Microsoft Game Studios announced that Rare's latest videogame, Viva Piñata, has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. This Xbox 360 game is already proving to be a merchandising powerhouse with its own carton on the 4Kids TV Saturday morning cartoon block, a line of toys and a series of party favors and other goodies from American Greetings.

But the real focus of this franchise is this freshly released virtual Piñata world where players raise and care for wayward Piñata while staving off the bad ones with a variety of god-sim like powers. The game features the races highlighted in the cartoon series including Horstachios, Fizzlybears, Fudgehogs, Mousemallows, Elephanillas and Pretztails - with a total of 60 species of wild piñata that you can care for.

Viva Piñata gameplay will also be extended through the Xbox Live, allowing Xbox Live Gold subscribers to connect with friends, family or other players from around the globe to trade items from their piñata paradise - everything from the smallest plant to the largest piñata. Players with the free Xbox Live Silver membership also can trade items. And Xbox Live will offer accessories for download into the game to personalize piñata collections.

Viva Piñata has begun shipping to stores today, and it will continue to be rolled out to retailers throughout the U.S. and worldwide through Dec. 2. A two-disc Viva Piñata Special Edition is also available, giving consumers some extra Viva Piñata goodies. You can learn more about this promising game by checking out www.xbox.com .