These, are Pikmin - strange, plant-like inhabitants of a far away planet, who just so happen to be your best chance at survival. When a hapless spaceman named Olimar managed to crash on their planet in Pikmin, way back in 2001 when the Gamecube was the console to own, it was up to him to go and yank the Pikmin out of the ground, and enlist their help. Controlled as a swarm, you used the Gamecube's analogue stick to tell them where to go, and what to attack, as they smashed their way through obstacles, attacked the giant frog creatures that seemed to prey on them, and helped you carry the parts of your spaceship back. It was a heart-warming game - but one that made you feel all the more helpless when your poor Pikmin got chomped on by an enemy that you'd told them to attack.
People have long been wishing for a sequel to the game, and it seems Nintendo have listened. In a roundtable interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's gaming mastermind, and the brains behind Mario, Zelda, and countless other games, Miyamoto confirmed that Pikmin 3 has long been in development for the Wii - and has now been switched over to be developed for the Wii U.
"Earlier, someone asked if we're working on any other Wii games after Skyward Sword. Well, Pikmin was a Wii game we were working on. However, as we've been working on Wii U hardware and I've been looking at those high-definition graphics and that beautiful controller, I've been getting the feeling I wanted to see Pikmin there instead. Since we've been working on Pikmin Wii for so long, maybe it won't be too long before we see it on Wii U."
"The corporate side of me wants to follow the precedent in not announcing any titles during E3. The other side, however, wants to tell you we're working on Pikmin."
So, there you have it. Pikmin 3 is almost definitely coming to the Wii U - and, with any luck, it might be a launch title, too.
