Pikmin 2 is incredible, so much so that it not only eclipses even its predecessor, which I found to be astounding in quality, but also remains distinct and fresh despite having the same core gameplay.
Pikmin 2 does away with the overarching time limit in Pikmin 1, a decision I'm surprised some view as controversial, as an overarching time limit wouldn't really fit for Pikmin 2. In addition, this allows players to take all the time they need to soak in the world and move forward at their leisure, just as Olimar wants to do in the story. Speaking of, the world and visuals in general look fantastic, I haven't played the original version so I can't speak on the difference in quality, but this version looks really good.
Another divisive part of the game are the caves, which seem to be what make or break this game for most people. I quite liked it, having smaller challenges where you're encouraged not to rush and take things slow and methodical is not only fun, but also helps differentiate from Pikmin 1. The caves absolutely aren't perfect, the last two I'd say venture into the territory of annoying and tedious, but not for very much of them.
I absolutely adore not only the new pikmin types, namely white and purple pikmin, and spicy and bitter sprays, but the addition of a second captain on top of that massively increases the amount of approaches that can be taken to any problem. Should you bring in a bunch of the rather rare purple pikmin to steamroll some enemies? Or do you save them for fear of losing them and not needing them later? How many blue pikmin will I need for this cave? Should I only bring in a couple so I can bring more combat-suited types? This room looks tough, do I need to use either of my sprays, and if so which one? Pikmin 2 also does a better job of making all types of pikmin valid choices to bring into caves, which is something I felt Pikmin 1 struggled with mightly, as there was basically no reason to bring blues and yellows to bosses. Making it so you have to set up your pikmin team before you enter a cave ensures each type has a role.
On top of all of that, I'd be remiss not to mention what is probably my favorite part of the game, the treasures and logs! All of the journal entries and sales pitches are positively oozing with charming, and the enemy entries are just as amazing. The only real qualm I have with this part of the game is due to what I believe is the only negative change in this remaster, which is the removal of some product placement. Pikmin 2 is the only work I can think of that is hurt by the removal of product placement, but there is absolutely a little something lost by the absence of the duracell battery and all other treasures like it.
This is certainly not a perfect game, there are some definite and easily identifiable issues, such as how aiming and throwing pikmin doesn't always feel quite right, (also an issue I have with Pikmin 1) or how some sublevels in caves can be kinda bullshit. However, the few problems I have with the game aren't enough to hold the game back from being, in my opinion, one of Nintendo's absolute best. I really can't recommend that people try this series enough, its been one of the best decisions I've made in my gaming experience.
Pikmin 2 does away with the overarching time limit in Pikmin 1, a decision I'm surprised some view as controversial, as an overarching time limit wouldn't really fit for Pikmin 2. In addition, this allows players to take all the time they need to soak in the world and move forward at their leisure, just as Olimar wants to do in the story. Speaking of, the world and visuals in general look fantastic, I haven't played the original version so I can't speak on the difference in quality, but this version looks really good.
Another divisive part of the game are the caves, which seem to be what make or break this game for most people. I quite liked it, having smaller challenges where you're encouraged not to rush and take things slow and methodical is not only fun, but also helps differentiate from Pikmin 1. The caves absolutely aren't perfect, the last two I'd say venture into the territory of annoying and tedious, but not for very much of them.
I absolutely adore not only the new pikmin types, namely white and purple pikmin, and spicy and bitter sprays, but the addition of a second captain on top of that massively increases the amount of approaches that can be taken to any problem. Should you bring in a bunch of the rather rare purple pikmin to steamroll some enemies? Or do you save them for fear of losing them and not needing them later? How many blue pikmin will I need for this cave? Should I only bring in a couple so I can bring more combat-suited types? This room looks tough, do I need to use either of my sprays, and if so which one? Pikmin 2 also does a better job of making all types of pikmin valid choices to bring into caves, which is something I felt Pikmin 1 struggled with mightly, as there was basically no reason to bring blues and yellows to bosses. Making it so you have to set up your pikmin team before you enter a cave ensures each type has a role.
On top of all of that, I'd be remiss not to mention what is probably my favorite part of the game, the treasures and logs! All of the journal entries and sales pitches are positively oozing with charming, and the enemy entries are just as amazing. The only real qualm I have with this part of the game is due to what I believe is the only negative change in this remaster, which is the removal of some product placement. Pikmin 2 is the only work I can think of that is hurt by the removal of product placement, but there is absolutely a little something lost by the absence of the duracell battery and all other treasures like it.
This is certainly not a perfect game, there are some definite and easily identifiable issues, such as how aiming and throwing pikmin doesn't always feel quite right, (also an issue I have with Pikmin 1) or how some sublevels in caves can be kinda bullshit. However, the few problems I have with the game aren't enough to hold the game back from being, in my opinion, one of Nintendo's absolute best. I really can't recommend that people try this series enough, its been one of the best decisions I've made in my gaming experience.