Pikmin Review From cube.ign.com
10-31-01, 11:32 PM
#1
Pikmin Review From cube.ign.com
To sum it up, it's fantastic but short--coming in at around 10 hours. What is it with games being so short lately, i.e. Ico, Devil May Cry etc. On the bright side, the review says there is an extra mode that opens up after you beat the game that adds a lot of replay value.
Here's the review.
From cube.ign.com:
Plucking Pikmin
Nintendo's newest franchise has arrived, and it just might be the best thing ever.
October 30, 2001
IGNcube picked up its copy of Pikmin over the weekend. As you might imagine we were overjoyed to finally have a new GameCube title in our hands after waiting over one month since the console's launch. What better title than Pikmin could have satisfied our appetite for that unique Nintendo experience? None other, we're sure. After playing Pikmin for many hours we can say that the Big N still has that magic touch. Pikmin consumes you immediately. We are now totally hooked and need at least one dose of microscopic cuteness per day.
What makes Pikmin so great? It has an extraordinary ability to tease gamers. It immerses you in the ground-level garden scenery and you can't help but wonder what's out there. But to get where you want to go, you're going to have to piece back together your spaceship, which has crash-landed on this foreign planet. This is essentially all there is to the storyline. Once you've crashed you find these tiny Pikmin creatures are willing to assist you in anything you need, and they will do anything for you because they're looking for guidance. The Pikmin quickly become your children. You tell them what to do and what not to do. This is your role and you must use it to your benefit. Of course you immediately take responsibility for the little buggers, because without them you're lost.
You have 30 days to find the 30 pieces of your busted ship before you have to get back to your home planet, and because time passes at 15 minutes per day you're going to have to come up think fast. At this point you're probably doing the math and wondering, "Does that mean that Pikmin is only seven and a half hours long?" Technically, yes, but there are pauses where you must read instructions and watch cut-scenes. Then you must consider certain setbacks are bound to happen. So, the average gamer will probably complete Pikmin in about 10-12 hours. Yes it's true, it's not going to be another 25 hour Nintendo title as we had hoped for.
The good news is that the game is very impressive. You begin with just one Pikmin, a red one. After sending him off to pick up "Pikmin fertilizer" (colored tablets that litter the world) you will get a few more. This is where the addiction plants its roots. The quest to get more Pikmin will be never-ending from this point on. As you get more Pikmin you will be able to carry bigger objects back to base. All of these colored tablets are labeled with numbers that indicate how many Pikmin you need to carry it. Also Nintendo has added in a floating number that appears above objects to help you manage your productivity. For instance you might see the fraction 3/6 appear above a defeated enemy as you carry him away. This means that it requires three Pikmin, but you have instructed six to carry it. You can usually have up to double the amount carry any object. The Pikmin carrying it back to base, the faster it gets there, which plays a huge part in the strategy.
As you collect pieces to your spaceship you will be able to travel to new areas of the planet. At first you only need to find a few parts for the ship, then five more, etc., but eventually you'll be able to travel back and forth between five different environments. In many areas you won't be able to get certain parts of your ship until you have the proper Pikmin. Remember, you only start with the red type. Each have their own attributes which you need to solve specific puzzle.
It sounds tedious to control these hundreds of Pikmin, but the fact is you can only have 100 out of the nests at once. More importantly, Nintendo has a very intuitive control scheme. The main analog stick controls Captain Orima (probably "Olimar" in english) and his Pikmin-calling antenna. Using his this antenna (it whistles like a gym teacher) he can call groups of Pikmin into action. To separate the Pikmin you can simply use the X-button. The colored groups will separate with ease. How do you control a hundred Pikmin at once? Use the C-stick to push them all in the same direction. It's unbelievably easy. Camera control is somewhat more demanding. You can use three levels of zoom with the R-trigger. The closest will only show you Orima and the Pikmin, full-screen. The second level of zoom shows a good amount of the world but you can still make out the faces of the Pikmin. If you zoom out all the way Orima and the Pikmin will look like ants. Depending on the situation you may choose to vary between these, but we find the second-closest zoom works nice most of the time. Also, if you like the top-down view you can use the Z-button to look straight down on the world.
