The past few weeks I have played a variety of games. I think out of the bunch, Viva Piñata and Company of Heroes stood out. I was persuaded by a few friends to try Viva Piñata, and one of them is Kevin aka fiddlecub. He went on and on about this game and said if I liked Animal Crossing I would like this one. I never cared for Animal Crossing so why would I like Viva Piñata? After trying the game I was hooked and other games like GH2 and Company of Heroes were neglected for a while there.
Viva Piñata may be considered a kiddy game. I will admit that when I used to see video clips featured On the Spot, I would chuckle on how serious someone could take a game like it.
Last Saturday morning while flipping TV channels, I bumped into the Viva Pinata cartoon. I had been playing the game every day for over a week so when I saw this I started wondering if this game was targeted towards kids. Viva Piñata may have a lady’s voice who acts as if she is talking to kids but I tend to avoid listening to her as often as I can. I visualize Jo Frost from Super Nanny when she talks, so each time I receive an alert message I’ll make sure I click it fast enough to avoid listening to her. I have nothing against Super Nanny, I like to watch the show if I happen to come across it but the thought of being scolded by her makes me feel like a child again. If there is a sequel, it would be nice for them to ask how old you are and change the game in some areas to welcome that age group of players.
I have mainly been a PC gamer for the past 10 years, so if I find a game on a console that I can’t get enough I become really impressed. Viva Piñata is now up there with games like Beyond Good and Evil and Primal.
As for Company of Heroes, it has gameplay features I don’t find in real time strategy games. I love how the cinematic clips are, and it makes me want to see more and more about the history of World War II. However, the game seems to crash frequently. I believe the latest patch isn’t working properly. I am in the process of reinstalling the game when I get back from the Christmas Holiday.