Pikmin 2

Pikmin 2
Pikmin 2 game cover
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigefumi Hino Masamichi Abe Shigeru Miyamoto
Platform(s)	Nintendo GameCube, Wii
Release	April 29, 2004 August 30, 2004 October 8, 2004
Genre(s)	Real-time strategy
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

Pikmin 2 (ピクミン2) is a real-time strategy video game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on April 29, 2004, in North America on August 30 2004, and in Europe on October 8 2004.

Pikmin 2 is the sequel to Pikmin, also for the Nintendo GameCube. This game was considered an improvement over the original Pikmin; CNET reported that it "addressed the bulk of the shortcomings of its predecessor by crafting a game that tops the original in nearly every way."

Gameplay

Gameplay in Pikmin 2 revolves around using different combinations of Pikmin to retrieve various treasures from the planet's surface. These treasures range from a Duracell battery to a Dannon yogurt lid. Different obstacles and enemies make the retrieval of each treasure unique. Because of this, the player must carefully consider which colors of Pikmin and how many of those colors will be needed to complete a certain task. This is compounded in difficulty by the fact that no more than 100 Pikmin may be in play at any given time. The player is given one day at a time to play, with each day equaling about 15 minutes in real-time. Typical tasks involved in collecting treasures include defeating enemies, building bridges, destroying walls, or removing other obstacles.

In addition to above-ground areas, caves can be found throughout the landscape. Caves contain multiple treasures and enemies spread across multiple sub-levels. Each sub-level in a cave contains certain treasures and a fixed array of enemies, but the layout of the sub-level and the placement of the enemies and treasures within the sub-level is random, and changes each time the player enters the cave. A player can exploit this, as the game saves automatically after the completion of each sub-level. If the layout of a sub-level is unfavorable to the player, he or she can simply begin the sub-level again, and it will have a new, possibly more favorable, layout.

Special rules apply to exploring caves. When the player is exploring a cave, time does not pass above ground. The main restriction regarding cave exploration is that there is no access to the Pikmin Onions. This means that once players enter a cave, they can only use the Pikmin that they brought with them (see Bulbmin for the exception).

Differences from Pikmin

File:Pikmin 2 Screenshot OF.jpg

A screenshot of a round of the two-player mode.

There were several major differences between Pikmin and Pikmin 2. One of them was the elimination of the 30-day time limit which was imposed during the course of the first Pikmin game. In Pikmin 2, a player may continue to search for treasure for as many days as he or she wishes. The game contains 201 collectible treasure pieces, as opposed to the 30 ship parts of the original Pikmin.

Another addition was the ability to use two captains at once, making multitasking easier. In Pikmin, multitasking was difficult as there was only one captain to direct multiple groups of Pikmin. In both Pikmin games, commands cannot be issued from a distance, meaning that a one captain system caused a lot of running between multiple working Pikmin groups. Another gameplay change was the addition of sprays, which have two effects on gameplay. The red spray energizes Pikmin to increase both speed and attack strength. The purple spray temporarily turns enemies caught in the blast radius to stone. Sprays are obtained by collecting 10 berries of the corresponding color, but can occasionally be found in egg-like vessels when smashed, instead of the usual yellow nectar.

The controls are also improved: holding A will cause Pikmin to line up behind the leader in color groups, and the color can be cycled with the d-pad. The player can even choose "leaf" or "flower" Pikmin to be thrown first with d-pad up/down. In the first game, selecting a specific Pikmin color was very difficult. Finally, Pikmin can be thrown slightly faster in Pikmin 2.

A major difference between the games is the playability of the yellow Pikmin. In Pikmin, the yellow Pikmin have the ability to pick up bomb rocks and throw them, in order to break walls of dirt and stone. In the sequel, the bomb rocks are not able to be picked up, but the yellow Pikmin have gained the ability to withstand electricity.

