Such an amazing game. I had a tough time trying to think of reasons not to give it a 10.
I hadn't even gotten halfway through the first one when I got this game, and I had no problem beating this one before its prequel because I was so impressed. I don't even know where to begin with this review...
Well, the graphics are very impressive and VERY realistic, especially the environments, and the music only makes it so much better because it's amazing how well the music and sound effects match the theme of the level.
And, unlike in the first one, you can go underground in this game, and each cave has several, if not many sublevels (floors). Nintendo's intention involving the underground levels was to make the game longer, and they did a spectactular job. Especially since you aren't timed underground, which means you can take as much time as you want formulating battle strategies to take down the hordes of different enemies on each floor, along with the epic boss battles on the last floor of each cave (which makes perfect sense).
Specifically, the enemies are all VERY bizarre, and each one has their own special abilities, attacks, actions, and range of walking/ floating. The game is even clever enough to give you the idea that they all have their own personalities, as well. In the last few caves, some of the sublevels will be insanely difficult due to the deadly attack combinations of the enemies, which always varies, making it even more challenging.
Speaking of challenge, the sublevels of the caves almost never look the same when you replay them, due to the magnetic-gravitational movement of the land, whatever that means... Anyway, even if you've beaten them already, whenever you come back to them, the arrangement of the land and enemies will be nearly completely different every time, which makes it especially fun because you never know what to expect, although the enemies usually remain the same.
The boss battles are even more impressive! Fighting them is always fun, even if you know exactly how to beat them. Their attacks always vary, and their design is always very creative. I was always satisfied after fighting one.
Despite its many pros, there are a few cons. For one thing, the impressive graphics are sometimes made sorta blurry, usually underground. But that's not very common. Also, the sounds made by the pikmin themselves are sometimes overwhelmingly cute, and will probably scare off some players. Even some of the enemies make sort of cute sounds. So, this game is not for everyone, unfortunately. But its charm is often part of what makes it realistic.
Also, it's pretty easy to get used to some of the enemies' attacks and therefore it's sometimes unbelievably easy to beat them, but if they're in a group surrounded by different enemies, it's often quite difficult to take them down.
So overall, this is an amazing game. Its few cons are no match at all for its many pros. A 9.5 is my final score for this incredible game. If you have a gamecube but not this game, GET IT!