Hands On Previews

[jimmcq]

From Kotaku's First Impressions (http://kotaku.com/5013515/first-impressions-of-viva-pinata-pocket-paradise) of Pocket Paradise:
Judging by what I saw, THQ's aiming to take what fans of the original Viva Pinata liked best and put it front-and-center, while also making it portable and by tying it in to the TV series in the hopes of opening frilly neon pinata guts and raining candy down on a whole new audience of fans.

http://kotaku.com/assets/images/kotaku/2008/06/vpds1.jpg http://kotaku.com/assets/images/kotaku/2008/06/vpds2.jpg

[charlietheunicorn]

Pretztails look good. Same with First Impression.

[kirbypalua]

This game is looking super awesome so far! The pretztails look adorable and the graphics are amazing for a portable system! I'm really excited to see the final product.

[pinataFan626001]

Is there any videos that we can watch gameplay of the game. Just like PINATAcast did with the Trouble In Paradise gameplay.

[Zap657]

Here's (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vpppscan1copyre3.gif) the (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vpppscan2dp9.gif) scans. (http://img140.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vpppscan3ou6.gif)

Among other things:

-One variant per pinata (what about the flutterscotches?)
-Romance minigame gone
-New screens
-Passing mention of Jeli

[pinataFan626001]

So you mean that when you romance the pinatas who won't have to do the minigames. And do you also mean that the Jeli WILL be in the game or not. If the minigame thing is right, then that sucks, I like the games. But if the Jeli's right YAY! If wrong BOO!

[pinatalover500]

What? If the romance maze is gone and there only is 1 variant, that ruins some of the fun!

[charlietheunicorn]

No. I hated the RMGs! And, one vrient is cool laso.

[kirbypalua]

Is there any way to get a larger image? I can't read it...

[Zap657]

Click on the pics and it zooms in

And do you also mean that the Jeli WILL be in the game or not.

Read it for yourself, there's no definitive answer.

[Newtgat]

Hey, the journal looks a lot better than I expected! Well, just about everything I see exceeds my expectations. :mrgreen:

(what about the flutterscotches?)
I'm not complaining if they're left out of the game, I nearly went mad breeding them in Classic.

[BIGsheep]

I haven't seen any DS videos surface and know of no footage officially filmed but if I find any I will post it.

[jimmcq]

Eurogamer has a bunch on new info on their Pocket Paradise page (http://www.eurogamer.net/game.php?game_id=8148) including a Hands On preview (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=149255) and several new videos.

Your garden occupies the touch-screen, and is about four screens by four in size. You can push the camera around by drawing the stylus to the edges of the screen, tapping on a d-pad symbol in the bottom-right corner, or using the d-pad itself. Moving piñata around is a matter of tapping on them to select and then dragging to where you want them to go, or tapping on the item or piñata you want them to interact with.

[BIGsheep]

Wow. We've gone from no videos to a shed full. Watching them should give everyone a good idea how everything translates from Xbox to handheld... in short, very nicely.

[jimmcq]

Here's a snippet from Destructoid's Pocket Paradise preview (http://www.destructoid.com/pew-pew-preview-viva-pinata-pocket-paradise-89577.phtml):
Pocket Paradise makes good use of the DS' two screens, with an uncluttered touch screen that displays your garden and allows for hands-on control, and a top screen that hits you with real-time statistics and pertinent information. Being able to see how much of your garden is made up of water at a mere glance becomes incredibly handy, especially when trying to make certain piñata come to visit. You can also swap the screens around to quickly access more information if needed. The layout is very well designed and makes garden maintenance more efficient than it was on home consoles.

[jimmcq]

TVG has posted their Hands On Preview (http://www.totalvideogames.com/articles/Viva_Pinata_Pocket_Paradise_-_Hands_On_13339.htm) of Pocket Paradise:
Employing a more structured approach to the game then the generally vague openness of the original, Pocket Paradise features a total of 12 episodes that serve as tutorials to entice new gamers into the experience. Hudson Horstachio, Fergy Fudgehog, and other favourites from the TV series provide plenty of tips and techniques to enjoying and more importantly understanding what Viva Pinata is all about. Upon completing the initial four episodes the main garden becomes unlocked, signalling the start of the proper game.

[ ... ]

Romance sweets appear to play a slightly different role in Pocket Paradise, acting as the reward for the mini-missions that randomly appear throughout the game. No longer as abundant, the sweets instantly satisfy a Pinata's demands for the birds and the bees (or perhaps the Sparrowmints and Buzzlegums).

[jimmcq]

VideoGamer.com preview: http://www.videogamer.com/ds/viva_pinata/preview-1009.html

Rare was keen to point out that the game has been designed to be playable using only the DS' stylus. Optional button controls are included, such as the ability to scroll around your garden using the d-pad or face buttons, but it's just as easy to use the stylus, either dragging around the screen or by touching the directional icon in the lower right corner. Interacting with things is equally simple. Simply tap the item or Piñata you want to interact with or gain more information about and it'll be selected. Job done.

[jimmcq]

Anyone that speaks German care to translate? http://www.nintendofront.de/test-354-241-Viva_Pi_ata__Pocket_Paradise.html

Or you can try the Google translated version: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nintendofront.de%2Fte st-354-241-Viva_Pi_ata__Pocket_Paradise.html&sl=de&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

[jimmcq]

French anyone? http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00009160-viva-pinata-pocket-paradise-paradise-preview.htm

Google Translator: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jeuxvideo.com%2Fartic les%2F0000%2F00009160-viva-pinata-pocket-paradise-paradise-preview.htm&sl=fr&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

[n64player]

Wow, that's alot of previews! I got my grandparents to translate to english, the translations weren't quite working for me.

[jimmcq]

and one from play.tm: http://play.tm/story/18724

For the DS, the perspective has been fixed, so you can't twirl the camera around, or zoom in and out, although the garden is almost as large at four full DS screens, and the amount of action underway on-screen can be equally impressive. The textures have unsurprisingly been toned down a bit, but the world is still colourful and appealing, meaning you can still take pride in your garden's appearance, while also taking joy in the presence of the Piñata species you attract to your virtual 'allotment'.