You know a game is aimed at the younger generation when you start up the actual game and are represented with lots of over eccentric singing and dancing animals eating candy, I couldn’t help but laugh. But Of course in every review we have to keep the audience in mind, because not every game is aimed at the ever increasing hardcore gamer, there are also a lot of games that are aimed at children or try to encompass a ‘global audience’. This obviously affects the ratings as expectations vary considerably, or at least they should do.

Here, this is no different as this game, unlike its predecessor, is specifically aimed at the younger generation and family. I feel here that Microsoft are trying to bring ‘Wii’ like games onto the Xbox 360, but I state ‘try’ for a reason, as games like this really should be left to Nintendo as they know what they are doing.

There is no story to this game as it is a ‘party’ game. There is a setup where you can choose whether to have a practice run or custom game, which allows you to choose how many events and races. Then there's the normal competition mode which is split into short, medium and long; that is it really for customization. The first major problem though lies within this screen; a competition on medium will take you about 20 minutes to complete, and this is including five out of the seven race tracks and ten out of the sixty available games; you will have done everything within 2 hours of playing it. My definition of a party game is ‘a mixture of many different games or features which are short, simple but fun and replayable. The issue with this game though is that it falls short on the definition almost completely as the features are very few, or at least they don’t last long enough. This is not really giving Microsoft the leeway with this franchise.

Gameplay:

Although I brought this review to a negative start, the core gameplay mechanics and complete concept of the game isn’t bad at all, to be honest it’s actually quite nice to have a party/multiplayer orientated game on the Xbox 360 as it’s something that Microsoft has tended to shy away from in the past. I personally enjoy competitive games like these, as they’re good fun to play with mates, and this game is no different.

The controls are very simple and mostly base themselves around the ‘A’ button and analogue stick. The developers have obviously thought about who will be playing this game. The races, which are the main events, are very enjoyable too as it plays very much like Mario Kart. You race against three other players around a track, dodging obstacles and picking up pots which give you power-ups to use against your competitors. It’s fast paced and the gameplay doesn’t loose interest too quickly. But that’s about where the enjoyment stops in this game, as there isn’t much else to it.

The downsides are when you get to the mini games, as about 80% of them end up making you fight for sweets in one way or another, they aren’t that varied at all. To be honest, there might as well just be twenty games, as you use the same two buttons for most of the game and you can play them all blindfolded against the AI and still win. After the first few races I got bored of having to do the mini games and just wanted continuous race games, but couldn't due to the lack of customization. The races themselves don't last very long as the races are about four minutes long and there are only seven race tracks. You’ll get an idea of what the mini games are like once you’ve played the first ten, as they seem to follow the same formula over and over again. You’ll either be trying to shoot or hit something as many times as possible, or eat sweets in a slightly different circumstance which doesn’t affect the gameplay at all, none of it is refreshing or unique. It is like the developers had completely run out of ideas quite early on in the game's development.

In the end, with this game you’ll be playing it just to get the achievements or just for the competitive value of winning, and not for the game itself. Once you’ve played the mini games that do have variety it is actually more appealing to beat the other player’s at the end, and of course this will only be satisfying if you have other human players to play against; although even this will loose its juice fairly soon as you need a party game to capture your attention span, this eventually does the opposite.

Graphics:

The developers seem to have put more attention into the art work, graphics and surroundings than they’ve actually done with the gameplay. It’s a very colourful, eye catching and characteristic game and it suits the purpose extremely well. Okay, the textures on items and buildings are quite bland and it’s definitely not as good looking as the vibrant Eternal Sonata, but it’s substantial for the target audience and purpose in mind, but maybe a little too much.

I don’t think the developers really thought about what makes a party game good, or what makes a party game a party game, because the gameplay doesn’t match the level of the graphics. Obviously more research into Nintendo and Nintendo Wii games needs to be done before making an Xbox version.

Sound:

Music and sound effects match the graphics and the game very well. The music is eccentric, like the graphics, and the sound effects are fairly over the top, like a kids party game should be.

It tends to play out like a kids show with the use of cut scenes. Lot’s of singing, dancing, shouting and quite silly phrases from the characters are constantly being blurted out. So research has been done on how the game should be presented musically.

On the other hand, some of the sound effects in the mini games do seem insufficient, for example when you’re shooting a target it doesn’t ‘feel’ like you’re shooting a target but you’re instead constantly mashing the ‘A’ button making it fairly repetitive. I found the music can be very annoying in the menus, while the tracks are good there really aren’t enough of them to keep the mood satisfying.

Longevity:

While this game should be replayable for a very long time, you’ll actually be lucky if this game lasts you a couple of days.

60 mini games sounds very big, but you might as well be playing 10 different mini games. The game would actually be more replayable if there were 30 unique mini games instead of 60 non unique mini games. The race tracks are fun and well thought out, although they don’t last long though as you can’t edit a single thing on them. The race spans for one lap and that takes a maximum of four minutes to complete, and although they vary, you will probably have had enough of playing one track after you’ve played it twice.

There is a live mode, which allows you to play all these games online and this is a nice little addition, the problem being though is that for the audience this is aimed at it’s barely suitable. I doubt many parents will be allowing their five or seven your old child play with three other random Internet strangers, and seeing as this game isn’t for the older generation I doubt there will be many playing this game in the first place considering there is an age limit to be a Live subscriber I do believe.

The option screen is pretty much useless and it is pathetic. With a grand total of five options it looks unfinished and it provides no sense of variety as the games is that short and easy you might as well leave it on the ‘long’ game mode.

Overall:

The potential in this game was large, as there is in all ‘party’ games, this time though it really wasn’t fulfilled. What could have been a good start to a new genre with the Xbox 360 console, has now become a ‘keep to your Nintendo multiplayer/competitive party games as they are much better’ type scenario.

Yes, the game looks and sounds very good, and would score a ten for presentation and theme, but for content the main meat of any game, it scores a dismal 6 as there isn’t enough variety, or enough ‘game’, to keep the younger child interested, never mind an adult.

Due to a lack of diversity and interest within the party games, the extreme shortness of the competition mode and a lack of options within the ‘options’ screen, I’d be surprised if you play this more than thirty minutes a sitting. If this is the kind of game you wish to play for about twenty minutes a time then I don’t see it worth your £40 cash. If that is so, you might as well save up for a ‘Wii’, if you haven’t already got one, or stick to your Nintendo Cube, as games on there are much more appealing and suitable for your tastes. The developers really need to step up their game, if they are to offer a fully fledged party game using the Viva Pinata license that has mass appeal.