After its release in Europe a little over a week ago, Pikmin 3 has now arrived in North America as arguably the first high-profile Wii U release in a number of months — Game and Wario didn't quite set tills ringing. It's been critically acclaimed in plenty of reviews to date, and recorded a strong debut in the UK all-format chart; not necessarily a huge system seller on its own, but a positive first release in a packed upcoming lineup.
Of course, if you want to know what we think you can check out our full Pikmin 3 review, or even our weekend with Pikmin 3 feature. But to celebrate the North American launch we've found a couple of videos to warm up Wii U owners preparing to salvage some fruit and tackle enormous monsters. First is a "Did you know" video with some interesting facts about the series, and second is a video by YouTuber kirbygcn17, which shows the fun and games from the Pikmin 3 launch event at the Nintendo World store in New York.
If you're in North America and getting hold of this long awaited game on its launch weekend, meanwhile, let us all know what you think in the comments below.
[source destructoid.com, via gonintendo.com]
Comments 66
getting it today
Finally! I'm getting it this afternoon when I conveniently arrive home from my vacation.
Got it off the shop around 4 something this morning. Fantastic stuff!
Pikmin 3 is sooooooo cool... both my 7 year old daughter and I love the game. I actually persuaded her to accept it as an early birthday gift.
I didn't see Triforce in the front of the line. very excited for this game and going to buy it, but at $60 I will not. going to wait for at least $50
that will be a very long time to save 10 bucks
Can't wait to have money for this title
I'll be getting this, my first Pikmin game too!
Can't wait till gamestop opens later so I can grab my copy.
Anybody in the US looking to pick up a WiiU for this - $50 GC at Target or Best Buy, $25 at TRU if you buy WiiU and Pikmin 3 together.
The Target ad actually has a photo of a Wii (under the Gamepad) for anybody wondering why the Wii U doesn't sell well.
http://weeklyad.target.com/bay-shore-ny-11706/pages?code=Target-130804#24
(It's on page 24 of the ad in case the link doesn't work.)
All WiiU deals are the $349 black Premium as the white Basic doesn't seem to exist in the US anymore. Complicating my Day 1 purchase plans.)
In Canada you can get a a Premium bundle w/ Pikmin 3 instead of NintendoLand at Best Buy. Further adding to my decision making process wondering if this will show up in the US shortly.
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/-/b0001985.aspx?path=5c2ec424f5875dcc097860a7c1a98233en02&SearchPageIndex=1
Why they spell Pikman w/ an "a" in the ad not once but twice I don't know.
Now excuse me while I go agonize over my decision. Or maybe I'll just go flip a coin.
Stopped by Target at 8 AM and picked up my copy. Had to ask an employee to get them out of the back room. He came out with my copy and 5 extras - hopefully they will actually put them on the shelf! Played 4 days worth this is an epically awesome game!
@rjejr
<------------- suggests flipping a coin. Much easier
@rjejr Wow, that picture in the Target ad... lol
I am still not sure if to wait a week and buy this with Mario and Luigi or to download it today. I prefer physical so maybe I will wait.
I love NintendoWorld....except they force you to put the Wii wrist strap on which look like they'd give you herpes.
just got the game and it sucks hardboiledgreeneggs
@Park_Triolo
Careful what u say on public media, I found that comment amusing to read (not sure about everyone else)
@Holyfire
Bach!, technicality, scrap that reply
I picked it up at my local Walmart last night, but didn't start 'til this morning. What a delightful morning it was, too! Pikmin 3 is absolutely everything I've been waiting for and expecting. Aside from running out of batteries for my Wii remote, it's been a blast. I find the Pro Controller to be a fine substitute, but like many reviewers have pointed out it's just not as precise as having the remote and nunchuck. The GamePad works very well with the controls too!
Now my only challenge will be finding someone to do Bingo Battle with. Not one person I know around here ever liked Pikmin enough. Hopefully after seeing how beautiful and whimsical Pikmin 3 looks, my friends will change their minds and play with me
Maybe not a reason to rush out and buy a Wii U, but for current owners it's a must!
@Holyfire Lol!
Glad it out over there now, snap this up. Nintendo must have spent bucket loads on ads as i'm seeing them everywhere. Love the picnic ones lol.
Can't wait to see the sales numbers after a couple of weeks in the states.....
