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"Desperate for attention,
my lonely GameCube spins only a few disks for the
greater glory of "next gen" consoling. Rogue
Squadron and SSX Tricky are the only titles
worthy of gracing my flatscreen... until now.
Mario spelled backwards in Arabic means Pikmin.
The tradition of Nintendo stems back to the
brilliant mind of Shiguru Miyamoto. The self-led
creator of mega-hits like Mario and Zelda,
tries his hand on the GameCube. I was skeptical
at best at this oddly titled game that is a combination
of RTS (real time strategy) and adventure. I have
the utmost respect for Mr. Miyamoto, but I truly believe
this would be his downfall after seeing screen shots
last summer.
Captain Olimar ain't no Han Solo.
Our story begins as our big nosed, balded astronaut is
traversing through space. After an asteroid hits his
ship, the Dolphin, Captain Olimar is forced to crash
land on an uncharted planet. During his crash landing,
parts of the Dolphin are scattered throughout this
strange world. To add insult to injury, the planets
atmosphere is poisonous and un-breathable.
Our beloved captain only has 30 days worth of oxygen on
board, and has to take off before it is too late.
Coincidentally, there are 30 pieces of the ship to
recover; so Captain Olimar better get a move on. After
investigating the crash site, he makes various
discoveries about the planet; including a vegetable type
of creature. Looking similar to a vegetable on his home
planet, he aptly names them Pikmin.
These pikmin seem to follow him around, and
assist him when prompted. He finds them to be a vital
source of recovery of his spacecraft, and recruits them
as he sees fit. All is not as sunshiny as it seems...
Various objects, enemies and obstacles prevent dear
Captain from acquiring his goals.
Lemmings!
If anyone is familiar with the old Lemmings
series; you might have the general concept behind Pikmin.
Use your pikmin to do various tasks. This can be
anything from attacking an enemy, to building a bridge
or even to destroy a wall. The pikmin follow you around
like drones, and you can control them by throwing them
at the intended object.
Controlling the pikmin is half the fun of the game. The
GC's controller fits the task well, and is easily
mastered, but always challenging. The "A"
button is your primary button and is used for a variety
of tasks. Mostly used to "toss" a pikmin at an
object, it can also be used to "head
butt/attack" with Captain Olimar himself. "Big
Green" is also used to repair you suit when you are
near the space ship. For the record the "A"
button is your primary button for text screens, and
activation.
"Little Red" (the "B" button)
is uses to "call" your pikmin to you. If your
pikmin are "dazed" or wandering around, face
in their direction and "whistle". After you
call them, they "wake" up and join your party.
The "Y" button pulls up your menu screen,
where it gives you options, tutorial information and
maps, etc.. The "X" button is used to dismiss
your pikmin. It puts them into a wandering
"gray" mode, and they simply act like lost
puppies. The beneficial effects of this are to separate
your pikmin into colors. There are three different
colored pikmin. The red is your basic pikmin, and is
moderately strong. The yellow pikmin are lighter and can
be thrown farther. Not only can they reach places high,
they can also carry a "bomb rock" which can
blow up baddies and obstacles. Finally, the blue pikmin
are average build, but can cross water and not drown.
Very helpful when trying to cross a stream.
The left trigger button is crucial into the success of
your game. Holding it in, and moving your analog
controller controls the camera angle (not perfectly mind
you). The right trigger changes the zoom from "in
your face" to "sky high". The quirky
"Z" button can change the camera angle to an
overhead view or a 3/4 view. Neither of the D-pads are
used (thank Shiguru).
Round 'em up... move 'em out!
The game can appeal to many age ranges, as the "in
game tutorial" is brilliant. No need for a manual
here, because you learn as you go; and Olimar tells all
step-by-step. Right when the "lessons" become
irritating, it ends.
While the concept of Pikmin is not new to gamers
of the 80's and 90's there are many who have never
experienced anything like it. I do admit the game is
strangely addictive and incredibly fun. The animation of
the pikmin are hilarious at times, and smooth as silk.
In Lemmings fashion, prepare to control up to 100
pikmin to do various tasks in order to snag that
precious piece of your ship.
