Karen didn't like the game initially, but that was because she doesn't like not being immediately good at a game. But because the look of the game appealed to her and she liked watching me play, she gave it more of a shot and I took the time to explain the controls in detail. After that, she enjoyed playing the co-op missions a lot more.

@Zero

Sarah had a similar reaction to Pikmin. She likes watching me play it sometimes, but she says "I'm worried I'm gonna mess it up" when I offer her a chance to try it out.

@Zero

I'm working on a review of Pikmin 3 (coming December 2017, probably) and one of the points I make is the number of tensions in the design of Pikmin. It's a game that you could reasonably argue is both complicated and simple (also: totally cute vs. totally brutal, designed for kids and designed for adults, etc.). Shirley's right, there is a lot more to learn in Pikmin than in a standard game, mostly because you're starting from scratch, as Pikmin's pretty much its own genre and you have to learn all the rules of the genre. But, in reality, Steph watched me play for a while, to get the idea of what the game was all about, and then when she tried for herself in the challenge modes it didn't take too long for her to get up to speed. Maybe 20 minutes. So it's intuitive enough to pick up and play, once you know what the objectives are. Especially with the buttery-good Wiimote controls.

Of course, she's going to have to want to play it with you in the first place. It's weird, though. Even though I don't know her personally, on one hand I think, "That's the sort of game Shirley probably would actually like." But I'm not sure how easy that'd be to convince her if she didn't respond to it before. In fact, that's another tension I identify - Pikmin has got such a broad spectrum of appeal that should include just about anyone, and yet I think that's partly why the series is doomed to play to a cult audience. I imagine mainstream players often see it as a game made for someone else.

Which is a shame. I wish Pikmin was everywhere, with its own cartoon series and action figures and bars of soap.

@Guillaume Hmm, I rarely actually sit around and play video games in front of Shirley though, usually when we're together we do things together. I forget why she saw me playing Pikmin 3 but it was probably only for a few minutes.

@kriswright 20 minutes is about 20x as long as Shirley wants to spend learning controls, ha ha. She likes stuff like Rhythm Heaven and such where you can just jump right in. She even liked BIT.TRIP RUNNER despite how hard it is simply because it doesn't require much explanation to start playing it.

I sort of know what you mean about thinking it is the type of game she would like, but I gotta say... her tastes in video games are almost opposite of her tastes in other forms of media. She sort of just wants instant gratification when she plays video games. I'd almost say she is a lot like Anand in that respect... she'll be way more into a pick-up-and-play arcade-like game than a big RPG with a huge story or something. I actually tried to get her into To the Moon and after about 10 minutes of lots of dialog and no gameplay she was just done with it...

Well, I'm kind of that way, too. I prefer action-based games over anything story-based. Because I'll go to novels or movies for stories. When I'm playing a game, I want it to feel like a game. To me, though, Pikmin 3 is more like an instant gratification action game than an RPG. Running around a course collecting fruit? It's Pac-Man!

Also, you've convinced me. Anand and Shirley were made for each other.

Okay, that's not funny. But it IS almost funny.

More than an RPG sure, but for a non-gamer it's not exactly an easy game to just jump right into. I dunno. I'm sure she could figure it out if she wanted to, but usually if she isn't having fun right away she just doesn't care to continue.

@kriswright I played with my sister, so I guess that fits the "gal" category. We get so intense, still haven't platinum'd everything yet.

@TriforceBun This game stresses my sister out more than me, but I made her play with me. She still hasn't tried out the solo story mode yet...

If you're using Wiimote/nunchuck, is there any way to move some of the Gamepad stuff onto the TV? I don't know why I can't just have a minimap on the TV. The Gamepad seems mostly kind of superficial and unnecessary.

Loving this game so far. My main gripe is honestly the Gamepad. I Love stylus mode while sitting in bed. Works perfectly. I don't like, however, having to use the Gamepad for the map while I use the Wiimote. We're in HD now. You can squeeze a little minimap in there and let me pause to see a bigger map. Touching the Gamepad pauses the game anyway so it's not like I'm ever looking at both at the same time. So annoying. If I'm using the Wiimote, chances are I don't want to lean over and look at the Gamepad now and then. Wish they could patch this!