Pikmin is without a doubt one of the best GameCube titles available this year, but we do have our disappointments. Pikmin ends too soon. Granted it's a good thing when we complain that 10 hours isn't enough game time, but there's reasoning behind this too. The last level in Pikmin demonstrates intelligent puzzle and boss design. In fact the final level is easily the best due to all the strategy involved, and it's difficult too. We can't help but wish this level of difficulty and sharp puzzle design continued for another 10 hours. It would have pushed Pikmin from "a great GameCube title" into "an unbelievably spectacular experience."
There is a silver-lining to this cloud though. Firstly, if Nintendo designed Pikmin to be 20 hours, we probably wouldn't have been playing it until next year. Instead, it launches just weeks after GameCube hits the market. Furthermore, you will unlock a Challenge mode in the course of playing the story mode. It lets you go back to the five gorgeous areas for all-new experiences where the world is littered with more boss figures and the object is to grow as many Pikmin as you can over the course of the day. This mode is also extremely fun and will certainly tack on many more hours of gameplay. Thanks to the high replay value, you can get many hours out of Pikmin.
Here's the review.
From cube.ign.com:
Plucking Pikmin
Nintendo's newest franchise has arrived, and it just might be the best thing ever.
October 30, 2001
IGNcube picked up its copy of Pikmin over the weekend. As you might imagine we were overjoyed to finally have a new GameCube title in our hands after waiting over one month since the console's launch. What better title than Pikmin could have satisfied our appetite for that unique Nintendo experience? None other, we're sure. After playing Pikmin for many hours we can say that the Big N still has that magic touch. Pikmin consumes you immediately. We are now totally hooked and need at least one dose of microscopic cuteness per day.
What makes Pikmin so great? It has an extraordinary ability to tease gamers. It immerses you in the ground-level garden scenery and you can't help but wonder what's out there. But to get where you want to go, you're going to have to piece back together your spaceship, which has crash-landed on this foreign planet. This is essentially all there is to the storyline. Once you've crashed you find these tiny Pikmin creatures are willing to assist you in anything you need, and they will do anything for you because they're looking for guidance. The Pikmin quickly become your children. You tell them what to do and what not to do. This is your role and you must use it to your benefit. Of course you immediately take responsibility for the little buggers, because without them you're lost.
You have 30 days to find the 30 pieces of your busted ship before you have to get back to your home planet, and because time passes at 15 minutes per day you're going to have to come up think fast. At this point you're probably doing the math and wondering, "Does that mean that Pikmin is only seven and a half hours long?" Technically, yes, but there are pauses where you must read instructions and watch cut-scenes. Then you must consider certain setbacks are bound to happen. So, the average gamer will probably complete Pikmin in about 10-12 hours. Yes it's true, it's not going to be another 25 hour Nintendo title as we had hoped for.
The good news is that the game is very impressive. You begin with just one Pikmin, a red one. After sending him off to pick up "Pikmin fertilizer" (colored tablets that litter the world) you will get a few more. This is where the addiction plants its roots. The quest to get more Pikmin will be never-ending from this point on. As you get more Pikmin you will be able to carry bigger objects back to base. All of these colored tablets are labeled with numbers that indicate how many Pikmin you need to carry it. Also Nintendo has added in a floating number that appears above objects to help you manage your productivity. For instance you might see the fraction 3/6 appear above a defeated enemy as you carry him away. This means that it requires three Pikmin, but you have instructed six to carry it. You can usually have up to double the amount carry any object. The Pikmin carrying it back to base, the faster it gets there, which plays a huge part in the strategy.
As you collect pieces to your spaceship you will be able to travel to new areas of the planet. At first you only need to find a few parts for the ship, then five more, etc., but eventually you'll be able to travel back and forth between five different environments. In many areas you won't be able to get certain parts of your ship until you have the proper Pikmin. Remember, you only start with the red type. Each have their own attributes which you need to solve specific puzzle.
