Portable Viva Pinata synergizes with Xbox 360 sequel

Touch screen controls probably fit Viva Pinata better than a cursor controlled by an analog stick. We'll find out soon if this is an accurate assessment when THQ publishes Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise on the Nintendo DS. The portable version will go on sale this fall, around the same time as Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise comes out on the Xbox 360.

While Viva Pinata was not the Xbox 360 blockbuster Microsoft hoped it would be, the Nintendo DS version could draw a younger crowd to the console. Kids who love the TV show will ask their parents to buy them the DS game with seven new pinata species, animated cut scenes and wireless item trading. After they get hooked into playing the DS game, they can nag their parents to purchase an Xbox 360 with the newly released Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. In addition to the lure of shiner pinatas Microsoft has another family friendly game coming out at the same time, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.

Could this combination capture the tween and younger crowd relying on their parents to purchase their console?

Images courtesy of Rare.