Number 62: Pikmin 2, Nintendo 2004
Intro:
The characters, props, and animation are all cute as a button, written and framed with child-like wonder at everything short of the dirt. The menu screen is slick, varies from time to time, and it's bright colors, round font, bouncy motion, and glittery particle effects move me to tears of joy that are normally reserved for post-2000 Squaresoft cutscenes, even though its just a normal list menu.
Getting Going:
The first two levels are clear tutorials where every move is explained. The first level is constantly interrupted by control discussion, to the point where fun is sacrificed for security in that the user knows exactly which button does what. This is mysterious, since the controlls are relatively simple, and at times fun to execute in-and-of itself.
Fun:
The immediacy and responsiveness of the controlls give the player a feeling of great power at first. The stylish and lively pikmin sing together, have personality, move with cartoonishly appropriate awkwardness, and respond to everything. Sending a horde of pikmin to attack an enemy is an empowering display of savage force, as the player controls the precise direction in which the foe's doom travels or retreats with unerring obedience. Objects that were once trash are now wonderful treasures for players to find, and collect it is almost as fun as attacking.
Visuals:
The environments almost too simple, and obstacles remain clear and consistent. Everything outside of the treasures and the environment has been created with a great sense of style and personality, making the game a joy to watch whether or not action is taking place. Despite being dull, the realism in the environment is interesting and reminds me of a child imagining fantastic creatures in his or her own back yard.
Intelligence:
The enemies have very simple attack responses to the player. Pikmin need, at all times, to be directed, which quickly becomes frustrating when things are completed a little out of order and large distances must be crossed.
Immersion:
While there was a chance for great immersion in the creative gameplay, it is often disrupted by the annoying robot's declarations of the obvious, the frustration of having each stage limited by time, and the nearly constant product placement. While the robot and time limits are understandable, the product placement almost ruins the cartoony alternate world.
Cameras:
Depends almost entirely on player's control. Further frustrated by the lack of a solution to camera blocking. This game really depends on being able to survey the environment, so the lack of object transparency is nearly unforgivable.
Control:
The controls are a little strange for a minute, but by the end of the first level the cheerful presentation, highly reactive population, and satisfying results make the controls feel intuitive and fun to use.
Ideas:
Real Time Strategy has always been a problem for consoles, but Pikmin is a great example of how starting from scratch and reinventing the conventions could be the solution. Splitting gameplay into two teams is a great idea, but I'm easily intimidated by multitasking. The interactive encyclopedia was exciting to play with, especially in the face of the frustrating day's end.
Memory:
This game oozes personality and fun. It presents a lot of potential, but fails to feel really clearly realized, as if it had lost "spirit" somewhere.
The characters, props, and animation are all cute as a button, written and framed with child-like wonder at everything short of the dirt. The menu screen is slick, varies from time to time, and it's bright colors, round font, bouncy motion, and glittery particle effects move me to tears of joy that are normally reserved for post-2000 Squaresoft cutscenes, even though its just a normal list menu.
Getting Going:
The first two levels are clear tutorials where every move is explained. The first level is constantly interrupted by control discussion, to the point where fun is sacrificed for security in that the user knows exactly which button does what. This is mysterious, since the controlls are relatively simple, and at times fun to execute in-and-of itself.
Fun:
The immediacy and responsiveness of the controlls give the player a feeling of great power at first. The stylish and lively pikmin sing together, have personality, move with cartoonishly appropriate awkwardness, and respond to everything. Sending a horde of pikmin to attack an enemy is an empowering display of savage force, as the player controls the precise direction in which the foe's doom travels or retreats with unerring obedience. Objects that were once trash are now wonderful treasures for players to find, and collect it is almost as fun as attacking.
Visuals:
The environments almost too simple, and obstacles remain clear and consistent. Everything outside of the treasures and the environment has been created with a great sense of style and personality, making the game a joy to watch whether or not action is taking place. Despite being dull, the realism in the environment is interesting and reminds me of a child imagining fantastic creatures in his or her own back yard.
Intelligence:
The enemies have very simple attack responses to the player. Pikmin need, at all times, to be directed, which quickly becomes frustrating when things are completed a little out of order and large distances must be crossed.
Immersion:
While there was a chance for great immersion in the creative gameplay, it is often disrupted by the annoying robot's declarations of the obvious, the frustration of having each stage limited by time, and the nearly constant product placement. While the robot and time limits are understandable, the product placement almost ruins the cartoony alternate world.
Cameras:
Depends almost entirely on player's control. Further frustrated by the lack of a solution to camera blocking. This game really depends on being able to survey the environment, so the lack of object transparency is nearly unforgivable.
Control:
The controls are a little strange for a minute, but by the end of the first level the cheerful presentation, highly reactive population, and satisfying results make the controls feel intuitive and fun to use.
Ideas:
Real Time Strategy has always been a problem for consoles, but Pikmin is a great example of how starting from scratch and reinventing the conventions could be the solution. Splitting gameplay into two teams is a great idea, but I'm easily intimidated by multitasking. The interactive encyclopedia was exciting to play with, especially in the face of the frustrating day's end.
Memory:
This game oozes personality and fun. It presents a lot of potential, but fails to feel really clearly realized, as if it had lost "spirit" somewhere.