Pikmin 2
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigefumi Hino Masamichi Abe
Release date(s)	April 29, 2004 August 30, 2004 October 8, 2004
Genre(s)	Real-time strategy
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone PEGI: 3+ OFLC: G8+
Platform(s)	Nintendo GameCube
Media	1 × GameCube Optical Disc

Pikmin 2 (ピクミン2, Pikmin 2^?) is a real-time strategy video game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on April 29, 2004, in North America on August 30, 2004, and in Europe on October 8, 2004. Pikmin 2 Case. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development (or EAD; formerly Research & Development Team 4) is the largest division inside Nintendo of Japan, under the management of Shigeru Miyamoto. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... Shigefumi Hino (born in 1963) is a graphics designer, game director, and planner from Nintendo. ... Masamichi Abe (阿部 将道 Abe Masamichi) is a video game director and planner for Nintendo Co. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... August 30 is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links European_flag. ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (282nd in leap years). ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay. ... Real-time strategy (often abbreviated as RTS) is a genre of computer wargames which take place in real-time, where resource gathering, base building, technology development and high-level control over individual units (harvest, build, destroy) are key components[1], which distinguishes it from related strategy wargame genres, such as... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... Online gaming redirects here. ... Entertainment Software Rating Board logo The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games and other entertainment software in the United States and Canada (officially adopted by individual provinces 2004-2005). ... PEGIs logo Pan European Game Information, or more commonly PEGI, is a European system for rating the content of computer and video games, and other entertainment software. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Nintendo GameCube , GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ... The Nintendo GameCube Game Disc is the medium for the Nintendo GameCube, created by Matsushita, and later extended for use of the Wii. ... Chess is one of the most well-known and played strategy games of all time. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... The Nintendo GameCube , GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... North America North America is a continent [1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... August 30 is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (282nd in leap years). ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Pikmin 2 is the sequel to Pikmin, also for the Nintendo GameCube. This game was considered an improvement over the original Pikmin; CNET reported that it "addressed the bulk of the shortcomings of its predecessor by crafting a game that tops the original in nearly every way."^[1] Pikmin (ピクミン in Japanese) is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Gameplay

Gameplay in Pikmin 2 revolves around using different combinations of Pikmin to retrieve various treasures from the planet's surface. These treasures range from a Duracell battery to a Dannon Fruit at the Bottom yogurt lid. Different obstacles or enemies make the retrieval of each treasure unique. Because of this, the player must carefully consider which colors of Pikmin and how many of those colors will be needed to complete a certain task. This is compounded in difficulty by the fact that no more than 100 Pikmin may be in play at any given time. Typical tasks involved in collecting treasures include defeating enemies, building bridges, destroying walls, or removing other obstacles. A pair of Duracell AAA batteries. ... A Pair of AA Energizer Alkaline Cells Symbols representing a single Cell (top) and Battery (bottom), used in circuit diagrams. ... Groupe Danone SA is an international food products company with its central headquarters in France, specializing in dairy products, especially famous for its yoghurt. ... Yoghurt Yoghurt or yogurt, less commonly yoghourt or yogourt, is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. ... A log bridge in the French Alps near Vallorcine. ...

In addition to above-ground areas, caves can be found throughout the landscape. Caves contain multiple treasures and enemies spread across multiple "sublevels." Each sublevel in a cave contains certain treasures and a fixed array of enemies, but the layout of the sublevel and the placement of the enemies and treasures within the sublevel is random, and changes each time the player enters the cave. A player can exploit this, as the game saves automatically after the completion of each sublevel. If the layout of a sublevel is unfavorable to the player, he or she can simply begin the sublevel again, and it will have a new, presumably more favorable, layout. Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico A cave is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter. ...

Special rules apply to exploring caves. When the player is exploring a cave, time does not pass above ground. The main restriction regarding cave exploration is that there is no access to the Pikmin Onions from underground. This means that once players enter a cave, they can only use the Pikmin that they brought with them (see Bulbmin for the exception).

Pikmin 3 has been announced and is being produced. According to Reggie Fils-Aime, it will hit shelves around January 2008.

Other Game Modes

Including the Main Game (Story Mode), there is also 2-Player Battle, and Challenge Mode. 2-Player Battle is unlocked from the beginning of the game, and two players (Olimar and Louie), are each controlled by a player. The object is to take 4 yellow marbles or your opponent's red or blue marble to your ship.

