Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

Xbox 360.
The sweet life.
Gardens – respite of the city dweller, haunt of the horticulturist and playpen of Monty Mole. If you're lucky enough to live somewhere with a spot of green (as opposed to a slab of rusty concrete and some mutant pigeons), then i'm sure you'll appreciate the work that goes into tending to such an urban paradise. Me, i've got some hassle free decking and not a lawn mower in sight. As much as I love to relax in a garden (a pox upon thee for ever saying chillax), I hate gardening. Perhaps i'm work shy (150+ hours of grinding in Final Fantasy VII would say not), more likely it just doesn't tick my box. Which is odd then, as Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise does just that.
Essentially a day-glo, Pokemon-a-like garden simulator that sees you cultivating plants, raising Pinata and shipping them off to parties round the world, Viva Pinata replaces animals with multicoloured papier mache-alikes, blood with candy and Charlie Dimmock with some very strange people. Or at least, stranger. 
The first in the series was quite a leap for the 360. Stereotypically home to hyper violent 'shooter-them-up murder simulators', its arrival was a splash of contrast aimed at sucking in new gamers to Microsoft's fold. And it did all right. But there were things missing that the new candy addicts demanded, such as online play. And here they are, wrapped up in a sequel that's more redux yet seven shades closer to perfection.
Fine tuning the experience, Trouble in Paradise takes the core ideas (gardening, collecting Pinata) and runs with them, streamlining the interface and introducing co-op and online play, plenty more Pinata and a whole host of features to customise your garden with like themed object packs. 
It also feels more directed – with challenges to complete and goals to meet, you'll never get lost in the freeform gardening and with an extra person thrown into the mix, the experience has proven to be even richer than before. 
Admittedly, despite all the new bells and whistles, there's not a whole lot of progression on show. But to fans of the original, all the changes are welcome and worth losing yourself to the addictive, simple yet deep gameplay again, proving that there's more to the 360 than guns and foul mouthed teens. Unlike your own garden perhaps...
8/10