Best game to exist ever to me specifically. The first Pikmin game lovingly demonstrates what it would be like in the alternate universe where space travel is routine but the soul-crushingness of your capitalist day job still exists, and you broke down on a strange planet full of creatures you've never seen or heard of before. The pikmin themselves, as aided by the much maligned (for a reason, for sure) AI, behave as autonomous creatures; they stop in the middle of a task, don't understand or can't see ahead of them and give up and sit down instead, sometimes you throw them and they just kind of stand there, or go to do a different task than the one you wanted them to. This gives them an immense charm, well met by their simple design and soundbites. It's frustrating, you're on some planet and even if you manage to survive and get off the planet, you'll just end back up at your shit job whose financial practices got you here in the first place, what with their complete unwillingness to repair your ship to not fucking crash land.

Although I prefer having the tools brought in Pikmin 2 (a game I also deeply love), I can't help but be sad to watch as the pikmin increasingly get streamlined into the perfect workforce/ soldiers, following at your precise command and rarely stopping just because: they're autonomous creatures! And they just flat out don't want to go carry that item or attack that predatory creature. Playing Pikmin 4, I can't help but notice the complete tonal shift from the worst day of your shitty futuristic job to a well-organized exploration organization, complete with its own internal knowledge (what, so you just know what a dwarf bulborb is? Captain Olimar is a beloved and renowned figure?).

I think to me, the beauty of Pikmin is, although heavily comprised of the creatures, worlds, and sound design/& music, still tied to the circumstance Olimar finds himself in in this first game. It feels less sanitized, less "cozy nintendo gaming"-ified, more relatable. You're in your own situation and the pikmin are in theirs, and despite this, you learn each other's habits and work together to, generally, some degree of mutual benefit (idk about others but I prefer doing minimal death runs). Maybe I'm just particularly aware of not being paid enough and being fucked over by people and systems, and when it gets me feeling low the catharsis of seeing someone else who knows that experience express it through art does more for me than the marketably wholesome Rescue Corps, complete with alien dog. Maybe I just love and try my best to respect non-human animals through bothering to learn about their needs, preferences, and tendencies, but I wish others did too.

Pikmin’s a childhood game for me, but not one I actually played: it was way too hard for me as a youngster, but I loved watching my sister play it. I was taken in by the silly plot and characters and the creative world. Today, that wonder still remains, but now I can say as well that its gameplay is incredible, and really stands out among RTS games. And, while it’s less insurmountable than it was when I was a kid, it’s actually still really hard, especially if you’re aiming for 100%. A bit of that difficulty comes from the controls, which have not aged well - actually hitting enemies with your Pikmin is unreasonably hard sometimes - but most of it is from this being a balanced game with a strict time limit that’s aiming for difficulty. Graphically, it has aged pretty poorly, looking very blurry on a modern TV, but I’m impressed that this is a 2001 Gamecube game that runs smoothly even when you have 100 separate Pikmin on screen. The enemies are creative and challenging, the music wears after a while but is generally good, and overall, I’m so glad that this franchise started to get so much more love with Pikmin 4 - it really deserves it.

Fun game! I'm a Pikmin fan now!! I thought the time limit was just an empty threat to scare children playing the game, so I kinda played this at a snails pace. I regret it now, because I stressed myself out way too much trying to get the missing parts. I felt so bad when Pikmins died or got left behind, and It feels like the game rubs it in your face by having a count for both, and also showing Pikmins about to get killed when you leave. It was a lot shorter than I expected, but that's not a bad thing.

