A Pikmin Thread

[Babycowland]

After searching for a bit, it didn't seem like there were any active Pikmin threads, so I felt like making one. Feel free to let me know if I missed one; I'd be glad to post in it instead.

I've been a fan of the Pikmin series for a while. I think the games have a great sense of exploration and I really enjoy the feeling of accomplishment you get when you make it to your ship after a good day's work. This probably sounds silly, but I've started to legitimately feel sad when Pikmin die, to the extent that I'll often leave my Pikmin in a safe place and try to defeat as many foes as I can as Olimar and co. first. I may have gotten a bit overprotective of them, haha.

They're maybe not the hardest RTS style games, but I actually like that about them, since I don't think I could handle some of the multitasking required in more advanced RTSes. Plus, there's always challenge runs if you want to make the Pikmin games a bit tougher.

So yeah, have you played any Pikmin games? If so, what's your favorite game and Pikmin type?

 

[Reila]

I played Pikmin (the original), but never finished it. I found the time restrictions too stressful back in the day. I plan to go back to the series someday, tho!

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Played all three.

Love them. 2 is probably my favorite. I like blue cuz they're blue.

I wonder what new Pikmin types they can make?

Orange? Green?

 

[Lucimar]

Love the Pikmin series! It's my favorite Nintendo franchise tied with Mario.

I've played and enjoyed all three games. 2's my favorite in the series because of it's length, replayability and the Piklopedia which I've spent hours reading.

Yellow's my favorite type because Yellow's also my favorite colour. I got into the series after watching chuggaaconroy's lets play of the first game, becoming interested in the series and then purchasing the second game online. I favorite aspect of the games is the strategy involved when multitasking and building units to take down monsters.

 

[NotAsian]

Ive only played pikmin 3 and I love rock pikmin and how they look and sound they are the best!

OMG one time i was having trouble with the crab and one of the jumping frogs jumped on him and broke both his arms off at the same time haha he couldn't do anything it was soo funny!

 

[Freezie KO]

Pikmin is my favorite Nintendo franchise (outside of Smash). I agree that 2 is the best. Pikmin 2 had the most challenge with a nice emphasis on combat. I remember seeing some of the creatures in Pikmin 2 and freaking out at the massacres that were about to occur. Pikmin 3 is great fun, but any challenge can be forced through with raw power because boss damage carries over to the next day.

I love them all though. Pikmin 1 feels different with its time limit, Pikmin 2 is very much focused on all sorts of scary lifeforms to defeat, and Pikmin 3 is easily the most visually beautiful with more emphasis on light puzzles that gradually open up the world.

 

[rockerpikmin]

Pikmin 2 is easily my favourite. My favourite Pikmin are Purples cos Water Wraith battle.

 

[Freezie KO]

Pikmin 2 is easily my favourite. My favourite Pikmin are Purples cos Water Wraith battle.

Ugh. That Water Wraith...

Only time I ever had to go to GameFAQs for a Pikmin game. After thousands of dead pikmin, I was informed to run away until I could actually fight it. I thought I could kill it, but it killed me... so many times.

 

[Babycowland]

Played all three.

Love them. 2 is probably my favorite. I like blue cuz they're blue.

I wonder what new Pikmin types they can make?

Orange? Green?

Orange and green onions did appear at the end of Pikmin, so they're a possibility. What special abilities do you think orange and green Pikmin would have?

Pikmin is my favorite Nintendo franchise (outside of Smash). I agree that 2 is the best. Pikmin 2 had the most challenge with a nice emphasis on combat. I remember seeing some of the creatures in Pikmin 2 and freaking out at the massacres that were about to occur. Pikmin 3 is great fun, but any challenge can be forced through with raw power because boss damage carries over to the next day.

I love them all though. Pikmin 1 feels different with its time limit, Pikmin 2 is very much focused on all sorts of scary lifeforms to defeat, and Pikmin 3 is easily the most visually beautiful with more emphasis on light puzzles that gradually open up the world.

