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Intro
In the third quarter of 2004, GameCube owners saw the release of the second installment of one of Nintendo's latest in their large array of franchises, Pikmin. The original, released mere weeks after the system's launch, broke barriers in both genre and innovation, receiving acclaim from media sources throughout the globe. The game's sequel was not following quite the same path. Pikmin 2 looked to evolve the series rather than break more ground in video gaming. And evolve it did.
But beneath Pikmin 2's smooth gameplay and slick visuals is another layer that is but oft-overlooked. Collecting treasure not only allows for progress through the main adventure, but adds another dimension to the charm and spirit of the game. With the treasure you collect are log entries from Olimar himself, along with sales pitches from Olimar's trusty ship. That's 201 opportunities for you to get to know more about what goes on in the character's mind, allowing for deep character development.
It isn't just that simple, however. Deep within the words of each log entry lay a multitude of messages. Messages serious, silly, funny, intelligent, intellectual and philosophical alike. A lot of the entries have important references and lessons behind them, ones that reflect on our way of living, humanity itself. While at first glance the log entries don't exactly seem important, stopping and thinking about the words Nintendo has chosen to incorporate yields interesting results.
What we humans see as insignificant, unimportant objects, ones that are merely taken for granted in every day life, can mean the world to Olimar. What we see as a simple, yellow marble can be seen by Olimar as an object with psychokinetic abilities. Imagination runs wild through the character's mind. Even through Olimar's ship's mischievous, salesman-like ploys are words of wisdom adoptable to your very life.
From April 11 to May 5, two new entries had been uploaded every day to make for a compilation of the most interesting of these aforementioned in-game log entries and sales pitches, along with this editor's perspective on dissecting their meaning.
Browse the archive of entries using the below menu
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Outro
Fifty treasure entries later, this feature can now be set to rest. While this is true, it does not necessarily mean that this was all that Pikmin 2 has to offer, as far as messages both comedic and philosophical are concerned. These entries have merely been the most interesting to myself. As mentioned, there are 201 treasures to be collected in Pikmin 2, and each of them have their set of text alongside.
These entries have not only been a door to the world of meanings and values of life, but have also been a testament to a certain Nintendo philosophy. The veteran gaming company believes in creating games in which the player does not simply devour everything in their paths. In other words, they don't simply give players content for them to play through and just leave it at that. They believe in offering more, and these Pikmin 2 entries are a perfect reflection of this. Nintendo offers the text for the player to read, but it's up to the player to determine what these sentences are referring to, or what hidden meanings they may have. For one entry, some people may see one thing, while others see another.
Nintendo wants its players to use their imagination while playing the games. So how about it? Go ahead and pop in a copy of Pikmin 2, collect the treasures if you haven't already, read the entries and let your imagination run wild. The results could be very interesting.
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// A mysterious character within the Banjo-Kazooie series was meant to star in his own N64 spin-off...
Click for more . . .
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// Delve into the philosophical world of gaming in this Pikmin 2 special, Buried Treasures
Check it out . . .
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