Shortly after the GameCube launched, a little gem of a game, named Pikmin, was released. While some people debated whether or not Pikmin was a true Real-Time Strategy game, one thing that couldn't be argued was that the game was fun... a lot of fun. Pikmin introduced our fearless... errr... fearful hero, Captain Olimar. Captain Olimar had crashed his space ship on a strange planet and needed to retrieve the ship's parts that were scattered throughout the land.

Luckily, Captain Olimar recruits the help of Pikmin, small little creatures that are half animal - half flower. These fearless creatures follow Captain Olimar's every order, weather that order be fight, climb, jump, or die... yes, die. The little Pikmin do it all. Different color Pikmin possessed different abilities. Controlling the crew of different Pikmin to do your dirty work was the object of the game. In a few short months Nintendo will be releasing a sequel to the game, simply titled, Pikmin 2. The game looks to be every bit as good as the first. Add the two player mode and the new Pikmin that Nintendo has added, and it looks as if Pikmin 2 will be seen in many GameCubes this fall.

The core gameplay of Pikmin 2 does not stray too far from the original game. This time Captain Olimar has not crashed into the Pikmin's home planet, but instead has voluntarily landed there to collect treasures. The company Captain Olimar works for has gone bankrupt, and in an attempt to save it, he and his assistant Louie have gone to collect the treasures; with the help of the fearless Pikmin of course. Together they must find 10,000 pokos, the currency on Captain Olimar's home planet.

As you can see by the story above, the biggest change to the game will be the addition of Captain Olimar's assistant Louie. With Louie, gamers will now have to alternate between both characters to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. At times Captain Olimar will have to take one group of Pikmin in one direction while Louie will have to take his army of Pikmin in another. Knowing Nintendo, working in conjunction will most likely be a huge part of solving many of the game's puzzles. If you played the original Pikmin you may be wondering how you are going to be able to command two sets of Pikmin and still finish a level in the time limit given. Good news! Another big change to the game is that Nintendo has done away with the time limit. Players will be able to explore and experiment as much as they want.

For those new to the series, the first thing you will notice is that Pikmin are cute, loveable, kick butt characters. All of the Pikmin are back with a few new additions, or colors. Like the original game, each Pikmin is, for the lack of a better word, color-coded. Most Pikmin behave similarly. They all evolve from leaf to bud to flower. They all love to pull up grass and eat nectar. Their best feature though, is that they all have no regard for pain, death or fear. This lack of regard is exactly what Olimar takes advantage of as he commands his Pikmin into battle. Each Pikmin's color indicates that particular Pikmin's special ability. Using a Pikmin's ability to solve puzzles and defeat enemies is a necessity. For example, red and yellow Pikmin can't swim, only the blue Pikmin can be used in water. However, red Pikmin are fire resistant and should be reserved for fire puzzles and enemies.

In addition to the red, blue and yellow Pikmin, new Pikmin with new abilities have been added to the game. Pikmin 2 will see the addition of purple and white Pikmin. Purple Pikmin are called Powerful Purple Pikmin, and are stronger than the typical Pikmin. These Pikmin will be used for lifting heavier objects or perhaps breaking barriers. The white Pikmin are resistant to poison. Certain areas and enemies may contain poison, and using the white Pikmin will become a necessity.

Finally, the addition of Louie opens up a new option that everyone is delighted about; multiplayer Pikmin. By adding Louie into the game, Nintendo was able to incorporate a cooperative play game mode that allows two players to play together. One player controls Captain Olimar, while the other controls Louie. Each player will control their own army of Pikmin and work together with their partner to achieve the level's goal. Nintendo also integrated a "Vs. mode" in which two players can battle it out to determine who is the best Pikmin commander of all time.

Pikmin 2 looks to be a fantastic game. Fans of the first will be delighted by the new additions. The game is currently out in Japan, and the feedback from the Japanese market has been nothing but enthusiastic. New Pikmin, no clocks, a new main character and multiplayer modes all are sure to add fun to an already fantastic franchise.