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[Oidisco]

So I've finished Pikmin 1 and 3, and I'm pretty close to finishing 2. I think I can confidently say that 3 is by far my favourite, with 2 being my least favourite. For all the great things 2 does (enemy variety/challenge), the caves have pretty much ruined it for me.
I'm probably gonna take a break from 2 and go back to spamming Miiverse with pictures in 3.

 

[War Peaceman]

So I've finished Pikmin 1 and 3, and I'm pretty close to finishing 2. I think I can confidently say that 3 is by far my favourite, with 2 being my least favourite. For all the great things 2 does (enemy variety/challenge), the caves have pretty much ruined it for me.
I'm probably gonna take a break from 2 and go back to spamming Miiverse with pictures in 3.

Pikmin 2 is the best example of how, in a sequel, more does not equal better. The game is less balanced, the caves are antithetical to the strategic management of pikmin and the new additions were either for efficiency's sake (Purple) or hideous abominations (White). It is still a good game, but a big step down.

 

[Freezie KO]

I like Pikmin 2 better. The limitation of Pikmin in caves made it so that there was an actual challenge to defeating everything in front of you. Unlike in Pikmin 3, where the worst thing that happens at a boss fight is that you have to go back the next day with more pikmin, the caves made it so you actually had a gameplay-based incentive to keep your soldiers alive as you went further down.

Also, the variety of enemies in Pikmin 2 added to that challenge. The game gave me a feeling when confronted with enemies of "Oh shit, how am I possibly going to take that down?" These encounters made it more tense for the feeling that I am threatened on an alien world. Compare this to the extremely lax 99 day fruit limit in Pikmin 3, and there's no real worry that you'll ever make it home and save the day.

I love Pikmin 3, and I agree that the winged pikmin and rock pikmin are much better than the purples and whites. But the game has no significant challenge that stems from the gameplay itself. There's hardly an obstacle that cannot be overcome by simply giving up a day and coming back with more pikmin.

You have to set your own limits on days or not wanting to massacre your troops, which feels more arbitrary to me. I don't want to be a murderous master, so I try to keep pikmin alive, but that's not intrinsically stemming from the mechanics itself.

Both are amazing games, but Pikmin 2 wins for my tastes.

 

[Oidisco]

The caves in 2 were a good idea that's terribly executed. They're repetitive, bland, far too long and just boring to be honest. Plus the actual design of these areas is never particularly interesting.

I'd love to see a hypothetical Pikmin 4 basically perfect what 2 set out to do, much like Pikmin 3 is to Pikmin 1.

 

[Freezie KO]

The caves in 2 were a good idea that's terribly executed. They're repetitive, bland, far too long and just boring to be honest. Plus the actual design of these areas is never particularly interesting.

I'd love to see a hypothetical Pikmin 4 basically perfect what 2 set out to do, much like Pikmin 3 is to Pikmin 1.

I see how people thought the caves were repetitive. But for me, it was a gauntlet, and the enemies were so diverse I was interested in seeing what's next.

As for Pikmin 4... well, I just hope there is a Pikmin 4.

 

[Arkanius]

I'm on the fence if I should buy this game for my nephew. He is 7, barely knows English. I haven't played previous Pikmin to know if the gameplay is intuitive enough to pick the game, understand the mechanics, and get through it without extensive learning

 

[Oidisco]

I see how people thought the caves were repetitive. But for me, it was a gauntlet, and the enemies were so diverse I was interested in seeing what's next.

As for Pikmin 4... well, I just hope there is a Pikmin 4.

I have hope for a 4th game. The sales aren't so bad in Japan, and the game even managed to make into the top 10 NPD for August. That, combined with how active the Miiverse community is should show Nintendo that there definitely is an audience for the series.

I'm on the fence if I should buy this game for my nephew. He is 7, barely knows English. I haven't played previous Pikmin to know if the gameplay is intuitive enough to pick the game, understand the mechanics, and get through it without extensive learning

I say go for it. Pikmin 3 was 1st time playing the series and I got the hang of it very quickly. The gamevis very intuitive (especially with the wiimote) and the tutorials explain things well with little text. Infact, my 8 year old niece loves the game and she hasn't seen any tutorials since we've just been playing challenge mode.
I recomend that you play it a bit beforehand, just to help with explain some things to your nephew.

 

[Defect]

Pikmin 2 is so much harder than Pikmin 3 and I loved the caves. It needed better above ground parts though.

