After 30+ hours of devoted care and assorted Pikmin sacrifice, I’ve finally beaten Pikmin II.

Yes. It took a total of 40 days (in game) to pay off the debt of Hocotate Freight and then rescue my naive cohort, Louie, but it was inevitably worth it.

The game was an incredibly enjoyable one, and for those of you who own a Gamecube or a Wii, I absolutely recommend getting it. It has been added to Nintendo’s Player’s Choice listings, so you should be able to find it at a lot of major retailers for the small price of $29.99.

You will have virtually no luck on finding the original Pikmin in stores, so you’ll have to settle for the humorous retelling of the plot at the start of Pikmin 2. Furthermore, you will be unable to appreciate revisiting the same areas as in the first game.

This was certainly a feature that made it amusing and nostalgic. Each region you go to consists in part or in whole of a region from the original Pikmin. For example, the final region in Pikmin II (Wistful Wild) is a combination of the first and last areas of Pikmin (Impact Site/Final Trial). And the Awakening Wood is the same location as the Forest of Hope. I didn’t notice it immediately, until I began to recognize locations from the original game, and areas that I - myself - had opened up.

Another great feature is the caves. Although they are absurdly difficult at times (one cave is essentially boss battles back-to-back), they are extremely thrilling. And - similar to PSO, for those who have played it - the caves are randomly created each time. So, multiple playthroughs (or even multiple attempts in a single game file) offer a varied experience.

All in all, Pikmin 2 was a fantastic game.

However…the sounds of Pikmin screaming in agony as they are eaten, burned, electrified, detonated, poisoned, or drowned…it is going to haunt me. Even now I can hear their high-pitched wails in the night. 453 casualities….

So much death…all for money… The Pikmin genocide of 2007 will not soon be forgotten.

I’ve now moved onward. I have Yoshi’s Island going in my Micro, A Link To The Past in the SP, and Tales of Phantasia in the Game Boy Player. And I’m rotating back and forth.