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By Lonnie on December 15th, 2001
Introduction Your hopping along space sputtering out flames in your tiny rocket when out from a nebula a meteor crashes into your side. You spin dangerously toward a planet not too unlike your own, however, filled with a toxic gas known as Oxygen. To worsen matters, your life support system will only last thirty days and your ship has broken into thirty pieces strung out around the planet. While examining the surface you come across what appears to be an onion on the surface, being the only human-like critter on the planet you name it after an onion. Interestingly the onion has sown a seed before your eyes, what could it be? You examine it closely it appears to be a plant and it’s moving without the direct aid of the wind. Curiosity takes the best of you as you pluck the tiny critter from the ground. The small creature that looks closely like your favorite brand of carrots, intrigued by your higher intelligence will forever be indebted to you, fulfilling even the smallest of the tasks.Presentation Pikmin features a simple layout as do most Miyamoto games. Once you’re into action everything handles extremely well. The game’s control is straightforward, featuring an elegant control setup. You’ll move Olimar with the analog stick, and you can adjust the camera with the triggers and Z button. The L trigger rotates the camera behind you, the R trigger cycles among three levels of zoom, and the Z button cycles between two angles: three-quarters and an overhead view. The A button picks planted Pikmin and throws them depending on the situation, and if you hold down this button, the Pikmin will line up according to their color. When you have no Pikmin under your control, the A button lets Olimar perform a punch, which can damage pellet posies that hold pellets and yield more Pikmin when they’re absorbed by the onions. The B button lets you call Pikmin by whistling, and a concentric circle that grows larger the longer you hold the button shows you the area in which your call is effective. The Y button calls up a map of the stage you’re in, showing Pikmin as dots and pieces of your spacecraft, which look like stars. The X button dismisses the Pikmin under your control and separates them by color. Finally the C stick lets you control the group of Pikmin around you and affords slightly better control in certain situations. Graphics & Sound The rich world of Pikmin is amazing. 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 player’s 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, shadowing, and shear 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 draining every moment of your personal life on Pikmin, the players will notice how well the music suits this type of genre. Indolent, tranquil sounds engulf the environment and are deliberately welcomed. There are the congenial tunes of a pristine day appearing, and the placid kind that hails approaching slumber. When an antagonistic intruder stumbles upon the Pikmins camp the music changes to a more rapid, upbeat tempo. The musical score proves finely executed. The eccentric yet delightful sounds from the Pikmin, the battle cries, and other noises add deeply to this already remarkable game. Gameplay At its core, Pikmin is a real-time strategy (RTS) game with many distinctive twists. Thanks to Mr. Miyamoto, you virtually are in the middle of the action, participating in the Pikmin’s battles (in third-person view). In your interactions with the Pikmins, you’ll find them to exhibit a level of artificial intelligence rarely seen in video games; at times, Pikmins will show various emotions like happiness, sadness, and confusion. The surrounding terrain’s introduce a new level of strategic considerations for the three distinct types of Pikmin. The time limit imposes a real sense of urgency and stresses efficient task handling. Together, the combination of these elements creates a perfect gameplay for any true cerebral gamer.
Lasting Appeal This really depends a lot on just what type of gamer you are. If you are willing to take on the task of engrossing yourself into the very deep gameplay you will likely enjoy Pikmin, if not you will enjoy it too. However, you may become bored after some time. Collecting all the parts in the specific amount of time becomes a daunting task and will likely discourage some people when they fall behind.Conclusion This is Mr. Miyamoto’s most original game since Donkey Kong hit the arcades back in the 80’s. Anybody who considers themselves a Nintendo fan must buy this game. However, if not a true to life hard core Nintendo fan you may want to rent this game first. Featuring a style only Nintendo can create this is the classic game for the Gamecube in 2001. |
