Pikmin 2 - Reception

Reception

Pikmin 2 garnered critical acclaim, gaining an aggregate score of 89.60% on GameRankings based on 57 reviews, and an aggregate score of 90 on Metacritic based on 54 reviews. The February 2006 issue of Nintendo Power rated the game as the 47th best game made on a Nintendo System in its Top 200 Games list, and was also rated 29th on Official Nintendo Magazine's 100 greatest Nintendo games of all time. GamePro labeled it one of the top five GameCube games. It is among the GameCube's top 20 rare games.

Many critics considered the title to be superior to its predecessor Pikmin, expressing that Pikmin 2 addressed many problems or issues seen in the original game. The removal of the 30-day time limit originally used was applauded by many critics for increasing the game's longevity, though Nintendo World Report had mixed opinions, feeling that the lack of urgency might encourage players to be "lazy." The addition of a separate multiplayer mode was praised, though the lack of LAN online-play was a disappointment to some.

Pikmin 2's strategic and puzzle-oriented gameplay was praised by many. The artificial intelligence of the Pikmin was noted by GameSpot as improved over the original, though IGN remarked on reoccurring shortcomings, such as Pikmin getting stuck behind walls or breaking away from the group.

The graphics and presentation in Pikmin 2 were highly praised; many critics felt that they were greatly improved over the original game. IGN stated that "it's highly refreshing to see a Nintendo-created game with such undeniably high production values," noting the "photorealistic" environments, particle effects, character animation, and the observation that the game constantly runs at 30 frames-per-second. GameSpot agreed, expressing that "from a performance viewpoint, Pikmin 2 stands as an impressive achievement on the GameCube, especially since the improved visuals still move at a solid frame rate despite the increased detail." Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer called Pikmin 2 "relentlessly and giddily gorgeous." Other critics, such as X-Play, did not agree about the graphics, feeling the improvements were "marginal" at best. In addition, many reviews voiced minor complaints regarding the game's camera system, which was often obstructed by large objects in the playing field when positioned at certain angles.