Rabengakev
16-06-2008, 10:43 PM
I'm a bit new to this review lark; tried to be as in-depth as possible, without spoiling the game, etc, etc. You are all welcome to comment your opinion, just keep in mind i'm new to this. :eng101: Enjoy! Photos will be added when Photobucket is working again.
---
I miss the Gamecube. I remember getting that thing on release day for £130 and loving it. When i see that Gamecube games are just simply dissapearing from shelves, i wonder "why?". Because the Gamecube, to give it it's credit, had some great launch games.
Within the first year or so of it's release there were so many games that came out for it that i wanted to play. One of these was Pikmin, which i recently picked up in CHiPS for 20 quid for nostalgia.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/kezler/Pikmin1boxart.jpg
Pikmin, the first Pikmin game before Pikmin 2 and a possible Pikmin 3, is apparently a concept that came to Miyamoto when he was gardening. It follows the story of Captain Olimar, a person from a distant planet who crashes into another planet, scattering parts of his ship over the planet, and therefore royally screwing himself. :trex: Upon exploration of the Impact Site, he finds a red onion, which, long story short, produces a Pikmin, a small creature that follows him around. And the rest is history..
Pikmin's story may seem a tad cliché, but it's the execution of the concept that makes the game worth trying. For being a "survival of the fittest" theme, it creates a surprisingly bright atmosphere. In terms of gameplay, it works like this: you start with one Pikmin, who can carry things. You can have Pikmin carry food pellets and carcasses of enemies you kill to this onion, creating more seeds. You can only have 100 Pikmin in the field at any one time, though. It sounds simple, and it is, but it's a simple concept elaborated on; there's a lot of strategy involved, and it gets very hectic if you've still got parts to get on the last remaining days.
There are a total of 3 different colors of Pikmin: red, yellow and blue. Red Pikmin are the strongest and resistant to fire. Yellows can be thrown higher and can wield bomb rocks, weird volcanic-like rocks that explode when thrown. These are vital for taking down stone walls in the game. Blue Pikmin are resistant to water. These 3 types add the majority of the strategy to the game, and while it may seem pretty straightforward there are times when you must alternate between all 3 for just one ship piece. Also, Pikmin can evolve to 3 different stages; upon conception they have a leaf atop their head, but they can turn into buds and eventually flowers. The advantage to this is that they can work faster and are stronger attackers. They get this way either by being left in the ground for a small period of time or by drinking nectar produced from long grass you encounter in the field.
The game controls fairly simply, which is a necessity for a game like Pikmin. You move Olimar with the analog stick. You press A to throw Pikmin, to pluck Pikmin from the ground, and to deposit/remove Pikmin from the onion if you stand under it. You can use B to call the Pikmin to you with a whistle. The c-stick is used to move the Pikmin manually in a certain direction. The X button dismisses the Pikmin into groups of colour (red, yellow and blue), and the Y button brings up a menu screen with information. The R trigger allows you to zoom the camera out/in 3 different lengths, and the L trigger centers the camera behind Olimar; whereas the Z button changes the perspective from a quarter-view to overhead. Performing actions is easy, particularly attacking enemies; for most enemies, you simply throw Pikmin onto it, and the more you throw the quicker it goes down. Some Pikmin are weak against some enemies, and vice versa, so it's vital to know which creatures this applies to; luckily, Olimar produces a ship log after every day he spends on the planet, often giving enemy and Pikmin information.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/kezler/2445-pikmin-1-mcreg-1.jpg
A bulborb getting just a tad pwned
Graphically, i thought the game looked great for it's time, maybe it's me. It came out after the Xbox, so obviously Xbox graphics blew it out of the water, but on it's own merits it hardly looked 8-bit. The graphics serve the game's purpose well with the bright environments (where apt), and innovative enemy designs. And the water looked fantastic. If you're the kind of person who needs amazing graphics to appreciate a game though, chances are you won't appreciate Pikmin.
The music also serves this same purpose. It's nothing really revolutionary, but as always the music is apt no matter the location. Often the tunes are bright, again reflecting well the mood of the game.
Now, for the bad parts of this game. Firstly, and this is the big one, the length of the game. As fun as Pikmin is, it only lasts 30 "days" (each day being roughly 13 minutes). Therefore, before you know it the game is over, and you will be dissapointed. Especially if you spend money on it. You can replay it, but that's not for a lot of people.
My second issue, albeit smaller, is how the Pikmin control behind you; yes, you can use the C-stick to maneuver the Pikmin around you, but there's many times when they get stuck behind ledges, accidentally walk into water and drown, start attacking things you don't want them to. This can become a major annoyance.
So, overall, Pikmin is an inventive game and one of the jewels of the Gamecube; due to the Gamecube's untimely death, Pikmin will never quite be as remembered as it should be. Even though it's 6/7 years old, it's still so unique that i haven't, personally, played anything so different since, really. The control is easy to understand, and the graphics are surprisingly good for their time. There are a few minor inconveniences, but nothing too serious. Unfortunately, due to the length of the game, if you're going to play Pikmin i would strongly suggest a rental; alas, i must bring back the issue of the Gamecube's death to remark that that is no longer possible. But if you can find the game for a decent price, and you own a Gamecube and are looking for a quirky game to pass some time, i urge you to try Pikmin.
