Viva Piñata

1001 Video Games

Viva Piñata appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

References

One of the info screens in the game states: "Use the D-pad to make a real-time tool change and wallop Seedos' weak point for massive seedage". With this sentence, Rare takes a stab at Bill Rich's speech while presenting Genji: Days of the Blade at the E3 2006 game show. He mentioned the game features "[...]Real-time[...]weapon change[...]" and said (about a giant crab) "You attack its weak point for massive damage". These have evolved into internet memes and are also referenced in other games.

During the beginning, when the player smashes junk in their garden, one of the items is a Grabbed by the Ghoulies arcade game. This is a reference to the occasional game gag of dissing the developers' previous mess-ups. The home for the Crowla is modeled after the haunted mansion from Grabbed by the Ghoulies.

TV Series

There is a childrens' television series based on the game. It was created by 4Kids Entertainment, the company that did the voices of the characters. The show airs on 4Kids TV on Saturday mornings.

Awards

• GameSpy
  • 2006 – #7 Console Game of the Year
  • 2006 – #3 Xbox 360 Game of the Year
  • 2006 – Xbox 360 Strategy Game of the Year

Information also contributed by Nelson340, Robstein, and SteamTheCat.