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[arne]

Closest we're going to get to gameplay (and I seriously wish I was there now...)

 

[golem]

haha that video was terrible, kids programming seems pretty horrific nowadays. the game looks decent though and the pinatas do explode in candy when u kill them... :lol

 

[GashPrex]

the show and game take place on opposite sides of the island, so they are only losely connected - which could be a good thing

 

[jetjevons]

I really like the look of this.

 

[Dante]

Looks great, but I gotta admit I am dissapointed it's not a 3d adventure game, and more of an animal crossing type thing.

 

[FiRez]

The game footage from the video had a terrible framerate. Yup, its a RARE game.

the 180 degrees turns?
That seems to be a video effect not framerate drops

 

[Orodreth]

{o,o}
|)__)
-"-"-
O RLY

:lol

didn´t like the video much at all but the footage looked great.

Btw I too hope having the ghoulies-banjo team behind this one doesn´t mean banjo 3 is not in development at all.

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

Animal Crossing meets Nintendogs meets Pokèmon.

Very nice GFX and design btw, I only don't like this kind of games...

 

[Mefisutoferesu]

Umm.... yeah, am I the only one getting a wuzzles vibe from this? It looks very nice and kiddy and all, but it doesn't feel like there's anything there to hook you. Sorry for the negativity... it's just after that pinata website stuff... between the oversized teeth, the buzzlebums and kinda dum character trailer, I'm not getting a good vibe. Maybe I've finally gotten old enough that I can't appreciate this sort of thing... ...

Guess I gotta start planning the funeral for my inner child...

 

[E-phonk]

characters look cute, graphics are nice. First next-gen game that has a distinctive style that I like.

 

[985boi]

The graphics looks pretty good. When I first seen it, it kinda remind me of that 4kids cartoon with those mask mexican wrestlers.

 

[Amir0x]

Looks good technically and aesthetically (mostly), but then...

You are a gardner and you start out with basic tools and land. you can develop the land, build ponds, makeflowers, trees, grass, slopes, etc. and it will attracht 'pinata's'. There is 60 pinatas species all with their own prerequisites.

So you collect them, then you name them and customize them, but there is also bad pinatas. They will make trouble and you will have to fend them off, if you cant do this alone, you can get help from people in towns they also sell you goods, or you can go on xbox live and ask your friend to help you and you can landscape together or drive off the bad pinatas together.

Sounds like Animal Crossing. So now I don't care :|

 

[Archie]

Sounds like Animal Crossing. So now I don't care :|

Don't you mean: "I care a whole lot! I love Animal Crossing!"

 

[jedimike]

Interesting idea. MS trying to expand upon their normal userbase. Although the timing seems a little early. This is going to be a kids game positioned around a 300 and 400 dollar console?

It's actually pretty clever. The target audience for Xbox was 18-28. Well now that audience is 4 years (22-32) older and probably a good portion now have kids. It's just a way that MS can help retain the audience they have and also try to branch out a bit. There are plenty of times I would like to sit down with a game like this with my kids, but there's just not much available.

 

[Amir0x]

Don't you mean: "I care a whole lot! I love Animal Crossing!"

oh yeah, that's what i meant

if I was high

 

[TheMissingLink]

Next-gen online pretty-looking Animal Crossing-knock-off?

Count me in!

 

[Shiggy]

At least the garden part survived from Miyamoto's idea, but this seems to confirm the speculation from 2003 or 2004

 

[eeyore the donkey]

looks hot! give me a $250 premium 360 in the fall and i'll pick it up along with this game if it plays right

 

[Foil]

haha this looks great. Nice art style. Kinda wonder what other 360 game Rare is set to announce? Hopefully they don't wait until E3 to show it off.

 

[Piper Az]

looks hot! give me a $250 premium 360 in the fall and i'll pick it up along with this game if it plays right

$250? Doubt it. Maybe $299?

 

[Shiggy]

haha this looks great. Nice art style. Kinda wonder what other 360 game Rare is set to announce? Hopefully they don't wait until E3 to show it off.

The next game will be developed by the Stampede team.

 

[Meier]

And Kid Shows aren't even tankable are they? They're all just calculated attempts to sell merchandise and nearly all of them end up successfully reaching their target audience.

Like you said, you see kids with DSs and GBAs.. cheap systems that skew younger in their demographics. There isnt a particularly large target audience on the Xbox, let alone the Xbox 360 for kids games. It'll probably do fairly well, likely 300-400k at least, but I can't see this becoming a huge success on anything but a Nintendo system. Stranger things have happened though.

