Viva Pinata Party Animals preview for Xbox 360

Viva Pinata Party Animals brings the sweet-filled inhabitants of the original Viva Pinata back to the 360 in this collection of minigames and multiplayer gaming. In the original, you played solo building and nurturing your own garden of pinatas; in Party Animals, you can play alongside four others in party mode (or on Xbox Live if you prefer), so it's playable in bite-size chunks. It's looking good for a Christmas game for all the family: find out more in our Viva Pinata Party Animals preview now!
Click here to read our Viva Pinata Party Animals preview for Xbox 360 now!

Viva Pinata Party Animals preview for Xbox 360
Microsoft is aiming to prove that there ain't no party like a Pinata party. To which end, it's handed over the development reins to Krome Studios who are using Rare's original assets to create a Mario Party-esque minigame fest starring the loveable sweet-scatterers. It's clearly hoping this might finally snare that elusive casual audience that Nintendo is courting so successfully at the moment.

What do we know?
MS might well have a bigger hit on their hands than Rare's original underappreciated gem. The problem with Pinata was that it fell between two stools - not deep enough for some gamers, a little too complex for non-gamers, while the look of it seemed to turn off certain players who thought it was purely a kids' game. This time it's more multiplayer focused, with a format that's proven to appeal to casual players - with a four-player party mode featuring over forty different minigames, the more immediate gameplay will certainly find favour with families this Yuletide.

Click here to continue reading our Viva Pinata Party Animals preview for Xbox 360 now!