Viva Piñata DS details

Rare has revealed that Viva Piñata on DS will be a "full-size Viva Piñata game in your pocket" rather than some cheap approximation, and is being developed in-house. Good!

That means that you'll be able to take over a rundown garden and build it up by laying down grass, seeding plants and trees and working to attract local animals - piñata - to come and make it their home. And then "do" one another rampantly.

Writing on its website, the Twycross-based developer said the DS title would be completely stylus-controlled and include "not only the entire range of paper beasts from the Xbox 360 title, but also a few new ones thrown in to spice things up for those familiar with the established cast".

There will also be new game modes - a Sandbox offering to allow you "full and easy access to your favourite piñatas" and Episodes, which will tie in with the TV series "allowing fans of the show to spend quality time with familiar faces".

You'll also be able to use wireless networking to send piñata to friends (although whether that means over the internet is slightly ambiguous), while fans can also look forward to an expanded selection of tools and tool actions and upgraded Journal and Encyclopaedia elements.

As you can see from the first screenshot, they're not mucking about, either. Seriously, other developers might as well give up now. It's so over.