I second that. At first, I started playing to "help" her get it up and running. After three hours had gone by and I was still playing, I realized I wasn't just playing it for her anymore.....
A nice change of pace from the shooters and other games I usually play....
I love Viva Pinata, and it actually got my wife to pick up a controller. Still havnt bought it, probably should, but i get 2 free Blockbuster game rentals a month, and just keep renting it, keeping it a week over due, bring it back, and rent it again the next week.
I played gears for a bit last night at casual difficulty, and playing it reminded me that I suck at action/adventure games. I haven't been any good at these kind of games since Quake II. Makes me wish there was a level easier than "casual" like "noob".
And, Viva Pinata was good but fast. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I managed to get to level 5 after a couple of hours of pressing buttons.
Live Arcade is more my speed. UNO, Hexic, Crystal Quest, Ms. Pacman and such are easy to play for a quick gaming session whenever I want.
I must be getting old as I've been playing more DVD's than games on my 360.
GOW is really good and addictive, I agree with blueaurora, you will curse and love this game so many times...
As for the difficulty, give it some time, once you get familiar with the commands you will be shooting those locusts like crazy!!!