I hope they'll be as good as I think they'll be.
A quarter of a million would make me happy.
this game is totally amazing!!! love it!!!
I was at the event;I had a good time as always. Those who bought the game also received a small poster and a pack of iron-on Pikmin patches. Pikmin is indeed an awesome game!
@Holyfire
I edited my post... seems people understand what people want to understand, if you get my drift.
Just got my copy.
Hoping this game will start up Wii U sales over here, I know this game won't be the biggest...but it should be a good start.
@nintendorocks Really?! Wow,what dont you like about it?
@smashbrolink Im never normally bothered by sales numbers.but if pikmins hits that quarter mil mark after a couple of weeks it'll be such a boost us wiiu owners need!
@rjejr
Seriously? How would they even get a picture of the gamepad on top of the Wii? It's like they're intentionally sabotaging Nintendo now. It would be like advertising the Xbox One and showing the 360 in the picture- what an outrage. I contacted Target and they said they're forwarding the info to the proper dept (doubt it'll make a difference though) And I've seen other places that don't even have a Wii U section. They'll show PS4 and Xbox One (which aren't even out yet), but no Wii U section. Just Wii.
PS rjejr: I think I remember seeing deals for Wii U on Walmart.com. One deal is advertising Wii U Deluxe + your choice of Wii U game + your choice of Wii U accessory, all for $20 extra. So you could score Wii U Deluxe, NSMBU and a Wii U Pro Controller for $370... not bad. The other is the Zombie U Bundle for $30 extra, but the first deal is better. You still get the Pro Controller, but you can choose your game, and it's $10 cheaper. Here's the link-
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?_be_switches=mls.rerank:on&ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_query=wii+u&Find=Find&search_constraint=0
@sinalefa
I pre ordered through Amazon so I have to wait until later in the week for it to arrive I always go physical, and always order online tax-free, so I'm dying here waiting til the game arrives. I want to just go buy it right now and play it today! Even with New Super Luigi U, I've had a tough time restraining myself from downloading as DLC, despite the fact I have a physical copy pre ordered. It's the price you pay for physical copies I suppose...
After nine years, it's finally here. I finally got to play it.
Not getting used to the controls as fast as I thought I would. A lot of confusing and unnecessary changes. But so far it's beautiful.
Just brought home my copy :3
I'll start later tonight~
Downloaded it today!!
The game is beatiful, the waiting was woarthy.
@JaxonH - About 2 years ago a Target ad had a picture of a 1 yr. PS + card next to a $15.99 sale price that was supposed to be for a 3 month card. Best year I ever got out of Plus
I only wish they would show a picture of a WiiU next to a $99 sale.
Anyway, I know about the Walmart ads but thanks anyway. Ill probably pick one up at Target later in the week, just got back from vacation and we went way over budget, need to do some new math first.
Downloaded around 2 am and it only took about one hour. With the eShop credit I prepaid $100 and got $10 free and now with this purchase through Digital Deluxe promo I will get $5 more back. With eShop tax free in my state it only is costing me $45 this way. I usually go physical media but will try this and two other titles as digital. Wii Fit U may be a good digital game as it can be used almost daily without the need to insert or remove another disc.
I downloaded it early on Saturday morning due to the Gamestop demo event. I really am enjoying the game. I posted some screenshots of the game on Miiverse on Saturday morning, and had more yeahs than any other post I've made yet.
@JaxonH
Since I also have a PS3, I was considering getting Pikmin 3 and Dragon's Crown, as that is getting pretty good reviews and I could play couch co op. It releases this Tuesday.
Sometimes it sucks to wait for a copy to arrive. But after waiting 9 years, a few more days won't kill me.
I was pretty impressed with how quickly Nintendo gave me Deluxe Digital credit and coin opportunities at Club Nintendo after downloading this game, but it is the first title I've gone discless for. I'm really enjoying Pikmin 3 and find it a joy to play. It's somehow managing to be challenging without being frustrating, which seems to be a similar concept Nintendo uses amongst some of its titles. I'm familiar with the previous games but I find myself getting into this one more as it benefits greatly from an HD appearance. The environments are very nice to look at, the play controls are solid and the music it atmospheric yet catchy.
@Nico07
Wow, that's really great about the eShop being tax free in your state. Sadly, my state wants their cut. Do you know where I can read more about which states qualify?
