Category:Pikmin

Pikmin is a series of Real-Time Strategy games designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and developed by Nintendo. It puts players in the command of a group of Pikmin, tiny plant-like creatures that can collect resources, fight enemies, and destroy obstacles.

Pikmin was Nintendo's second title on the GameCube, preceded only by Luigi's Mansion. The original game gave players a 30 in-game day limit to complete the game, a mechanic that isolated many players. Three years later, Pikmin 2 did away with this mechanic, instead emphasizing exploration, collection, and experimentation. The two games each saw critical success, and are the most positively rated non-PC RTS's of all time.

The Nintendo Wii did not have any original Pikmin games. However, both Pikmin 1 and 2 were ported to the system with new controls based on the Wiimote and Nunchuck. Pikmin 3 will come out on the Wii U in late 2012, eight years after the prior entry in the series. It will utilize both Gamepad and Wiimote-based control schemes, each offering different benefits to the players.

Pikmin uses a "time of day" mechanic, encouraging players to complete as much as possible in a set period of time. Each color of Pikmin has different characteristics, and are thus useful in different situations. For example, Red Pikmin resist fire, Blue Pikmin can breathe underwater, Purple Pikmin are bigger and heavier, and so on.