Played the first hour and a half or so yesterday, finishing after I killed the Armoured Mawdad boss shown in pre-release demos.

This game is freaking superb.

You know that feeling you get from the best Nintendo games? That sense of being a kid again, the same sense of excitement and wonder I got when I was 6 and I raised a caterpillar and watched it transform into a butterfly, or ran off to explore the bush while camping. Pikmin 3 has that in spades.

Level design flows effortlessly and naturally. Like Metroid or Zelda, you'll come across barriers you can't pass yet, only to return later and open hem to reveal new areas. It eases you into its various mechanics, then moves on to something new once I was ready, but before I got bored.

I played with a Wiimote Plus & Nunchuk, and it worked like a charm. Aiming is fast and fluid, and commands are mapped sensibly.

This is an absoutely gorgeous game to boot. The textures aren't the sharpest, but its vibrant and charming art style makes it a stunner regardless. Creature designs are wildly imaginative, and the way it plays with scale is wondrous ;a tree stump becomes a fortified tower and an arena for a life or death struggle, for instance.

This is a game I'd recommend to anyone. After a very disappointing first 9 months, Wii U finally has a game worth buying the system for.

Pokemon is absolutely ridiculous. You 100's of hours into your game, collect all the Pokemon, level up many Pokemon to 100, beat every trainer... and then when you want to start a new game you have to delete all of that. *Shakes fist*

At least in Pikmin, it's not as special to each person. If you catch what I mean.

Nice! I can't wait until I get my hands on it in a few days!

Does anyone know if you are using the Wii remote + nunchuk with the Gamepad that you can use the IR pointer to point on the Gamepad as well? So I can point on enemies on screen to throw pikmin and then point on the map screen on the gamepad?

I...I don't think so. But I am not 100% on that Im afraid.

I do know you can play solely on the GamePad, but I don't think that includes the IR pointer.

Does the game support the Pro Controller?..I don´t really like the Wii remote/Gamepad.

It does. It's not the best control scheme, infact it's the worst. But the option is there.

Pikmin 3 has an 88 based on 30 Critic Reviews, now. Pretty great.
http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii-u/pikmin-3/critic-review

In comparison Pikmin 2 has a 90 on Metacritic, but based on 54 Critic Reviews.

I will update soon, Promise! When we get some American reviews in, of course.

So a question for people with the game. How are the multiplayer modes?