This game wins 4 out of 5 T-rex's:
:trex: :trex: :trex: :trex:
---
I miss the Gamecube. I remember getting that thing on release day for £130 and loving it. When i see that Gamecube games are just simply dissapearing from shelves, i wonder "why?". Because the Gamecube, to give it it's credit, had some great launch games.
Within the first year or so of it's release there were so many games that came out for it that i wanted to play. One of these was Pikmin, which i recently picked up in CHiPS for 20 quid for nostalgia.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/kezler/Pikmin1boxart.jpg
Pikmin, the first Pikmin game before Pikmin 2 and a possible Pikmin 3, is apparently a concept that came to Miyamoto when he was gardening. It follows the story of Captain Olimar, a person from a distant planet who crashes into another planet, scattering parts of his ship over the planet, and therefore royally screwing himself. :trex: Upon exploration of the Impact Site, he finds a red onion, which, long story short, produces a Pikmin, a small creature that follows him around. And the rest is history..
Pikmin's story may seem a tad cliché, but it's the execution of the concept that makes the game worth trying. For being a "survival of the fittest" theme, it creates a surprisingly bright atmosphere. In terms of gameplay, it works like this: you start with one Pikmin, who can carry things. You can have Pikmin carry food pellets and carcasses of enemies you kill to this onion, creating more seeds. You can only have 100 Pikmin in the field at any one time, though. It sounds simple, and it is, but it's a simple concept elaborated on; there's a lot of strategy involved, and it gets very hectic if you've still got parts to get on the last remaining days.
There are a total of 3 different colors of Pikmin: red, yellow and blue. Red Pikmin are the strongest and resistant to fire. Yellows can be thrown higher and can wield bomb rocks, weird volcanic-like rocks that explode when thrown. These are vital for taking down stone walls in the game. Blue Pikmin are resistant to water. These 3 types add the majority of the strategy to the game, and while it may seem pretty straightforward there are times when you must alternate between all 3 for just one ship piece. Also, Pikmin can evolve to 3 different stages; upon conception they have a leaf atop their head, but they can turn into buds and eventually flowers. The advantage to this is that they can work faster and are stronger attackers. They get this way either by being left in the ground for a small period of time or by drinking nectar produced from long grass you encounter in the field.
The game controls fairly simply, which is a necessity for a game like Pikmin. You move Olimar with the analog stick. You press A to throw Pikmin, to pluck Pikmin from the ground, and to deposit/remove Pikmin from the onion if you stand under it. You can use B to call the Pikmin to you with a whistle. The c-stick is used to move the Pikmin manually in a certain direction. The X button dismisses the Pikmin into groups of colour (red, yellow and blue), and the Y button brings up a menu screen with information. The R trigger allows you to zoom the camera out/in 3 different lengths, and the L trigger centers the camera behind Olimar; whereas the Z button changes the perspective from a quarter-view to overhead. Performing actions is easy, particularly attacking enemies; for most enemies, you simply throw Pikmin onto it, and the more you throw the quicker it goes down. Some Pikmin are weak against some enemies, and vice versa, so it's vital to know which creatures this applies to; luckily, Olimar produces a ship log after every day he spends on the planet, often giving enemy and Pikmin information.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/kezler/2445-pikmin-1-mcreg-1.jpg
A bulborb getting just a tad pwned
Graphically, i thought the game looked great for it's time, maybe it's me. It came out after the Xbox, so obviously Xbox graphics blew it out of the water, but on it's own merits it hardly looked 8-bit. The graphics serve the game's purpose well with the bright environments (where apt), and innovative enemy designs. And the water looked fantastic. If you're the kind of person who needs amazing graphics to appreciate a game though, chances are you won't appreciate Pikmin.
The music also serves this same purpose. It's nothing really revolutionary, but as always the music is apt no matter the location. Often the tunes are bright, again reflecting well the mood of the game.
Now, for the bad parts of this game. Firstly, and this is the big one, the length of the game. As fun as Pikmin is, it only lasts 30 "days" (each day being roughly 13 minutes). Therefore, before you know it the game is over, and you will be dissapointed. Especially if you spend money on it. You can replay it, but that's not for a lot of people.
My second issue, albeit smaller, is how the Pikmin control behind you; yes, you can use the C-stick to maneuver the Pikmin around you, but there's many times when they get stuck behind ledges, accidentally walk into water and drown, start attacking things you don't want them to. This can become a major annoyance.
So, overall, Pikmin is an inventive game and one of the jewels of the Gamecube; due to the Gamecube's untimely death, Pikmin will never quite be as remembered as it should be. Even though it's 6/7 years old, it's still so unique that i haven't, personally, played anything so different since, really. The control is easy to understand, and the graphics are surprisingly good for their time. There are a few minor inconveniences, but nothing too serious. Unfortunately, due to the length of the game, if you're going to play Pikmin i would strongly suggest a rental; alas, i must bring back the issue of the Gamecube's death to remark that that is no longer possible. But if you can find the game for a decent price, and you own a Gamecube and are looking for a quirky game to pass some time, i urge you to try Pikmin.
This game wins 4 out of 5 T-rex's:
:trex: :trex: :trex: :trex: