With the Wii’s unique control scheme, there have been many to ponder what certain games released in the last generation would be like with motion controls. The vastly improved and wildly successful port of Resident Evil 4 has caught people’s attention and validated the control scheme as a possible improvement to the Gamecube controller in that it allows for faster response and increased accuracy.
In an effort to prove this, Nintendo has released a series of Gamecube ports called New Play Control. This new series has been criticized for failing to enhance any of the elements of the original game. The graphics haven’t been noticeably improved and none of the games labeled New Play Control contain any extra content to entice those who have already purchased the Gamecube title.
Headlining this new series in March of 2009 was Pikmin. A fun, simple strategy game with a unique style and premise. As Olimar, the captain of a single pilot spacecraft in deep space, you find yourself crash landing on a strange planet with a poisonous atmosphere. You have 30 days of life support in which to gather the 30 scattered pieces of your wounded ship. To help you complete this task on a hostile planet, you employ the use of an enigmatic alien species dubbed Pikmin.
Pikmin are vicious little creatures. You help them procreate, and they help you tackle obstacles which include the hostile creatures native to the planet. During you exploration, you find three classes of Pikmin, each with their own strengths. Red Pikmin are the fighters and are immune to fire. Yellow Pikmin are lighter and can be thrown higher than the other breeds. They are also able to use a special planet resource, called Bomb Rocks, that can break down certain walls. Then there are the water-faring blue Pikmin. Together, you must increase the population of the Pikmin and use them to explore and fight.
The original game was excellent, and received rave reviews across the board. It was simple enough for a strategy novice to complete, but difficult enough to test the most experienced to find all the parts in as few days as possible. It can be a stressful experience, with the daily time limit and the fear of losing your precious Pikmin, but it’s always fun. The included Challenge Mode, available once you find all three types of Pikmin, allows you to visit different areas of the planet and to test you Pikmin rearing skills, added to the overall package.
So, we have a remake of a great game that is completely intact with little to no change, except the fact in now uses motion control. Does the new device really make that much difference? Mostly.
With the original control, you had to use a button to bring up a cursor to aim and control your Pikmin. This made it impossible to move and throw Pikmin. With the new control, you use the Wii pointer for your cursor and the Nunchcuk attachment to move Olimar. This makes combat much easier and natural.
Where the control doesn’t seem to work as well is when you are throwing your Pikmin, it is difficult to keep your aim steady. You use the A button to throw and as you are pounding away at it, the Wiimote shakes and wobbles, throwing off your aim. Also, controlling your Pikmin while marching is more intuitive with the C-stick from the Gamecube, simply pressing the direction you want them to march. With the Wiimote, you have to use press down on the directional pad and aim the Wiimote where you want them to go. It’s a bit more tricky, and I lost a few Pikmin because of it.
However, if you haven’t played either version, I will recommend the New Play Control version over the original. Even at $30, it is ultimately a superior experience. However, if you can find the original Gamecube title for $15, you might want to give that a go just to see if you like it. If you do, there is always New Play Control! Pikmin 2 or Pikmin 3 on the horizon!
New Play Control! Pikmin is rated E for Everyone and is available now.
Recent Comments