Viva Blogata

I was reading John Davidson's blog over at 1up on his Viva Piñata experiences.  Level-wise, we're pretty much at the same point, but the creatures he has in his garden and his experiences are a fair bit different than my own.  So I thought, why not blog about my own Viva Piñata experiences?

No question about it, this game will get you thinking.  While not a game about ethics, like any good "god" game, ethics rapidly becomes part of the picture.  I mean, hey, you're the god -- how are you going to wield your power when there's no system of checks and balances?  If one of my creatures is picking fights and causing trouble, I could beat it to death with a shovel, or sell it, or build a pen around it.  It's up to me.

Something else about this game that will make you feel a bit odd is the whole breeding element.  It will dawn on you that propogating any species of Piñata requires multigenerational incest.  I try not to dwell on that too much.  And I hope my kids don't ask me about it.

Then you have the whole cannibalism aspect of the game.  These creatures eat each other.  And sometimes, that's just what you want to have happen.  Yes, you have to come to terms that some of these cute, cuddly animals that you've bred are there just to be food to attract other cute, cuddly animals to your garden.  And soon, you may find that you are aiding creatures in their romancing simply so that you can take away their offspring and sell them (which is far more profitable than growing carrots).

I expect to log a lot of hours with this game.  I'll share what's going on in my garden here.  If you have Viva Piñata, send me a friend request.