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Pikmin 3 Review Thread [UP2: All reviews are live]

Finally after a decade long wait, Pikmin 3 is being released. It's going to be available in Japan not too long from now (although us M'rc'ns have to wait another twenty days), and we've already got a review from Famitsu. Updates to come, blah blah blah.

UPDATE: After another decade of waiting, I have yet another review courtesy of Iceblade (Thanks!). It's not from the biggest gaming sites, but it beats Famitsu!

Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii-u/pikmin-3/critic-reviews

TheGameShelter: 4/5
"Pikmin 3 è il miglior seguito che la serie potesse desiderare e, di fronte alla sua natura di “IP quasi nuova”, costituisce un gradito ritorno per gli appassionati ed un ottimo punto d’inizio per chiunque non abbia mai provato i due giochi precedenti – in tal caso il consiglio è di non perdere altro tempo e provare quest’originale interpretazione del genere degli RTS su console. Per il resto, EAD #4 ha realizzato un titolo solido, che soddisfa le aspettative riguardo la qualità del suo gameplay, perfezionato oltre ogni limite e con estrema attenzione. Purtroppo una conclusione affrettata ed una certa debolezza nel lungo periodo, determinata anche dallo scarso impegno preposto nella realizzazione delle modalità aggiuntive (sfortunatamente non è stato ripreso l’esempio positivo di New Super Mario Bros. U), relegano quest’opera ad essere “solo” un ottimo videogioco che per ora rimanda alla prossima volta la “resa dei conti” tra Nintendo ed i giocatori."
http://thegameshelter.com/pikmin-3-la-maledizione-del-trentunesimo-giorno/

Gameblog.fr: 4/5
"Pour notre santé, il est conseillé de manger cinq fruits et légumes par jour. Toutefois dans Pikmin 3, pas besoin de rassembler une telle quantité de nourriture. Viser ce genre d'exploit aurait même tendance à vite courir sur le haricot, d'autant que les volubiles Koppiens qu'on y incarne ne sont guère friands de légumes et se contentent d'un verre de jus de fruit quotidien. Forcément, certains seront pressés de repartir de cette plantureuse planète les poches pleines de graines, mais ils se priveront alors d'une bonne cure de vitamine. En effet, le principe de rationnement alimentaire suscite une expédition au rythme posé, tout en préservant la pression de cette quête de survie au jour le jour. Car il s'agit toujours de planifier savamment les opérations et de les réaliser avec doigté, des manoeuvres que facilite l'usage de l'omniscient GamePad associé au duo Wiimote/Nunchuk. Ces évolutions aboutissent à une formule idéale, encore enrichie par l'exploration en trio aux côtés de nouvelles espèces de Pikmins. Malgré le délicat travail d'élagage opéré sur le gameplay en parallèle, le bourgeonnement d'idées issues de ces boutures génère ainsi des interactions inédites que les énigmes et les Boss viennent naturellement exploiter. Et si certaines expérimentations auraient mérité d'être encore plus poussées, notamment sur le plan de la verticalité, ce microcosme n'en repose pas moins sur un véritable équilibre naturel. En témoignent les modes missions qui constituent d'excellentes leçons pour les botanistes en herbe, entre deux parties de Duel Bingo."
http://www.gameblog.fr/test_1634_pikmin-3-wii-u

InsideGamer.nl: 9/10
"Pikmin 3 is strategisch veruit het sterkste deel van de serie. De levels zijn op een geniale wijze in elkaar gezet, en ontkiemen zich langzaam maar zeker tot steeds complexere omgevingen. Dat er geen co-op variant is van de verhalende modus is zuur, en dat Pikmin soms dommig blijven hangen is evenmin plezierig, maar de game heeft zoveel moois te bieden dat je dat voor lief neemt."
http://www.insidegamer.nl/recensies/106211/pikmin-3-review-de-beste-wii-u-game-tot-nu-toe

IGN: 8.8/10
"Pikmin 3 is a delight. There’s nothing else like its gentle combination of exploration, strategy and discovery, and it made me feel both empathy and responsibility for virtual creatures that most games would treat as disposable fodder. It transported me like few other games can, giving the feeling of being a stranger in a strange (but oddly familiar) world. It's over too soon, but it leaves a lasting impression."
http://au.ign.com/articles/2013/07/22/pikmin-3-review

