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[zroid]

Brittany is my favorite of the new Captains.

I kind of don't really feel anything about Alph.

Alph is so cute the way he tries to be the responsible one of the group to impress Charlie... while Charlie is more preoccupied with impressing Brittany to notice/care... while Brittany is just obsessed with her fruit and nothing else. It's quite an awesome dynamic.

 

[Frodo]

Alph is so cute the way he tries to be the responsible one of the group to impress Charlie... while Charlie is more preoccupied with impressing Brittany to notice/care... while Brittany is just obsessed with her fruit and nothing else. It's quite an awesome dynamic.

Love it!

Spoiler

Love how she makes the Captain's portion smaller and smaller each time lololol

 

[jblank83]

Pikmin 3 is legitimately excellent. It's in the realm of Galaxy, Prime, and Nintendo's other best games of all time.

Any review saying it's just another Pikmin blow my mind. It's taken Pikmin to the next level.

In terms of presentation, visually and audibly and cinematically, it's far and away the best. Graphically it couldn't be done on Gamecube or Wii. There are tons of nice little atmospheric touches. It feesl "Pixar-ish", with tons of attention to detail. The game's cinematics aren't too in your face, like big heavy cutscenes, although there are cutscenes. It's all very well done and very "gamey" while also being scenic. Love it.

The game play great as well. Pointer controls are really nice. GamePad makes a great 2nd viewscreen if you're using the remote/chuck. And the game itself is well balanced and fun. There are nice additions to the core gameplay as well, such as leader switching that nicely mixup the puzzles. Far from being yet another Pikmin, it's a definite improvement on the preceding games.

Am very happy with it.

 

[Bel_Air_Jeff]

Pikmin 3 is legitimately excellent. It's in the realm of Galaxy, Prime, and Nintendo's other best games of all time.

Any review saying it's just another Pikmin blow my mind. It's taken Pikmin to the next level.

In terms of presentation, visually and audibly and cinematically, it's far and away the best. Graphically it couldn't be done on Gamecube or Wii. There are tons of nice little atmospheric touches. It feesl "Pixar-ish", with tons of attention to detail. The game's cinematics aren't too in your face, like big heavy cutscenes, although there are cutscenes. It's all very well done and very "gamey" while also being scenic. Love it.

The game play great as well. Pointer controls are really nice. GamePad makes a great 2nd viewscreen if you're using the remote/chuck. And the game itself is well balanced and fun. There are nice additions to the core gameplay as well, such as leader switching that nicely mixup the puzzles. Far from being yet another Pikmin, it's a definite improvement on the preceding games.

Am very happy with it.

You got me hyped enough to go out and buy it today after I get my paycheck

 

[Mrbob]

I went back and forth in purchasing this game but I'm glad I did last night. Kept playing until my controller ran out of juice. I briefly played the first pikmin so this franchise is new to me. The game is an interesting mix of a console game with PC strategy. Pikmin 3 isn't as in depth as a PC strategy title but it does enough to keep me engaged. There really isn't another console game I've played like it. Extremely fun.

I'm playing exclusively on the gamepad right now and will try it out with the wiimote on my second run.

 

[jblank83]

You got me hyped enough to go out and buy it today after I get my paycheck

Great! Let me know if you hate it so I can fkee.

 

[Bel_Air_Jeff]

Great! Let me know if you hate it so I can fkee.

Will you reimburse me if I hate it?

 

[afoni]

Pikmin 3 isn't Galaxy tier quality, but it's touting the same kind of game design ethics.

 

[jblank83]

Will you reimburse me if I hate it?

*fkees*

 

[marc^o^]

Will you reimburse me if I hate it?

No one will believe you ;-)

 

[ZedIndyLil]

Game should come in the mail tomorrow, but I probably won't get a chance to dig into it until the weekend. Still debating between gamepad and motechuck. My only experience has been with the Gamecube controls, so maybe I'll see how the pad works at first.

 

[Haines]

finally got to dig into this game

wowwwwwwww. classic nintendo stuff.

AAA charm, visuals, controls, gameplay.....

This is why I own a WiiU. This is what I look for in a game.

Delays be damned if I get stuff like this for it.

 

[afoni]

you guys are relentlessly uncritical

 

[zroid]

you guys are relentlessly uncritical

On the contrary, I'm more critical of Pikmin 1 and 2 after seeing how much better the concept can be executed with Pikmin 3.