Challenge mode is obtained after obtaining The Key by defeating Beady Long Legs in the Citadel of Spiders cave. This mode is like exploring a cave in story mode, except 2 players can play. You select an "arena" or cave and try to make it to the bottom of the hole. Each time you find a key, you advance to the next level. At the bottom floor, the key summons a closed geyser. Pikmin must dig at this to activate it. Players try to get as many points as they can by retrieving treasures on each sublevel, leaving with as many Pikmin as possible, and completing it as quickly as possible. After completing an arena without losing any Pikmin, a player achieves 'perfect' status, and gets a purple flower by the arena instead of a white one.

Story

Pikmin 2 starts when Olimar returns home from his vacation.

He finds that his company, Hocotate Freight, is in serious debt. They even had to sell Captain Olimar's ship, the Dolphin, which was the only remaining corporate asset worth anything. Shocked by this sudden turn of events, Captain Olimar drops the bottle cap he brought with him as a souvenir. It rolls in the vicinity of the company's only remaining ship (a rusty, dilapidated dual-cockpit ship which contains a smart aleck personality, and a treasure sensor) and is found to have a value of 100 Pokos, the unit of currency on Hocotate. After commenting that this is more than a year's salary, Olimar's boss sends him on a trip with Louie, a fellow employee, to the Pikmin Planet to scrounge up 10,000 Pokos worth of treasure to get the company back up and running. Olimar returns to the planet of the Pikmin (there are some telltale signs that Planet Pikmin is Earth, because of the two sections of the globe and the visible continents on the planet as seen from space). During their descent, Louie's cockpit bursts open, and the two are separated. The game then centers on finding Louie, exploring the planet, and collecting treasures. Once 10,000 Pokos have been acquired, the ship automatically blasts off, taking off towards Hocotate. Louie is then shown asleep on a tree. After the credits have rolled, Olimar and the President go back to the Pikmin homeworld to collect the remaining treasure. At Dream Den, in the Wistful Wild, the President and Olimar discover Louie lying around at the last sublevel. However, the final boss, the Titan Dweevil, drops down and uses the four treasures it has equipped. After destroying it, they take Louie back in the cargo bay, because there is not enough room in the cockpit. For other uses, see Debt (disambiguation). ... In business and accounting an asset is anything owned which can produce future economic benefit, whether in possession or by right to take possession, by a person or a group acting together, e. ... A crown cap from a Heineken beer bottle Pull-off bottle cap The plastic cap and top of a sports water bottle. ...

Louie's Dark Secret

After completing the thirty Challenge Mode levels, a cinematic is unlocked, showing that the company is in debt because Louie had secretly eaten all the Gold Pikpik Carrots that were supposedly stolen by a Space Bunny. This was hinted at in the game, with e-mails from Louie's relatives saying how he enjoyed Pikpik Carrots and other such clues.

Similarities to Past Video Games

There are a few similarities in both Pikmin and Pikmin 2 that are seen in other games previously created by Nintendo, notably Super Mario Bros. The protagonists, Olimar and Louie are similar in size to Mario and Luigi with the shorter character being slightly bulk and the taller one possessing a slimmer figure. In addition, the name "Olimar" (オリマー orima) is "Mario" (マリオ) spelled backwards in Japanese kana. "Louie" (ルーイ), while being already superficially similar to the name "Luigi" in English, is actually the first part of the same name in Japanese (ルイージ). Super Mario Bros. ... Mario ) is a video game character created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and is the official mascot of Nintendo. ... Luigi ) is a video game character created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. ... Japanese writing Kanji 漢字 Kana 仮名 Hiragana 平仮名 Katakana 片仮名 Manyogana 万葉仮名 Uses Furigana 振り仮名 Okurigana 送り仮名 Rōmaji ローマ字 For other meanings of Kana, see Kana (disambiguation). ...

The "Poko" is also thought to be an inverted form of Mario's coins but this is still undecided. The stage layouts and caves could be a reference to the above worlds and dungeons from the Legend of Zelda series, as both share a mystic beauty on the upper world,and the caves and dungeons are both treacherous and deadly. The official sword and shield logo of The Legend of Zelda introduced during the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. ...

Items in Pikmin 2

Several of the treasures found on the planet in Pikmin 2 are items from previous Nintendo ventures. One item, the Dream Architect, is a Game & Watch, one of a series of LCD games created by Nintendo in the early 1980s. Another, the Remembered Old Buddy, is the head of R.O.B., a peripheral device packaged with the original NES after the video game crash of 1983. Found in the same cave as the Remembered Old Buddy are five Gyro Blocks, the blocks used in one of R.O.B.'s games, Stack-up. Other Nintendo items are also included, such as a tube of paint and a crayon from Mario Paint, and the Key used in Super Mario World. Ball (Silver), 1980. ... The Robotic Operating Buddy R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) was an accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. ... Mario Paint is a video game created by Nintendo for use with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was released on August 1, 1992[1] along with the SNES Mouse peripheral device. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...

