Pikmin 3 (1 Viewer)

Nintendo doesn't get a lot of run, and their WiiU has been an under performer, but Pikmin 3 is really the first major WiiU game that just nails it. Ridiculously fun and addictive, our kids found themselves playing Pikmin at all hours, just trying to figure out how to do new things with their guys.This is the kind of title Nintendo needed at launch, but better late then never.

I enjoyed the original on the GameCube, and it's clever style a gameplay remains memorable. I didn't get to the sequel. Were time and money not limited, I'd buy a WiiU just for Pikmin 3. The little bits I've heard about it sound really fun.

Which control type do you prefer, the gamepad, or the Wii-Mote+Nunchuck?

DaveF said:

I enjoyed the original on the GameCube, and it's clever style a gameplay remains memorable. I didn't get to the sequel. Were time and money not limited, I'd buy a WiiU just for Pikmin 3. The little bits I've heard about it sound really fun.

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This is exactly the situation I'm in. It's also why I'm temporarily skipping Wonderful 101 and probably Rayman Legends. I want all 3 games really badly but have no time. The Last of Us is sitting on my shelf, next in line, and there are a dozen games behind that.

Wiimote+nunchuk+Gamepad.

Matt, hats off to your kids. I approached these games as an adult and find them challenging and complicated. I don't know if I would have stuck with them as a kid. Since we're really the first generation to grow up with video games throughout our lives, my experiences involved Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Maybe kids who grew up with more complex games have an easier time. Still, this one seems even more difficult than before with all the puzzles involved with just moving from point A to point B.

More later as I have to run.

If you want to go in totally fresh, there may be some mild spoilers here. Nothing too specific.

I was a little disappointed that the protagonists were in no way related to Olimar, Louie, or the President (meaning, not even same planet), but I'm still in the middle of the game and am enjoying the little hints about what they have been up to that have been dropped.

I was also a little disappointed that you are not dealing a lot with ship parts or real-world Earth products, but there's been enough beyond fruit to be alright.

I think distilling it down to a common onion was a good move, and the MotionPlus controls do make things much more precise. I do still fear almost all the enemies; even the lowly, large common adult bulborb is scary to me. Pikmin will get eaten. I miss my purples, who could wallop them before they could even react. The rock Pikmin don't have the same impact and are kind of useless after they're thrown.

Almost done. One discussion I read was bemoaning the setting, saying that it seemed to contradict Pikmin 2.


Maybe that was just prerelease chatter.

If you liked Pikmin, I definitely recommend Pikmin 2. Great game, still available for Wii.

CaseyL said:

Which control type do you prefer, the gamepad, or the Wii-Mote+Nunchuck?

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I find it's easier to play with the Gamepad. But my kids like the wiimote and chuck. There are some advantages to the Chuck.. especially in aiming, but still.

I'm very disappointed with the slowdown. I just took a big squad into the cave in the tundra where you see three fire slugs and a bamboo gate, and it turned into a slideshow. I have only read people talking about it being completely smooth, so I'm hoping I don't have a problem with my Wii U.

Morgan Jolley said:

This is exactly the situation I'm in. It's also why I'm temporarily skipping Wonderful 101 and probably Rayman Legends. I want all 3 games really badly but have no time. The Last of Us is sitting on my shelf, next in line, and there are a dozen games behind that.

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i take it a step further: I have one game to play, BioShock Infinite. I won't buy any more until that's done because I dont want a backlog. (My DVD backlog just looks like stacks of unusable cash to me...)And when I finish BI, then I'll order Alan Wake and start my next game I don't know where a WiiU might fit in here. Maybe big price drops at Christmas vs Xbox one and ps4. But I'd enjoy some Pikmin 3. After Alan Wake.

Though it hasn't been a big problem since my previous post, I would like to ask a question about slowdown. Is it possible that dirty electricity can cause it? In this end of my house, if I plug in an iron or a hair dryer, the lights get noticeably dim. I didn't think about this until I was using a vacuum that doubles as an air cleaner, plugged in outside of my room, and I wondered momentarily why my lights were so dim. I looked up to see if a bulb was out, but I then knew it was the vacuum. Is it possible, if no one is experiencing this problem with the game, that my 30+-year-old wiring is contributing? If that's even within the realm, would a UPS that says it cleans up dirty electricity help?

As much as I love the Pikmin series, and as otherwise brilliant as I think this game is, I would almost hope it is a faulty Wii U if not dirty electricity. A faulty Wii U can be replaced, but inherent slowdown is forever. Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts still has slowdown from the SNES days on Wii U VC (though not on the PSP, where the problem was deliberately addressed!).

Edit: I had had my console horizontal in a closed entertainment center. I put it vertical and opened up the cabinet while playing. I didn't notice any slowdown this playthrough. I was fighting a really big boss. Coolest boss I've ever seen.


I'd still like opinions on the first part of my post, in case that isn't the ultimate cure.

Greg, get yourself a decent UPS for all your HT gear. What you describe is really bad for electronics. I learned this lesson the hard way when the motherboard on my 55" set burned out after only a few years.

I read a statement that said to be sure to get a UPS that cleans power always and not just when on battery power. Is this a simple thing to determine?

I think most of them do, to some extent. You can spend hundreds, but I don't think that's necessary unless you're using very expensive equipment in an area with very bad power. I got one for around $100 at Costco, and the only thing in my HT that went bad after that was the UPS itself! I replaced it with another $100 UPS from Costco and haven't had any trouble with any of my gear. The power here is pretty dirty, too.

You might want to look into your home's wiring and circuit breakers too, though. Something is clearly up with that if you're seeing lights dim when you turn stuff on.

Greg_S_H said:

I read a statement that said to be sure to get a UPS that cleans power always and not just when on battery power. Is this a simple thing to determine?

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Most of that is unscientific rubbish. A good UPS (anything of a major brand) vends out only level power to begin with. You'd have to get some real piece of junk that doesn't. I put all mine on an APC.. no issues. Has saved me more then once.