Topic: Pikmin 3 preperations

Hey everyone
In preperation for Pikmin 3, i wanted to finish 1 and 2 before i get the third one. So, after a couple of failed attempts a while back, i picked pikmin 1 up again yesterday and i must say: I cant figure out how to play it for the life of me.
I only hve the NPC version on Wii and have nothing but issues when it comes to the controlls (keep in mind, im totally aware that the issue at hand might as well be my total incompetence and im in no way blaming the game itself for it )

Issue 1 - Targeting: Throwing pikmin to certain places is absolutely no problem. It took some getting used to the actual throwing distance and the distance you can manouver your cursor, but thats not the main issue. Its targeting enemys, especially bigger species like the stork head thingy or even the armored bug (the one you need to counter in order for it to open its wings so you can attak its weakspot on the back)
Out of habbit, i try to point the cursor directly on the part of the enemy that i want to throw my pikmin at. What happens is, that my pikmin fly everywhere just not at the enemy. Then, i tried to align the corsor stricktly to the ground and make up a fictional guideline where my pikmin are going to fly . Also, no luck with that.
In the Stork / Crane battle what happens it, that all my pikmin are landing either on the ground or on the enemys base where he gentl ypicks them up one by one eating them. I must have lost about 100 pikmin in that battle alone which is definitly not normal.

Issue 2 - The guded march. You can press down on the DPad to guide your pikmin. If im informed correctly, youve done that with the C-Stick in the GCN version. But that also doesnt seem to work the way its supposed to be. Whenever there is small passage over a puddle of water i cant get my pickmin across that. Instead of lining up the way i point the march, they all happily walk straight into the puddles drowning.

The question is: Am i really that incompetend or are there others that have / had issues with the NPC Version controlls ? Im starting to feel pretty stupid when it comes to these games

Also: Please dont mind eventual spelling errors. I feel a bit dizzy today. I couldnt sleep for the last two nights due to high temperatures and an arm injury and i have the fealing that im writing quite a lot of gibberish today, so i hope you can understand what im trying to say.

I haven't played the Wii version, but I do know that on Gamecube aiming at enemies was very simple, while the Pikmin march was very inconsistent, so dont feel bad a bout that. I assume you are talking about that bridge before the Snagret (bird thingy), you are just gonna have to take a few over at a time, and hope the Snagret doesn't pop up while you are transporting more groups. Hope this helped you feel less stupid, enjoy Pikmin!

Kind of a separate issue, but one problem I have with the first game is the rampant glitchs. Seriously, every time I do a playthough of it (I have the Wii version btw) I come across some number of glitchs. For example the last time I played around a week ago, I must have lost over 30 Pikmin overall to Wollywogs, but not in the normal way. When the die Wollywogs plop onto their sides/backs right? Well if Pikmin are under them during that death animation, they'll get trapped under the corpse and die (without a sound or even the soul popping up) similar to the under the bridge glitch.

I'm not as good at Pikmin as I used to be. I used to be really good when I played 1 & 2 on GCN, but I wasn't as good on the Wii when I bought the NPC versions.

I thought that the GCN versions were better, but they're exactly the same except for Wii remote controls(I couldn't remember). I had thought the GCN showed the target on objects besides the ground, but I watched a YouTube video of the GCN version and saw that that was not the case which was my original reason why I wasn't as good anymore. Pikmin 3 obviously has better controls and such though. The target for where your Pikmin will land is more accurate with motion plus, and it shows up on objects unlike past games(which was my complaint).

I have all four Pikmin releases (Pikmin, Pikmin NPC, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 2 NPC)

I JUST finished the last of the four yesterday night after playing them all back-to-back, and I'm better at Pikmin 2 so I'll comment on that
I like the Gamecube and Wii remotes equally. It's very hard to pick my favorite because I can play well with both.
Advantages of the GCN controller: Better march (c-stick) functionality, easier to button smash the A button and keep aim
Advantages of Wii remote: Easier to change aim quickly, you can throw Pikmin back while you run forwards, and you have a longer whistle range

When you try to throw your Pikmin at an enemy, make sure the cursor is underneath them and not in front of them. HOWEVER, in Pikmin 3, the cursor is a bit different and will actually show where your Pikmin will hit on the enemy, while Pikmin 1 and 2 don't. Maybe you're throwing Pikmin all over the place because you're moving your Wii remote accidentally when you're bashing the A button? Try resting your arm on the armrest of a chair or something and see if that helps.

As far as marching goes, it is a bit weird on the Wii. When you press d-pad down, make sure you FULLY point in the direction you want your Pikmin to go. You'll know because the Wii remote pointer will extend past the game cursor. The group will also line up in multiple rows if you have a lot of Pikmin, so keep that in mind when you try to take them past a bridge!

BUT, most of the Wii remote issues will be fixed in Pikmin 3. If you have a Wii remote plus, you'll have much more accurate aiming. You can even aim OUTSIDE of your TV and the cursor won't jitter and freak out. Even if something obstructs the sensor bar, you'll still be able to aim. That alone is probably why I'll pick the Wii remote over the pro controller. Also, there's no marching (c-stick/d-pad down) in Pikmin 3, so you don't have to worry about that. Also, your cursor will show you exactly where Pikmin will land on the enemy, so you hopefully won't have trouble trying to figure out where they will land. In my opinion, the Wii remote / gamepad combo seems like the superior combination in Pikmin 3, but I haven't played it yet so I can't say for sure

I got my information from this video

I've been beating myself up for not getting NPC Pikmin because now it's hard to find. I'd like to play it before Pikmin 3, but I'm not willing to pay $50 for it like people are asking.