Pikmin 2 e-Reader

In Japan, after the release of Pikmin 2, Nintendo also released e-Reader cards that contained minigames. Some of these minigames required the player to pluck all the Pikmin in an area in a set amount of steps, or to try to get Pikmin from one point to another. These cards were not released outside of Japan, as the e-Reader was not released in Europe, and had been discontinued in the United States at the time. The cards contain region-specific encoding which blocks their use with North American e-Readers.

Game modes

Including the main game (story mode), there is also 2-player Battle, and Challenge mode. 2-Player Battle is unlocked from the beginning of the game, and two characters (Olimar and Louie), are each controlled by a player. The object is to take four yellow marbles or the opponent's red or blue marble back to the player's ship. If either player dies or runs out of Pikmin, the other player wins. The player's own marble cannot be carried by that player's Pikmin, allowing the opponent to gradually steal it over several assaults. If Pikmin come across a cherry and bring it to their onion, a wheel full of bonuses spins at the right side of the screen. The bonuses range from getting ten more Pikmin or turning all of your Pikmin to flower Pikmin to sending an avalanche or a Volatile Dweevil at your enemies. While Pikmin can fight each other, they will not actually kill each other. When defeated, the Pikmin reappear next to their Onion to be re-picked. Likewise, the purple spray functions differently against enemy Pikmin - it buries them in the ground rather than allowing them to be frozen.

Challenge mode is obtained after obtaining the Key, found in the single-player game. This mode is like exploring a cave in story mode, except two players can play. An arena or cave is selected and players attempt to reach its bottom within a time limit. Each time a key is found, the player advances to the next level. At the bottom floor, the key creates a closed geyser. Pikmin must dig at this to activate it. Players try to get as many points as they can by retrieving treasures on each sublevel, leaving with as many Pikmin as possible, and completing it as quickly as possible. After completing an arena without losing any Pikmin, a player achieves "perfect" status.

Story

Pikmin 2 starts when Olimar returns home from his "vacation".

He finds that his company, Hocotate Freight, is in serious debt, leading to the sale of Captain Olimar's ship, the S.S. Dolphin, which was the only remaining corporate asset worth anything. Shocked by this sudden turn of events, Captain Olimar drops the bottle cap he brought with him as a souvenir for his child. It rolls in the vicinity of the company's only remaining ship, which evaluates the objects as having a value of 100 Pokos, the unit of currency on Hocotate. After commenting that this is more than a year's salary, Olimar's boss sends him on a trip with Louie, a fellow employee, back to the Pikmin planet to collect 10,000 Pokos' worth of treasure to pay off the debt. During the descent to the planet, a collision causes Louie's cockpit to burst open, and he is separated from Olimar. The game then centers on finding Louie, exploring the planet, and collecting treasures. Several of the treasures found on the planet are items from previous Nintendo ventures.

Pikmin

Main article: Pikmin (species)

The red, yellow, and blue Pikmin from the previous game return, along with two new colors of Pikmin, purple and white. Unlike the originals, they are not believed to come from the Onions which generate and house the three primary Pikmin colors, as no purple or white have yet been discovered. Instead, they are created when an existing Pikmin is thrown into a purple or white "Candypop bud", a type of flower found underground in caves. White Pikmin are a bit smaller than other Pikmin, although not necessarily weaker, and are extremely fast and immune to poisonous gases. They can also poison enemies who eat them. Purple Pikmin are bigger and a little taller than other Pikmin, and are very slow, but strong, and count for ten Pikmin when lifting things. When thrown, purple Pikmin land heavily, which can temporarily stun most enemies.

There are also Bulbmin, a type of parasitic Pikmin that infects Bulborbs. Being in the body of a Bulborb protects them from drowning, electrocution, burning, and poisoning. They are found only in a few caves throughout the game, and they will assist the player-controlled captain in the cave in which they are found once their larger captain Bulborbs are killed. They cannot be removed from a cave without an Action Replay cheat.

