Viva Pinata: Party Animals

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Fun but unoriginal racing and party games.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this game is associated with the children's Viva Piñata TV show. Play is composed of piñata races and short, simple Mini games that are easy to learn and suitable for kids. However, the game supports online play with voice chat enabled, which means other players could be communicating words and ideas that might not be in accord with the game's E rating. Common Sense Media does not recommend online play for any child under age 12.

  • Encourages playing together with others.
  • Virtually non-existent. There is some piñata thwacking and the occasional comical bomb explosion during hot potato games, but that's about it.
  • Not applicable.
  • Viva Piñata is a media franchise that spans video games, a television show, and various spin-off products.

What's it about?

VIVA PIÑATA: PARTY ANIMALS is a follow-up to the Xbox 360 Viva Piñata video game, featuring the same characters that populate Fox's Viva Piñata television show. Party Animals is composed of competitions that involve as few as six and as many as 28 short Mini games and races. The formula is simple: Four characters compete in a race the results of which influence scoring in the Mini games that follow. If you do well in the race, you'll earn bonus points in the minigames.

Races adhere to the goofy party racing game rules established by the classic Mario Kart games. As players pilot their piñatas around various tracks they can grab power-ups that will allow them to do things like slime other players' windshields, set booby traps on the road to cause havoc for those lagging behind, and grow a set of wings for a boost of speed.


Is it any good?

 

Sadly, this game lacks the sort of inventive ideas that made the original so much fun. The Mini games are little more than thinly disguised copies of games that have existed for some time in the Mario Party series. That's not to say that these little challenges -- which involve activities like keeping your balance on a spinning platform and navigating snow-covered minefields -- aren't fun, but they score low points for originality.

Party Animals' one notable advantage over others in its genre is that it supports online play over Xbox Live. Party games are always at their best when played against human opponents, and while a room full of friends is the ideal, competing with others online isn't a bad substitute. Just take care that the opponents your kids are playing against aren't abusing the privilege of voice chat communication.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about sportsmanship. How can you be a gracious winner and noble loser? What is the nature of competition, and what does it mean to win or lose a game, sport, or contest? How do you feel when you win? How do you feel when you lose?


This review was written by Chad Sapieha
Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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This review was written by Chad Sapieha
Platforms:Xbox 360
Available online?Available online
Genre:Party
Developer:Microsoft
Release date:October 30, 2007
Price:$37.99
ESRB rating:E for Comic Mischief, Cartoon Violence

This review was written by Chad Sapieha

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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