Pikmin 2: a must buy for the GameCube

Pikmin 2 is a perfect example of a decent sequel. The original Pikmin was a great game, and this only improves on it. New pikmin, various multiplayer modes and more made this a great game. The game is several genres mixed into one: strategy, action and simulation.

Plot

The game picks up where the last game left off. Captain Olimar has returned to his planet after his recent adventures on the Pikmin planet. He finds out Louie (his co-worker at Hocotate Freight) has caused the company to take out a loan. When the president of the company finds out there is treasure on the planet, he sends Olimar and Louie to the planet to retrieve it.

Gameplay

You control the captains, as you command plant-like creatures called Pikmin. They are small creatures that vary in color, that can fight enemies, break down walls and collect the much needed treasure.

The original three colors (red, yellow and blue) return from the first game, along with two new colors: white and purple. Each Pikmin has unique properties.

Red: These Pikmin are fire-proof, so they are needed for areas with lots of fires. Also, they are the strongest in battle.

Yellow: These Pikmin are electric-proof, so they are needed for areas with electricity. Also, they can reach high places when they are thrown.

Blue: These Pikmin are the only ones that can be in water. They are the weakest in battle.

White: These Pikmin are poison-proof. They are filled with poison as well, so if enemies eat them it will harm the enemy somewhat. They can also dig for buried treasure. This color is the quickest of all the colors. Found in caves, and can only be grown in caves.

Purple: These Pikmin are very strong. They lift heavy objects and can be used to stun enemies. Found in caves, and can only be grown in caves.

Similar to the first game: you only start with one color. You must find the others throughout the game. A few Pikmin await you as you begin the game. To grow more, you must put pellets and enemies in a ship to plant more seeds and create more Pikmin. You will need to build a big army of Pikmin if you want to succeed in the game. For defeating several enemies, you will need a lot of Pikmin. Some treasures will take a lot of them to pick up. So you must manage your time between creating Pikmin, and collecting treasures.

The enemies in the game range from small to large, and from strange to stranger. One example of a strange enemy is a lizard creature that is floating in the air because of balloons. Sounds easy, right? Well that's not all, it throws rocks at you, that will explode in a few seconds.

As you progress through the game, you will be faced with some puzzles to solve. Most are pretty simple and don't take much thinking. Also, once you find the certain treasure, you will unlock a new area to visit. Each area features different enemies, caves and theme. One area might be almost all land, while another will feature a lot of water. Besides the outside world, there is caves to visit. These caves have a good percent of the treasure you must find, but some can be hard. You can leave at certain parts in the caves though, which is a nice addition.

The game also features powerups to help you. There is a yellow substance that the Pikmin will eat to gain some power. There is 2 sprays you can earn, if you collect berries. One freezes most enemies, while the other makes Pikmin stronger and faster for a short time. There is also powerups to be found for the captains, which can make them fire-proof and so on. These are nice to have, but made the game a bit too easy.

The game's time takes place in days. Each day lasts around 15 minutes total if you don't enter caves. If you go in caves, it's longer, as caves aren't timed There is no set time limit to beat the game, so you can play as slow or as fast as you want. I didn't like this, as the game should've had a time limit like the original had. This made the game easy in a way, as you were free to just mess around instead of collect treasure. This is one of the few games that had no gameover screen.

As for difficulty: the game is about average. Some enemies will give you problems, but overall it's nothing too bad. Finding treasure usually isn't a problem, as much of it is in clear sight. There is some harder caves, but other than those: the game isn't too difficult.

Besides the main 1-player mode, there is various other modes.

2-player battle: You compete against another player to see who can get a certain number of marbles first Various unique powerups are used in this mode. This is fun to a point, but only features a few levels overall. It's a nice change of pace once in a while.

Challenge mode: In this mode, you can play it by yourself or with another. Each level is a certain area with a pre-set number of Pikmin and sprays. You must complete the area in a set amount of time. Records of the best scores are listed. This is a lot of fun, and will have you coming back for more (even if you have completed all stages). The stages are generally the same, but the layout changes. For example, one time you could see the exit on the left, while the next the exit is on the right.

Other things: The game keeps track of your best scores, which is always a nice touch for people that like to beat their previous scores. There is also a movie viewer, which lets you replay cutscenes you've seen in the game so far. There is also a bonus section, that shows various bonuses you've unlocked.

Controls

The controls are fairly simple to get used to. I had no problems with them at all. The control stick moves your Captain, while the C-stick is used to move the Pikmin in a certain direction (they walk by themselves if you don't use this button). The shoulder buttons control the camera, one centers the camera and one zooms in. The X button is used to dismiss Pikmin from your control (which seperates them by color). The Y button is used to switch controls between each captain. The A button is used to punch, pluck Pikmin and throw Pikmin. Lastly, the D-pad is used for sprays.


Graphics and sound

The graphics are improved somewhat compared to the original. The game is very colorful and well detailed. My personal favorite scenes include the water, as it looks very realistic.

The sound is decent as well. The Pikmin say some humerous things, with their weird voices, which is entertaining. Sound effects for various locations are well done. Some will have nice slow music, while others will have strange music. The sound differs, depending on what location you are at.