The original design and time trial fashion of the original Pikmin created a fast-paced game that, while sometimes frustrating, was incredibly addictive. Running the gauntlet while searching for faster and faster routes left gamers with intense replay value. In addition, the soundtrack and sound effects left a cute yet nasty impression on my mind. The Pikmin returned at this year's E3, stuck in a back corner near Nintendo's press desk. The originality of the series makes Pikmin 2 a great addition to any gaming library, and their status as Nintendo characters should be even more prominent with its release.

Nintendo's run-down of the title says, "Captain Olimar has returned to marshal new colors of Pikmin in a wild, open-ended adventure-and this time, he's brought an assistant. The company he works for is going bankrupt and, to save it, Olimar has come to salvage the treasure buried below the surface of the planet. His company's debt is a whopping 10,000 Pokos. Luckily, his trusty assistant has joined him, so if the two of them can delegate their work well, they should be able to repay the company's debts in no time. Of course, they'll need the help of the Pikmin to do that, since these two can't accomplish anything by themselves!"

The gameplay seems pretty much the same as before. Calling and hurling Pikmin follows the same guidelines as in the original title. Despite carrying the same underpinnings as the previous title, the new additions are quite welcome in this installment. The ability to control two different characters will provide a different perspective in the tiny world of Olimar. Apparently this has been coupled with a multiplayer feature that offers both cooperative and challenge modes.

This time around, you're not bound by a time limit other than the hours of daylight, so you'll be free to explore as much as you like. This will give you the opportunity to investigate what they refer to as "dungeons." These underground caverns will basically be randomized mazes that afford you the ability to search for treasures. This will add another element of depth to the game, allowing players to bring their

Red, blue and yellow Pikmin make their return, as well as some new colors (purple and white) that remain a mystery to me. The inclusion of sixty different species of enemies will provide a welcome reprieve from the somewhat repetitive nature of the first game. New skills and abilities will allow Olimar and his assistant to do combat with these foes and solve puzzles throughout this new environment.

From what was offered up in the demo, Pikmin 2 will be a great follow-up to one of the most original titles available for the GameCube. The action works just as well, the power-ups should add a lot to the gameplay, and the mystery of problem solving is as fun as ever. There's no official release date on the title yet, but I'm far more likely to pick this one up than the previous one. The lack of a time limit gives it more life, as the original could be completed easily in a day. Anyone who loved Pikmin is sure to enjoy this, and I think that it should garner even more fans outside of the existing base.