JeuxVideo: 17/20
La synergie entre les trois héros est primordiale: le déroulement du jeu est découpé en journée et, la nuit venue, ils n’ont pas d’autre choix que de regagner leur vaisseau, puisqu’il devient impossible d’exploiter sa petite armée de Pikmins. Et sans les Pikmins, le joueur n’est rien. C’est pourquoi il doit les gérer avec attention, en veillant à ce qu’ils se reproduisent en nombre suffisant et à ce qu’ils évoluent.En effet, une créature que l’on laisse germer dans le sol ou que l’on nourrit de nectar peut fleurir: elle devient alors plus rapide et plus forte, remplissant par conséquent ses tâches de manière plus efficace. Une donnée à prendre en compte lorsque l’on affronte les ennemis les plus imposants, capables d’avaler une grappe de ces bestioles d’un seul coup, et lorsqu’il faut ramener des fruits à la base pour remplir ses réserves de nourriture. Le joueur a donc affaire à un véritable jeu de stratégie en temps réel mâtiné de gestion. Ceux qui ont déjà joué aux deux premiers volets devraient vite retrouver leurs marques tout en appréciant les quelques possibilités apportées par l’équipier supplémentaire. Mais ils pourraient tout de même regretter un manque de véritables nouveautés puisque, au final, le principe et l’action demeure très proches de ce que proposaient les épisodes précé- dents. En revanche, les nouveaux venus auront l’occasion de découvrir un jeu unique en son genre, une atmosphère zen hypnotisante savamment contrebalancée par un challenge assez relevé, un véritable rayon de soleil ludique doublé d’un doux vent de fraîcheur. En somme le jeu de l’été idéal avant d’attaquer les blockbusters de la rentrée."
http://jeuxvideomagazine.com/test-jeux/test-test-pikmin-3-a1066162

Eurogamer: 9/10
"What's most striking, though, is that Pikmin still feels like strategy seen with fresh eyes - strategy, perhaps, by designers who were unconcerned with labelling, and just let their ideas lead them where they wanted to go. Just as the Koppai explorers give each lump of fruit they encounter its own name (cantaloupes become Wayward Moons, limes are reborn as Zest Bombs), Nintendo has transformed a genre traditionally concerned with large-scale warfare into a knee-high epic built of scavenging and babysitting. Survival, not domination. Family, not factions."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-10-pikmin-3-review

Gamer.nl: 9/10
"De manier waarop het spel ons spelerdewijs om leerde gaan met de verschillende soorten Pikmin, het werken met drie verschillende groepen en het blootleggen van de levels, zorgt voor een machtig gevoel. De grootte van de maps zorgen ervoor dat je, ondanks het kleine aantal, met gemak een uur of vijftien kwijt bent aan het hoofdspel. Zeker wanneer je al het fruit wilt verzamelen om maar zo compleet mogelijk te zijn en de meest uitdagende situaties op te lossen, heb je een flinke kluif aan Pikmin 3. Ben je eenmaal klaar, dan is er nog een tweespelerstand waarin je via korte potjes kijkt wie het handigst omgaat met zijn Pikmin en een Challenge-modus met wat geinige uitdagingen. Maar het leeuwendeel van de content zit toch echt in de singleplayermodus en die is gelukkig leuk en lang genoeg om een aankoop zonder twijfel te rechtvaardigen. Dit is strategiegaming van de bovenste plank, speelbaar voor de massa."
http://www.gamer.nl/review/431277/pikmin-3-meer-dan-plantaardig

NOW Gamer: 9/10
"nd really this is the key point to Pikmin 3. It might be part of a franchise, but it still feels fresh.

Part of that is because there has been very little to match this very unique style of game, but mostly it’s because – unlike Mario – Nintendo hasn’t drained as much as is humanly possible from these walking, squealing plants.

It hasn’t changed all that much from the Gamecube version and yet still Pikmin 3 manages to feel original, and for that reason alone it’s worth your attention.

This is Nintendo. This is what we want to see. Brilliant ideas, well executed. Give Mario and co a well-deserved rest, Nintendo, it's time to let that brilliance shine again."
http://www.nowgamer.com/wiiu/wiiu-reviews/2014378/pikmin_3_review.html

Vandal: 9/10
"El juego consigue engancharte pese a su dureza, despierta la necesidad de mejorar los resultados obtenidos, de rebajar tiempos, de encontrar el camino más corto, de reclutar los pikmin más adecuados en cada ocasión, realiza un excelente uso del GamePad y muestra un mundo variado y bello. Serían mejorables algunos detalles, pero nada que moleste demasiado o impida disfrutar del juego.

