Pikmin 2 [GC]

Nintendo game guru Shigeru Miyamoto has proven himself time and time again. In the eyes of many fans, the man who created Mario can do no wrong. But many were perplexed when, a couple of years ago, Miyamoto debuted Pikmin, a strange puzzle game with a penchant for vegetables. Revolving around Olimar, a space captain whose ship was downed on a distant planet, the game challenged players to repair the vehicle and return home. The premise and presentation were quirky, but engaging gameplay garnered Pikmin a loyal following.

In August, Nintendo will return to alien shores with Pikmin 2. Captain Olimar is back, and he's charged with returning to the locale of his brief exile. This time, however, the officer must collect interstellar artifacts -- that's trash to you and me -- which can fetch big bucks back home and save his financially strapped employer.

Don't be fooled into thinking that Olimar is the centerpiece of the game, despite being the primary player avatar. That distinction belongs to the Pikmin themselves. They are carrot-shaped sentient beings who can perform different tasks. (Players with a sense of history should immediately notice the relationship to the classic Lemmings.) For example, Red Pikmin can cause a bit of extra combat damage, while Blue can swim without fear, and the new White Pikmin can poison animals that eat them.

The game's strategic elements focus on Pikmin management: Growing the little beings, employing them as foot soldiers (in groups of up to 100), and keeping them out of harm's way. As the explanation above implies, the captain and his creatures aren't alone in their surroundings; animals and insects infest the area, ready to gobble up anything that looks like food. Perhaps the Pikmin should evolve out of their carrot-like appearance, for safety's sake. The walking vegetables are primarily used to explore the environment and overcome obstacles, either by being thrown into new areas or swarming into clearings.

Pikmin 2 also expands by offering a sidekick to the stalwart captain, named Louie. Control flips back and forth between the pair quickly and easily, allowing players to explore with one character while harvesting and commanding small armies with the other. Since Pikmin must be gathered up and shepherded safely each "night" (a game day lasts about 15 minutes of real time), the dual characters effectively double the time allotted to explore the world and collect necessary trinkets.

Complementing the refined gameplay, the graphics are simultaneously simple and lush. The overgrown environment is based on Miyamoto's own garden, and the whole landscape is both familiar and alien. Captain Olimar's grounds-eye view is nice, but a more sweeping overhead view puts the whole game in perspective as a sort of biosphere in miniature. More detail in the plants and animals, plus new underground areas, should quickly help the game stand out from its predecessor.

Pikmin 2 supports modes beyond the basic one-month campaign. A two-player mode (sadly, not online) and numerous lightning round challenges should keep the Pikmin crisp and fresh. The challenges can be tackled solo, or in a split-screen versus mode pitting Olimar against Louie, and carrot against carrot.

The food chain has never looked so vicious! Already released in Japan, Pikmin 2 will hit western shores at the end of August.