Episode 734: Third Party Showcases

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Among the discussions are the original 1997 Backyard Baseball finally coming to Steam, the original Horizon Zero Dawn removed from Epic Games Store, Hi-Fi Rush 2 already in development six months when Krafton acquired Tango Gameworks and Mario + Rabbids director and Red Dead Redemption lead designer found new studio Day 4 Night.

The news includes:

  • Everything revealed in State of Play September 2024
  • Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024 Broadcast
  • Sea of Stars free content update Dawn of Equinox adds local co-op, revamped prologue

Let us know what you think.

The post Episode 734: Third Party Showcases first appeared on Gaming Podcast.

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Viva Piñata: Trouble in ParadiseViva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise

Once upon a time Rare though they had a winner; a game which would end all the confusion between a hardcore console and a kiddie console. Viva Piñata was supposed to change the way we think about Xbox 360 gaming by showing off a title that would make children feel more inclined to game on a “big boys console.”

Unfortunately, execution of Rare’s new franchise title came with a few rough patches, namely Gears of War. Earlier on they had press releases and conferences about how this game was going to interact with users, inspire them to watch Viva Piñata the cartoon to get new recipes for the game which would allow you to create new breeds of Piñata. There were a few flaws in the plan. They didn’t hype the game enough prior to the release and then they decided to launch the game during the over-hyped Gears of War title.

Oddly enough my children (two and four years of age) would rather watch Sponge Bob and Dora reruns than a single episode of Viva Piñata. I thought the show was cute and the bright colors and crazy creatures would draw children like moths to a flame, but they just didn’t care.

My children were too young to play the first Viva Piñata and it didn’t provide enough interest for them to watch me play it and invest the hours. I found the game to be creative and fun… for awhile. Once my happy little Piñatas started eating each other and fighting constantly I realized the joy was gone. If I want to listen to screaming and fighting I’ve got my own children, babysitting Piñatas in a fake garden just wasn’t doing it for me.

Now, Viva Piñata: Trouble in paradise has been given a date of September by Eurogamer. Rare is stating we’ll have 30 new Piñata’s to play with along with new environments, co-op play and other cute options. Admittingly, Drop-in/Drop-out co-op play does sound kind of neat but my emotional scares from the first title have not healed yet.

I was told there would be a great deal of downloadable content (DLC) for Viva Piñata. but found nothing available after I purchased the game and, if content exists now, I’ve long since lost interest in the game. The idea was solid, the demographic was available but the execution went flat. You cannot expect older gamers with children to believe Microsoft or Rare are planning to give us real kids games when you release a single title and show us no other kids games for two years.

At this point, if you’re looking for a console with more kid-friendly gaming you’re going to buy a Wii every single time. Titles on the Wii work for both young adults, teenagers, kids and older grandparents while the 360 goes strong with the 18-34 year-old male demographic.

If you want to be serious about bringing kids on board, Viva Piñata is going to need some friends not just a single sequel. Otherwise, you’re going to find out quick that the 18-34 demographic will simply nod politely and move on to their next great fix… Gears of War 2 perhaps (November, 2008).

If the upcoming Viva Piñata franchise executes like its prior title there will definitely be some trouble in paradise.

Gaming Podcast 126: Wii-niss EnvyGaming Podcast 126: Wii-niss Envy

This week we’re finishing our E3 reactions along with our reaction to the recent iPhone/iPod Touch news and their new gaming initiative. Our gaming flashback flies back to After Burner and our game history is all about Yu Suzuki a huge SEGA developer. The news this week includes:

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  • Microsoft envisions 10 year lifespan for Xbox 360
  • Activision Disappointed by no price cuts at E3
  • Michael Pachter thinks the motion control from Sony and Microsoft won’t topple the Wii
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Don’s question of the week, what is your favorite controller and what game controller do you hate the most? Thanks for the GREAT responses to last weeks question, so many creative answers.