This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
Pikmin for Nintendo GameCube
Pikmin for the Nintendo GameCube is an action strategy game about planning, exploring and caring for a group of little helpers. Captain Olimar has crashed on an unknown planet and must repair his spaceship. You guide plant-like creatures to parts, let them build bridges and use their combined strength against animals that are often much larger than themselves.
You have thirty days to prepare for Olimar's departure. Within each day you divide your attention between different tasks: clearing a passage, growing new Pikmin, bringing a part to the ship or first exploring the terrain. Smart planning allows multiple groups to work simultaneously. You continue to walk through the area yourself to give directions and call helpers back at the right time.
The three colors each have their own properties. Red Pikmin can withstand fire, blue ones can pass through water and yellow ones can be thrown higher and carried bomb stones. Bringing the right group determines which route you can follow. Under the leaves and between everyday objects, a landscape full of practical puzzles is created. You gradually build up knowledge of the areas and their inhabitants. The next trip often yields more, because you know better where you need helpers and how much time the return journey will take.
Region and language
Our Nintendo GameCube games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Pikmin for Nintendo GameCube includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Pikmin
Pikmin was released in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube and introduced a new series from Nintendo. Shigefumi Hino and Masamichi Abe were the original directors. Hino worked on characters and world, while Abe focused on rules and areas. The project had already gone through a long experimental phase, in which the focus was on controlling many independently responding figures.
In a retrospective from Nintendo, the makers described prototypes for the Nintendo 64 with figures that received various thinking and emotion chips. The switch to the GameCube made it possible to display the small characters individually as 3D models. Eventually the controls became more concrete: you throw helpers, whistle them back and let them carry objects. Observing ants in his garden played a role in the idea, according to Shigeru Miyamoto.
The team talked internally about a game around managing tasks. The thirty-day limit gave direction to these activities: every working day had to contribute to Olimar's return. Pikmin 2 built on the same partnership, but dropped the full adventure limit. As a result, the first part retains its own rhythm, in which you always consider how much you can still achieve today before bringing the group together again.
Similar games for Nintendo GameCube
Pikmin 2 is the most direct comparison. You once again lead Pikmin, now with a second captain, additional species and underground areas. Collecting treasure replaces the search for ship parts. The thirty day limit for the entire adventure will disappear, giving you more room to revisit areas.
Battalion Wars combines direct action with issuing orders to various units. Dividing your attention can feel familiar if you like to manage multiple groups. There you control soldiers and vehicles in military missions. Pikmin is all about small expeditions, obstacles and getting your helpers back safely.
Doshin the Giant shares the interest in a living environment that responds to your interventions. As a giant you change the landscape and help villages develop. The scale and tasks are different: you form islands and influence residents, while Pikmin mainly lets you organize routes and activities within existing areas.
Chibi-Robo! also uses the idea that everyday objects seem huge when your main character is small. Discovering paths and carrying out tasks in a house requires looking around and thinking ahead. You control one robot and help residents; in Pikmin, the division and protection of a group remains your main concern.
Luigi's Mansion touches on the discovery side of Pikmin: you view a defined environment, learn to understand obstacles and open new routes. Luigi works on puzzles per room with his flashlight and vacuum cleaner. Pikmin turns this into a logistical assignment, where several helpers can carry, build or fight at the same time and the day continues to pass.
