Positives:
- Retains a lot of what made the first "Pikmin" so good.
- Gameplay is still incredibly addictive with plenty of collectibles.
- New types of Pikmin add an extra layer of strategy to the overall gameplay.
- The addition of cave-like sublevels is a unique change to the formula.
- Removing the day limit makes the game feel a touch more freeing than the first.
- Visual design remains just as fantastic.
- Some new characters help liven up the writing a bit.
Negatives:
- The Pikmin AI still remains cumbersome to deal with.
- The increased difficulty is a bit much for my liking.
- Randomness of the caves can feel tedious, and the game at large can feel like too much padding.
Consensus: "Pikmin 2" has become one of the most polarizing titles in the series, and after finally experiencing it for the first time, I definitely understand why. It definitely brought about some interesting changes to the formula, but it still felt like some of these changes messed with the game a bit too much. Personally, I'm also playing through "Pikmin 4" as I write these words, which I think is doing a lot of what "Pikmin 2" did but a lot better, so it might even make some of my feelings on this a bit more lukewarm. Nevertheless, while it's the "Pikmin" game I'd be the least likely to return to, it's still an enjoyable game and worth experiencing for yourself. The fact that it's now readily available on the Switch along with the rest of the series makes that even easier now.
Final rating: 7 out of 10 "Good"