Pikmin 2 > Pikmin 3 > Pikmin

 

[Freezie KO]

I have hope for a 4th game. The sales aren't so bad in Japan, and the game even managed to make into the top 10 NPD for August. That, combined with how active the Miiverse community is should show Nintendo that there definitely is an audience for the series.

I think they'll see there's an audience. Plus with the Wii U situation, that has to be dragging down everything with it.

But it's one of those franchises, where I could also see Nintendo shelving it. I wouldn't mind a sequel on Wii U at all in a couple years. But if there is a Pikmin 4, I guess we probably won't see it for another 6 years.

Pikmin 2 is so much harder than Pikmin 3 and I loved the caves. It needed better above ground parts though.

Pikmin 2 > Pikmin 3 > Pikmin

Agreed. That's not to disparage Pikmin 3, but I do wish it had more challenge in the main Story mode.

 

[afoni]

I come in here everyone now and then just to get a quick update on this situation.

Has Miyamoto spilled the beans on the numbers yet?

 

[Oidisco]

The numbers were just a code you could enter to watch some videos of

Spoiler

Olimar talking about his 3rd trip to the planet

Nothing special.

 

[NEO0MJ]

I'm on the fence if I should buy this game for my nephew. He is 7, barely knows English. I haven't played previous Pikmin to know if the gameplay is intuitive enough to pick the game, understand the mechanics, and get through it without extensive learning

Game should be easy enough to learn, controls aren't complex and all commands and tips are taught through simple pictures.

 

[D-e-f-]

I come in here everyone now and then just to get a quick update on this situation.

Has Miyamoto spilled the beans on the numbers yet?

lol yes a long long long time ago (five weeks actually).

https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAABAAAYUKk-X8ZsIg

The caves in 2 were a good idea that's terribly executed. They're repetitive, bland, far too long and just boring to be honest. Plus the actual design of these areas is never particularly interesting.

I'd love to see a hypothetical Pikmin 4 basically perfect what 2 set out to do, much like Pikmin 3 is to Pikmin 1.

The divide over Pikmin 2 is a prime example for why the "Pikmin 3 was the same game we already played twice ten years ago" comments are so stupid. The dungeon crawler design made Pikmin 2 into an entirely different beast than Pikmin and Pikmin 3.

 

[Mael]

I need to finish W101 before even thinking of touching Pikmin 3(and I'm playing Pikmin2 when I can too so I'll think about it when I'm done....).
Having played and finished Pikmin NPC and Pikmin 2, I can say that at first I didn't like P1 but the NPC version made me reconsider (also I wasn't playing the game like I should have).

I mean in P2's cave you could leave your pikmins with Louie, explore with Olimar and have Olimar kill all the monsters (with a few exceptions) and then use the pikmins as slaves to get the treasures of the current floor.
That was actually a valid, if not quick, strategy.
You only needed time actually.
In Pikmin you do that and you're toast.
Pikmin 2 can be played in so many ways I really like it, the lack of piklopedia didn't impede my runthrough Pikmin 1 so maybe I'll be ok with that in 3 (or I'll try to do mine in Miiverse )

 

[jnWake]

I like Pikmin 2 better. The limitation of Pikmin in caves made it so that there was an actual challenge to defeating everything in front of you. Unlike in Pikmin 3, where the worst thing that happens at a boss fight is that you have to go back the next day with more pikmin, the caves made it so you actually had a gameplay-based incentive to keep your soldiers alive as you went further down.

Also, the variety of enemies in Pikmin 2 added to that challenge. The game gave me a feeling when confronted with enemies of "Oh shit, how am I possibly going to take that down?" These encounters made it more tense for the feeling that I am threatened on an alien world. Compare this to the extremely lax 99 day fruit limit in Pikmin 3, and there's no real worry that you'll ever make it home and save the day.

I love Pikmin 3, and I agree that the winged pikmin and rock pikmin are much better than the purples and whites. But the game has no significant challenge that stems from the gameplay itself. There's hardly an obstacle that cannot be overcome by simply giving up a day and coming back with more pikmin.

You have to set your own limits on days or not wanting to massacre your troops, which feels more arbitrary to me. I don't want to be a murderous master, so I try to keep pikmin alive, but that's not intrinsically stemming from the mechanics itself.

Both are amazing games, but Pikmin 2 wins for my tastes.