Pikmin characteristics

There are special traits shared by all Pikmin, as well as many that are unique to special kinds. Every Pikmin has small arms and legs, and a head that is topped with a leaf, bud, or flower. As every Pikmin matures, they go in a state of maturity using the sequence that was just mentioned. The flower Pikmin, the most mature Pikmin, are the fastest and fiercest Pikmin fighters. The leaf Pikmin, which are the least mature, are quite slow and don't fight with the same ferocity. Bud Pikmin are somewhere in between.

Red Pikmin are the traditional "starter Pikmin" that Olimar and Louie first find. They are generally the toughest fighters of all the known Pikmin species, and are also flame-resistant, making their strength against fire creatures invaluable. As well as being generalized by their bright red color, they also have a small, pointed nose.

Purple Pikmin are the strongest Pikmin. Instead of finding a purple Onion which sprouts them, they are a conversion of regular Pikmin that are tossed into purple flowers (called violet candypop buds) which can only be found in some caves. They are the heaviest Pikmin and strongest when it comes to lifting items, making their weight and lifting strength equal to that of 10 Pikmin. They are purple, but are also known for their hair and stocky bodies. They do more damage against enemies than Red Pikmin.

White Pikmin are the third Pikmin species the player finds. Like the Purple Pikmin, they can only be obtained by tossing them into flowers. They have multiple abilities.The first is being able to unearth any item that is completely covered underground. The second and third are the immunity to poison and being able to poison any enemy that consumes them. The fourth ability is to walk and carry items 1.5 times faster then red, yellow and blue Pikmin. They are smaller and skinnier than any other species, and have large red eyes.

Yellow Pikmin are another species of Pikmin that have an Onion home. Unlike the previous game, they do not wield bomb-rocks, but are now resistant to electricity, which allows them to tear down electric gates that would harm other Pikmin. They can be thrown higher than any other Pikmin breed, allowing them to access items that are too high for other Pikmin to reach. They are yellow, have cat-like eyes and large ears.

Blue Pikmin are the second to last or last type of Pikmin one can find, as one needs Yellow Pikmin to acquire them. Similar to Pikmin, they are able to survive underwater without drowning due to their gills. This, of course, leads many opportunities for water exploration and foraging with these Pikmin. They can also act as lifeguards and rescue any other Pikmin type drowning in water by simply being near them. They pick up and throw the rescued Pikmin back onto land.

Bulbmin are the second to last or last type one can find, as they are only found in caves and cannot be taken out of them. Their color is a mystery as they have only been seen inside Red Bulborbs as they are a parasitic form of Pikmin. It has been speculated, though, that the Bulbmin are in fact green Pikmin, this is based on the color of the aura around the Bulbmin's leaf when it is in the ground - which is green. Since they are parasitic, they live in the host for their entire life unless born a Pikmin alone, which means they have no Onion. They have complete control over the host's motor functions until the host matures and reclaims its nervous system.

Reception

Pikmin 2 was widely considered an improvement on the original game and was rated the 47th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.

• Famitsu Weekly - 36/40
• Famitsu Cube & Advance - 39/40
• Gamespot gave the game a 9.2, stating that the game fixed nearly every problem the original had.
• IGN gave Pikmin 2 a 9.3, and was extremely pleased at the multitude of ways the game had improved upon what was good about Pikmin and fixed the problems it had, such as a lack of multiplayer and a 30-day playing limit.
• DL Game Reviews - 9/10 and 8.9/10.0. Rated the second best game for Gamecube.
• X-Play - 4/5

Sequel

In a developer round table discussion at E3 2008, Pikmin 3 was confirmed. Pikmin 2 and its prequel will be re-released in the Enjoy with Wii collection of revamped Nintendo GameCube titles.

References

1. http://www.ugo.com/channels/games/features/nintendo2004/pikmin2.asp

External links

• Pikmin Official Website
• Template:Nintendo.com
• Pikmin Returns
• Template:GameFAQs
• Pikmin 2 at MobyGames