9. Viva Pinata (2006)
I'm not going to lie, for years I wrote Viva Pinata off as a dumb, gaudy casual game designed exclusively for children and I think you'll forgive me for that. Because that's
exactly what it looks like on the surface. However, stick Viva Pinata in your system and play for just one hour and I guarantee you'll come away surprised; surprised by the level of immersion; at the compelling playability and at the stunning beauty of the whole thing in action. Viva Pinata is much more than just a cute romp through a world infested with brightly coloured critters. It boasts
surprising levels of depth and innovation and can, if you let it, consume hours and hours of your life at a time, as you grow and maintain your garden and work to attract the biggest and best pinatas. The problem here is that Viva Pinata was an extremely tough sell; not quite marketed at either children
or adults it's the kind of thing that both demographics stumble across accidentally while looking for something to spend a £4 voucher on at a second hand game store. It's a shame really. Viva Pinata is
much better than it looks on the box and definitely deserved more widespread recognition that it's ever likely to enjoy.