Gamasutra Talks Viva Pinata DS with Rare

[jimmcq]

Following Rare's confirmation at the San Diego Comicon that its Viva Pinata franchise is coming to the Nintendo DS, Gamasutra quizzed the company's Justin Cook and James Thomas on how it plays, why it's unique, and whether it'll outsell the Xbox 360 version.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14903

Cook commented of the work by his handheld division co-workers on Viva Pinata DS: "It's all stylus-controlled, it works really, really well. They've modified the menu control so that it uses the stylus really neatly. And it actually works - dig in the garden and plant a seed."

Thomas added: "You get a lot more accuracy. Recently I've been playing Civilization and Sim City, and I think Viva Pinata fits into the same mold, like god-type games, which work well with the flexibility and sensitivity that the stylus and touch screen offer."

The full Gamasutra interview with Cook and Thomas about things Viva Pinata, the state of Rare, and life at the developer post-Stampers will be posted in the near future.

[LordRavenBlack]

Man, I'm getting more and more excited about this game by the minute. I will actually put down Halo 3 for this...

*Runs from mob of Halo fans*

[Zap657]

This does look pretty sweet, I had recently re-started playing games like this on my DS anyway (AC:WW (http://youtube.com/watch?v=TECX4GKe1aw), why do I love it so much?), so it's perfect timing

[LordRavenBlack]

That video freakin rocked! Your on fire today Zap. :)

I also love AC:WW. You should see my town, seriously... and no, I don't have AR.. :p

[Dragonknight251]

*Ahem* Going back to the topic...

The details stating from the dev-team makes it sound exciting...But does it state it fact? Personally, I would like to see this myself, you know, just to see the details coming from the console and inside a small handheld. How much technology advances... I'll never know...

[FeralKitty]

The scary thing is that it seems like I'll be buying a DS just to play this. Chalk a sale up to Justin Cook and James Thomas.

[Dragonknight251]

The scary thing is that it seems like I'll be buying a DS just to play this. Chalk a sale up to Justin Cook and James Thomas.

Can it be that scary...I mean...The DS might bring in more to interest you...I'm guessing...Hehe...

[FeralKitty]

Why is it scary, Feral? The DS version sounds intriguing enough...but why is it scary...even for you, Feral? HAHA!!:D

Your original post made me laugh, so I'm quoting that one! ;)

Well, because I'm 47 and never have had an interest in hand-held gaming. I've moved from gaming on the PC to the Xbox 360. (It's my first game console.) Getting a DS seems so... unnatural for me. :p

[Dragonknight251]

Your original post made me laugh, so I'm quoting that one! ;)

(*Glass breaks*...Feral caught me...AND quoted me...oh...)

Well, because I'm 47 and never have had an interest in hand-held gaming. I've moved from gaming on the PC to the Xbox 360. (It's my first game console.) Getting a DS seems so... unnatural for me. :p

Oh...I see...kinda like me having a XBox after obtaining the Nintendo and Sony consoles throughout my life...yeah...I know how it would feel...HAHA!!:D

[Zap657]

Heh...DK and his WoW ;) :p

The DS isn't that bad, It's the only handheld that actually entertains me.

[Dragonknight251]

Heh...DK and his WoW ;) :p

Oh my!! Never bring that up! Again! *Clears throat*

The DS isn't that bad, It's the only handheld that actually entertains me.

Haha! Yeah...it is! HAHA!!:D

[BIGsheep]

The scary thing is that it seems like I'll be buying a DS just to play this. Chalk a sale up to Justin Cook and James Thomas.Damn, we should have made sure we were on comission.

Seriously, though, the DS is probably on a par with the 360 as my favourite console but I just never get to play it as much as I want. With games like Animal Crossing, Mario Kart and Meteos there is something for everyone on there.

I took a gamble on it when it first came out; the first generation of software wasn't startlingly impressive but the potential was there and I haven't been disappointed.