Pikmin 2 is a lot like Pikmin 1, but with a lot more freedom and options available that are sure to keep you playing!
The gameplay for Pikmin 2 is outstanding- very easy to remember controlls, yet very useful and requiring lots of skill to really master. If you dont have quick fingers or just randomly chuck your army onto some creature's butt, youre sure to lose all your Pikmin. Be careful and plan your actions and a route before starting. also, days take about 20 minutes to end. Be sure to clear out your army and bring them back to their homes or have them in your party before that countdown reaches zero. If you don't, the Nighttime Beasts will come to kill any Pikmin you accidentally- or purposely, depending on what kind of person you are- left behind before you lifted off in your rocket.
The story of Pikmin 2 goes like this:
Captain Olimar has recently crash-landed on an unknown planet filled with huge beasts that could devour him. He had 30 ship parts missing from his space ship, and he only had 30 days to bring them back before he dies due to toxic oxygen. with the help of his Pikmin, Olimar found all 30 ship parts and headed back home to Planet Hocotate- with a souvineer he had found, for his kids.
But when he got back, Olimar learned that his company, Hocotate Inc., had a huge debt payment that had to be payed back- 10,100 Pokos! The President of Hocotate noticed that the item Olimar brought back was worth 100 Pokos, so he sends Olimar and the new employee, Louie, back to the mysterious planet to repay the debt of 10,000 Pokos.
The game itself is very fun and easy to remember, but many enemies and hazzards stand in your way to make the journey to repay the debt much harder. Also, the added in Tunnels are very long and dangerous, the longest one being 15 sublevels! each one has very valuable treasures lying in it, but also very deadly enemies at the end waiting to eat you and your army of Pikmin.
The worst part aside, lets look at the positive things that this game holds... for instance, Olimar and Louie find 2 new types of Pikmin on this journey- burly Purple Pikmin and poisonous, swift White Pikmin. The Pikmin that Olimar met last journey also tag along- the Strong and fire-proof Red Pikmin, the High-Flying, electric-proof Yellow Pikmin, and the Water-loving Blue Pikmin. Purple Pikmin can hold things that would normally take 10 Pikmin to hold, while White Pikmin can dig up objects that are unseen underground and release poison whenever an enemy devours them.
Also, this game contains sprays that can help you and your Pikmin journey on in this dangerous planet. Ultra Spicy Sprays can make your Pikmin much stronger and faster for about 2 1/2 minutes. Ultra Bitter Sprays turn any enemy standing infront of you into stone, making them perfect, safe targets for your Pikmin... for about 10 seconds. These sprays can be found on plants that hold berries of the same color- you must find and return 10 berries to make a single spray, though.
There are 201 treasures that can be found and dug up in his game. it may take a little over a month (not in game days, in real days) to find and return every single one. Your days are unlimited this time, while in Pikmin 1 you only had 30 days to spend on the planet.
Also unlike Pikmin 1, you have 2 partners that can split up and do different jobs. for example... while Olimar is finding treasures, Louie can kill any near-by enemies that may hurt your Pikmin army. However, one person has to controll both captains.
Wait a minute, two captains... there must be a multi-player mode then! and there is- two, in fact!! In the 2-Player Arenas, you may fight against your friend to see who can get more marbles, kill more enemies, or just have fun. In the challenge mode, you work with a friend to make it through many caves. Try and Collect all the treasures in this mode without losing a single Pikmin for each cave! The number and types of Pikmin and Sprays are different for each cave.
To wrap things up, Pikmin 2 is a very fun and addicting Platformer with tons more options and lots more freedom than Pikmin 1. You may say "I'm just gonna see what I can do in just one day" but may wind up playing for about 11 days in just a few hours! Thats how much fun you will be having when you play Pikmin 2. I wish you, your partner Louie, and your expanding army of Pikmin good luck on your mssion, Captain Olimar!