Pikmin 2

Pikmin 2 is a 2004 real-time strategy puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the direct sequel to the 2001 game Pikmin and the second game in the Pikmin series. In the game, Captain Olimar returns to the Pikmin planet to collect valuable treasure after learning that the company he works for—Hocotate Freight—is on the verge of bankruptcy. Like its predecessor, Pikmin 2 focuses on exploring an unknown planet's surface from a microscopic perspective, where the player directs the Pikmin to perform various tasks, such as destroying obstacles, defeating enemies, and retrieving objects. It introduces new gameplay mechanics, including the ability to control two different leaders at once and the addition of new Pikmin types. Pikmin 2 received critical acclaim, gaining aggregate scores of 89.60% and 90% on GameRankings and Metacritic, respectively. Many critics praised the various additions and changes, such as the new Pikmin types, longer length of the story mode, new multiplayer modes, and the removal of the 30-day time limit imposed in the original game. Pikmin 2 was re-released as part of the New Play Control! series for the Wii in 2009 in Japan, Europe and Australia and it received a North American release three years later in 2012. An HD remaster of the game was released for the Nintendo Switch in June 2023. A sequel to the game, Pikmin 3, was released in 2013 for the Wii U.