I agree with you about each Pikmin game having its merits. I think Pikmin 1 is good for challenge runs (e.g., completing the game in fewer days or with fewer Pikmin deaths than the last time you cleared it) since it is so easy to replay over and over again. Pikmin 2 is longer and has a bit of a different feel with its cave dungeons that are focused more on survival than completing tasks quickly. I feel like 3 is the most cinematic of the series and looks and feels great. I haven't replayed the story mode on 3 yet because I didn't want to erase my previous play through, but I probably should. I didn't really adjust to 3's controls until after playing mission mode for a while so I didn't really know what I was doing my first time through the story.

I enjoyed the Pikmin Adventure minigame in Nintendo Land too, especially in co-op, despite it having a bit different gameplay than the other Pikmin games.

Pikmin 2 is easily my favourite. My favourite Pikmin are Purples cos Water Wraith battle.

The Waterwraith is one of the few things in a game I've played that's actually made me run and hide (in the game I mean, not in real life, haha). I think 2 does a great job of making you actually fear the Waterwraith because it can be so devastating for it to steamroll your Pikmin. Being able to clobber it with purples after all of that made me feel pretty good.

As for favorite Pikmin, mine is either the Bulbmin or Winged Pikmin. I like the Bulbmin because they have tons of resistances and help you out when you're at a loss. I'm also a fan of them because they're sort of the underdogs of the Pikmin family. While Winged Pikmin are weak attackers, I find them super useful since they can carry things over water. Plus, they're awfully helpful in Smash 4 when you want to recover.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Orange could dig and move underground maybe?

 

[Freezie KO]

I agree with you about each Pikmin game having its merits. I think Pikmin 1 is good for challenge runs (e.g., completing the game in fewer days or with fewer Pikmin deaths than the last time you cleared it) since it is so easy to replay over and over again. Pikmin 2 is longer and has a bit of a different feel with its cave dungeons that are focused more on survival than completing tasks quickly. I feel like 3 is the most cinematic of the series and looks and feels great. I haven't replayed the story mode on 3 yet because I didn't want to erase my previous play through, but I probably should. I didn't really adjust to 3's controls until after playing mission mode for a while so I didn't really know what I was doing my first time through the story.

I enjoyed the Pikmin Adventure minigame in Nintendo Land too, especially in co-op, despite it having a bit different gameplay than the other Pikmin games.

Which controls did you use for Pikmin 3? I used the remote and nunchuk with the GamePad off to the side for "Go Here" planning. I found the pointer controls the most intuitive way to play the series yet, but I guess it's all preference.

I haven't played Pikmin Adventure since I don't have Nintendo Land. What is the gameplay like?

 

[ELITEWarri0r115]

Pikmin 2 is probably Ma fav. along with the Amazing white pikmin.

 

[Babycowland]

Which controls did you use for Pikmin 3? I used the remote and nunchuk with the GamePad off to the side for "Go Here" planning. I found the pointer controls the most intuitive way to play the series yet, but I guess it's all preference.

I used the GamePad by itself. I enjoyed being able to pause things and use the "Go Here" function with it, but I think the controls might have been a bit too "exact" for me at first. I may take your advice for my second playthrough and try using the wii remote and nunchuk controls though.

I haven't played Pikmin Adventure since I don't have Nintendo Land. What is the gameplay like?

You can choose to play as either Olimar with a handful of Pikmin or as a large Pikmin (though only one of the players in a multiplayer game can be Olimar since the Olimar player uses GamePad controls). It's mostly an action game where you run around attacking enemies, "leveling up" with nectar, and gaining power ups. There's some strategy when it comes to fighting bosses and using bombs and stuff, but I think it's much more of a linear game than regular Pikmin and doesn't really have much of the RTS elements those games do.

Here's a new question for you all: what are your favorite levels/areas from the Pikmin games?

For me I think it breaks down like this:

• Favorite Area: Forest Navel. Combing this area for parts in the dark really made me feel like I was exploring unknown, dangerous territory.
  
