2001 Nintendo
Based on a variety of experimental 64DD titles that never saw the light of day, Shigeru Miyamoto brings us Pikmin.Pikmin is a real-time strategy title based on a small spaceman who's travels came up short when his spacecraft crashed in an exotic planet. The spaceman is equipped with some kind of neural devise that allows him to control a pack of lovable but dumb plant-life creatured called Pikmin. The spaceman uses the Pikmin to remove obstacles, defeat predators, and assist in finding and retrieving the missing parts of his ship.
Features
- Control over a hundred Pikmin at a single time
- Dolby Surround Pro Logic Sound
- Only for Nintendo GameCube
Anthony: I was really excited about Pikmin. The game looked like a change of pace from the current crop of next-generation console games. To be blunt, it just looked like a slow paced title I could enjoy. After finally having the opportunity to experience the title, I felt most of my expectations were met. Pikmin is definitely a great game because it combines the elements of an adventure title and a real-time strategy title very flawlessly, making it very accessible to any fan of either. The game design is incredibly polished and well thought out, unfortunately the game's pace and lack of a real motive can definitely affect the amount of people who play the game for its entire duration. While the game does work around a 30 day time-limit, to fully play the game it is required to play each day several times until you are satisfied with your efficiency. The game also offers an additional challenge mode where you will be awarded points for the number of pikmin you grow. The visuals are very admirable and charming. The characters and world of Pikmin are very endearing, and feature a very original art style. The textures and lighting are splendid, while some textures may look a bit blurry if you zoom in the camera super-low, the texture patterns and variety are just amazing. The music for the most-part is good, while the decision was made to go for a more atmospheric soundtrack than epic; some of the tunes still manage to be memorable. Pikmin is a very innovative game with an interesting visual design that excels in the control and gameplay department, but falter a bit on overall challenge and duration. It's definitely a game any GameCube owner should at least rent.
Jason N: Pikmin is a great change of pace. More than anything you should give this game a go just to see what's on the other side of the fence. There really is nothing like playing a new kind of game for the first time. For some odd reason, I thought the game would be easy too. Boy was I wrong. Even if you do end up beating the game you definitely not be skipping all the way there.
The textures are not only high resolution, but they are huge! The surface is seamlessly painted on and looks just gorgeous. There are some times where I can't help but let my jaw drop because of the amazing textures. In no way do they hinder the game. Quite the opposite in fact.
Pikmin is a really great game that, while is not perfect, definitely lives up to Nintendo standards. The design of the enemies and the fact that you're not just taking X amount of damage from them to kill is brilliant. Each enemy just seems so dynamically linked towards your little guys and this is where much of the strategy lies. I won't spoil anything for you but lets just say you should jump on the wagon because it's a beautiful ride.