Rare has posted up an FAQ for anybody interested in Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, and I know you’re interested — unless you have a heart made out of twigs and glass shards. The game is adorable and you love it.
Among Rare’s answers to the frequently asked questions is word of a release window (September 2008) and the promise of thirty new piñata species for you to fiddle around with, which you’d know if you read Hamza’s hands-on impressions. The Live Camera integration is really interesting, and shows that Rare did learn something from its long association with Nintendo.
One disappointment is the fact that there seems to be no interaction between the last Viva Piñata and this new one. I was going to get my hands on the old one again to finally finish it off before the sequel, but I think I’ll wait for Trouble in Paradise now.
Ah well, it’s looking and sounding like good old-fashioned fun, at any rate. Hit the jump for the full FAQ.
Q. When will the game be available? Will it be available in my region?
The game will be released in September 2008, although no specific details are known yet if/when the game will be available for different countries.
Q. Will a demo be available on the Marketplace?
Yes. A demo is expected on the Marketplace before the game is released.
Q. Will Trouble in Paradise be available for the PC?
No announcement has been made about a Games for Windows version, nor is it known if a port to the PC will be available down the road.
Q. How many new species are in the game?
There are 30 new species. The wiki’s Trouble in Paradise species category, or the forum’s New Pinatas thread have more information (about the ones that we know of so far).
Q. Are there wildcards in the game?
Yes. Each species will have three wildcard versions, that can be discovered through your own experience and skill (in the romance mini-game). Exact requirements to obtain them aren’t known yet, although it is certain that lower-level species wildcards will be easier to obtain than higher-level species.
Q. Can you send pinatas from Classic to Trouble in Paradise?
No. Pinatas are not tradable between Viva Pinata: Classic and Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise.
Q. Is it necessary to have an Xbox Live camera to play Trouble in Paradise?
No. Although the camera will enable a gamer to scan a Pinata Vision card, such as for changing the weather or trading a pinata, all features of the game are still available to non-camera gamers. The camera simply serves as an alternate method to interact with the game.
For gamers without Xbox Live, Pinata Vision will open up the world of trading via the camera, allowing them to now receive pinatas via downloadable cards.
You can read more about Pinata Vision in PinataIsland.info’s exclusive interview.
Q. Where do we get the Pinata Vision cards? Do we have to buy them?
Pinata Vision cards will be freely available online, and possibly found in print media. It’s expected that some promotional cards may come from Rare. Gamers can also make their own cards, which can be used to trade a specific pinata. Visitors to the wiki can expect to see downloadable cards within the species articles, shortly after the game is released.
Q. Is there new terrain? New plants and trees?
Yes. Both sand and snow terrain are available, along with the ability to visit the Desert and Pinarctic regions of the island. New plants and trees will also be available.
Q. What about online co-op or visiting another player’s garden?
It’s not known yet if the game will support online features.
Q. I have questions that this FAQ doesn’t answer. Where do I go?
You can check the forum’s Post your questions about Trouble in Paradise thread for other answers, or visit the wiki’s Trouble in Paradise article.