• Favorite Cave: Glutton's Kitchen. I'm a sucker for giant toy box levels in games.
  
• Favorite Mission Mode Stage: Fortress of Festivity. I'm a fan of all of the silly detail put into this stage (e.g., Pikmin stockings). Sliding down the tree is pretty fun too.

 

[BlueZard]

Well, I just came here to say that Pikmin 4 has been confirmed.
GameXplain just made a short video about it. Apparently, there was a recent interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, and he stated that Pikmin 4 is in development. Other than that, though, we don't know much about it yet.

I'm excited, though! I played the first two Pikmin games, I plan on getting Pikmin 3 at some point, and I'm definitely looking forward to any more Pikmin 4 news.

What do you guys think about this? Even if we know almost nothing about it currently, it's nice to know that it's at least being developed right now. I wonder how close it is to completion...

 

[Reila]

Great news on Pikmin 4 being announced! If it's close to completion, I am assuming it's a Wii U title, but maybe it's a NX launch title instead?

I played Pikmin (the original), but never finished it. I found the time restrictions too stressful back in the day. I plan to go back to the series someday, tho!

Since I made this post, I have finished Pikmin (and loved it) and I am playing Pikmin 2 currently. Not sure when I will play Pikmin 3 since games are currently extremely (extremely) expensive where I live ;_;

 

[BlueZard]

I actually never finished the original Pikmin, but I have beaten Pikmin 2 100%. The fact that Pikmin 2 had no time limit made it a whole lot easier for me.

 

[ELITEWarri0r115]

I'm excited for Pikmin 4, but I want to know... Why so soon?

 

[Reila]

I'm excited for Pikmin 4, but I want to know... Why so soon?

It is not really that soon. There was a gap of three years between Pikmin and Pikmin 2 as well.

Pikmin: October 26, 2001
Pikmin 2: April 29, 2004

~

Pikmin 3: July 13, 2013
Pikmin 4: Likely 2016

 

[BlueZard]

I'm honestly just glad that the wait for Pikmin 4 isn't going to be nearly as long as the gap between Pikmin 2 and 3.

 

[Reila]

I wonder if we will have four playable captains in Pikmin 4

 

[ELITEWarri0r115]

It is not really that soon. There was a gap of three years between Pikmin and Pikmin 2 as well.

Pikmin: October 26, 2001
Pikmin 2: April 29, 2004

~

Pikmin 3: July 13, 2013
Pikmin 4: Likely 2016

Makes more sense now. thanks.

 

[justaway12]

I just heard about Pikmin 4, such a nonchalant announcement, so weird but I CAN'T WAIT, I love Pikmin, will def snatch that up

 

[Babycowland]

Well, I just came here to say that Pikmin 4 has been confirmed.
GameXplain just made a short video about it. Apparently, there was a recent interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, and he stated that Pikmin 4 is in development. Other than that, though, we don't know much about it yet.

I'm excited, though! I played the first two Pikmin games, I plan on getting Pikmin 3 at some point, and I'm definitely looking forward to any more Pikmin 4 news.

What do you guys think about this? Even if we know almost nothing about it currently, it's nice to know that it's at least being developed right now. I wonder how close it is to completion...

I think it's a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting a new Pikmin game to be announced any time soon. According to what Miyamoto said in that interview, the game is apparently "very close to completion," though I don't know what to really take from that comment given the Pikmin 3 delays and how it seems like we're not too far away from NX's release.

What does everyone hope to see included in Pikmin 4? I'd like to see Bulbmin make a comeback. The option to play the main story co-op (as mentioned in the GameXplain discussion about Pikmin 4) would be cool too, especially if there was an online component to it. I'm not as big on making Pikmin a competitive online game, but it's an interesting idea. As for new Pikmin types, I don't have a strong opinion either way. While I'd be fine with more of them if they bring something new to the table, I'd be okay with just having all of the current Pikmin types plus Bulbmin and innovating a different way too.