Characters

Main article: Pikmin (species)

The red, yellow, and blue Pikmin from the previous game return, along with two new colors of Pikmin, purple and white. Unlike the originals, they are not believed to have Onions, as none have been discovered yet, which typically house Pikmin colors. Instead, they are created when an existing Pikmin is thrown into a purple or white "Candypop bud", a type of flower found underground in caves. White Pikmin are a bit smaller than other Pikmin, although not necessarily weaker, and are extremely fast and immune to poisonous gasses. Purple Pikmin are bigger and a little taller than other Pikmin, and are very slow, but strong, and count for ten Pikmin when lifting things. When thrown, purple Pikmin land with a resounding boom that can stun enemies. There are also Bulbmin, a type of symbiotic Pikmin that infects Bulborbs. Being in the body of a Bulborb protects them from drowning, electrocution, burning, and poisoning(But then again bulborbs can be poisoned by white pikmin,suggesting that the bulbmin themselves are immune). They are found only in a few caves throughout the game, and they will assist the player-controlled captain in the cave in which they are found once their larger captain Bulborbs is killed. However, they cannot be removed from the cave unless they are changed to one of the five other types of pikmin, via candypops. A claymade Red Bud Pikmin. ... Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 625–750 nm. ... A yellow Tulip. ... YOU SUCK!!!!! ... An African Daisy of almost psychedelic purple Purple is any shades of color occurring between blue and red; this color is sometimes confused with the more narrowly-defined spectral color violet. ... Technically speaking, white is a color, but it is also the combination of all the colors of the visible light spectrum. ... A claymade Red Bud Pikmin. ... A common Red Bulborb. ... Sign warning of possible electric shock hazard An electric shock can occur upon contact of a human or animal body with any source of voltage high enough to cause sufficient current flow through the muscles or nerves. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The skull and crossbones symbol (Jolly Roger) traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ... A common Red Bulborb. ...

Areas

The main action of the game takes place in five separate areas. The player chooses which area will be visited at the beginning of the day, and only one area may be visited each day. The areas contain treasures, enemies, and other gameplay elements. Also, caves can be found within each area. Each cave contains a set number of chambers called sublevels. Each sublevel is random in layout, but contains a set number of treasures and a set assortment of enemies and obstacles. The final sublevel of each cave, except Emergence Cave, contains a "boss" creature. The above-ground areas have fixed layouts.

All of the levels were in the first visited in the first game, but have drastically changed, for unknown reasons. One aspect of the levels is that is notable, is that they appear to be more porportioned to Olimar's and the Pikmin's size, as opposed to the first game, where it clearly showed how tiny they are. A clear example of this would be what is now the Awakening Wood, as where Olimar and the Pikmin disembarked is now where the two flowers are, and it appears far smaller. The Wistful Wild is another example, as where the Impact Site was is where the three Creeping Chrysanthemum are and the enitre area appears far smaller. Whether this is connected to the changes all the areas had, is unknown.

Valley of Repose

The Valley of Repose is the first area that is visited in the game. It is winter in this area, and most of it is covered in snow. Players learn most of the basics here, as well as find the red and purple Pikmin. This area was formerly known as The Forest Navel, though much has changed from the passage of time. There are three caves in this area, the second two of which aren't accessible until later in the game, the Emergence Cave, the Subterranean Complex, and the Frontier Cavern. Animation of snowcover changing with the seasons Trees covered with snow Snow covering a leaf. ...

Awakening Wood

The Awakening Wood is the second area in the game, and is opened up when an item that appears to be the northern hemisphere of a globe is found. It is spring in this area, and flower petals gently float down as opposed to the snow in the Valley of Repose. It is also the area where white Pikmin and blue Pikmin (which are inaccessible without yellow Pikmin) are found. This area was formerly known as The Forest of Hope in the first game, though it has changed, presumably due to the passage of time. There are four caves in this area, the Hole of Beasts, the White Flower Garden, the Bulblax Kingdom, and the Snagret Hole.

Perplexing Pool

The Perplexing Pool is the third area in the game, and is opened up when the other hemisphere of the globe is found. It is summer in this area, and the yellow Pikmin can be found here, as well as the Bulbmin in the Submerged Castle. This area was formerly known as The Distant Spring in the first game, and like the Awakening Wood has changed since its appearance in the original Pikmin. There are four caves in this area, the Citadel of Spiders, the Glutton's Kitchen, the Shower Room, and the Submerged Castle.

