 Review By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | Rare |
| Publisher: | Microsoft | |
| Genre: | Simulation | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Wi-fi (local, share items) |
Over the years, gamers have earned a reputation in many quarters for being a particularly demanding bunch. However, it is our concessions that don’t much make the news, so to speak. This isn’t to say the rancor is unfounded – there’s no question that we may complain about a high profile title once (or, perhaps, especially when) it has finally hit store shelves just as much as we may have during the actual wait – but, by and large, we’re still willing to suck it up our disappointment, so long as certain aspects have not been compromised. For example, on the Nintendo Wii, stalwart classics (first-party or otherwise) are steadily gobbled up even despite their graphical inferiority because we can usually count on them having a strong story or solid gameplay. If it means a more polished single player campaign, many will gladly forego multiplayer (just look to fans of Metroid or The Elder Scrolls for proof of that). And, when it comes to handhelds, we often tend to drop our expectations all across the board. The question is, do we have to? Oh sure, it might be unreasonable to expect Nintendo’s oh-so-popular console to suddenly start pumping out the same shiny (and often very brown) graphics as its competitors when the machine just isn’t built for it, and, with so many examples of it already, there’s little argument as to whether online play is killing narrative, but does my Nintendo DS or PSP library really have to make such far-reaching sacrifices just for the sake of portability? There seem to be at least a few developers, thankfully, who think the answer is no. Developed by the Microsoft-owned Rare and published by THQ, Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise is the first handheld version of the (critically successful, but commercially failed) gardening sim, culling some of the best elements from the original Xbox 360 game and its recent sequel in what could potentially be one of the best games this side of Nintendo’s own offerings.
While Langston, the Lickatoad featured in other games and made famous by the TV show, does provide some challenges, they aren’t quite the driving force behind the game, like they were in the original Viva Piñata or Trouble in Paradise. In Pocket Paradise, they serve more as a tutorial for aspects of the game you’re getting ready to use – a sort of how-to reward system as you advance through the levels, earning you more cartoon clips and romance candies. So, instead of tracking down and mailing of each of the 60 or so piñata in the game, you’ll be left mostly to your own devices, allowing you to plant, breed and lure to your heart’s content. By now, you’re likely thinking there is a chance of it wearing thin, and those aren’t exactly unfounded; there is a chance. But, if you’re the kind of person who enjoyed the collectability of Pokémon, the meticulousness of Harvest Moon or the customization of Animal Crossing (or The Sims), than I think the odds are pretty low indeed. Of course, it isn’t as though there are no goals in the game; filling up all the spots on your species pyramid will likely become a fun little chore and, although they serve no real practical purpose (like adding to your Gamerscore), Pocket Paradise also has a number of player awards that mirror almost exactly the Achievements of the first Xbox 360 installment of the series. Whether that will be enough to keep one playing continuously is, naturally, up to the individual, but rest assured the same addictive gameplay is still in place.
When it comes to interacting with your little candy-filled, paper menagerie, Pocket Paradise takes a page out of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass’ (and, before that, Animal Crossing: Wild World’s) book – everything can be controlled using the touch screen and stylus. If you need to move a piñata, just drag the cursor to where you want it; if you want to mess with an object (like knocking the fruit from a fully grown tree, or the head from a flower), just double tap it; and, when you have to use a tool or use a service from town, just touch one of the respective icons to expand your options (in a layout very similar to the PlayStation 3’s XMB). Heck, while pressing the start button will still pause the game, you don’t even have to do that to get to the menu; instead just select the small icon in the top, right corner of the screen to flip the display – you’ll than be able to look at your various alerts, awards, journal entries and quite a bit more. While there occasional trip-up might occur, all in all, I must confess that I think this is the most ideal method for controlling a game like Viva Piñata, with the possible exception of the Wii Remote (though I doubt we’ll be seeing that anytime soon). For one thing, there is an unrivaled ease of access here – everything you need is quite literally right at your finger tips – and the gameplay becomes much more fluid, as there is almost a direct line from your mind to the game when you cut out the joystick (something that comes in handy when landscaping).
Also much like Phantom Hourglass, Pocket Paradise is right up there in terms of stylization and quality of graphics. If you’re coming from the consoles, than obviously the graphics here may leave a little to be desired, but compared to some of what the system has to offer, it still manages to sit among a shining few. Heck, in some places – like the grass for instance – these two Nintendo DS games seem almost identical, and they also have similarities with their sharp, angular designs, though it does seem to suit this game, with its paper critters, a little more. As you might expect, the game is very colorful (but, again, perhaps not as much so as the console versions), with the bright and flashy colors of resident piñatas and the dull grayscale of those that are just visiting. Thankfully, despite the downgrade, it is still easy to tell what most of the piñatas are supposed to be, in part due to their unique and recognizable designs. If there is one downside for the graphics, it is that the cartoon cutscenes are horribly compressed and turn out quite grainy, though I suppose it is a marvel that they were even included in the first place. As far as sound, there are few upbeat and catchy tunes and voice work that appear to be snatched right out of the TV show, but you won’t hear them very often. Instead, most of the time, you’ll be left to listen to the rather pleasant ambient noise (like crickets and distant bird calls) and rather bombastic sound effects, making for an experience that’s rather easy on the ears, if not memorable.
Much like Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise’s Just for Fun mode, Pocket Paradise has a “playground,” a temporary garden where players can experiment with some potential layouts, putting out any number of crazy decorations and plants without actually having to earn a single chocolate coin first. From the looks of it, it seems to have all the items unlocked in Lottie’s store, though the only piñata you can get from Gretchen appear to be ones already available to you, meaning there should be plenty to spend your blank check on while still motivating you to jump back into the main game. Though we didn’t get to try it on our end (as it doesn’t support Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, I’m sorry to say), Pocket Paradise also has a multiplayer feature that allows you to trade seeds and, of course, piñata with a friend. Still, whether you’ve unlocked it or traded it all into existence, once you’ve collected everything in the game, there is still plenty to do. A lot of the replay value here is going to come simply from forever working towards obtaining that (completely subjective) perfect garden, just like, say, the constant home redecorating that makes up the bulk of Animal Crossing. Assuming that’s the type of game you enjoy, that makes Pocket Paradise a bit better than most thanks to its portability, allowing you to fiddle with things wherever you are, instead of just mulling it over in your head until you can get back to the sweet embrace of your couch.
Bottom Line:
There’s a certain irony in the thought that one of Nintendo’s biggest competitors in the console market could provide one of the best games for their handheld, but sure enough, that seems to be the case with Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise. This game isn’t perfect, nor is it a replacement for the console versions. But, for a portable game, it still manages to pack in all the essential elements, including the incredibly addictive gameplay and some of the better graphics on the system, and it even improves on some of the others, like with the new touch screen controls. Of course, that’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement, either: the next time around, some Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support (for trading piñata) could be used, and Rare should think about scrapping the episode setup altogether (or making a separate tutorial mode) since it breaks up flow something awful. Put simply, there were many areas in which Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise could have gone wrong, but even despite its shortcomings, one could argue that Rare did the best they could with the hardware, and the end result of that is a game that deserves to be in the library of any gamer who seems even remotely enticed by the concept.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 7.5 |
Posted: 2009-03-27 12:55:41 PST