

It's great to ease new players in, but it needs a faster ramp up and less tutorial. The game also doesn't know when to let go of your hand. The mating minigame (which bored the life out of me in the first game) is slightly different, but still far too repetitive and easy. While the base gaemplay has improved, some elements still underperform. All of your tools can be selected from the directional pad, and you now have the ability to direct pinata to desired locations. Control over the garden is remarkably easy as well. The streamlined menu management means you'll no longer spend needless amounts of time in the store. If you have no interest in sharing your garden or its contents, the single-player experience is far better than the original game. This method is enjoyable, but the rubberband effect of keeping players in the same area can lead to some frustration. Just plug in a second controller and your friend can help you on the same screen. If your Xbox 360 isn't connected online, cooperative play is still available. This is an amazing shared experience that pushes player to coordinate their efforts, and conversely, veer off the beaten path to try a strategy that may have set the garden back in single player. If one player treks off to a different zone to catch a new critter, the other players stay in the garden, working on its progress. You can now create a garden with three friends over Xbox Live, and depending on how close you are with them, you can limit their interactions or grant them complete control over your garden.

This sequel delivers a deeper and more enjoyable experience, but its biggest draw, surprisingly, is the interaction it allows with fellow gamers. The challenge of discovering how to lure specific animals to my garden without cluttering my artistic design kept evolving as the game went on.

The first Viva Pinata title won me over with its strategy and customization. Turning a small plot of land into a thriving sanctuary where animals play and procreate may sound like an enterprise better suited for PETA than couch-bound gamers, but you'd be surprised just how addictive this sandbox experience can be.
