An interesting adventure created by Nintendo. Meet the Pikmin before you buy the Pikmin.

User Rating: 8.5 | Pikmin GC
By seaward12 | Review Date:
Pikmin is a fresh, original endeavor that shouldn't be passed up. It's a title that seamlessly mixes elements of action, puzzle and strategy together under one finely tuned, intuitive control setup. There is so much for the player to do and see in the huge areas that developer EAD has created that one can and almost definitely will lose their self in them. Further, discovering and mastering each different style of Pikmin's unique abilities requires a healthy stream of calculation, and some of the later levels in the game are drowned in some truly brilliant puzzle works. I only wish that Miyamoto and team never introduced the day and night system to the game, or omitted the 30 day / 15 minutes per day limit on the adventure. These enforced constraints rush the experience along when more than anything I wanted to stop and enjoy the environments and experiment at my own leisure.
Visually, the game is a beautiful achievement. Wonderfully detailed natural terrain apparently modeled after Miyamoto's own backyard showcases ambient grass and dirt regions, rock formations, lifelike streams and weaving plant-life that all looks too good to be true. This is only occasionally marred by the camera itself, which sometimes zooms a little too close to the action at which point the texture quality doesn't hold up as it does from a distance. The Pikmins are bright, colorful, cheery and overflowing with humorous animation -- watching them break down a wall or climb a reed is nearly as satisfying as solving an in-level puzzle.

All in all, a very complete puzzle-strategy-adventure that comes highly recommended.


Presentation
Pikmin is a whole new idea and Nintendo did a great job of gracing it with their magic touch, although menu designs can be a bit bland 7.5/10

Graphics
Stunning use of textures and lighting and tons of clever animation. Close-up textures may be disappointing however. 8.5/10

Sound
A somewhat hokey soundtrack at points is overshadowed by the use of dynamic scores and great sound design 7.5/10

Gameplay
Intelligent, intuitive, and an absolutely refreshing experience, but hardcore gamers might be let down by a shorter time-to-completion 8.5/10

Lasting Appeal
Forcing players to finish the story mode in 10-12 hours hurts longevity, but the revamped Challenge mode will offer more gameplay time to Pikmin addicts. No multiplayer either. 6.5/10

Overall: 8.5/10

My Verdict: Buy It if u like RTS games

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