Pikmin (universe): Difference between revisions
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''Pikmin'' received positive reception, both for its charming aesthetics and characters and for its unique spin on real-time strategy, and quickly earned a devoted fanbase. However, Japanese sales were not enthusiastic after the first week. In an attempt to stimulate sales, the virtual band Strawberry Flower was hired to write and perform a song featured in Japanese commercials for the game. Ironically, the single, "Ai no Uta" ("Song of Love"), became incredibly popular and actually outsold the game it advertised, and it thus did its part to surge weekly sales of the game itself. This likely helped secure ''Pikmin''{{'}}s future status as an established Nintendo franchise, and the first sequel, ''Pikmin 2'', was released in August 2004 for the GameCube. ''Pikmin 2'' garnered near-universal acclaim from gaming publications and often makes appearances near the top of published lists of the best GameCube games released over the system's lifespan, due to its improvements over the original in many important aspects. | ''Pikmin'' received positive reception, both for its charming aesthetics and characters and for its unique spin on real-time strategy, and quickly earned a devoted fanbase. However, Japanese sales were not enthusiastic after the first week. In an attempt to stimulate sales, the virtual band Strawberry Flower was hired to write and perform a song featured in Japanese commercials for the game. Ironically, the single, "Ai no Uta" ("Song of Love"), became incredibly popular and actually outsold the game it advertised, and it thus did its part to surge weekly sales of the game itself. This likely helped secure ''Pikmin''{{'}}s future status as an established Nintendo franchise, and the first sequel, ''Pikmin 2'', was released in August 2004 for the GameCube. ''Pikmin 2'' garnered near-universal acclaim from gaming publications and often makes appearances near the top of published lists of the best GameCube games released over the system's lifespan, due to its improvements over the original in many important aspects. | ||
Despite the series' glowing track record and its status as a major Nintendo franchise being cemented with its protagonist [[Captain Olimar]] and its titular creatures appearing collectively as team-based playable characters in 2008's ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', the ''Pikmin'' series would experience a nine-year hiatus that would only end with the August 2013 release of its third installment, ''Pikmin 3''. Like its predecessors, ''Pikmin 3'' was positively received and proved popular enough to receive [[downloadable content]]. A fourth installment of the series, ''Pikmin 4'', was announced by Shigeru Miyamoto on September 7th, 2015, who stated that the game is "actually very close to completion. ''Pikmin'' teams are always working on the next one." | Despite the series' glowing track record and its status as a major Nintendo franchise being cemented with its protagonist [[Captain Olimar]] and its titular creatures appearing collectively as team-based playable characters in 2008's ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', the ''Pikmin'' series would experience a nine-year hiatus that would only end with the August 2013 release of its third installment, ''Pikmin 3''. Like its predecessors, ''Pikmin 3'' was positively received and proved popular enough to receive [[downloadable content]]. A fourth installment of the series, ''Pikmin 4'', was announced by Shigeru Miyamoto on September 7th, 2015, who stated that the game is "actually very close to completion. ''Pikmin'' teams are always working on the next one." On September 13th, 2022, Pikmin 4 was officially announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation. A spin-off title by Arzest, ''Hey! Pikmin'', featuring vastly different gameplay from the mainline series more akin to a 2D platformer, released for the [[Nintendo 3DS]] in 2017. An enhanced port of ''Pikmin 3'' for the Nintendo Switch, titled ''Pikmin 3 Deluxe'', was released on October 30th, 2020. Another spin-off title, ''{{s|pikipedia|Pikmin Bloom}}'', released on mobile devices on October 27th, 2021. Co-developed with Niantic, ''Pikmin Bloom'' is an augmented reality game where players track their real world step count to take care of a growing group of pikmin that go on adventures and provide gifts in return. | ||
The ''Pikmin'' games are set on an uncharted planet called PNF-404, which appears to be a post-apocalyptic Earth. The player takes control of a visiting astronaut (the Hocotatian [[Captain Olimar]] in ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 2'' and the Koppaites Alph, Brittany, and Charlie in ''Pikmin 3'') and is tasked to explore PNF-404's littered wilderness, take command over armies of native plant-like species that Olimar dubbed [[Pikmin]], and securely retrieve important items to the home base. A cornucopia of hostile wildlife and environmental hazards does not make things easy for the player, as they cannot directly attack these enemies in most circumstances; they must frequently sacrifice their newfound friends by hurling them at large enemies so that they whittle the enemies' health down, and must rely on the harvesting of enemy carcasses (and naturally occurring pellets) to resow their Pikmin and pluck them up to replenish their standing forces. The game takes elements from real-time strategy games by having to micromanage an army of minions, take down enemies, and complete tasks all at once within a time limit. The different colors of Pikmin lend themselves to different on-the-spot battle strategies, and are also important to solving puzzles and opening up important pathways in the environment itself. | The ''Pikmin'' games are set on an uncharted planet called PNF-404, which appears to be a post-apocalyptic Earth. The player takes control of a visiting astronaut (the Hocotatian [[Captain Olimar]] in ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 2'' and the Koppaites Alph, Brittany, and Charlie in ''Pikmin 3'') and is tasked to explore PNF-404's littered wilderness, take command over armies of native plant-like species that Olimar dubbed [[Pikmin]], and securely retrieve important items to the home base. A cornucopia of hostile wildlife and environmental hazards does not make things easy for the player, as they cannot directly attack these enemies in most circumstances; they must frequently sacrifice their newfound friends by hurling them at large enemies so that they whittle the enemies' health down, and must rely on the harvesting of enemy carcasses (and naturally occurring pellets) to resow their Pikmin and pluck them up to replenish their standing forces. The game takes elements from real-time strategy games by having to micromanage an army of minions, take down enemies, and complete tasks all at once within a time limit. The different colors of Pikmin lend themselves to different on-the-spot battle strategies, and are also important to solving puzzles and opening up important pathways in the environment itself. | ||