Like you, it took about an hour to download and clocks just under 4GB.
@sleepinglion Just do a Google search on what states don't have sales tax - I live in New Hampshire and that is a tax free state for sales tax and income tax so that is one of em - makes buying stuff really nice
@sinalefa I don't have a PS3 but I do have a Vita, which Dragon's Crown is also being released for. Idk what it is but the game hasn't really appealed to me (unlike my brother who swears he's gotta buy the game day 1 lol). I think it's that muscular Amazon woman and the balloon-boobied witch- I really dislike those characters. But maybe once my brother gets it I'll play it and see if it's a buy or not.
I hear ya on the waiting 9 years... thank God this game is finally out. Now I'm waiting on Star Fox (even though there was the N64 port on 3DS, I want a new one on Wii U), a Metroid for Wii U AND 3DS (everyone neglects the fact 3DS should be getting a Metroid soon, hopefully next yr sometime), and F-Zero (this one's probably beating a dead horse, but one can always hope). Also, this may be wishful thinking, but a Kid Icarus on Wii U with dual analogue controls and/or gyro for flying, would be a dream come true. And a new Sin & Punishment on Wii U as well...
@Park_Triolo
Nah, you were alright, I was just reading it on my tiny Android screen, half tired on a work break. Missed the word "it" in your reply. Sometimes my commenting can be a bit hasty using my cumbersome phone rushing in the time constraints of work breaks.
To the topic at hand, yes Pikmin 3 is a good game (and much better yet to come from Nintendo), and quite pleased to hear you share a common form of entertainment with you baby girl
Always enjoy
My copy is in hand... I can't wait to finally get home and play
I'm loving this game so far. Got to day 7 and had to sadly stop for the day...
Loving this game so far, just about to start day 10.
@DerpSandwich Agreed. As a Pikmin veteran from the Gamecube versions, I find this version's controls inferior. There is no c stick to manipulate pikmin, so I have to dismiss or throw them each time I want to have them interact with something. When I dismiss them next to a wall, not all of them move to it and the rest remain idle. Targeting is also something I cannot consistently pull off. It's also annoying that I cannot switch between captains with Y if both are under my command. I have to dismiss everybody, recall my pikmin, and then switch to the other captain. Is anyone else experiencing the same issues? There are other minor annoyances, but overall this is a beautiful game that was worth the 9 1/2 year wait.
Alright! Downloaded Pikmin late last night (I'm in Mountain Time, so it came out around 10PM for me), playing into the wee hours of the morning, then got up again and have been enjoying the game ever since. But why, oh why is it that Nintendo always feels the need to add just one tiny thing to their games that screw up an otherwise perfect experience?!
So there I am, finally found the Winged Pikmin, spend most of the day increasing their numbers, go out and grab some fruit but on the way back the 10 second timer starts. Uh oh, time to gather in the Pikmin and make sure the stray counter (an AWESOME feature!) is at 0 before time runs out. Ok, done, all the Pikmin are with me and everything is fine, counter goes to 2... 1... 0, and I set down my controller.
BAD MOVE! Putting down the controller triggers the AWFUL and COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY motion-controlled "Dismiss Pikmin" command. With no time left, the screen blacks out and I watch as most of the Pikmin I spent the last 20 minutes gathering die to the bugs that come out after sunset. Why the HELL would you add a motion-controlled action for dismissing Pikmin when I can do the same thing by pressing the B button??? Why would you put it on a hair trigger?! Are there really players who were just begging for that function to be only a flick of the wrist away?! Nintendo, patch out this garbage. Add an option to turn it off, or better yet remove the stupid "feature" completely, but either way, this is ruining an otherwise flawless game for no reason. This is why so-called "hardcore gamers" continue to hate you. It's this, right here. Get rid of it, then fire the idiot who suggested the idea in the first place.
@Intrepid Naturally the game doesn't tell you this right off (you have to get to a certain point and then dig through the Controls section of the information database to find it), but you can target something then press B to send all your Pikmin charging at it. It's not great in every situation, but it works wonders on walls and dirt mounds.
As for selecting captains, if you've got the other following you then you're going to have to dismiss Pikmin anyway to divvy them up before you send them off on separate tasks, right? I haven't found the act of switching between captains to be all that hard myself. The lock-on mechanic is also much better than relying on the often-finicky C-stick mechanic of the previous two games, in my opinion.
