Thursday, August 9, 2012

Pikmin 3 (WiiU) Impressions



This is still the Pikmin you played many years ago, in fact if you played either of the new play control versions of Pikmin, then this should feel very familiar to you.

Pikmin 3 does take advantage of the WiiU game pad, but maybe not as much as you would expect. During the demo I could move around the map and scope out my surroundings with the touch screen. As far as controlling my character I was using a Wiimote and nunchuk combo.

The demo featured two different game modes; a boss battle and a fruit collecting challenge.  I was able to get hands on time with the collecting mode, and watched a guy take on the giant boss. I also got some gameplay footage of this boss battle you can check out below. Pikmin 3 feels extremely similar to the past games...I am actually a bit surprised how little of a change the game series went through. Keep in mind this is only a demo though, and many other surprised could await us at launch.



You may notice that the character being played is not series veterans Olimar or Louie, but instead a nameless character that looks very similar. My guess is the story will develop to later on show these characters from the past.  This nameless character controls just like Olimar from past games, and with the ability to use the Wiimote to point and click, managing your Pikmin is as easy as ever before.

The demo featured two types of Pikmin, the original red guys and a new breed of rock Pikmin. These guys seemed to operate similar to the purple Pikmin introduced in Pikmin 2. With their added rock like weight they can smash through things with much ease.


As far as graphics are concerned Pikmin 3 does not disappoint. The HD really helps with managing all the chaos taking place on screen. Also the "macro" look with all the extra depth of field is a very nice touch.

Pikmin 3 is scheduled to release somewhere in the launch window, and from the little bit of hands on time I got I can say it could very well be a worthwhile purchase as your first WiiU game investment.

-Travis


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