I love Pikmin 2 but all of the things you are criticizing about Pikmin 3 can be applied to Pikmin 2. First, there's no day limit, and since the caves have no time limits, the game is less strategic. I agree that caves give you a reason to try and keep Pikmin alive, but if something goes wrong you can reset the game and try again (remember that it saves between floors). So, it's equally as lax as Pikmin 3, even if enemies and stuff are harder.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Just beat the game, final boss was pretty fun.

Spoiler

The way it speared Pikmin and then ate them was terrifying though. I mean it's a glob made of gold, why does it have to eat Pikmin?

One thing I was disappointed with was the lack of a bestiary, it was fun reading Olimar's research on the monsters.

 

[georly]

Spoiler

The way it speared Pikmin and then ate them was terrifying though. I mean it's a glob made of gold, why does it have to eat Pikmin?

Because they

Spoiler

have hearts of gold!

 

[Oidisco]

It's really refreshing to come back and play Pikmin 3 after playing 1 and 2. The small and subtle changes the made to the UI and feedback actually feels really significant to me. I had a lot of problems with aiming at enemies in the first 2 games, but no such issues in 3.

Feels good man!

 

[Freezie KO]

I love Pikmin 2 but all of the things you are criticizing about Pikmin 3 can be applied to Pikmin 2. First, there's no day limit, and since the caves have no time limits, the game is less strategic. I agree that caves give you a reason to try and keep Pikmin alive, but if something goes wrong you can reset the game and try again (remember that it saves between floors). So, it's equally as lax as Pikmin 3, even if enemies and stuff are harder.

Honestly, it's been forever since I played Pikmin 2, but if I recall correctly what made Pikmin 2 extra difficult was that if you wanted the treasure at the bottom of the cave, you had to get there with enough pikmin to "clear" that level.

Sure, you could cheese it with Olimar going solo, but if you played it the way it was meant to be played, there was an intrinsic challenge to it that isn't there as much as Pikmin 3. At the very least, you had to beat a boss in a day. You couldn't just lose 100 and come back with 100 more the next day.

--

It's really refreshing to come back and play Pikmin 3 after playing 1 and 2. The small and subtle changes the made to the UI and feedback actually feels really significant to me. I had a lot of problems with aiming at enemies in the first 2 games, but no such issues in 3.

Feels good man!

The aiming is better than it's ever been for sure. I love the Wii remote. Pikmin really proves how much potential is left in pointer aiming.

 

[Oidisco]

The aiming is better than it's ever been for sure. I love the Wii remote. Pikmin really proves how much potential is left in pointer aiming.

I've been playing the New Play Control versions of 1 and 2, and while the controls are pretty good, I still find it really difficult to aim. Something about the targeting reticle makes it look like I'm aiming right at a bulborbs back, but it often ends up throwing the Pikmin over the bulborb.

In 3, they added a little throwing arc which makes a huge difference to me.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Because they

Spoiler

have hearts of gold!

Spoiler

It's true ;_;

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

The missions are a bit tough aren't they?

Unless I'm a massive noob.

 

[Hobbestetrician]

I've been playing the New Play Control versions of 1 and 2, and while the controls are pretty good, I still find it really difficult to aim. Something about the targeting reticle makes it look like I'm aiming right at a bulborbs back, but it often ends up throwing the Pikmin over the bulborb.

In 3, they added a little throwing arc which makes a huge difference to me.

Right, you would think you were throwing them on an enemy's back but in actuality you were throwing them behind the enemy because the reticle didn't take arc into consideration, only it's position on the ground. You would have to put the reticle underneath an enemy to properly get the Pikmin on it's back. Glad they improved upon that in 3, with the arc actually being part of the controls.

 

[Dr.Hadji]

The missions are a bit tough aren't they?

Unless I'm a massive noob.

You can pretty much call it the challenge mode. Its where you learn what the game is made of. And the best part of it all, you learn how you can push the Story Mode in a similar manner when/if you go for quicker completion times.

 

[Oidisco]

I'm still hoping that if we do get DLC, they add night time missions. The idea could simply be that a Capain stays behind at night to rescue any Pikmin that didn't make it back to the Onion.
Gameplay wise it'd be along the lines of a survival mode, since the creatures are actively hunting Pikmin. They could easily introduce several new nocturnal creatures to the game. It'd also bring back some challenge that was missing from Pikmin 3.

