Who is Louie and why does he keep showing up
Holy moly, I was waiting to get to this game ever since I started marathoning these games. Not because of the HD Graphics or Brittany (maybe), but because I wanted to see how much Pikmin AI has evolved from the past couple of games. A couple generations should have helped fine tune everything, yeah? Well... Yeah! Though maybe to a fault?
I very much enjoy this game, but it is no doubt easier than the first two. Is it a bad thing? No not really, I just very much miss the tension of the previous titles is all.
To start, Pikmin AI is so much better. Never once did I have to worry about my Pikmin getting left behind because they were too slow, nor did I get any anxiety trying to cross a bridge. The biggest changes outside of that are a mixed bag for me. The added lock-on feature is very handy, I won't knock it at all. However, the new Charge mechanic I feel is a huge factor on what makes the game easier. I always enjoyed the old charge mechanic (if not only for the funny horn music) but because it allowed me to have full control of my Pikmin so they can avoid oncoming danger... not that it's super needed in this game. But having the charge be a single button press that rams into enemies like an instant kill button very much lowers any tension the combat may have had in this game. Also, I hate that using the New Charge mechanic only sends the required amount of Pikmin to carry an item and anything extra needs to be awkwardly thrown ahead of your Pikmin's pathway so the other Pikmin can catch up and.... yeah. Compared to 1 and 2's charge mechanic that shoved as many Pikmin onto an object so it was always getting transported at double speed with no hiccups.
Outside of the simplified combat, the rest of the game is phenomenal. Multitasking is the name of the game and having three playable captains makes everything so fun and has you wonder how you want to tackle the day. A day is never wasted. Oh, one captain doesn't have enough Blue Pikmin to carry an object? That's ok, I'll send that captain back to the ship while I play as another captain as they make their way back to the Onion. Everything about this game is just so fun to play, and the new Pikmin types, ESPECIALLY PINKS make multitasking and item hunting fun.
Rock Pikmin objectively have the best design tho.
And though this game's timer is an absolute joke with no threat of running out, there's still something so melancholic about going back to your ship and watching each captain wonder if they'll have enough food to get them by for the remainder of the expedition. Admittedly, the best part of the game IS when your food gets stolen and you start and you start at nothing again and have to scurry to get your supplies back... It seriously did add the level of tension that Pikmin 1 was very good at setting onto you.
I hear complaints that this game is short, and I do get why they're made, but honestly I like it this way given the premise of the story. It's short yes, but the adventure is a very well refined version of Pikmin 1. There's not as much danger or even a lot of tension here, but it's very fun and I think that's what matters most.
And that's just the base game alone, I have not even touched the side content at all! Play it if you want to get into the series but are too intimidated by the first two games! Pikmin 3 (and 4!) are all you need to understand this happy little franchise (:
Holy moly, I was waiting to get to this game ever since I started marathoning these games. Not because of the HD Graphics or Brittany (maybe), but because I wanted to see how much Pikmin AI has evolved from the past couple of games. A couple generations should have helped fine tune everything, yeah? Well... Yeah! Though maybe to a fault?
I very much enjoy this game, but it is no doubt easier than the first two. Is it a bad thing? No not really, I just very much miss the tension of the previous titles is all.
To start, Pikmin AI is so much better. Never once did I have to worry about my Pikmin getting left behind because they were too slow, nor did I get any anxiety trying to cross a bridge. The biggest changes outside of that are a mixed bag for me. The added lock-on feature is very handy, I won't knock it at all. However, the new Charge mechanic I feel is a huge factor on what makes the game easier. I always enjoyed the old charge mechanic (if not only for the funny horn music) but because it allowed me to have full control of my Pikmin so they can avoid oncoming danger... not that it's super needed in this game. But having the charge be a single button press that rams into enemies like an instant kill button very much lowers any tension the combat may have had in this game. Also, I hate that using the New Charge mechanic only sends the required amount of Pikmin to carry an item and anything extra needs to be awkwardly thrown ahead of your Pikmin's pathway so the other Pikmin can catch up and.... yeah. Compared to 1 and 2's charge mechanic that shoved as many Pikmin onto an object so it was always getting transported at double speed with no hiccups.
Outside of the simplified combat, the rest of the game is phenomenal. Multitasking is the name of the game and having three playable captains makes everything so fun and has you wonder how you want to tackle the day. A day is never wasted. Oh, one captain doesn't have enough Blue Pikmin to carry an object? That's ok, I'll send that captain back to the ship while I play as another captain as they make their way back to the Onion. Everything about this game is just so fun to play, and the new Pikmin types, ESPECIALLY PINKS make multitasking and item hunting fun.
Rock Pikmin objectively have the best design tho.
And though this game's timer is an absolute joke with no threat of running out, there's still something so melancholic about going back to your ship and watching each captain wonder if they'll have enough food to get them by for the remainder of the expedition. Admittedly, the best part of the game IS when your food gets stolen and you start and you start at nothing again and have to scurry to get your supplies back... It seriously did add the level of tension that Pikmin 1 was very good at setting onto you.
I hear complaints that this game is short, and I do get why they're made, but honestly I like it this way given the premise of the story. It's short yes, but the adventure is a very well refined version of Pikmin 1. There's not as much danger or even a lot of tension here, but it's very fun and I think that's what matters most.
And that's just the base game alone, I have not even touched the side content at all! Play it if you want to get into the series but are too intimidated by the first two games! Pikmin 3 (and 4!) are all you need to understand this happy little franchise (: