22 Years Ago, One of the Best Strategy Games of the 2000s Came Out

Nintendo usually relies on the same characters and series over and over again for familiarity purposes. People know they are going to love playing another one of Mario’s adventures through the Mushroom Kingdom or a romp through Hyrule with Link.

Sometimes, the company will pull out all the stops and craft some brand new magic, though, and it’s almost always special when they do. The GameCube era in the 2000s saw the company create one of the most accessible strategy series in gaming history, Pikmin, and the second game in the franchise came out 22 years ago today.

Pikmin 2 did everything a good sequel should do. It expanded on what were the best parts of the first game, while trying to temper some of the flaws that bothered fans. Pikmin combines Nintendo’s signature cute aesthetic with sometimes stressful gameplay. You must lead a group of tiny creatures, the Pikmin, around an obscure alien planet and collect objects that will aid your protagonist, usually Captain Olimar, in different quests depending on the game.

The second game adds more Pikmin that have unique abilities to offer more creative puzzle solutions, while the story focuses on Olimar and his co-worker, Louie, as they find valuables to help the company they work for financially. There’s a little bit of funny capitalist satire subtly hidden in there somewhere, but the focus of these games is always the lush environments and the creatures that are often foes.

Pikmin 2’s biggest innovation is the addition of caves. When you go underground, the infamous daily clock stops ticking, and you’re able to play the game at your own pace. A timer has always been and will always remain a signature part of the series, though, no matter how much some people complain about the stress it brings.

The series continues to get better and more popular. The latest entry, Pikmin 4, was an absolute success for the Switch in 2023, selling over 3 million copies. Here’s to more Pikmin on the Switch 2!

source https://www.mensjournal.com/news/22-years-ago-one-of-the-best-strategy-games-of-the-2000s-came-out