Although we probably won’t ever be seeing Mario on the Xbox,
one of Microsoft’s latest franchises will be hitting a Nintendo system.
Microsoft announced at Comic Con that Viva Piñata is headed to the Nintendo DS. The title will be based
off the current title for Xbox 360 (also slated for the PC later this year)
rather than the Party Animals
mini-games package. The Microsoft-owned game developer studio Rare will be
handling the development of this title in-house.
Rare describes the upcoming title in a news update on its
website, “This is a full-size Viva Piñata
game in your pocket, featuring not only the entire range of paper beasts from
the Xbox 360 title but also a few new ones thrown in to spice things up for
those familiar with the established cast.”
Clearly the move from the powerful Xbox 360 to the
mass-market-friendly Nintendo portable system will bring about some changes in
the game – though perhaps not as many as one may expect. In fact, the DS
version may be even more appealing with its support for the Nintendo Wi-Fi
Connection.
“One of the biggest changes is obviously the control method,
with stylus input transforming the way in which you interact with your
menagerie. Design, nurture, instruct, protect and care for your garden and
animals through direct touch,” detailed Rare. “The DS Wi-Fi service also lets
you send prime Piñata specimens to your friends, making the act of parading
your Doenut around in a humiliating pirate outfit easier than ever.”
Rare is no stranger to Nintendo. UK-based developer Rare was
previously a Nintendo-exclusive developer until Microsoft acquired a 51 percent
share from the two founders of Rare. The software giant also purchased Nintendo’s
49 percent interest in Rare, making the developer officially under the banner
of Microsoft Games Studios. Microsoft paid a reported $377 million in 2002 for
full ownership of Rare.