It's not exactly what Pikmin is about, but it could be a really interesting optional mode....I've been thinking about this idea for a while

 

[Tokieda]

Cut it down to 15 after some retries. I haven't looked to youtube for strategies (yet) but I can't believe that it's been done in 10. If I redo some things, I can maybe get it down to 13, but 10 is just insane.

 

[D-e-f-]

Cut it down to 15 after some retries. I haven't looked to youtube for strategies (yet) but I can't believe that it's been done in 10. If I redo some things, I can maybe get it down to 13, but 10 is just insane.

Watch the 10-day run for fun. It's amazing. Always the exact amount of Pikmin needed for each task at hand. Not a single death.

 

[Tokieda]

Watch the 10-day run for fun. It's amazing. Always the exact amount of Pikmin needed for each task at hand. Not a single death.

No deaths??? :O

That's... unbelievable. I always planned on watching it, I just wanted to know how well I would do myself if I didn't have any help.

 

[Kissenkopf]

Watch the 10-day run for fun. It's amazing. Always the exact amount of Pikmin needed for each task at hand. Not a single death.

No deaths?
I can't imagine how that works...the last two bosses are so brutal, the kill easily a whole Pikmin army in a few seconds! Have to watch this speedrun!

 

[Tokieda]

No deaths?
I can't imagine how that works...the last two bosses are so brutal, the kill easily a whole Pikmin army in a few seconds! Have to watch this speedrun!

I actually managed to kill the last boss without any deaths - I always lose at least 10 with Shaggy Long Legs though :/

 

[D-e-f-]

No deaths??? :O

That's... unbelievable. I always planned on watching it, I just wanted to know how well I would do myself if I didn't have any help.

:O <-- your face for the entire 2(?) hours of runtime

I actually managed to kill the last boss without any deaths - I always lose at least 10 with Shaggy Long Legs though :/

It's always a matter of using the right Pikmin type for the right enemy/situation. It's crazy.

 

[Tokieda]

:O <-- your face for the entire 2(?) hours of runtime

I'm afraid that after watching it, I'd want to attempt it myself. 15 was bad enough...

It's always a matter of using the right Pikmin type for the right enemy/situation. It's crazy.

I only use yellows, he just always steps on them

That's impressive! I've lost at least 50 Pikmin at the last boss and...it doesn't matter how much I lost at the other boss...>_>

The killer-pinching move can't kill rock pikmin

 

[Kissenkopf]

I actually managed to kill the last boss without any deaths - I always lose at least 10 with Shaggy Long Legs though :/

That's impressive! I've lost at least 50 Pikmin at the last boss and...it doesn't matter how much I lost at the other boss...>_>

The killer-pinching move can't kill rock pikmin

What?! Mind = blown! Now I have to defeat it again with a rock-hard army of death! Thanks!

Edit: I always wanted to share some Pics from my Adventure and I guess now it's time for them...

 

[D-e-f-]

I only use yellows, he just always steps on them


The killer-pinching move can't kill rock pikmin

You know what else can't kill Rock Pikmin? Longlegs' stomp ...why are you using yellows!
Rock + Winged = invincible!

 

[Tokieda]

You know what else can't kill Rock Pikmin? Longlegs' stomp ...why are you using yellows!
Rock + Winged = invincible!

Mind blown. Of course.

 

[Shaanyboi]

best piece of text in the whole game

 

[Oidisco]

So for my 3rd plathrough, I've decided to just take it easy and take my time running around and exploring. Mostly doing this to find awesome photo taking locations

 

[Sagitario]

I started this game yesterday. I am in the 8th day and I just got to the second boss, I am guessing I'm way behind schedule, right?

Anyway, quick questions:
- Is there any way to direct your army? It was D-pad down in NPC Pikmin 1/2. Rolling isn't cutting it.
- You can't adjust zoom and angle levels anymore?

 

[Freezie KO]

I started this game yesterday. I am in the 8th day and I just got to the second boss, I am guessing I'm way behind schedule, right?

Anyway, quick questions:
- Is there any way to direct your army? It was D-pad down in NPC Pikmin 1/2. Rolling isn't cutting it.
- You can't adjust zoom and angle levels anymore?

The game is very lax about how many days it gives you, so as long as you have some fruit, you're on schedule.

As for directing the army, you can't swarm anymore, but they added a new charge move. You can lock onto enemies or walls or bridge pieces and then rush them with all your pikmin at once. Just lock on first and then shake the nuncuk.

