Feb 4, 2009

New Play Control! Pikmin – Update!

Categories: Nintendo

Just an extension to my original post to let everyone know that the official site for New Play Control! Pikmin is now up and can be viewed here.

Aside from the new title being a bit of a mouth full, what else has changed from the vegetative munchkins and the miniature space captain? Well the official launches this week (probably on the games’ release – 6th Feb) and should have some information about exactly what new features the game will have. But the biggest selling point, or rather the feature most pushed by Nintendo is the new motion controls added to the game.

When the game was originally released it would have benefited from a PC style set up, but unfortunately the Gamecube did not feature a mouse. Nor does the Wii, but what the Wii does have is closer relationship to a mouse and keyboard than any console has had before (with out actually using either). If you’d like to find out how the controls differ, you’ll find them below.

Commanding Pikmin

Without a strict measure of control, Pikmin will lollygag, lose focus and, most importantly, stop working. To make Pikmin pay attention and follow him, Olimar uses his whistle, activated by pressing the Wii Remote’s B Button. The sound of the whistle can be heard within a small circle, and Pikmin located within that circle will fall in line behind Olimar. The longer a player holds B, the bigger the circle gets. To determine the centre of that circle, players simply point the Wii Remote at the screen and move the on-screen target cursor.

Throwing Pikmin

Throwing a Pikmin is often the first attack Olimar makes against the beasts of the planet. To toss a Pikmin, use the Wii Remote’s pointer to move the targeting cursor. Once the target is established, press the A Button to throw a Pikmin. If many Pikmin are standing behind Olimar, players can keep pressing A to continuously throw Pikmin.

Swapping Pikmin

At the bottom-left corner of the screen, an icon shows which Pikmin Olimar is about to pick up and throw. If players want Olimar to throw a different colour of Pikmin, they can swap Pikmin (a feature not available in the original Pikmin for GameCube). Instead of releasing the A Button to throw, hold the A Button and then press the B Button to swap the Pikmin for a different colour (press B again if the third colour of Pikmin is desired). Then, release A to launch the little one into the air. Happy landing!