Review Surfing - Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise (DS)

Viva Piñata sold reasonably well on the Xbox 360, a console with a target audience that seems mainly fixated on shooters. One can only imagine how the game would fare if it landed on the Nintendo DS. Based from the still-limited number of reviews online, Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise is looking to outdo its console cousin.

One observation: The handheld version has lost some of the luster in its translation to the DS, but the reviews are saying the same thing: the gameplay is very much intact.

IGN: The core gameplay hasn’t changed much from the previous 360 game, but then again, it didn’t really need to. Touch control works great, with a single tap selecting the Piñata, a double tap zooming in to see the beautiful models in action, and a few different camera controls.

Eurogamer: On Xbox 360, Viva Piñata relied on cute animations and a wealth of things to do in order to keep the player occupied, and while the garden area is smaller on DS, there are actually a few more creatures, and the pace and mechanics of gameplay are intact and finessed thanks to the second best thing about Pocket Paradise: the new touch-based controls.

Destructoid: The setting remains unchanged from the Xbox 360 original, and the same can be said for the gameplay too. In essence, Pocket Paradise is the original game through and through, just packed into a little DS cart.

Like any game created by humans, Pocket Paradise also falls victim to some flaws, like the lack of a left-handed control scheme and limited garden space. Since this version is for the Nintendo DS, you won’t be able to view your Piñatas in high definition.

Based from the reviews we’ve seen, Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise looks like a worthy investment. Watch out for a review soon for Daily Nintendo’s official verdict.

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