Gathering pikmin is as much fun than finding pieces of
the ship. You can acquire pikmin by gathering button
shaped "pills", defeating enemies or smashing
flowers. For example: you might see a big blue button
with the number "10" on it. It will produce 10
pikmin, and require at least 10 pikmin to carry it back
to the "Onion" (an odd shaped craft that
spits out pikmin seeds). The same concept aligns
with enemies. A huge enemy when defeated requires a
certain number of pikmin to carry it back to an Onion.
If you need a certain type of pikmin, make sure you use
that color pikmin to carry it back. Defeating enemies is
done by tossing your pikmin at the baddie as they jump
it pounding it into submission. But be prepared to lose
a few pikmin in your efforts.
Each day consists of about 20 minutes. Make sure all of
your pikmin are in your control by the days end or they
are toast from roaming baddies. For those analytical
people do the math. 20 minutes times 30 "days"
equals... 10... A let down for anyone that plays
the game is that it is short lived pulling in about 10
hours of gameplay. Most will finish the game in about
seven though. Seemingly an anathema for GameCube
launched titles has been short-lived games. Coming to
mind is Pikmin, Luigis Mansion and Wave
Race.
Even if the game is under 10 hours long, the fun can
last for many replays. The second time through was even
better than the first. I believe if Nintendo would have
made a "free roam" option where time was
disabled, it would have really added to the experience
of Pikmin. By literally cultivating hundreds of
pikmin, and tons of things to do it could have given the
game even more depth. Many times, because of the time
constraints, you are forced to overlook many areas and
obstacles. Hating to rush through any game, 20 minutes
seems a stretch to accomplish everything in one given
level.
Pikmin is a great combination of strategy, action
and adventure. It can appeal to young gamers and
veterans alike. Aside from minor camera angle issues;
this is a successful sleeper and has SEQUEL
written all over it.
Aesthetics out the wazoo.
While this isn't the best looking game for the GC, it is
the most consistent. Each level is lushly designed and
colorful. The shadowing and textures are textbook next-gen.
Hoping for a little more fog and lighting effects, I was
never let down by the "cutesy-cutesyness" of
the game. The animation within Pikmin was
absolutely wonderful. The enemy movement and facial
expression is comical and a blast to watch. Even
watching our veggie friends climb a tree, destroy a wall
or attack a baddie will bring a smile to your face.
The water effects are simply stunning, reflecting
perfectly and rippling as in real life. Many other
"real life effects" are flooded throughout the
game. Walking through tall grass will cause a domino
wave, and running into vegetation will cause a realistic
sway. The physics of Pikmin isn't meant to be
believable, but more arcade like. Still, I have to
believe ever effort went into the physics to produce a
visual masterpiece. For those who love "all the
small things" will highly appreciate the small
effects that would normally go unnoticed by the casual
gamer.
The audio is nothing short of stellar as well. Hiring Hajime
Wakai who produced the audio for Star Fox 64
shows that Shiguru meant business when making this game.
The soundtrack is simply perfect. As with Rogue
Squadron, the music is effected by its surroundings.
Nearing an enemy will fade out the current track, and
fade in a more appropriate "edgy" tune. Sound
effects match every ounce that the game can offer. From
the splash of walking through water, to the popping of
pulled pikmin. Although the music is limited to five or
six tracks, it never becomes annoying or mundane.
Overall very satisfying musical tracks including an
amazing bunch of sound effects.
66 Says:
Pikmin is a breath of fresh air for the console market.
Nintendo finally has a must have game, that
should be owned by ever GC supporter. I was pleased to
find that my six-year-old daughter had as much fun as I
did playing the game. Although she became a bit
frustrated at points (as I did) she still was
able to manage to manipulate the pikmin the way she
intended. For those who say kids shouldn't play video
games... shame on you!
The problem solving potential for children is obvious in
Pikmin and games like this can do nothing but
help children. This is a great family game, and will
satisfy the harshest of critique. My final
recommendation of the game, is to save your money on a
rental. I rented the game for five days, and ended up
taking the game back; and heading to Babbages for
a purchase. I could have saved the $4.50 and put it
towards the purchase of the game I ended up buying.
Take my advice GameCube owners... Trust 'ole six
and make a purchase, ok?
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