Review by: Danielle Riendeau

Since so many of the better games on the Wii are remakes or re-issues (Resident Evil 4, Okami) or re-imaginings (Mario Kart Wii), or even just old (the entire Virtual Console library); it makes perfect sense that Nintendo has decided to trot out a selection of its very best last-generation games, retrofitted them with swanky new motion controls and thrown them up on store shelves for a discounted $30. Thankfully, Pikmin on Wii excels despite the bare-bones port treatment, since the core game is just as solid and fresh as it was in its Gamecube heyday, and the new controls are exceptionally well implemented.

Pikmin originally appeared as a launch title for the Gamecube, and though it baffled a few folks with its rather quirky take on game design, it’s still very fondly remembered. Eight years later, the title holds up surprisingly well, perhaps because nothing quite like it (except for its slightly weirder sequel) has come out since. A puzzle game at its core, the game also features a healthy dose of what I’d like to call “RTS lite” and a generous portion of weird/adorable art design.

You control a cute little astronaut named Captain Olimar, who has crash-landed on a lush garden planet populated by colorful little creatures (the titular pikmin). You harvest the little guys - think of them as units in an RTS - and use them to explore the terrain, bash enemies, solve devious environmental puzzles and collect pieces of your ship.

Much of the strategy revolves around multitasking and wisely dividing duties among your unit types. The little red guys are stronger fighters, yellow pikmin can be thrown higher and made to carry bombs, and the blue dudes are waterproof (water is deadly to the other varieties). You’ll need to use all three in order to successfully navigate the tricky terrain and get your ship back together.

The game spans across 30 “days” and several sprawling environments. Each “day” lasts about 15 minutes, and you’re tasked with finding 30 spaceship parts, keeping things surprisingly tense. Also restricting your pikmin-building empire is the fact that you’re limited to 100 little guys on the field at any one time. Don’t let the cutesy exterior fool you – beneath the googly eyes, the strict time and resource constraints coupled with the proliferation of enemies make this game much tougher than the first level or so would have you believe.

Therein lies the main problem I have with Pikmin – for such a whimsical game, the time limit is annoying and harsh. Instead of encouraging exploration and thoughtful strategy, the need to hurry things up (and subsequently play through days over and over again until you make sufficient progress) drags the fun factor down. Sure, it adds challenge and lengthens what is otherwise a rather short game, but it does so artificially.