Spoiler:
It sounds tedious to control these hundreds of Pikmin, but the fact is you can only have 100 out of the nests at once. More importantly, Nintendo has a very intuitive control scheme. The main analog stick controls Captain Orima (probably "Olimar" in english) and his Pikmin-calling antenna. Using his this antenna (it whistles like a gym teacher) he can call groups of Pikmin into action. To separate the Pikmin you can simply use the X-button. The colored groups will separate with ease. How do you control a hundred Pikmin at once? Use the C-stick to push them all in the same direction. It's unbelievably easy. Camera control is somewhat more demanding. You can use three levels of zoom with the R-trigger. The closest will only show you Orima and the Pikmin, full-screen. The second level of zoom shows a good amount of the world but you can still make out the faces of the Pikmin. If you zoom out all the way Orima and the Pikmin will look like ants. Depending on the situation you may choose to vary between these, but we find the second-closest zoom works nice most of the time. Also, if you like the top-down view you can use the Z-button to look straight down on the world.
Pikmin is without a doubt one of the best GameCube titles available this year, but we do have our disappointments. Pikmin ends too soon. Granted it's a good thing when we complain that 10 hours isn't enough game time, but there's reasoning behind this too. The last level in Pikmin demonstrates intelligent puzzle and boss design. In fact the final level is easily the best due to all the strategy involved, and it's difficult too. We can't help but wish this level of difficulty and sharp puzzle design continued for another 10 hours. It would have pushed Pikmin from "a great GameCube title" into "an unbelievably spectacular experience."
There is a silver-lining to this cloud though. Firstly, if Nintendo designed Pikmin to be 20 hours, we probably wouldn't have been playing it until next year. Instead, it launches just weeks after GameCube hits the market. Furthermore, you will unlock a Challenge mode in the course of playing the story mode. It lets you go back to the five gorgeous areas for all-new experiences where the world is littered with more boss figures and the object is to grow as many Pikmin as you can over the course of the day. This mode is also extremely fun and will certainly tack on many more hours of gameplay. Thanks to the high replay value, you can get many hours out of Pikmin.
10-31-01, 11:59 PM
#2
DVD Talk Legend
I know I'm in the minority here, but I will take a great game that I can beat in 10-15 hours over a longer more tedious game anyday. For example I had a lot more fun playing Panzer Dragoon Saga for 15 hours than I did playing Final Fantasy VII for 45 hours.
Even thought Dragoon was short, it had no needless fighting. The story moved, all the battles were important, and the gameplay was amazing. Final Fantasy VII on the other hand was slowed way down by all the random battles. You have to take a three hour break from the story just to level up. As long as the game is fun, the story moves along, and the gameplay is solid I don't mind it being short.
Anyway, Pikmin sounds pretty good and it seems to have replay value so the short game time doesn't look like a big problem to me.
Even thought Dragoon was short, it had no needless fighting. The story moved, all the battles were important, and the gameplay was amazing. Final Fantasy VII on the other hand was slowed way down by all the random battles. You have to take a three hour break from the story just to level up. As long as the game is fun, the story moves along, and the gameplay is solid I don't mind it being short.
Anyway, Pikmin sounds pretty good and it seems to have replay value so the short game time doesn't look like a big problem to me.
11-01-01, 12:03 AM
#3
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This is really annoying and disappointing to keep hearing about how short a lot of games are. If I'm going to spend $50 on a game, I expect it to last longer than a week. After reading the latest EGM, a lot of the new/future releases seem way too short. Besides the games you already mentioned, apparently some others that can be finished quickly are Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race, and Rogue Squadron. I was especially disappointed to hear about Rogue Squadron; it looks great, but I don't know if I could justify spending that much on something that short (yeah, yeah, I know about replay value).
11-01-01, 12:04 AM
#4
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It sounds great, but if it is too short, that will mean rental only for Gamecube fans. I know I hate spending 50 bucks on a game only to find out it lasts less than a few days.
If there is a longer replay value out of it, the game should do very well. If not, then if will be added to the collection of short Gamecube games such as LM and WR. I hope Rogue Squadron doesn't suffer the same fate.
If there is a longer replay value out of it, the game should do very well. If not, then if will be added to the collection of short Gamecube games such as LM and WR. I hope Rogue Squadron doesn't suffer the same fate.
Last edited by Flay; 11-01-01 at 12:07 AM.
11-01-01, 12:29 PM
#5
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Cool! I'm glad to see this game live up to hype, I saw the demonstration Miyamoto gave at E3 and it looked neat, and the graphics were gorgeous. But the thing I was most impressed with is how he controlled the characters and camera, and explained how it happened.
