First impressions: 'Viva Pinata'

I can't put it any better than one AGI chatter put it: This game is like crack.

Pulling away from the activities of tending my garden so I can watch paper creatures bumble and wander into it has proven nearly impossible. Instead of figuring out how to improve myself in "Gears" multiplayer, I'm now obsessed with finding a way for fudgehogs to stay on my patch of land. The cuteness of the pinatas is off the charts, so I would actually feel sad if something happened to them. What the hell? I was just chainsawing Locusts to relax mere hours ago.

I also found that simply playing it puts me in a good mood. Bright colors, fluffy animals and cute sounds are powerful weapons, especially in next-gen.

However, one strange aspect is the "romancing" between two pinatas, where they dance to woo each other, go into their little house and then a patterned egg arrives a few minutes later -- which then hatches another pinata. It's all very innocent and harmless.

What's weird to see is that there's no real concept of social taboos when it comes to the romancing ... technically, I can take one of the freshly born and matured pinatas and cause it to "romance" one of the pinatas that helped create it in the first place. Think about that ... then explain that to the kids. Maybe not. You know what, forget I said anything. Just keep gardening.