 

[afoni]

On the contrary, I'm more critical of Pikmin 1 and 2 after seeing how much better the concept can be executed with Pikmin 3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuZr7G3bbI8

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I definitely wouldn't go so far as to say Galaxy quality.

It does prove EAD has their Gamecube chops still. It is a fantastically good game, but it's a case of "Been there, done that, but man is it good to be home."

 

[afoni]

It does prove EAD has their Gamecube chops still. It is a fantastically good game, but it's a case of "Been there, done that, but man is it good to be home."

Someone finally gets it?

Shocking.

 

[Gouty]

Not exactly sure what just happened...

Mind you I played both Pikmin 1 & 2 on the Gamecube so I'm comfortable playing with a gamepad. Started Pikmin 3 with the pad, everything is fine up until the first boss. Suddenly it was like both my movement and the height of my cursor were being controlled by the left stick. Normally doesn't the cursor just stay on the ground? It was like I was fighting it the entire time, trying to get it to stay down, throwing Pikmin straight in the air.

 

[NYCrooner]

Hey can anyone tell me if I need to play Pikmin 1 or 2 before playing this? I've never played a Pikmin don't care to backlog if I don't have to. Thanks!

 

[afoni]

Hey can anyone tell me if I need to play Pikmin 1 or 2 before playing this? I've never played a Pikmin don't care to backlog if I don't have to. Thanks!

You'll be fine playing this as your first.

 

[NYCrooner]

You'll be fine playing this as your first.

Cool I know Nintendo does a lot of hand holding anyway but was concerned by the little nuisances of not playing the originals. Will pick this one up.

 

[afoni]

Heh, this thread will fill you in on stuff if you're not sure. I'm the GAF Pikmin expert, so feel free to ask here.

 

[jblank83]

I definitely wouldn't go so far as to say Galaxy quality.

Psh, I'd say it's beyond Galaxy quality. The visual and cinematic presentation has taken Nintendo games to a new level. It's masterfully deft, interweaving short, meaningful cutscenes in with game data presentation and interactive bits to break up the non-interactivity. It presents an effective, meaningful story without being ponderous, and provides solutions to common "failings" of Nintendo games, such as high quality Simlish speech. The audio presentation isn't as grand as Galaxy, recycling classic Pikmin tracks with new, however it's still good stuff.

And the gameplay is interweaved with the cinematics effectively, while still retaining the most important position, as it should be in a video game.

Granted, I haven't finished the game, however what I have seen is top notch stuff.

Unfortunately, I think Pikmin 3 is not going to get its due, being a "strategy" game, albeit with action elements. The market, not just consumers but reviewers as well, just does not embrace such games. Pikmin 1 and 2's sales, despite being some of the most original and well produced games of that generation, barely topped 1 million sales each.

Anyway, have to run to work.

 

[starwarsfan541]

About to start playing, my sister was playing it this morning, and the games graphics are amazing, its nice to see Nintendo make a graphical masterpiece in HD.

 

[The Librarian]

I got Charlie on Day 11 and used Day 12 to gather everything from the previous day as I had ran out of time. I suppose that was the second boss fight?

I've decided what I'm going to do is go through the campaign collecting only what fruit I need, then I'm going to go through the campaign a second time to gather everything. Took me a couple of days to

Spoiler

reunite Alph with Brittany after grabbing the yellow pikmin because I couldn't find all the pieces to the bridge!

By this point in the game, it looks like

Spoiler

Olimar will have a bigger role than I thought he would.

I have enough fruit at this point to go fifteen days without getting anything, and I'm loving the atmosphere of each of the levels. I particularly love it when it rains – again, the game is extraordinarily pretty. You know, for all the criticism the game got for the low-res textures of the ground, I don't noticed anything wrong with the ground textures at all while playing.

 

[afoni]

Psh, I'd say it's beyond Galaxy quality. The visual and cinematic presentation has taken Nintendo games to a new level. It's masterfully deft, interweaving short, meaningful cutscenes in with game data presentation and interactive bits to break up the non-interactivity. It presents an effective, meaningful story without being ponderous, and provides solutions to common "failings" of Nintendo games, such as high quality Simlish speech. The audio presentation isn't as grand as Galaxy, recycling classic Pikmin tracks with new, however it's still good stuff.

And the gameplay is interweaved with the cinematics effectively, while still retaining the most important position, as it should be in a video game.