Its too bad its short, but most of the best games are anyway. Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry, ICO, all top notch titles and the best in their area but short. Although I enjoy playing some of the longer rpg games like FF and Chrono Cross, I don't have that much time to play and usually only get to play on the weekends. If the game is great and I had a blast playing through it, then I don't mind buying it if its only 10-15 hours long, there's always replayability (which pikmin seems to have).
If I beat a game thats super short, then I sometimes sell it while its still relatively new, there's always people that want it and are gracious at getting it practiclly new for a abou $10 off. I did that with SSX and I got $40 for it, not a bad return
Its too bad its short, but most of the best games are anyway. Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry, ICO, all top notch titles and the best in their area but short. Although I enjoy playing some of the longer rpg games like FF and Chrono Cross, I don't have that much time to play and usually only get to play on the weekends. If the game is great and I had a blast playing through it, then I don't mind buying it if its only 10-15 hours long, there's always replayability (which pikmin seems to have).
If I beat a game thats super short, then I sometimes sell it while its still relatively new, there's always people that want it and are gracious at getting it practiclly new for a abou $10 off. I did that with SSX and I got $40 for it, not a bad return
11-01-01, 12:41 PM
#6
DVD Talk Limited Edition
It would be nice if Nintendo would price their games less than 3rd party games, like they did on the GBA. That would certainly make their shorter games easier to swallow.
11-02-01, 02:51 PM
#7
Originally posted by Flay
I know I hate spending 50 bucks on a game only to find out it lasts less than a few days.
If there is a longer replay value out of it, the game should do very well. If not, then if will be added to the collection of short Gamecube games such as LM and WR. I hope Rogue Squadron doesn't suffer the same fate.
I know I hate spending 50 bucks on a game only to find out it lasts less than a few days.
If there is a longer replay value out of it, the game should do very well. If not, then if will be added to the collection of short Gamecube games such as LM and WR. I hope Rogue Squadron doesn't suffer the same fate.
As for the GC games you mentioned:
Wave Race will have replay value as all racing games do, with the exception of sim games like GT, most racint games are pretty short.
As for Rogue Leader, it has 11 missions and should be about the same a Rogue Squadron. It won't take all that long to beat it, but it should be pretty tough to earn the medals and open up all the extras. Plus, I'll play through my favorite missions over and over again.
However, I can't defend Pikmin and Luigi's lenght, these games should be longer, end of story. Hopefully the extra mode that Pikmin has will be worthwhile enough to give the game some replay value. I was already skeptical of it as it seems to be strategy oriented and I hate strategy games. However I'm sure Nintendo will make it a game that will appeal to everyone who gives it a chance, as almost all their first party games do. It's just a shame that the main mission is so short.
11-02-01, 02:57 PM
#8
Originally posted by darkside
I know I'm in the minority here, but I will take a great game that I can beat in 10-15 hours over a longer more tedious game anyday. For example I had a lot more fun playing Panzer Dragoon Saga for 15 hours than I did playing Final Fantasy VII for 45 hours.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I will take a great game that I can beat in 10-15 hours over a longer more tedious game anyday. For example I had a lot more fun playing Panzer Dragoon Saga for 15 hours than I did playing Final Fantasy VII for 45 hours.
For me the perfect example is the zelda series. The games, IMO, never get tedious, and they last around 25 hours which is the perfect length for me. I'm just too busy to spend 40+ hours on a game any more, which is the main reason I quit playing turn based RPG's. That coupled with the fact that I was only a casual RPG fan to start with. I prefer controlling my characters in battle, i.e. Zelda, over just selecting stuff in a menu, i.e FF series.
11-02-01, 04:25 PM
#9
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Originally posted by Bobubott
This is really annoying and disappointing to keep hearing about how short a lot of games are. If I'm going to spend $50 on a game, I expect it to last longer than a week. After reading the latest EGM, a lot of the new/future releases seem way too short. Besides the games you already mentioned, apparently some others that can be finished quickly are Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race, and Rogue Squadron. I was especially disappointed to hear about Rogue Squadron; it looks great, but I don't know if I could justify spending that much on something that short (yeah, yeah, I know about replay value).