Si eres de los que hace años veían figuras de Tetris cuando cerraban los ojos por la noche, te gustará oír sin cesar los silbatos de los protagonistas intentando poner orden en las filas de pikmin y tus noches estarán llenas de pikmin saltarines."
http://www.vandal.net/analisis/wiiu/pikmin-3/14586

MeriStation: 9.1/10
"Pikmin 3 se convierte en uno de los trabajos más personales de Miyamoto por su fórmula y por el encanto que desprende desde el primer minuto. Estamos ante un videojuego que sabe mezclar perfectamente mecánicas RTS con una acción dinámica y constante. Un título inteligente y bien diseñado en el que trazar la estrategia a seguir, tener capacidad de reacción y ser rápido de movimientos antes de que el día acabe es vital para triunfar. Los pikmins vuelven a estar de moda destacando sobre todo las dos nuevas variedades, pero el gran cambio llega con la presencia de tres protagonistas en pantalla. Tener que separar hasta en tres partes al equipo para poder avanzar profundiza y amplía la fórmula vista en los anteriores Pikmin. Un título variado, con mucho ritmo y lleno de posibilidades: las que ofrecen las diversas razas de estos pequeños pero letalesanimales. A nivel audiovisual estamos ante un juego que se define en una palabra: bonito. La alta definición sienta de maravilla una fauna y flora tan simpática como detallada, y que cuenta con elementos de primer nivel como la recreación del agua. Solo algún problema con el control y la ausencia de un cooperativo que se prestaría de maravillas en la historia –compensado eso sí por modos extras que alargan más la vida del juego- juegan en contra de un retorno tan esperado como satisfactorio en el que es, seguramente, el mejor juego de Wii U hasta la fecha."
http://www.meristation.com/nintendo-wii-u/pikmin-3/analisis-juego/1776364

IGN Spain: 91/100
"Pikmin 3 es un juego único. Tanto en el catálogo de Wii U, como en la colección de franquicias de Nintendo, como incluso dentro del género del RTS y aunque no sabemos cuál puede ser la respuesta del gran público nos ha quedado claro que es un imprescindible de esta priemra hornada de juegos para la nueva consola de sobremesa de Nintendo. No sólo estamos ante una experiencia que va a ofrecer horas y horas de duración a los jugadores, sino que también se complementa con unos modos adicionales que ayudarán, sobre todo, a potenciar el modo cooperativo local.

No es una revolución ni un juego que vaya a marcar una época, pero es tan rematadamente bueno en casi todo lo que hace que no nos queda otra elección que ponerlo por las nubes. Porque es un juego contracorriente, que sabe coger lo mejor de la jugabilidad destinada al público casual para lanzar al usuario a unos mapeados donde buscarse las castañuelas es la única opción para salir adelante. Si no lo tienes en tu lista de futuras compras, deberías añadirlo sin falta."
http://es.ign.com/review/9054/pikmin-3-analisis-wii-u-nintendo-miyamoto/2

NextGamer: 9/10
"Mit vielen neuen Ideen und den sehr abwechlungsreich gestalteten Kontinenten dürfte Pikmin 3 für Fans der Serie sicher ein Kaufgrund für die sich momentan doch eher schleppend verkaufende Wii U sein. Leute, die aber schon zu Zeiten des GameCubes den knuddeligen kleinen Wesen nichts abgewinnen konnten, werden sicher auch hier ihre Meinung nicht ändern, denn auch wenn Pikmin sein ganz eigenes Genre bildet, erfindet es im dritten Teil der Serie nicht das Rad neu. Für alle, die eine Wii U bereits besitzen, sollte dies aber auf jeden Fall ein Pflichttitel sein!"
http://www.next-gamer.de/reviews/im-test-pikmin-3-systemseller-oder-nischentitel/

EDGE: 8/10
"Familiarity is both the worst and best thing about Pikmin 3. Twelve years after the original and nine after the sequel, little has changed – but little really needed to. It may not sell systems on its own, but it’s a fine addition to a sparse software library that brings one of Nintendo’s most vibrantly characterful series into the HD era and, critically, makes convincing use of the GamePad. And that, pending the arrival of a true system seller, is what Wii U needs most of all."
http://www.edge-online.com/review/pikmin-3-review/

inthegame: 9/10
"Pikmin 3 is een waardige opvolger in de serie. Ik heb me behoorlijk wat uren vermaakt met de kleine mannetjes en dat was alleen al in de verhaalmodus. Mijn vriendin gamet niet, dus die Bingo Battle heb ik nog maar weinig kunnen spelen. Wel kun je altijd nog je highscore verbeteren in de Mission modus. Qua lifespan zit het dus wel snor met deze game. De graphics zijn prachtig en de Pikmin blijven gewoon een schattig volkje. En het oogt allemaal misschien dan wat kinderachtig, vergis je eigen niet in de moeilijkheid van deze game. Niet alleen zijn de bazen soms bijzonder pittig, ook de tijdsdruk is soms zenuwslopend. Het heeft allemaal wel erg lang geduurd, maar ik kan niet anders concluderen dan dat het het wachten meer dan waard is geweest. Pikmin 3 is simpelweg een must-have voor iedere Wii U-bezitter en bovendien één van de beste titels tot nu toe! Oh, en als je de voorgaande delen hebt gespeeld kun je wat leuke verrassingen tegemoet zien!"
http://inthegame.nl/reviews/pikmin-3-review/

