I have it, I'm playing it, for the most part I like it.
However, thus far, three major design choices really kind of peeve me off.
1. No c-stick functionality. Taking that out makes exactly zero sense, since it was that, and not merely picking up and throwing the Pikmin, that really made the gameplay experience of Pikmin unique. NOT having it, honestly is going to make managing the Pikmin, especially through hazards and boss fights, a major fucking mess at times. It's going to lead to far more pointless Pikmin deaths, simply because you can't maneuver them out of harm's way. Incredibly dumb of them not to include that key, franchise defining feature.
2. No ability to zoom camera in or out, you can rotate it with the right analog stick (which should be used for Pikmin mass-moving), and you can center it with the L button, but you are stuck in one camera position. Being able to zoom and move the camera for different views was also fairly essential to Pikmin gameplay, and again I just really don't understand why they would take that out.
3. Complete lack of multiple save files. This is incredibly stupid design for more than one reason. For one thing, what if you just feel like starting up more than one file at a time yourself? And for another, once you beat the game, and want to start it again later, your old game that you worked so hard on, is going to be COMPETELY OVERWRITTEN. Again, makes zero sense, just incredibly, mind-numbingly stupid game design choices. I honestly feel that whoever was involved with this one, was not the same person/people involved the last time, beyond Miyamoto.
I'm trying to like this game, and to a point, I really do. I can get over not having Captain Olimar. I can get over not having the Purple and White Pikmin available again in the story mode. The setting, the story, whatever, it's fine. But those issues, ESPECIALLY the lack of c-stick functionality.........it really just doesn't feel right. I've been waiting forever for Pikmin 3, and I just can't understand some of these omissions they decided on, as there is no way, whatsoever, that it makes the gameplay experience "better", by any means.
So I'm going to keep playing it, and I'm going to undoubtedly find things to really like about it. But I also can't help feeling at least a little let down, simply by those dumb design choices they made. And I really hate to have to say that, because this game should have been a masterpiece, like the first two.
P.S. If this game is your very first taste of Pikmin, and you never played it on the GC, or at least on Wii with the GC controller, you're really missing the full, authentic Pikmin experience. Just saying.
