Pikmin is still the fun and innovative game it was way back when, but is this rehash with new controls worth a purchase?
Pikmin's story involves Captain Olimar crash landing on a strange planet on a trip of some sort. His ship is in shambles, and he is able to locate 30 parts from the ship that he needs to get home. His life support will only last him for 30 days, though, because a toxic substance called 'oxygen' exists in the air. He quickly encounters a small creature which he names Pikmin, and this interesting species of little beings help him find the 30 parts of his ship and return home, and along the way the Pikmin learn independence and gain the ability to survive on their dangerous home planet. The story is very unique and that's what makes it great. The game is all centered on these concepts and they work extremely well in every aspect of the game.
Commanding Pikmin is easy enough. Simply press A to throw one or pick one out of the ground, press B to call them to you, C to sort them, and down on the control pad to direct them. The Wii's unique controls come into play with the pointer; you point at the screen to direct your throwing and where your Pikmin will go. All of these functions work almost perfectly; all potential frustrations are very few and far between. The Wii's small additions to the controls are quite good too, and the game fits perfectly with the new control scheme.
The gameplay is all about getting the Pikmin to carry parts back to your ship and create even more Pikmin (they carry things back to their 'Onion' which spits out new ones). Getting your Pikmin to do what you want them to is the key to your success, and there are many strategies involved with that. Strategy comes in especially with the three types of Pikmin: the reds (resistant to fire), yellows (can be thrown higher and can also use bombs), and blues (weaker but able to go in water). There are many challenges involved with using the different types of Pikmin, which at least keeps the game from being a walk in the park the first time through.
Once you've beaten the game, though, it truly is a walk in the park to beat it again. This is where all the replay value lies: seeing how fast you can beat the game and how many Pikmin you can produce within the 30 in-game days. Aside from the main story there is a challenge mode, in which you see how many Pikmin you can get in one day, but that feels like a waste of time when the real game is so much more fun. Overall Pikmin suffers from a lack of content, even if the bulk of what it has is simply fantastic.
Pikmin looked pretty good on the GameCube as a launch title; the difference between it and games from the generation before is pretty drastic. Nowadays the graphics still look passable and sometimes pretty nice (especially the water) but there isn't any improvement from the game that came out so many years ago. With the New Play Control version there are supposedly HD graphics, but HD always makes even the sharpest of Wii games look like a mess.
Pikmin still sounds great, though. Everything from the gut-wrenching death sounds the Pikmin make to the sounds they make when they triumph are just great. All the effects fit very well with what they go to and sound great all the time. The music is also awesome, especially the unforgettable theme from the Impact Site.
Being a total rehash with updated controls, New Play Control Pikmin has its ups and downs. The bad part is just that: it's simply a rehash of a 7-or 8-year-old game with new controls. The good part comes to the people who don't already own the game, though: they get to experience a fantastic game in a new way, and those are the people who should buy this Wii version. If you own the GameCube game then don't bother with this, just play through that version again. But if you don't own the original game, I highly recommend you give New Play Control Pikmin a shot, because you don't want to miss out on this fun, innovative, and high quality game a second time.
Positive:
+ solid, fun gameplay
+ commanding 100 little Pikmin is pretty awesome
+ new Wii controls suit the game nicely
+ great replay value
+ plenty of challenges along the way
Negative:
- no graphical improvements from GameCube game
- very little content