 

[quetz67]

The more I see of it the more I like the style, maybe I'll get me a cheap used 360 in a year just for this (if the game turns out good)

 

[Juice]

This looks like absolute shit. Wake me when Rare hires back its talent.

 

[Stinkles]

This looks like absolute shit. Wake me when Rare hires back its talent.

Hey, you're allright, kid.

 

[phrenal]

More impressions/back story:

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3148779&did=1

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Like you said, you see kids with DSs and GBAs.. cheap systems that skew younger in their demographics. There isnt a particularly large target audience on the Xbox, let alone the Xbox 360 for kids games. It'll probably do fairly well, likely 300-400k at least, but I can't see this becoming a huge success on anything but a Nintendo system. Stranger things have happened though.

Has there ever been a franchise like this with the potential to be so immediately tied into its game on a weekly basis? Hell, they could just sell it as a Pinata Station for $300 if the show does well. Live is really the key in this equation. If the infrastructure is there, and this catches on, and the only way to get the rarest Pinatas is through Live, etc, it could very well be on many a Christmas list.

The cool thing about Live is that it's not like a Gamecube Pokemon game, where you collect it offline and maybe dump it to a memory card and show your friends you got it. They could use the achievement system like a beacon among your friends. Everyone of your friends will know if you've found one of them. And if they each have special talents or moves or whatever? It'll be bonkers. Introduce a new Pinata on Sunday. Have him on the marketplace Monday morning.

A lot of people talk about wanting to see a game that truly takes advantage of the 360's unique strengths. This could be one of them.

 

[Juice]

Has there ever been a franchise like this with the potential to be so immediately tied into its game on a weekly basis? Hell, they could just sell it as a Pinata Station for $300 if the show does well. Live is really the key in this equation. If the infrastructure is there, and this catches on, and the only way to get the rarest Pinatas is through Live, etc, it could very well be on many a Christmas list.

The cool thing about Live is that it's not like a Gamecube Pokemon game, where you collect it offline and maybe dump it to a memory card and show your friends you got it. They could use the achievement system like a beacon among your friends. Everyone of your friends will know if you've found one of them. And if they each have special talents or moves or whatever? It'll be bonkers. Introduce a new Pinata on Sunday. Have him on the marketplace Monday morning.

A lot of people talk about wanting to see a game that truly takes advantage of the 360's unique strengths. This could be one of them.

Kind of reminds me of:

Pinata:Live::Blinx:HDD

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Has there ever been a franchise like this with the potential to be so immediately tied into its game on a weekly basis? Hell, they could just sell it as a Pinata Station for $300 if the show does well. Live is really the key in this equation. If the infrastructure is there, and this catches on, and the only way to get the rarest Pinatas is through Live, etc, it could very well be on many a Christmas list.

The cool thing about Live is that it's not like a Gamecube Pokemon game, where you collect it offline and maybe dump it to a memory card and show your friends you got it. They could use the achievement system like a beacon among your friends. Everyone of your friends will know if you've found one of them. And if they each have special talents or moves or whatever? It'll be bonkers. Introduce a new Pinata on Sunday. Have him on the marketplace Monday morning.

A lot of people talk about wanting to see a game that truly takes advantage of the 360's unique strengths. This could be one of them.

You're giving kids the benefit of the doubt when it comes to xbox live navigation. I dont think they deserve that. The controllers are hard enough for them to understand.

 

[Shompola]

This looks like absolute shit. Wake me when Rare hires back its talent.

Arent you a fan of Animal Crossing though? Hypocrite much? :lol

 

[Juice]

Arent you a fan of Animal Crossing though? Hypocrite much? :lol

I'm a mild AC advocate (my brother likes to use it as a means to touch base long-distance). Definitely not a huge fan, but whatever it is that attracts me to AC is definitely not what this game is appearing to be.

I can't stand this game's artwork more than anything. Too much bright lighting, and way too crowded looking.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Kind of reminds me of:

Pinata:Live::Blinx:HDD

Juice, normally I agree with you but this "shit" is just gorgeous, the video on the site was a steaming pile of trite saturday morning fare, but comon

This is probably the best work rare has done in years.

 

[Ghengis Cohen]

Juice, normally I agree with you but this "shit" is just gorgeous, the video on the site was a steaming pile of trite saturday morning fare, but comon

This is probably the best work rare has done in years.

This shot does look great, but the idea of Rare doing Animal Crossing makes me vomit a little in my mouth.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

You're giving kids the benefit of the doubt when it comes to xbox live navigation. I dont think they deserve that. The controllers are hard enough for them to understand.