reviewing the new play control version on here because it's just more relevant to do so

pikmin was one of those games that existed in fantasy for me for the longest time. i knew about if because of smash bros. but never really stuck my head in for more than a peek. though, over time, i slowly found myself becoming interested in this little game, due to a combination of factors. once i finally reached a tipping point, i decided it was time i gave the game a shot.
i attempted playing the new play control version for my wii u, but the wii-mote controls quickly made my arm tired with the constant pointing and directing. my accuracy was also shot due to this... sooooo i decided to use my Very Legal Wii Mouse and Keyboard Setup to play the game instead, using my mouse to aim the reticle. playing this way was total bliss. a bit heavy on the keybinds, but i soon got used to it. once i started playing this way, the game clicked for me and i began to have fun with it.
the game itself is very satisfying to play in most departments. plan out a day-by-day strategy and work against the clock, set up things for yourself the next day to be efficient as possible, and use your knowledge of your pikmin and your surroundings to win the day. it's short and somewhat simple, but i think that it's perfect for what it is. the game also has a bit of a sense of humor, which would only fully blossom in the sequel.
my only complaint about the game is how the pikmin themselves behave. sometimes they listen, but other times they like to do their own thing, like pick grass or carry stuff that you'd rather them not. the game makes assumptions of what you want your pikmin to do on your behalf, and most of the time it works... but in cases like these, it can be a detriment to your strategy. but if that's the only issue i have, then i can say with confidence that pikmin is simply peak!

...just don't have a pikmin fan constantly backseat gaming with you. never have i ever wanted to throttle someone over a game more in my life.

Un poquito mas dificil de lo que parece al principio. pero eso lo hace bueno. Lo que mas me impresiona es como basicamente es un RTS pero tan exageradamente diferente del usual clon de AOE. O mas increible que ellos lo hayan hecho es el hecho de que nadie mas haya intentado (al menos exitosamente) hacerlo. #salvenelRTS . Lo mejor es como te sueltan en el nivel y lo haces en el orden y ritmo que quieras, sientas y puedas, y al final puedes incluso tomarte un dia mas en un mundo y un dia menos en otro como compensación. Nota adicional a ser de los juegos que mejor se siente jugarlo con los controles de movimiento

It was fun to experience the first entry in the beloved Pikmin series! It's easy to tell that the first game was experimental, as many ideas weren't completely fleshed out yet and mechanics could be pretty janky. Others have talked about these points ad nauseam, so I'm going to focus more on the experience.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Compared to the later games, Pikmin 1 has an incredible sense of loneliness. You're trapped on an alien planet with a limited time to escape before you asphyxiate, and you're forced to place your trust in a hive mind species to survive. It's a great hook for a minimal story! Most of the dialog is revealed through daily logs and ship parts, which adds to the mystery surrounding Pikmin 1. Who is Olimar, why is he here, why do the pikmin help him etc etc.

When you finally get all the ship parts to return home, Olimar seems almost sad that he has to leave the pikmin behind. Again, no dialog (which is a good thing!) These moments made Olimar feel more human. This might be the last time he would ever see the species that would save his life! Of course, we know that's not true, but the subtle storytelling is very well done here.

Like many others, I was frustrated by tripping, dumb pikmin ai, and selecting specific pikmin, but Pikmin 1 started the series on a strong note. It was more difficult than I thought, which makes me excited to finally play Pikmin 2 and finish the series!

Pikmin involves the space explorer Olimar crash landing on a planet due to a meteor strike scattering crucial parts of his ship all over the planets surface. Olimar encounters the Pikmin, slightly creepy plant creatures who obey his every command and it's then a case of repairing the ship in 30 days before his life support systems fail.

It's a simple plot, but the mood is surprisingly somber, with the environments doing plenty of the story telling, which still look incredible to this day.

As Olimar you explore one of 5 areas and use the Pikmin to recover the pieces of the ship. You have 30 in game days to locate the parts, with each day working on a timer before you must return to the ship with your Pikmin. If you leave any Pikmin in the field they are eaten and are gone for good. So it's about managing your time, how much can you get away with before sunset?

Using the 3 different types of Pikmin you are simply directing them to pick things up, destroy bridges or kill enemies. The day limit may seem daunting but I feel you have more than enough time to find everything, and you don't even need to get 100%. If you’re efficient, make a plan and choose the right Pikmin for the job, you'll be fine.

I really enjoyed this, it was stressful but serene at the same time, a very different game loop, but one I'm excited to play more of - 8/10