This is really annoying and disappointing to keep hearing about how short a lot of games are. If I'm going to spend $50 on a game, I expect it to last longer than a week. After reading the latest EGM, a lot of the new/future releases seem way too short. Besides the games you already mentioned, apparently some others that can be finished quickly are Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race, and Rogue Squadron. I was especially disappointed to hear about Rogue Squadron; it looks great, but I don't know if I could justify spending that much on something that short (yeah, yeah, I know about replay value).
Tuan Jim
12-03-01, 12:24 PM
#10
EGM reviews Pikmin in the latest issue, and it is the same story. The game is fantastic, but a little too short. "Sadly, though, that end comes way too quickly. Just as the challenge starts to kick in (the fifth and final area), thats it, the game's over," said John Ricciardi. According to Mark MacDonald the game takes about 13 hours if you try to find all 30 pieces of your ship, not counting the extra challenge mode that you open up after beating the game in which you have to try to raise as many Pikmin in each area as you can. EGM reviews their games by having 3 reviewers give it an overall score and the game is rated in 4 categories at the bottom. The are rated on a 1-10 scale with 10 being the best. Here's Pikmin's score.
8.0, 8.5, 8.0
Visuals-8
Sound-8
Ingenuity-9
Replay-7
8.0, 8.5, 8.0
Visuals-8
Sound-8
Ingenuity-9
Replay-7
12-03-01, 12:43 PM
#11
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Could this short game syndrome for Luigi and Pikmin be a result of over-catering to the children's market? I'm sure it would take more than 10 hours for a kid to finish PikMin, maybe like 20 hours or so. If Nintendo is aiming these games (Luigi and Pikmin) at them, then the length is fine, but the games' length then falter for adults.
This isn't a fanboy rant, I do own a GCN. I'm just wondering.
This isn't a fanboy rant, I do own a GCN. I'm just wondering.
12-03-01, 12:58 PM
#12
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally posted by Gallant Pig
Could this short game syndrome for Luigi and Pikmin be a result of over-catering to the children's market? I'm sure it would take more than 10 hours for a kid to finish PikMin, maybe like 20 hours or so. If Nintendo is aiming these games (Luigi and Pikmin) at them, then the length is fine, but the games' length then falter for adults.
Could this short game syndrome for Luigi and Pikmin be a result of over-catering to the children's market? I'm sure it would take more than 10 hours for a kid to finish PikMin, maybe like 20 hours or so. If Nintendo is aiming these games (Luigi and Pikmin) at them, then the length is fine, but the games' length then falter for adults.
12-03-01, 01:15 PM
#13
Originally posted by Aghama
Devil May Cry and (to a much larger extent) MGS2 are guilty of this as well.
Devil May Cry and (to a much larger extent) MGS2 are guilty of this as well.
Last edited by Josh Hinkle; 12-03-01 at 01:25 PM.
12-03-01, 02:19 PM
#14
DVD Talk Hero
Originally posted by Groucho
Replay value is key. If you have a really long game, you need to keep everything fresh so you it doesn't get repetitive. That's really hard to do, and few games have obtained this lofty goal. More traditional is to make a shorter game but give it lots of replay value. For example, I rented Luigi's Mansion and beat it in about 5 hours. That was enough for me. It was fun, but by the end it had gotten too repetitive. However, the game does provide a hidden mansion and a ranking system so that those who liked the game enough can keep playing, while the rest of us who play can see the whole thing without having spent weeks and weeks. I'm buying Pikmin, so I'm investing most of my stock in replayability.
Replay value is key. If you have a really long game, you need to keep everything fresh so you it doesn't get repetitive. That's really hard to do, and few games have obtained this lofty goal. More traditional is to make a shorter game but give it lots of replay value. For example, I rented Luigi's Mansion and beat it in about 5 hours. That was enough for me. It was fun, but by the end it had gotten too repetitive. However, the game does provide a hidden mansion and a ranking system so that those who liked the game enough can keep playing, while the rest of us who play can see the whole thing without having spent weeks and weeks. I'm buying Pikmin, so I'm investing most of my stock in replayability.
12-03-01, 03:10 PM
#15
DVD Talk Legend
I think the reason many PS2 and now Gamecube games are short is a direct result of the time it takes to program for these new consoles. As graphics get more powerful it is going to take a lot more work to finish a game.