Granted, I haven't finished the game, however what I have seen is top notch stuff.

Unfortunately, I think Pikmin 3 is not going to get its due, being a "strategy" game, albeit with action elements. The market, not just consumers but reviewers as well, just does not embrace such games. Pikmin 1 and 2's sales, despite being some of the most original and well produced games of that generation, barely topped 1 million sales each.

Anyway, have to run to work.

Calm down, friend. Take those rose tinted glasses off for a minute and smell the bulborb shit.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I definitely wouldn't go so far as to say Galaxy quality.

It does prove EAD has their Gamecube chops still. It is a fantastically good game, but it's a case of "Been there, done that, but man is it good to be home."

Great description.

Love the game. I think the screenshots in this thread and people's comments have kind of overblown how good the graphics actually are most of the time, though (Maybe PC has just spoiled me, lately). Most of the time, the graphics are just there, doing graphics things, IMO. Nothing more, nothing less.

Took a half sick day today to get some play time in.

 

[Outtrigger888]

but it's a case of "Been there, done that, but man is it good to be home."

For some, this is their first pikmin game. So whatever you meant by that doesnt apply.

Of course, opinions.

 

[Kouriozan]

Thanks Nintendo for making this game.
Like, seriously, it's very refreshing, and this game is really polished, this is the true Nintendo Seal of Quality.

I really like Brittany a lot, she is my new favorite character of this IP. Hope we'll see her again.

 

[Tathanen]

Calm down, friend. Take those rose tinted glasses off for a minute and smell the bulborb shit.

I played through the entirety of Pikmin 1 the day before I started 3, and Pikmin 2 again a couple months ago. I have spent a lot of time with these games over the years, in fact I will go ahead and say that GAF's "resident Pikmin expert" is right here, if we're gonna be bandying that nonsense around. And I am confident in saying that Pikmin 3 is almost shockingly better, and easily among Nintendo's best efforts. The other games are basically proof-of-concept development versions of a game that took 12+ years to make.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

For some, this is their first pikmin game. So whatever you meant by that doesnt apply.

Of course, opinions.

When I make a statement that applies universally to all people in every possible situation without exceptions, then I imagine I will make a bigger deal about it while accepting my medal for doing something unprecedented.

 

[afoni]

I played through the entirety of Pikmin 1 the day before I started 3, and Pikmin 2 again a couple months ago. I am confident in saying that Pikmin 3 is almost shockingly better, and easily among Nintendo's best efforts. The other games are almost proof-of-concept development versions of a game that took 12+ years to make.

Have you played through the entirety of Pikmin 3?

 

[Tathanen]

Have you played through the entirety of Pikmin 3?

I am a couple of days away from unlocking the last area. Is the game going to change in some significant fashion around then? Perhaps unmaking the worlds and mechanics that I've experienced so far?

 

[LAA]

I just played a little of Pikmin 2 before.
Just wow comparing it to Pikmin 3.
Surely Nintendo can notice the HD difference now.

I cant wait a Super Mario Galaxy Wii U... or better yet, a Metroid Wii U!

 

[papercan55]

you guys are relentlessly uncritical

not me...
just give it a while and we'll see what those secret memo's do.
if they don't unlock a second quest which actually explains/finishes the game then i will flip tables.
no piklopedia, no camera height controls, massive lack of enemies, no photo album
plus the game is far too easy.....
it's an amazing game but there is a lot of room for improvement.

end game spoilers

Spoiler

seriously....
who decided it would be a good idea to ask a series of questions during the final credits after getting 100%,
then show the final boss still alive and a spaceship crashing into the planet only for it to give you nothing....
nothing was explained, and the game even reminds you during the credits.
the game has clearly been cut for dlc, or the secret memo's unlock all the answers.
which would be fine, but nintendo won't tell us what the secret memo's do just yet.
That's sloppy coming from any most game designers, from nintendo it's bordering on unforgivable.

 

[Outtrigger888]

When I make a statement that applies universally to all people in every possible situation without exceptions, then I imagine I will make a bigger deal about it while accepting my medal for doing something unprecedented.

ok

 

[Het_Nkik]

Man, I really hate the lack of swarming with the right analog stick. It's so tedious to throw Pikmin one at a time at objects. I know you can also dismiss Pikmin right near the object and they may get to work on it, but it's super unreliable.