I also think that Pikmin 4 might have Smash implications (it may increase Pikmin's chances of having another separate character in a subsequent Smash game), though it's probably a bit premature to get into that much.

 

[Reila]

I also think that Pikmin 4 might have Smash implications (it may increase Pikmin's chances of having another separate character in a subsequent Smash game), though it's probably a bit premature to get into that much.

That would be nice. A new captain having Rock Pikmin (and maybe Bulbmin? ) on their side would be neato. I think Brittany would be a good candidate, but I could see they using a new captain from Pikmin 4 instead (assuming the game doesn't feature only old captains).

As for what I want of the game, it is hard to say, since I am still playing the second game (last thing I did was complete the Glutton's Kitchen). Well, one thing that is important for any game to me is a great soundtrack and Pikmin haven't disappointed me in this aspect yet :D

 

[Mega Bidoof]

Seeing as Pikmin 4 is apparently almost finished and was just only announced, not even with any gameplay or footage, I'd bet that it is going to be an NX launch title next year. There are definitely other NX launch games close to completion that we don't know about, so I think that soon Nintendo is going to announce the NX, its gimmick (I'm guessing the hybrid platform we've been hearing about), and a bunch of upcoming games for it.

This is probably the reason we didn't see many new console games at E3, like Pikmin 4 itself. Development on Wii U games is probably slowing down, with Zelda being the last big title for the console, and development on NX games is really starting to pick up, but they couldn't announce NX games without going in-depth about the system itself (its hardware, gimmick, etc.), which they are not ready to do.

 

[Reila]

The fact the game is almost finished points to it being a Wii U title, if anything. The NX is going to be announced next year, the launch might not happen until early 2017. But even if the NX is released late 2016, it doesn't make much sense to announce it as an "almost finished game" if it will be released roughly one year from now. Anyways, I still have Pikmin 3 to play, so even if Pikmin 4 is a NX title, it is not a big deal for me (especially if the NX is a handheld too).

 

[Opossum]

I'm just glad that, in general, Pikmin's been on an upswing and has really been cementing its place as one of Nintendo's more iconic series, pretty much since Pikmin 3. Makes me quite happy. :D

I still need to get Pikmin 3...I'm so behind. The game's absolutely gorgeous though.

 

[Freezie KO]

Definitely looking forward to Pikmin 4. I'll be interested to see where they take it. My personal favorite is Pikmin 2 with its focus on survival and combat among a ton of bizarre creatures. Pikmin 2 also had difficulty that 3 was sorely lacking. Pikmin 3 did have much better puzzles though since that was more of the focus, using puzzles to open the world. And of course, the first one is a combination with the exploration of 3 and the difficulty of 2. I'm just happy there's another one!

 

[Opossum]

For any die hard Pikmin fans, Olimar's amiibo came out today in the USA and it's GORGEOUS. I suggest you go out and get one today if you want. It's a really nice figure.

 

[Nefnoj]

I made you guys a thing:

For any die hard Pikmin fans, Olimar's amiibo came out today in the USA and it's GORGEOUS. I suggest you go out and get one today if you want. It's a really nice figure.

It's my first and only Amiibo. I don't envy the collectors, having to get up in the early mornings to chase each one. I'm such a diehard Pikmin fan, but I don't like his playstyle in Smash 4... Now I have the amiibo to fight so I don't have to!

 

[Aidan25]

I bought the first Pikmin for the Gamecube 2 years ago I think and I've played a bit of it but noob question that I have always been pondering, what happens when the 30 days run out?

 

[Babycowland]

I bought the first Pikmin for the Gamecube 2 years ago I think and I've played a bit of it but noob question that I have always been pondering, what happens when the 30 days run out?

I've never done it myself, but from what I've heard, the S.S. Dolphin tries to take off and crashes on the planet again. The Pikmin then take Olimar to an onion and he comes out as "Pikmar," though you only see his head with a Pikmin stem and leaf. It's pretty weird...

