Tagged: viva pinata

October 6, 2007

Blue and Pink Xbox 360 Controllers Now Available

New colors are available to spice up your Xbox 360 in the form of blue and pink wireless controllers. Already available at $50 each, the aforementioned-colored controllers deliver the same performance as the standard gamepads, but are targeted towards families who want to have a controller whose color matches that of their favorite animal from Viva Pinata.

Check out the colors below.

September 18, 2007

Marriage Proposal Through Viva Pinata

Proposing someone to marry you is a huge task to be undertaken, and one which requires ingenuity, among other things. This guy had the bright idea of using Viva Pinata as a vehicle to propose to his girlfriend. She said yes. Congratulations, man!

July 31, 2007

Viva Pinata on DS

Rare and Microsoft have announced that Viva Pinata is in development for DS through their Comic-Con panel. The DS game follows up on the PC port of the original Xbox 360 game, claiming to execute the original game’s concept rather than being a completely new title.

In a post on Pinataisland.info forums, Rare developers claimed that “everyone was really impressed about the quality” referring to the game. In a follow up thread, the company also revealed that an internal Rare team is developing the DS version of the game, which they state is “basically the same game, same principles as the 360 version.” However, he notes that the hardware had to be taken into account, but that the touch screen offers “cool things”.

July 28, 2007

Develop Industry Awards Winners Announced

The fifth annual Develop Industry Excellence Awards was held to honor the visionaries behind the greatest games in the gaming industry. Voted for by an independent panel of industry experts, this year’s winners include Motorstorm (PS3), Crush (PSP), Crackdown (Xbox 360) and many other titles. In all, there were 17 different companies and individuals claiming the 18 awards.

Evolution Studio’s PS3-exclusive racer and Zoe Mode’s Crush picked up the best new IP awards, while Traveller’s Tales picked up best indie developer and best use of a license for Lego Star Wars II. Test Drive Unlimited by Eden Games picked up the best use of online award, while Rare’s Viva Pinata grabbed the award for visual arts. Other winners include Sega, Ubisoft, NCSoft and many more. Below is the full winners list:

New Console IP
MotorStorm (Evolution/SCEE External Development)

New Handheld IP
Crush (Zoe Mode)

Best Use of a Licence
Lego Star Wars II (Traveller’s Tales)

Visual Arts
Rare (Viva Pinata)

Audio Accomplishment
FreeStyle (B-Boy)

Publishing Hero
Sega

Innovation
Real Time Worlds (Crackdown)

Tools Provider
Havok

Best Use of Online
Eden Studios (Test Drive Unlimited)

Services & Outsourcing
Babel Media

Recruitment Company
Datascope

New UK Studio
Realtime Worlds

Handheld Studio
Rockstar Leeds

Business Development
Blitz

Independent Developer
Traveller’s Tales

In-house Developer
Ubisoft France

Development Legend
Ian Hetherington

Grand Prix
Sony

September 29, 2006

Viva Pinata is Special

Since Special Editions are all the rage these days, why should Viva Pinata be any different? Thanks to Microsoft and Rare, it isn’t… by much. When the game is released this Christmas for Xbox 360, a two-disc Special Edition will include playable demos of the season’s “hottest” family-friendly titles as well as an episode of the Viva Pinata animated series. Demos include Lego Star Wars II, Frogger, Time Pilot, AstroLab and Marble Blast.

March 16, 2006

Viva Pinata Announced

Microsoft, in conjunction with 4Kids Entertainment, today announced Viva Piñata, their mass-market property developed by Rare. Made to appeal to young kids through a bright, colorful world full of “wild-roaming piñata animals,” the franchise will see it being made into a Saturday morning 3D animated television series as well as a Xbox 360 game.

Slated to air in the US this Fall on 4Kids TV, Viva Piñata will see a cast of piñata “friends” embark on wild adventures on Piñata Island. The videogame, set for worldwide release this Holiday season, will see players “of all ages” exploring the world of Piñata, as they build and take control of their environment to attract and host more than 60 species of wild piñata. The game will feature support for new content via Xbox Live and the ability to play, trade and interact with others.

The franchising deal with 4Kids will also see the release of additional licensed products next year.