I'd believe that if I didn't watch a seven year old completely trounce SM64 in a Best Buy several years ago.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

This shot does look great, but the idea of Rare doing Animal Crossing makes me vomit a little in my mouth.

It cant be THAT hard to top animal crossing

Spoiler

always liked the premise of animal crossing, feels as if though no one has really delivered on it

 

[Juice]

Juice, normally I agree with you but this "shit" is just gorgeous, the video on the site was a steaming pile of trite saturday morning fare, but comon

This is probably the best work rare has done in years.

That's definitely the best pic of the bunch, because it's not overlit to all hell and back (Jesus must actually hovering above the camera's view in the other pics). Taking a look at that one, I like the look of the trees, but the shingled look of the grass and animals irks me to all hell. It just looks incongruous and certainly isn't pleasing to my eyes.

Still, that pics shows me how some people can appreciate the artwork. Thanks.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

I'd believe that if I didn't watch a seven year old completely trounce SM64 in a Best Buy several years ago.

Ive seen a three year old play super mario world well, actually couldnt talk yet. But I think he's the exception.

 

[Ghengis Cohen]

Taking a look at that one, I like the look of the trees, but the shingled look of the grass and animals irks me to all hell. It just looks incongruous and certainly isn't pleasing to my eyes.

So pinatas that look like pinatas are incongruous?

 

[Amir0x]

Juice, normally I agree with you but this "shit" is just gorgeous, the video on the site was a steaming pile of trite saturday morning fare, but comon

This is probably the best work rare has done in years.

Jesus, that looks so amazing. Shame it has to ape features from my most hated game

 

[Error]

holy shit amazing.

 

[jedimike]

Is this the first time that a cartoon will look exactly like the video game? It's amazing that the video game developers will be sharing the same assets with the cartoon developers. If MS can pull this off by merging the TV show and game together through XBL, then I think they have a potential hit here.

They need to have things on XBL like the cartoon show available (after it airs on TV) for streaming and new content available for the game after it appears on the cartoon (like was mentioned earlier). New vegetables, tools, animals, etc. or even just new missions based on the happenings in the show.

 

[neondriver]

Wow, graphics and art look really awesome!
Too bad I don't like that kind of games =/

 

[Juice]

So pinatas that look like pinatas are incongruous?

I don't care if the game is called Pinata. They look stupid. And since personified, drifting pinatas as animals aren't really found in nature, calling them incongruous as fictional entities in a fictional world is totally warranted if the aesthetic doesn't click. And at least to my eyes, it really falls flat. Way too busy and uninviting. Doesn't help that the grass also appears to be made out of pinata skin.

This game reminds me more of Cubivore than AC. (And I'm not comparing this art to Cubivore's. We all know that Cubivore didn't even try.)

 

[human5892]

Damn, is that shot Probationsmack posted in-game?! That looks awesome, but significantly better than some of the others.

 

[yoopoo]

Pics look great.

Video, not so great.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

fur shading--->confetti shading?

 

[Unison]

I am glad to see that Rare hasn't lost its penchant for googly eyes.

 

[WolfgangK]

It's actually pretty clever. The target audience for Xbox was 18-28. Well now that audience is 4 years (22-32) older and probably a good portion now have kids. It's just a way that MS can help retain the audience they have and also try to branch out a bit. There are plenty of times I would like to sit down with a game like this with my kids, but there's just not much available.

Right on. There is an overblown stereotype that says gamers are pimple-ridden young males who have no social skills, and spend days in front of the TV without daylight hitting their skin. But the truth is that many gamers, especially on Xbox, who skew probably a little older, are professionals, do have families, kids, etc.

I know personally, I'd appreciate more games on Xbox that are more kid friendly...I don't want to have to revert back to my N64 just to find something fun for my kids to play. And not every family has the money budgeted to drop coin on all 3 consoles just to cover the gammut of software options.

Kids can't afford computers either, but there sure is a hell of a lot of computer software on the market for young children. The thought that software directed at children has to be on a portable system, or something cheap, is extremely short-sighted.

On top of all that, if it's fun to play, it will be popular with kids and adults alike.

 

[Mercury Fred]

Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm digging the art style and glad to see an odd game coming to 360. It needs some weirdness to round out. The mechanics sound potentially intriguing as well after reading the 1UP preview. I just might give this a spin.

 

[quetz67]

Juice, normally I agree with you but this "shit" is just gorgeous, the video on the site was a steaming pile of trite saturday morning fare, but comon

This is probably the best work rare has done in years.

What bugs me is the transition between the different colors on the tail, it is just too straight