@WaxxyOne C stick manipulation is so important. I can move pikmin to the side if a boulder is rolling at them, or throw them behind a wall and force them over to something without moving the pilot (there are situations like that). I can also use it to make pikmin pick things up instead of individually throwing them one by one or dismissing the whole lot. So much control and flexibility is lost by removing this. Controlwise, Pikmin 2 beats this one to a pulp.
As for targeting, I'm sure I'll master it in time, but really I should be able to have all of my Pikmin move to a wall if I dismiss them. Charging, imo, is a nice bonus from targeting, but it should not be the only way to effectively knock down walls.
In, short, I feel limited in what I can do because of not being able to use the C stick. There should be an option to switch the functionality of the right stick between camera and C stick. I don't want to sound like some whiney complainer, but this is a serious issue to me, and I need to find some way to accomodate this terrible control issue into my gameplay.
@WaxxyOne Seems like we each have a terrible control issue. Ninendo should fix them both with a patch, lol.
@Holyfire
It's ok...
So you have an Android phone too. I used to only have iPhones anf then I wanted to try a Galaxy... biiiig mistake... how I miss my iPhone.
Pikmin 3 is actually so great that it could mean a major turnaround for Nintendo. They should kiss Miyamotos feet in gratitude back home in Kyoto.
I played this game when it came out in Europe. I'm accustomed to the controls now, and let me just get one thing straight with everyone having control issues:
Do not use the Gamepad if you want to control this game precisely. The Gamepad control here is definitely worse than the GameCube Pikmin's controls.
The Wiimote and 'Chuck is definitely the only control option I feel comfortable with. Even though you have to shake the Nunchuck to dismiss, it'll happen a lot less accidentally than the Gamepad's bizarre shake-to-dismiss feature.
Also, I did miss the C-stick at first, but you get used to it. Pikmin AI is much smarter now - they're much less likely to fall off of walkways, and if they do, they can jump out of water to save themselves now. This reduces the need for the C-stick, but still can be annoying at times. Just get used to it, because the game was obviously designed to be perfectly playable without this control function.
BTW I think they added "shake Gamepad to dismiss" because, after testing with wiimote+'chuck and moving to Gamepad, the players had a natural inclination to shake it to dismiss. Kinda like how, when playing New Super Mario Bros, I instinctively accidentally shake my DS because I had been playing the WIi version recently.
Personally I think it's stupid that the Gamepad has a shake control for this game. But I think this might be the reason they kept it in, stupid as it may seem.
Had to work a 16 hour shift and I couldn't pick it up yesterday but I'm stoked for picking it up later on today. I wonder if I should stay up all night in anticipation ^_^
I'm loving every minute of it so far. Definitely worth the delay.
Thanks NL for sharing that 'did you know gaming' link. I didn't know of these video's, and after watching quite a few, I have to advise doing the same, they're truely interesting and tell you a lot you probably actually won't know.
i wonder how the sales are doing..
Miyamoto's weakness is his eyes! Mother Brain!
@WaxxyOne - Wow, that sucked. I can see myself in that situation cursing and yelling at the game so much my wife wouldn't let me play it for 3 days afterwards. I have video-game related temper issues. My 8 yr. old threw his controller 20 feet across the room at his brother the other day, apparently it's hereditary.
Myamoto games never Dissapoint. From the moment you start playing this game just fills the player up with excitement. I don't know how this guy does it.
Congrats to all lucky people who has a wii u and going to buy this game...
@Neferupitou I have a Wii U and I wish I could buy this game. I'm so short on cash, I don't even know if I can get more than one big release in this round of months. All I can get now is affordable download games, instead of big releases.
@AtariRainbow youll be waiting years.
Why are you using the gamepad to control the characters? Its terribly inefficient... frankly I don't know how people got along on the gamecube version.
Use the wiimote plus and nunchuk... use the gamepad to set way points (go here command)
Hope you all enjoy it! Personally, I'm too busy with Chrono Trigger and several Mega Man games all of which I've never played before. I'll get this eventually though!
I can't wait to play Pikmin 3. I have been playing through the short sample of Pikmin on Nintendo Land and it hasn't been enough to wet my appetite. Check out this live action Pikmin 3 movie trailer that I made to show my love for Pikmin and Nintendo! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZLQEcVq6Hw
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