 

[Aidan25]

I've never done it myself, but from what I've heard, the S.S. Dolphin tries to take off and crashes on the planet again. The Pikmin then take Olimar to an onion and he comes out as "Pikmar," though you only see his head with a Pikmin stem and leaf. It's pretty weird...

That is weird haha. But does the game end or can you continue from where you were and it restarts? Or does the entire game restart from the beginning?

 

[justaway12]

I've never done it myself, but from what I've heard, the S.S. Dolphin tries to take off and crashes on the planet again. The Pikmin then take Olimar to an onion and he comes out as "Pikmar," though you only see his head with a Pikmin stem and leaf. It's pretty weird...

Really? when I got the first Pikmin, I tried and failed and he just took off, failed and crash-landed, I assumed he died lol, I never saw that Pikmar thing lol

I must have missed it lol

 

[Reila]

I've never done it myself, but from what I've heard, the S.S. Dolphin tries to take off and crashes on the planet again. The Pikmin then take Olimar to an onion and he comes out as "Pikmar," though you only see his head with a Pikmin stem and leaf. It's pretty weird...

That bad ending creeps the hell out of me. :'(

 

[Babycowland]

That is weird haha. But does the game end or can you continue from where you were and it restarts? Or does the entire game restart from the beginning?

Someone can feel free to correct me on this, but I'm pretty sure you can just start back at your last save, since that's how the normal ending works.

Also, this is unrelated, but I read a theory recently that candypop buds and onions are actually Pikmin, or at least close relatives of them. What do you think about that? Does it seem plausible to you? I think it's pretty neat and would actually make a lot of sense for them to all be connected like that.

 

[Nefnoj]

That is weird haha. But does the game end or can you continue from where you were and it restarts? Or does the entire game restart from the beginning?

It continues from your last day, I remember being super young, totally stuck in the Forest Naval. I was always bugged by how nobody would pick him.

Someone made a pretty cool bad ending Olimar concept art, though I kind of wish it had more plantlike influence:

Spoiler

 

[Reila]

Someone can feel free to correct me on this, but I'm pretty sure you can just start back at your last save, since that's how the normal ending works.

Also, this is unrelated, but I read a theory recently that candypop buds and onions are actually Pikmin, or at least close relatives of them. What do you think about that? Does it seem plausible to you? I think it's pretty neat and would actually make a lot of sense for them to all be connected like that.

The people in that thread saying Olimar wasn't dead in the ending are quite delusional. I think it was pretty obvious Olimar died (either from the Dolphin crash or because his life-supporting system failed), which is why the onion didn't immediately spit him out, instead it transformed him into a Pikmin seed of sorts. Plus, this is a Nintendo game and Nintendo games are known for being colorful and happy in the surface but with some creepy and eerie stuff in the background.

As for the theory, I dig it.

 

[Nefnoj]

Also, this is unrelated, but I read a theory recently that candypop buds and onions are actually Pikmin, or at least close relatives of them. What do you think about that? Does it seem plausible to you? I think it's pretty neat and would actually make a lot of sense for them to all be connected like that.

That's a super cool theory. Pikmin has so much lore that's easily overlooked, especially with all the scientific details in the Piklopedia. I read that thing so much.

The people in that thread saying Olimar wasn't dead in the ending are quite delusional. I think it was pretty obvious Olimar died (either from the Dolphin crash or because his life-supporting system failed), which is why the onion didn't immediately spit him out, instead it transformed him into a Pikmin seed of sorts.

I always interpreted Olimar as being in a coma - kind of almost dead, but not all dead, which is why he came out almost Pikmin, but not all Pikmin.

 

[Reila]

I always interpreted Olimar as being in a coma - kind of almost dead, but not all dead, which is why he came out almost Pikmin, but not all Pikmin.

Hmm... I guess that is a possibility as well. Still, if he was ever plucked, I doubt he would retain his conscience, because of the leaf on his head/brain.