about the game's visual style, while Krome retained full control over the design.When asked why the studio was chosen, Microsoft VP Shane Kim explained, "They've got a long history in the industry and we have a ton of respect for their work", referring to Krome's previous efforts on series such as Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is a 3D platformer video game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. It was developed by Krome Studios and published by Electronic Arts...
and Spyro the Dragon
Spyro the Dragon (series)
Spyro the Dragon is a platform and action game series starring the video game character Spyro, which was originally published by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by Insomniac Games for the PlayStation....
. In the same interview, Kim also noted that the Viva Piñata franchise was important to the success of the Xbox 360 in the casual game space. He summarized, "Our aspiration is to win this generation, and in order to do that, we know we have to appeal beyond the core gamer segment".
Reception
Viva Piñata: Party Animals was not particularly well received by the gaming press, despite the appreciation of its vibrant visuals. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
criticized the fact that many of the mini-games were simply minor variants of each other, with most being aimed at young children. The review remarks that, "A few of them will be enjoyable for those under the age of seven, but if you're any older than that there's absolutely no challenge to be found within Party Animals". The GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
review similarly frowned upon the lack of true variety, noting that "... the [minigame] variants end up feeling so similar to one another that the game might as well just have six minigames".
Somewhat more positive remarks were earned from TeamXbox
TeamXbox
TeamXbox is a gaming media web site dedicated to Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms. While the majority of content is Xbox and Xbox 360 related, the site occasionally covers general technology and other video game news....
, where the reviewer felt that the better mini-games balanced out the poorer ones. The review concludes, "The wide range of minigames almost guarantees everyone will find at least something they like in the title, and I’ve yet to find anyone who didn’t get a thrill out of the game’s fast paced racing".