Continually under-appreciated, Viva Pinata is one of those games that just seems out of place among the constant stream of first-person shooters and sports titles that seem to make up the bulk of the Xbox 360's library. So, when the title was first revealed to also be in development for the Nintendo DS, we of course cooed about how brilliant Microsoft was for availing the title to a perhaps more age-appropriate audience. After first learning that they'd be publishing the game through THQ, however, we were tempted to take it all back, or at least award them the Around John Brown's Barn Award...but we're just too darn excited about the game to care! Featuring 8 new varieties, local area connection (it sounds as though Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support got cut), stylus control and a closer connection to the show, Viva Pinata is expected to hit the Nintendo DS this fall (around the same time as the Xbox 360 sequel). For more information on Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise, be sure to check out the official press release below:

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2008--THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced that Viva Pinata(R): Pocket Paradise(TM) is scheduled for release this fall for Nintendo DS(TM). The game is based on Microsoft Game Studios' highly-rated original Viva Pinata game for Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise features an array of content exclusive to Nintendo DS and an intuitive control scheme designed to take full advantage of the DS touch screen and stylus, making it a breeze to navigate through the garden.

"Nintendo DS is the perfect platform for the Viva Pinata franchise because players can have direct interaction with the environment and their pinatas using the stylus," said Bob Aniello, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, THQ. "We are thrilled to introduce Microsoft's critically-acclaimed Viva Pinata series to an entirely new segment of the gaming community."

In Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise, players will inherit a neglected garden on Pinata Island and turn it into a pinata paradise by tending to all aspects of cleaning the garden, growing and maintaining vegetation, caring for and breeding pinatas, as well as attracting new pinata species. The game features seven all-new pinata species, each with new requirements, houses and unique cut scenes. Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise also includes twelve full motion video clips that serve as tutorial levels within the game. The videos feature the stars of the Fox 4Kids Viva Pinata TV series, including Hudson Horstashio(TM), Fergy Fudgehog(TM) and Paulie Pretztail(TM). The brand-new Playground mode allows players to create a lush garden full of exciting and exotic pinatas in a very short amount of time. In addition, certain rare pinatas can only be acquired by using the Nintendo DS local wireless connection, where players can transfer items from their garden to a friend's garden.

Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise is developed by Rare Ltd., one of the world's leading video game developers and masterminds behind some of the most popular video games in history, including multi-million-dollar sellers "GoldenEye", "Perfect Dark", "Banjo-Kazooie" and the "Donkey Kong Country" Series. From 2005 to 2006, Rare released "Perfect Dark Zero", "Kameo: Elements of Power" and "Viva Pinata" for Xbox 360. Rare continues to entertain the world with the release of "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" and "Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise" later this year.