The Nintendo DS incarnation of Rare Ltd.'s beloved Viva Piñata franchise, Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise, is finally dated. Well, almost. Slated to be released sometime this fall, Pocket Paradise will let gamers convert an abandoned garden into a veritable paradise, much like the original game in the Xbox 360.

Unlike the first Viva Piñata game, gamers will be able to create and fully develop a garden filled with Piñatas in a short amount of time with the new Playground mode. Of course, there will also be new species of Piñata this time around, all of them having their own set of requirements, type of houses, and their own cutscenes.

The characters from the Viva Piñata animated series in Fox 4Kids will also make an appearance in the game, in order to guide newcomers on Pinata Island on how to build the perfect garden. These include Fergy Fudgehog, Paulie Pretzel, and yes, Hudson Horstachio.

Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise certainly looks good at this point, and we're also glad that Pocket Paradise can be played on short intervals from time to time, making it perfect for pick-up-and-play gaming. More details to come!