Review: Pikmin 2

Rated G for Nintendo Wii

A screenshot of Pikmin 2.

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The original Pikmin was one of those GameCube games that had a solid story, cute characters and a charm that just meant it had to be played. It was fun.

Unfortunately, few New Zealand gamers got hold of its follow-up, Pikmin 2, when it was released in PAL territories in 2004 - because it wasn't released here.

Now, thanks to Nintendo's revisioning of classic GameCube games with its New Play Control! series, New Zealand gamers have the chance to play the sequel to one of the GC's most loved games.

And Pikmin 2 manages to do what many sequels strive for but don't quite manage: it subtly improves on some annoyances of the original, while keeping the addictive and charming gameplay of the original.

Captain Olimar, the pint-sized space pilot from the original, who was stranded on an alien planet in the last game, returns in Pikmin 2 and this time he has to save his employer, Hocotate Freight shipping company, which has gone into liquidation owing thousands of space dollars and had its only decent spaceship, Olimar's SS Dolphin, impounded until it pays back the money it owes.

Olimar and his co-pilot, Louie, must return to the planet of the Pikmin and hunt for treasure to fund the refloat of the company. Olimar has to raise 10,000 space dollars or all is lost.

Gamers familiar with the first game (and it's New Play Control! remake) will feel right at home with the controls, which have changed little from the original, but one of the biggest improvements is that there is now no limit to how many days you must take to complete your mission.

You'll explore the planet's surface as well as its interior in search of treasures.

You also get to control both Louie and Olimar and, in fact, on one of the first missions you have to swap between Olimar and Louie to complete a task. It's smooth and seamless and so much fun.

Back, too, are the adorable little Pikmin - tiny creatures that resemble carrots with a green leaf on their heads, which they use to whack down flowers to gather seeds that spawn more Pikmin and to knock down walls and barriers.

Like the first game, different coloured Pikmin (purple, yellow, red, white) have different skills and have to be used to complete tasks. Not once playing the game did I get frustrated or throw a controller at a lounge wall.

Now that it's finally available in New Zealand, Pikmin 2 deserves to be in the collection of all Wii owners - it's that good.

- © Fairfax NZ News