E3 2012: Hands On with Pikmin 3

Note: The majority of the article (black text) was written by me, Leah. The blue text is written by Marcus Estrada, who added his own thoughts on the game's demo as well.

It’s nearly been a whopping 8 years since Pikmin 2 was released in North America. Some people figured that after so long, the series wouldn’t ever see a new title, but dedicated fans never gave up hope, and now their patience has been rewarded. During their E3 conference, Nintendo had decided to reveal to the world Pikmin 3 right off the bat and the gaming community rejoiced.

From what was shown, Pikmin 3 looked just as great as its predecessors did. Fellow Game Podunk writer, Marcus Estrada, and I decided we couldn’t pass up the chance to play this solid title at Nintendo’s booth on the E3 show floor. And I’m happy to tell you that it plays just as well as the previous games, especially so with the new Wii U GamePad.

Although the woman working at the demo kiosk claimed that the Wii U GamePad was for “experts” only and would make the game harder to play, I decided to take my chances just to see how the strategy game played with the new tablet controller. Sure, it was confusing at first figuring out exactly what buttons did what, but I eventually found my way.

Unlike Leah, I went with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck for my demo. The woman demoing the game might have said the GamePad was harder, but honestly it was a bit of a chore to figure out how to work the Wii Remote with this game. After a bit of help from the Nintendo representative though, I was able to get the controls down. Once I did, the game became mostly easier although it was still weird. On this occasion I would have preferred a more reasonable controller.

The GamePad felt very natural in my hands, despite its intimidating size. Reaching any button wasn’t a problem. The analog sticks moved smoothly and I’m glad Nintendo made the decision to change them from circle pads. The screen is a decently good size, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to make use of the touch controls during the time I spent with Pikmin 3 (the screen was only used as a map for the game). In any case, I feel that the GamePad will be extremely versatile and will serve its purpose as a great game controller for any Wii U game, as it did for me with Pikmin 3.

I really don't see why the main function of the GamePad's screen was to serve as purely a map in this demo. It seems to me like the most basic functionality possible. The demo should have showcased how to use it strategically. As far as I could tell, the rep didn't even give much help as to how to use the controller at all, much less how to make use of the GamePad's screen and what differentiates it from Wii Remote control.

For the demo Nintendo decided to present on the show floor, there were two modes you could play: scavenging for items and a boss fight. I will be focusing on the item scavenging mode for most of this article. Pikmin 3’s gameplay makes the right decision of not including forced motion controls (hooray for not having to wave the controller every time you want to throw a Pikmin!). Calling, throwing, and doing anything else with your handy little Pikmin are a snap with the GamePad. It truly still does feel like and plays as a Pikmin game even with Nintendo’s new peripheral.

In the item scavenging mode, you are tasked with traversing through the level to get as much food, defeated enemies, random goodies, and so forth to take back to your ship. You start off with just red Pikmin, which do the job just fine, but there are certain obstacles like glass walls that can’t be taken care of with the little crimson fellows. That’s where the recently revealed newcomers pop in – rock Pikmin! They’re heavy and pack a punch just as much as they are adorable. As evident in the demo, rock Pikmin will be your guys when you want to deal powerful hits to enemies and bring down the aforementioned obstacles.

Having this mode demoed at E3 may not have been the best choice. Although it certainly shows you what is important about Pikmin as a whole, it didn't really stand out as being much different from the past games. It felt much the same, which fans will enjoy, but when it looks so much like a past game is there really a reason to bring this out? Visually, it seemed to appear basically about as good-looking as the GameCube version did. Of course that's probably due to my fuzzy memories but Nintendo really has to show off the "new" parts of this game (and not just a new Pikmin type).

Again, I'm wishing Nintendo would have told all their reps to showcase special features of the GamePad. Even if they weren't available to use in our demo, they should have been able to share information about interesting ways it will be used in the complete game. As is, Pikmin 3 definitely looks and plays smoothly but it doesn't feel like an entirely new journey.

The item scavenging mode was a pretty fun seven minutes and just a glimpse of the fantastic and diverse world of Pikmin 3 I’m sure is to come. While I didn’t get to experience the boss fight mode myself, I was able to watch another person play it. In it, you are immediately thrown into a closed area with a giant centipede-like creature. You have a few Pikmin at your disposal, though there are some hiding around in grasses and such. You soon find out that the boss is covered in a hard, defensive shell that you must get rid of. This is where the rock Pikmin come to the rescue again. For this boss fight, you must be fast and strategic, as there is a clock ticking down against you and the boss regrows his shell. If this demo was any indicator, the boss fights for Pikmin 3 are definitely looking fun.

Beyond what Leah said, there was also strategy in choosing which Pikmin to use after you had broken the boss centipede's exterior hard shell. Although I can't remember now, one of the other Pikmin varieties was said to be extra useful at doling damage to the sensitive centipede. It seemed like a pretty tough battle though as the enemy was so large it managed to wipe out bunches of Pikmin with ease.

I had a really awesome time with the E3 demo for Pikmin 3. Not just getting a hands on preview with the long-awaited game, but also getting a feel for the Wii U GamePad for the first time. I’m confident Pikmin 3 will be a solid game and masterpiece for the upcoming Nintendo console and I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the finished product.