Review by Mr_Yooj

"Those Pikmin aren't just cute, they're deadly!"

Pikmin 2 for the Nintendo Gamecube. This game is one of the best games I have blessed myself to play on the Gamecube. It's perfect in almost every aspect. Let's start off on something basic.

If you've played the first Pikmin game(which I also recommend) then you should be familiar with the controls, as they have not changed. They have solid controls that work with the game. The “L”, “R” and “Z” button control the camera, so you can six different views on how to experience the game! “B” will blow your whistle, which calls the Pikmin in the area to you. And “A” will do many things, such as pluck Pikmin, throw Pikmin, or even punch!

Now the story of Pikmin 2 is actually pretty good. Olimar returns from his last trip and finds the company in debt! So he and a new character named Louie head back to Pikmin Planet to collect all the treasures and save the company!

What's good about this game that was an improvement from the last is that there is no time limit. Did you ever needed to increase the number of Pikmin in the first game but never had time? Not a problem in this game! Take a whole day, no, take a week to increase you Pikmin mass! You can take as long as you want in this game! Another good thing is that you now have two captains. Did you ever need two things done at once but could never do it because your Pikmin would be alone and could die in the first game? Not anymore! Now you can have a captain for two groups of Pikmin doing two things at once! Another this is the addition of Sprays. The Ultra-Spicy Spray will enhance your Pimin. Their leaf/bud/flower will become a red light, and they will all move so fast they will always be able to keep up with you and their strength is increase. The Ultra-Bitter Spray is used to petrify enemies. They will turn to stone and you can freely attack them. If they are defeated while petrified, they will drop either nectar(common) or one of the sprays(uncommon).

Now for the Pikmin themselves. Everyone knows the Red, Yellow, and Blue Pikmin, they are still around. But in this game, they have added two new Pikmin! Purple Pikmin, which are super strong Pikmin that have the strength of 10 Pikmin! They can really help you out when you are low on Pikmin. They do balance out though by making them really slow, even when Flowers. The other new type is White Pikmin! These Pikmin are immune to poison. So they are ideal when you reach a poison gate. A cool feature is that when White Pikmin are eaten, the enemy will take damage! White Pikmin are also the fastest kind, being able to keep up with the Captain no matter what. It's just too bad these two Pikmin can only be found in caves.

This game also has a new aspect of gameplay added: Caves. Caves are just what they sound like, a cave. You enter one and you keep going underground until you get to the end. Almost all the caves have a boos at the end, which hold an item that will help you on the quest. Time doesn't pass in the caves, meaning you can take as long as you want in here. But be warned, you cannot produce Pikmin in here, so you are stuck with whatever you take in, so make sure you have enough. There are fourteen caves in total, so there will be plenty to explore in this game.

There are a total of four levels in this game, each one representing a season. The levels are fairly big and hold plenty of treasure for you to get. Half the fun of this game is just going around the levels and exploring.

And that is just the Story Mode. This game also has a Challenge Mode!

The Challenge Mode is unlocked after getting a certain treasure. Once unlocked, it is selectable from the main menu. In Challenge Mode, you are given a set number of Pikmin and a set number of Sprays. All the challenges will take place in a cave, so you cannot get any Pikmin you lose back. Your goal is to find an object and bring it back to the ship, so you can go farther down the cave. You have a time limit, though, so you have to hurry. There are 30 levels in all, and each are harder then the last one. That is not the only challenge though. If you just beat the level you will get a white flower, but if you can beat the level losing no Pikmin, you will be given a purple flower. This adds to the challenge so that you will want to get perfect on the levels. You can also try and beat your high score! The score is determined by the time you have left, the number of Pikmin you have, and the amount you earned from treasures.

Another fun mode is 2-Player Mode!
2-Player Mode is when one person is Olimar, with Red Pikmin, and Louie, with Blue Pikmin. In this mode, you have four ways to win. One way is if the other captain is knocked out, you will automatically win. Another way is if all of the other person's Pikmin have died. And the last two ways, it by collecting marbles. There are many yellow marbles scattered throughout the map, and if you can bring four of them back to your base, then you will win. The last way, is to bring your opponent's marble(either red or blue) to your base. There are ten levels to choose from and many different options to set up, making it fun and not repetitive.

Another fun thing in 2-Player Mode is, when you return a cherry to your base, you will get to spin a Roulette Wheel. Many things can happen when this happens such as gaining new Pikmin, or having an enemy appear by your opponent. This makes this mode crazy because you never know when a Blowhog will just appear at you and kill all your Pikmin!

This game has so much in it, it won't get boring. If story mode is gets old, play some challenge mode or 2-player mode! And if you are absolutely bored(and have no heart) you can find all sorts of way to just kill your Pikmin off! (Just make sure not to save)

This game does have problems though. The lack of time limit does make this game less challenging, seeing as you can do this in 90 days or whenever instead of being forced to do it in a certain time. And the lack of being able to produce Purple and White Pikmin outside of caves would have been nice, but I guess I'll just have to live with taking longer to build my army of 100 Pikmin each!

If you're a big Pikmin fan, or are just trying out the series, I would recommend this game. It's very enjoyable and will last you a long time. You should defiantly get this game, and never sell it. If you do, you'll regret it!


Game Release: Pikmin 2 (US, 08/30/04)


Got Your Own Opinion?