3djuegos: 8.9/10
"Se ha dejado querer más de la cuenta, saltándose incluso su llegada a Wii que iba a ser su destino inicial, pero os aseguramos que la espera ha merecido la pena. Pikmin 3 es un juego de esos que sólo Nintendo y la sabiduría infinita de Shigeru Miyamoto son capaces de ofrecernos, le duela a quien le duela. Ingenioso, muy bien diseñado, cautivador como él solo y muy bonito plásticamente hablando, Pikmin 3 es uno de los escasos juegos indispensables y exclusivos que Wii U posee en su catálogo. Si tenéis esta consola, debéis haceros con esta extraordinaria aventura."
http://www.3djuegos.com/juegos/analisis/4106/0/pikmin-3/

Nintendo World Report: 9/10
"Pikmin 3 is absolutely the sequel that everybody has been waiting for and is well worth exploring, whether you are a veteran or newcomer to the series. The gameplay mechanics have been greatly improved and the great ideas of the previous games have been married with new elements that keep you on your toes. Pikmin are still often unresponsive and behave somewhat unpredictably and there is some texture work that could have been improved, but the overall experience stands strong and mighty. And again, the best moments were with a Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk. It must be said that playing the game any other way didn't have the same impact or smoothness in the micro-management. If you are Wii U owner really in search of the next big thing, then you have found it."
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/34981

Famitsu: 37/40
"The feel of the backgrounds and so on is wonderful and really throw you into the game. You're now switching between three guys as you explore, giving a neat new sense of novelty to the play. The Bingo Battle multiplayer lets you get in the way of your opponent, and while it's just a bonus more than anything else, battles can get pretty heated . . . the puzzles here are a lot deeper than before. In order to carry out your work efficiently, you have to think carefully about how to use the auto-move function and other stuff, and it's a lot of fun."

Another Castle: 4/5
"I said a while back around the Wii U launch that Pikmin 3 was the system seller for me. I bought one a little while ago ready for Pikmin 3, and I’m not disappointed that I did. This is the best game on Wii U and certainly one of the best games released this year, but there are aspects of it that will disappoint fans of the series."
http://another-castle.com/article/pikmin-3-review

 
I'm excited about all of the good news about the multiplayer games. I thought the multiplayer in the 2nd game was a blast with friends and the challenge/bingo modes in this game look to expand and improve upon that. My expectations for the story mode are that it'll be at least on par with the 1st two games, which hopefully will lead to me being pleasantly surprised at launch.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Famitsu "reviews" translated into English are always good for a laugh.

"There is a lot of game and it features pretty graphics. It is a good value."
 

sn00zer

Member
Famitsu is one of the few publications I dont trust to give an honest review on things...39/40 seems to be for sale

no doubt Pikmin 3 is genral Nintendo quality, just speaking of the publication
 
Famitsu "reviews" translated into English are always good for a laugh.

"There is a lot of game and it is a good value."

It reads sort of like a Greg Miller review. "Pikmin 3 is an awesome game and I'm going tell you about how awesome Pikmin 3 is because it's awesome. It's pretty much the greatest alien invasion ride ever."
 

Anth0ny

Member
Mark MacDonald ‏@markmacd 28m

Enjoyed first couple hours of Pikmin 3 in the rare moments I was allowed to play the game; stops way too often for tutotial text, story, etc

fucking hell

new nintendo game syndrome strikes. not even pikmin is safe.
 

Katsuragi

Member
Pikmin 3 will be released in Europe in two weeks, so I'm sure we'll get reviews from Eurogamer, IGN UK and some other European outlets in the next 14 days. :)
 
I've been wanting to ask this for a while, and I guess this is as good a place as any:

Why do we still post famitsu scores/takes their reviews with any grain of seriousness now that we pretty much know for a fact that they sell their review scores because of the Peace Walker review fiasco? I feel like if we caught say, IGN for doing this they'd get banned or just completely ignored in general, yet we (not just GAF, the internet in general) still put some weight into famitsu reviews. Why is that?

I've just been quite curious about it.
 