Other than that, awesome game. This is my first Pikmin game so there are some growing pains. I love not knowing if I'm doing something right. I accidentally went to a new area after I couldn't beat a boss. Killed time there just exploring and stuff. By the time I was done I had enough Pikmin to go back to the first area and lead the charge against the boss. Now I'm overflowing with them!

I would be further than I am had I not accidentally blown my Pikmin up a couple times. Whoops!

After a couple failed attempts on Formidable Oak I've found myself going back to get more fruit. The little thing with the scales in the Garden of Hope was ridiculous!

Is it worth getting all the fruit? This is the end of the game right? I kind of feel like it should be way longer, but granted I've put like 16 hours into the game already. It almost just feels like you should find Olimar and then your REAL adventure begins. great game though. Wish it just built up to more of a climax I suppose.

Well, it's pretty FUN to get all the fruit, not sure if that's WORTH it.

Do you get different epilogues depending on the number of fruit you get.

About the only thing I would change about this game having the game mirrored on the TV when playing on the gamepad. I honestly don't know why this wasn't included. I preferred playing on the gamepad because it felt more precise, but it is also difficult when you have a 7 year old sticking his head in front of the screen trying to watch. It would have been much better if he could have watched what I was doing on the television.

Yeah I'm loving the game so I think I'll keep fruit hunting. It's always tough to think "I'm loving this game but look at all these other games I need to play through!"

Got this as my free game last month, and whooooooooa it's so good! I hadn't played a Pikmin game since the first one on GameCube (which I enjoyed a fair bit), so there was a metric crap ton of stuff that was new to me in this one, and every single little thing was awesome. Almost feel ashamed for not having bought this game before, but I might actually buy the retail box at some point just for the hell of it.

Right now I'm at what I presume to be the end of the game (Formidable Oak, getting chased around by that blob), but I don't feel like I'm ready for this to end just yet, so I'll be trying to get every single piece of fruit before I beat it. Well, after I'm finished with Mission Mode I will. Thought I'd just start up one of the missions to see what it's all like, and now I'm absolutely hooked.

How are the DLC packs? I'm far from done with what's already in the game, but I already know I'll be wanting more when this is over.

EDIT: Also, that cast! They shot high up on my favourite-videogame-characters list straight away. Especially Brittany and her awesome snarkiness.

I also got it from the Mario Kart VIII promotion, what a great freebie! Though I kind of wish I could have bought Pikmin 3 and got Mario Kart VIII for free, I worry that niché games like this are in danger of extinction and that would be a real shame. Since I played this for Backlaugust then I just went straight through the game, but now that that's over with I should go back for all the fruits. I think I ended with just under half so there's still a lot left to found! I should probably go back to it before I forget the layout of the land. I haven't tried the mission mode yet, was hoping to do that in co-op. And yeah, I wasn't expecting this game to have some good story moments; it's mostly simple stuff, but it's effective and charming.

@r_hjort

DLC is so fun. If you're like me and love the Challenge Missions, there's no reason to pass on the DLC.

@Mop it up
Yeah, I'd also have liked for it to be the other way around; Mario Kart 8 for buying Pikmin 3. I hope that the promotion will result in an influx of five-star votes on the eShop and lots of DLC purchases at the very least, 'cause this game deserves to be popular and appreciated.

Playing the missions in co-op must be a lot of fun, and I bet it's the best way to nab those high-scores, 'cause there's no friggin' way I'd be able to get scores even remotely close to the world records on my own. It's still a blast trying to get gold or platinum scores by myself, though! Tweaking my strategies and trying to come up with new approaches is really addictive.

EDIT: @TriforceBun
Thanks for the input! The big pack with eight new levels is a given for me, absolutely (the trailer showing off the factory and the tunnel system looked amazing!)! How good are the two smaller packs in comparison? From what I understand they're the same levels as the original mission mode, but with new item/obstacle/enemy placements?

@r_hjort

I found the other packs worth it because the item/enemy layout was so different it really required unique strategies to complete. Ymmv.

@kriswright
Sounds good to me! They're not overly expensive anyway, so I guess I'll get all three packs at the same time, whenever that will be. Haven't even tried out all the ones I've got yet. Hell, I didn't even realize I had access to the ones in the gift wrapping until a few hours ago. That christmas themed level was brilliant!

Remixed stages sounds lame, but I might get the new level pack if I like mission mode enough. What's the price on these things anyway?

Oh yeah, wasn't there a free pack released at one point? Is that still available? Was it only in certain regions?