Pikmin

Learning when and how to make the best use of your Pikmins' skills and traits is the essence of the game. You can control up to 100 Pikmin at a time while figuring out which Pikmin are best suited for a particular task. Some are better fighters, while others can survive in water or handle explosive bomb rocks. However, even the best Pikmin herder will have to sacrifice a few of the plant-headed beasts for the greater good. It's the making of new strategies to minimize losses that makes Pikmin challenging and fun.

For a first-generation GameCube title, the graphics, sound, and music are fantastic and show an awesome amount of detail. Though it's no Pokémon, this game should appeal to wide-eyed younger gamers as well as seasoned vets. The controls are intuitive and feel perfect for the standard GameCube controller. However, learning to position the camera can be a tad frustrating during some of the more tense moments, as it has only a few magnification levels and needs constant adjustment.

The biggest obstacle Olimar faces is time. He has only 30 days (each day is about 15 minutes in real time) in which to find the necessary parts. While this keeps the pace of the game up, some may find such limits somewhat frustrating, as it means there will be a lot of repetition and rethinking of strategy. It also means that diligent gamers may find Pikmin a rather short game.

At the end of your gaming day, Pikmin is one of the best games on the GameCube. --Mark Brooks

Pros:

• Very innovative and original
• Gorgeous graphics
• Great sound and music
• Amazing blend of action and strategy

• Time limit causes players to repeat tasks
• Experienced strategy gamers may find Pikmin ends too quickly
• Difficult to control camera during tense moments

Thankyou,
*Vapor*


THE gamecube seller 2001!   November 22, 2001
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

Playing the Japanese version of this game at the moment and all i can say is that i've not felt this excited about a game since playing Zelda : Ocarina of Time for the first time. This game OOZES Miyamoto - it's magical. Definitely the sleeper title of all Gamecube 2001 games, this game will sell purely by word of mouth, it really is that good. Buy it, play it, FEEL it for yourself. Don't be put off by the point and click nature of Pikmin. Nintendo have somehow successfully managed to squeeze in a lot of different gameplay ideas into a FUN game that anyone can play. This will appeal to adults in the same way they are drawn to the Harry Potter phenomenen. Trust me - buy it, you will not be disappointed.


Pikmin E3   October 9, 2001
27 out of 30 found this review helpful

I first played Pikmin during E3 2001 in California earlier this year. I instantly fell in love with this game and really enjoyed it. The graphics during E3 were excellent with few problems, and the gameplay was great. I wasn't able to play this game very long, but it was one of the most fun games I played at E3, and I can't wait to play this game more.


Miyamoto has scuplted the GameCube's first classic   November 24, 2001
Sixto Limiac (I Don't Know!)
25 out of 28 found this review helpful

What happens when gaming guru, Shigeru Miyamoto, is oppressed with the role as the integral man for masterminding the next Zelda and Metriod titles? From the production of Pikmin, it seems as if he seizes a deep, consoling breath and rips open a bag full of relaxation. Ah, finally all that dreadful anxiety and flagrant expectations from gaming fans everywhere wash away. His sheer brilliance veers into a jaunty, animated dream world. Conclusively, he creates a bizarre game where players are ferried onto a planet where replicas of giant onions come alive and spawn multicolored, cutesy creatures called Pikmin. Perhaps Miyamoto's latest game is a minor escape from the daunting task of transcending the GameCube into unreachable stratum? Whatever the case, Pikmin is not what would we ordinarily expect as a first-class launch title, but it doesn't even fall short to deliver one addictive gem.

The player assumes the responsibility of Captain Orima who looks like a freshly baked character from Cartoon Network. With a big, round nose, a mini space outfit, and a fish bowl for a helmet, it's hard not to think about pummeling the daylights outta' the adorable twerp. Orima's story is basically a cakewalk. The captain opts to go on vacation through space, in the duration of his flight, he has a sensible meal of onions when a sudden meteor slams onto his rocket. Surviving the plunge onto an alien planet, Orima's ship has disintegrated into fragments spread across the land. He must now retrieve the primary ship parts with the aid of the affable and obedient Pikmin before his spacesuit loses function.