Wistful Wild

The Wistful Wild is opened up when the player reaches the 10,000 Poko mark. It is autumn in this area. This area contains what was known in the first game as The Impact Site, as well as The Final Trial. There are three caves in this area, the Cavern of Chaos, the Hole of Heroes, and the Dream Den

It can be noted that the landing site of Wistful Wild has a yield sign under it. In the Japanese version, it's a stop sign, as stop signs in Japan are triangular, not octagon-shaped as in North America. In road transport, a yield (Canada, Ireland, and the United States) or give way (United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries) traffic sign indicates that a driver of a vehicle must slow down and prepare to stop if necessary (usually while merging into traffic on another road) but does not need... Stop sign used in English-speaking countries, as well as in the European Union Former British stop sign consisting of red Give Way triangle inside a circle. ... North America North America is a continent [1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

Development

Differences from Pikmin

A screenshot of a round of the two player mode.

There were several major differences between Pikmin and Pikmin 2. The first, and perhaps most important of these, was the elimination of the 30-day time limit which was imposed during the course of the first Pikmin game. In Pikmin 2, a player may continue to search for treasure for as many days as he or she wishes. The game contains 201 collectible treasure pieces, as opposed to the 30 ship parts of the original Pikmin game. However, there is still a time limit to the game; it is possible to play up to around 300 days before the file is deleted.[citation needed] A screenshot of gameplay Pikmin 2. ... A screenshot of gameplay Pikmin 2. ...

Another addition was the ability to use two captains at once, making multitasking easier. In previous Pikmin game, multitasking was difficult as there was only one captain to direct multiple groups of Pikmin. In both Pikmin games, commands cannot be issued from a distance, meaning that a one captain system caused a lot of running between multiple working Pikmin groups. Another gameplay change was the addition of sprays, which have various effects on gameplay, such as energizing Pikmin, and which can be obtained by collecting various berries. Also, the Pikmin can be thrown a bit faster in Pikmin 2. Several types of berries from the market. ...

Pikmin 2 e-Reader

In Japan, after the release of Pikmin 2, they had also released e-Reader cards that had contained mini games. Some of these mini games involved the player to pluck all the Pikmin in an area in a set amount of steps, or to try to get Pikmin from one point to another. These cards were not released outside of Japan, as the e-Reader was not released in Europe, and had been discontinued in the United States at the time. This article is about the Nintendo device. ...

Reaction

Famitsu Weekly - 36/40

Famitsu Cube & Advance - 39/40

Gamespot- 9.2 (They said the game fixed nearly every problem from the original)

IGN gave Pikmin 2 a 9.3, and was extremely pleased at the multitude of ways the game had improved upon what was good about Pikmin and fixed the problems it had, such as a lack of multi-player and a 30-day playing limit. It also called it an "absolute blast and fun, too. Best Party Game"^[2] Pikmin (ピクミン in Japanese) is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001. ...

Totaka's Song

The infamous Totaka's Song by Kazumi Totaka can be found in Pikmin 2. It has made appearances in other games composed by Totaka, such as Mario Paint, Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Link's Awakening, Yoshi Touch & Go, Super Mario Land 2, Virtual Boy Wario Land, Luigi's Mansion, and Yoshi's Story. Image:Kazumitotaka-1-.gif Kazumi Totaka Kazumi Totaka , born 1967) is a music composer for many major Nintendo games, including Mario Paint and Animal Crossing. ... Kazumi Totaka , born 1967) is a music composer for many major Nintendo games, including Mario Paint and Animal Crossing. ... Mario Paint is a video game created by Nintendo for use with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was released on August 1, 1992[1] along with the SNES Mouse peripheral device. ... For other uses, see Animal Crossing (disambiguation). ... Yoshi Touch & Go, known in Japan as Catch! Touch! Yoshi! ), is a video game that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It debuted in Japan on January 27, 2005, in North America on March 14, 2005, and in Europe on May 6, 2005. ... Screenshot from Super Mario Land 2 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is Marios second adventure for Game Boy. ... Virtual Boy Wario Land for the Virtual Boy was released by Nintendo for its largely unsuccessful Virtual Boy system in 1995. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for an encyclopedia. ... Yoshis Story ) is the Nintendo 64 sequel to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario World 2: Yoshis Island. ...

See also

• Pikmin series

Pikmin 2 introduced multiplayer to the series. ...

References

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Matt Casamassina as depicted in Cubetoons. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Pikmin Official Website
• Pikmin 2 at Nintendo.com
• Pikmin Returns
• Pikmin 2 at GameFAQs
• Pikmin 2 at MobyGames