Exile20

Member
I've been wanting to ask this for a while, and I guess this is as good a place as any:

Why do we still post famitsu scores/takes their reviews with any grain of seriousness now that we pretty much know for a fact that they sell their review scores because of the Peace Walker review fiasco? I feel like if we caught say, IGN for doing this they'd get banned or just completely ignored in general, yet we (not just GAF, the internet in general) still but some weight into famitsu reviews. Why is that?

I've just been quite curious about it.

I think I missed something.
 

Ninjimbo

Member
I'll never understand what's so damn offensive about tutorials. Can't people just play on through and forget about them? That's what I do.
 
I've been wanting to ask this for a while, and I guess this is as good a place as any:

Why do we still post famitsu scores/takes their reviews with any grain of seriousness now that we pretty much know for a fact that they sell their review scores because of the Peace Walker review fiasco? I feel like if we caught say, IGN for doing this they'd get banned or just completely ignored in general, yet we (not just GAF, the internet in general) still but some weight into famitsu reviews. Why is that?

I've just been quite curious about it.

And? iirc, Gamespot fired a reviewer after he gave a certain game a scathing review. Professional reviews in general should be taken with a grain of salt, but that doesn't mean they're useless.
 
fucking hell

new nintendo game syndrome strikes. not even pikmin is safe.

I'm not too worried about it. The first two games had a few in game days with tutorials as well while you were introduced to new mechanics and pikmin types. From what I've watched the "tutorials" are just short snippets that explain the uses of a new item or skill acquired that is easy to pass through relatively quickly. It's nothing like the Zelda games where the....text.....goes....soo......slow....and....you....can't.....advance....quickly.
 

batbeg

Member
I've been wanting to ask this for a while, and I guess this is as good a place as any:

Why do we still post famitsu scores/takes their reviews with any grain of seriousness now that we pretty much know for a fact that they sell their review scores because of the Peace Walker review fiasco? I feel like if we caught say, IGN for doing this they'd get banned or just completely ignored in general, yet we (not just GAF, the internet in general) still put some weight into famitsu reviews. Why is that?

I've just been quite curious about it.

GAF at the very least is usually intelligent enough to not put any stock into Famitsu reviews. They're a joke and pretty much everybody is aware of it. It doesn't speak to the quality of a title at all. They're the epitome of the "high budget/high marketing presence = high score, otherwise middling" policies that is frankly pretty big over here too.
 
And? iirc, Gamespot fired a reviewer after he gave a certain game a scathing review. Professional reviews in general should be taken with a grain of salt, but that doesn't mean they're useless.

Well, you're right about that, I hadn't considered Jeff's situation. That was also met with a pretty severe reaction on GAF though!

GAF at the very least is usually intelligent enough to not put any stock into Famitsu reviews. They're a joke and pretty much everybody is aware of it. It doesn't speak to the quality of a title at all. They're the epitome of the "high budget/high marketing presence = high score, otherwise middling" policies that is frankly pretty big over here too.

Yeah, that's true. I guess I just find it weird that most of us on GAF know that their reviews aren't worth anything, but still post them. I guess it's just to say "so this happened" most of the time rather than putting weight on it.

I do see people seemingly putting weight on their reviews somewhat often on here though. Guess not everyone knows about the sketchy stuff however, so I can't reasonably expect everyone to ignore it.
 

Risgroo

Member
So hyped for this! The first two games are among my all-time favorites, and everything about this game looks and sounds brilliant.
 
And? iirc, Gamespot fired a reviewer after he gave a certain game a scathing review. Professional reviews in general should be taken with a grain of salt, but that doesn't mean they're useless.

Jeff Gertsmann, the reviewer in question, actually explained that it had to do with shitty new editorial management that outright corruption or gamespot selling out to Eidos.
 

Spike

Member
fucking hell

new nintendo game syndrome strikes. not even pikmin is safe.

People complained when they didn't offer any tutorials in Paper Mario Sticker Star, and now they complain when they do.

Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

As long as it isn't as intrusive as Skyward Sword, then it should be fine.
 

wrowa

Member
Online reviews are embargoed in Europe til launch day, so we'll still be waiting a while before we get some new scores (from somewhat reliable sources).

The NDA was originally supposed to be lifted on the 11th, but they delayed the date.
 

Lucent

Member
First Mario and Luigi, now Pikmin 3

Can't Nintendo just us play the fuckin' video game

or maybe have an option like "have you ever played a video game before? Good nes!"

Yeah this needs to be an option in every game.

How many times do the store owners in Animal Crossing gotta ask me if I know how to use something?
 

Mononoke

Banned
The game that will make me dust off the Wii U and bring it out storage. Currently it's sitting there next to my old console boxes.

KuGsj.gif
 
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