One of the most unique games I've played. It's also one of the main reasons I got a GameCube.
You are a tiny astronaut, about half an inch tall, named Captain Olimar, who has crash landed on the planet of the Pikmin, similar looking to Earth. Your ship has broken apart and you must find the pieces scattered about somebodies backyard, or wherever you are. You meet these little Pikmin creatures that you command, using a whistle on the C-pad, to pick up parts, attack enemies, or plant tokens, which grow more Pikmin. You have 30 days to try and find the parts of your ship so that you can return home before your life support runs out.
The graphics are probably as good as the GameCube gets, simplistic, yet very detailed. The level designs are artistic and different from start to finish. It's also impressive how many Pikmin you can control on the screen. It even looks better than some of the more powerful Xbox and PlayStation 2 games of the time.
Gameplay is finely tuned and easy to control. Everything seems very smooth. It's a completely new concept that I had never seen done in any game before. The whole game is very well balanced, boss battles are fun and challenging, and while you may stress a little if running out of time, you'll never feel hopeless.
You can spend as much or as little time as you want each day trying to progress and dismantle or build obstacles to reach a part you need, but spend it wisely or you may not make it home at the end of the game. There are different types of Pikmin that have different uses, so this is sort of a strategy/action/adventure game. You will come across many battles with bugs and other strange creatures. And always make sure to bring your Pikmin in at night so they don't get eaten!
This is a very well made game, that I can't find any problems with.