 

[zroid]

Man, I really hate the lack of swarming with the right analog stick. It's so tedious to throw Pikmin one at a time at objects. I know you can also dismiss Pikmin right near the object and they may get to work on it, but it's super unreliable.

use charge!

 

[Teknoman]

I'll say one thing, never expected a full english voiced intro in a Nintendo game.

 

[Kouriozan]

I'll say one thing, never expected a full english voiced intro in a Nintendo game.

I think Kirby Epic Yarn has one too.

 

[afoni]

I'll say one thing, never expected a full english voiced intro in a Nintendo game.

Metroid Prime.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Man, I really hate the lack of swarming with the right analog stick. It's so tedious to throw Pikmin one at a time at objects. I know you can also dismiss Pikmin right near the object and they may get to work on it, but it's super unreliable.

Lock on, then use the Dismiss command. It will make Pikmin go to what you locked on to.

 

[Het_Nkik]

use charge!

Hm, I've held A to throw and saw the charge glow... but then when I release it just throws like normal. What's step two? Wait, where charge throws in the other games? I feel like I sort of remember a rapid throw...

Lock on, then use the Dismiss command. It will make Pikmin go to what you locked on to.

That sounds more useful. Thanks.

Doesn't help with avoiding enemy attacks but should work for other stuff.

Hold down ZL/Z when the reticule is over what you want to lock on to it, then use whatever your preferred dismiss input is to use charge.

Yep, got it.

Glad I didn't play further w/o knowing this technique.

 

[afoni]

Hm, I've held A to throw and saw the charge glow... but then when I release it just throws like normal. What's step two?

Hold down ZL/Z when the reticule is over what you want to lock on to it, then use whatever your preferred dismiss input is to use charge.

 

[Copenap]

Hold down ZL/Z when the reticule is over what you want to lock on to it, then use whatever your preferred dismiss input is to use charge.

Or if you're using Wiimote/Nunchuck you have to lick on and wiggle waggle the Nunchuck.

 

[afoni]

Or if you're using Wiimote/Nunchuck you have to lick on and wiggle waggle the Nunchuck.

I actually accommodated for that in my explanation, but thanks for jumping in with a pointless intrusion.

 

[Teknoman]

I think Kirby Epic Yarn has one too.

Metroid Prime.

Forgot about Epic Yarn, thats true. Which Metroid Prime though?

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Afoni, you are a rather unpleasant person.

 

[afoni]

Afoni, you are a rather unpleasant person.

I hear good things about you too.

 

[Nocturnowl]

I had just replayed NPC Pikmin and Pikmin 2 back to back to prepare for this game. With memories of both fresh, I have to say so far, I prefer Pikmin 3 to both of them.

To me, 3 seems like a conscious attempt to find the core of the game's premise, using elements from 1 and 2 to do that. Pikmin 1 was short and simplistic, but the flow of the game was excellent. Pikmin 2 was sprawling but repetitive, turning into more of an adventure / dungeon crawler than Pikmin. The weird disparity in time between the overworld clock the timeless dungeons was extreme.

3 strikes a really sweet spot for me so far. Far more interesting world than Pikmin 1, and a lot less of a grind than Pikmin 2. Collecting the fruit rather than the hundreds of treasures in Pikmin 2 isn't a downgrade IMO; the fruit are part of the core design with "building" more days ahead.

While they certainly could have layered on more systems just for the sake of it - like sprinkling treasure around to prospect for money, too - it feels like that would have introduced bloat. The mission mode is there for that and it seems a lot better designed and replayable than the challenge stages in Pikmin 1 or 2.

At the moment my criticisms of the game is that it could certainly use more missions if they're the same quality as what's here, so hopefully they will work on that as has been suggested. And there's a couple of needed interface tweaks such as an in-game photo album for your collection. An alternate version of the Pikilopedia would have been quite nice where you fill it out with your own photos.

For me these are really minor points contrasted against the polish and superb design of the game. IMO it is pretty much the perfect realization of Pikmin's fundamental concept.

I've been meaning to write something up about Pikmin 3 ever since I finished it a week and a half ago, until I can be bothered to do so I'd just like to say that I can agree with a lot of what's been said here.

you guys are relentlessly uncritical

I've been pretty damn critical all year long on the games i've played, almost too critical (you saw what I had to say about Dream Team Bros!)
But Pikmin 3 really hit the nail on the head for me, while there's certainly some issues I could take with it I enjoyed it to the point where i'm pretty satisfied with the whole package.