I don't believe you can adjust zoom, but you can recenter the camera.

 

[D-e-f-]

I started this game yesterday. I am in the 8th day and I just got to the second boss, I am guessing I'm way behind schedule, right?

Anyway, quick questions:
- Is there any way to direct your army? It was D-pad down in NPC Pikmin 1/2. Rolling isn't cutting it.
- You can't adjust zoom and angle levels anymore?

Like Freezie said, there's no camera zoom anymore.

The lock-on move is detailed in the control pamphlet that came with the box (RIP manuals) or in the digital manual if you have an eShop copy. It's also part of one of the tutorials. It locks on to an enemy or object your Pikmin can carry or destroy, you shake the Nunchuk and all the Pikmin in your control storm towards it, carrying it the available action. You don't really need to direct them any other way. They huddle closely together when moving so they take up very little space, even in a grouping of 100 units. And for evasive maneuvers, the roll is perfectly capable of servicing that need.

 

[Oidisco]

Here's a couple of pictures I've taken so far on my 3rd playthrough. Nothin too exciting.

 

[D-e-f-]

OMG these are INSANE!

This is the reason they put this feature in there. Shots like yours. Wow. They all look well planned and executed. Jaw's still open, btw.

 

[Oidisco]

Daaw, thanks. The fire pictures were planned (I've actually taken those pics a couple of times), but the others were just a result of me stumbling across a good photo opportunity by sheer luck.

One thing I've been doing this playthrough is exploiting the dodge whistle and the ability to throw captains. I'm getting them to places you aren't meant to be able to go, usually higher ground, meaning I can take some awesome scenery pictures (like the picture of Alph running across the bridge above). I'll post a screenshot of one of my favourite places to do this later.

Also, the framerate drops to almost single-digits when you point the camera directly into fire.

 

[thecouncil]

Something I found out last night:

You can play Off-Screen single player campaign using the remote/nunchuck control scheme. The GamePad becomes a tiny TV screen. I suppose the camera on the pad is the sensor bar? I don't know what's going on there, but it's pretty cool, I guess.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Something I found out last night:

You can play Off-Screen single player campaign using the remote/nunchuck control scheme. The GamePad becomes a tiny TV screen. I suppose the camera on the pad is the sensor bar? I don't know what's going on there, but it's pretty cool, I guess.

The black camera strip on the gamepad does indeed have two LEDs in it to act as a sensor bar, as far as I know.

 

[D-e-f-]

Something I found out last night:

You can play Off-Screen single player campaign using the remote/nunchuck control scheme. The GamePad becomes a tiny TV screen. I suppose the camera on the pad is the sensor bar? I don't know what's going on there, but it's pretty cool, I guess.

I think this info is in the OP. Black Ops 2 also let you play this way. Like Kai said, there's a sensor bar around the camera.

 

[kizmah]

Just finished the game. Took 50 exploration days and nearly 20 hours. And it was pretty amazing. Best game on Wii U so far for me. One question, I gathered all the fruit. Was the ending affected by that and in what way? I didn't notice anything special but then again I haven't seen any other endings.

 

[Oidisco]

Just finished the game. Took 50 exploration days and nearly 20 hours. And it was pretty amazing. Best game on Wii U so far for me. One question, I gathered all the fruit. Was the ending affected by that and in what way? I didn't notice anything special but then again I haven't seen any other endings.

I think the little narration at the end is different. I can't remember the exact differences, but I think the 100% ending makes things sound more hopeful (with regards to the future of Koppai) and it also talks about how the crash of the SS Drake might not have been an accident. Not getting all fruit makes things sound less hopeful and doesn't mention the crash. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyways, I found 3 more areas in the Frozen Tundra which you can access by throwing captains/messing with the dodge whistle. I took screen shots of their location on the map and what it looks like in-game.

The other area which I forgot to take a picture of is right beside the big slide in the area, which is pretty exciting to me because it's the only way to take decent, up-close pictures of Pikmin going down it. I'll be going back later to experiment with taking photographs from these places.
There's also atleast one more of these kinda places in the Garden of Hope, right where you find Brittany early in the game.

 

[Tokieda]

Here's a couple of pictures I've taken so far on my 3rd playthrough. Nothin too exciting.

Wow that's a great shot. The depth of field looks really great.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Here's a couple of pictures I've taken so far on my 3rd playthrough. Nothin too exciting.

This is just perfect. Well done, sir.