Playing in Real Time, Pikmin, at the core, is a strategy game. At the start, the player sets off with a single, trusty Pikmin and is required to feed a three-legged onion with pellets or butchered insects. After a certain amount of nourishment, the onions plant seeds that'll eventually sprout as Pikmin. The essential objective to the game is to manage the carrot-shaped Pikmin and lead them on an expedition throughout the planet to recover Captain Orima's missing ship parts. There are three fundamental breeds of Pikmin, the red ones red are unscathed by fire, the blue ones wade over water, and the yellow ones cart one another and catapult themselves as organic grenades. Micromanaging elements are also supplemented for good measure. Bridges are to be constructed for faster mobilization, walls should be demolished for augmented exploration, and strategy preparation must be done to maintain the life of the Pikmin. Frequently, goliath-sized vermin like maggots intrude on the Pikmins` progression. With a whistle command, Captain Orima can order his army to quit their current task, huddle together and unite for a defensive onset. Also, the Pikmin may proceed in the offensive, attacking a monster when its simply dozing off. The maximum number of Pikmin a player can shepherd is a grand total of 100 with absolutely no slowdown whatsoever. Moreover, the game has a time limit. Working as a clock, the l6 circles atop the screen move from left to right, and once the furthest one is filled, the day draws to a close. At the end of each day, the Pikmin must rest overnight and an analysis of the player's personal army is evaluated. Not particularly lengthy, the addicting game can be whizzed within a jiffy of hours. Crammed with bonus and high score modes, the game retains a good, extended platter of replayability. What Miyamoto has done is sculpt the GameCube's first true classic.

The GameCube's controller, feeling a bit tweaky at first, succeeds to superbly make a first-rate control scheme. Captain Orima can be directed individually or accompanied with personal escorts. The analog stick guides Captain Orima, the A button yanks Pikmin from the soil, the B joins Pikmin together, the X is used to distinguish Pikmin groups into separate colors, and the Y button looms the game information and map. Additionally, the game's camera can be modified in any direction the player fancies, whether it be overhead, side, or the front.

The second Pikmin invades the television screen, the player will irrefutably remark on how the graphics are gorgeously crafted or converged with intoxicating vivacity. From what I have gathered from the many opinions of other gamers, players will either breath in revulsion or approval. Technology-wise, the rich world of Pikmin is matchless. With the control of the camera, the player can zoom in and out, screening through the huge landscapes. Even the tiniest of details will stimulate the players imagination, like the vast region of mountains and shrubbery. If not enchanting, the game's surroundings adequately present an overall smooth, graphical touch. From the lighting, various shadowing, and sheer multitude of animation on the creatures, Pikmin is what I imagine as a tingly trip to la-la land. Ironically, I felt a bit queasy after a few hours on this colorful madness. While marveling and vacuuming your life on Pikmin, the players will notice how well the music suits this type of genre. Indolent, tranquil sounds engulf the environment and is deliberately welcomed. There are the congenial tunes of a pristine day materializing, and the placid kind which hails approaching slumber. When an antagonistic intruder stumbles upon the Pikmins' camp, the music is swapped into a more rapid, upbeat tempo. The musical score proves to be finely executed. The eccentric yet delightful sounds from the Pikmin, the battle cries, and other noises add deeply to this already remarkable game.

Pikmin's basic gist is to genuinely refresh audiences with entertaining amusement along with hours of nonstop gameplay. Throughout the game I found myself beaming at the antics of Captain Orima and how ridiculously hilarious the Pikmin behave. Initially when a tremendous, next-generation home console is released, a monster of a game convoys along, and although, Nintendo honcho, Shigeru Miyamoto should have unleashed godhood, a Zelda or Star Fox game, Pikmin does not disappoint and is well worth the ownership for the novel, bold GameCube.