Zero Punctuation: Pikmin 3

Psychobabble

. . . . . . . .
Aug 3, 2013
525
0
0
I really think that the posters here making fatuous complaints about spurious offenses in this video are missing the big picture.

Not once but twice Yahtzee references the idea of drowning innocent animals. Where is your compassion there? Where is the ASPCA, where is PETA? Who will look after our innocent four-footed furry friends? WHO!? Is there no balm in Gilead?

Also Yahtzee, my Gran was offended by some of the language used in this episode. I'm talking about the word German. She's English and is still terribly bitter over the war. Perhaps you could edit out the word German and replace it with something more my Gran friendly, the word Hun springs to mind.
 

Evonisia

Your sinner, in secret
Jun 24, 2013
3,257
0
0
Well, unless Triads counts, this is the first August since well... ever, that there hasn't been a Retro Review.

Loved the Genocide magazine joke and found the episode hilarious, I would get the game but that would involve getting a Wii U as well as playing the game. Can't wait for the Saints Row IV review.
 

Llarys

New member
Aug 28, 2013
27
0
0
PunkRex said:
Funny enough. it's implied that the Pikmin are indeed Parasites.
Well, actually, Pikmin aren't parasitic as a whole, but one subspecies of Pikmin are parasitic and you can control the fan-favorite Bulbmin: Bulborbs infested with the parasitic species of Pikmin. [/Played too much Pikmin back in the day]


As for myself; my issues with Pikmin 3 are two-fold, unfortunately. The first thing are the controls. I'm sorry, but they're just not good. The Wii U gamepad is decent in that it gives you a map on the touch screen, you have a full set of buttons to work with, etc. Unfortunately, the controls for the cross-hair to throw your Pikmin with is "about as tight as a female pornstar in German Scat Porn"[sic] and flies all over the damn place with little rhyme or reason making aiming a nightmare. The Wii-mote has the decency to have better aiming controls (assuming your Wii-mote isn't being a finicky pain in the ass that given day), but you lose your map (yes, I know you can still use the touch pad while controlling with the Wii-mote, but I don't have 4 arms, and setting down one controller every time I need to pick up the other is just stupid) and good camera controls. Instead of being able to pan your view naturally, you are limited to only being able to lock the camera on the enemy or auto-correcting the camera to be behind your captain, causing your camera angle to jerk and careen about in a ridiculous, jarring fashion.

As for the game itself, it just doesn't feel like its own thing. It tries too hard to be like "hey, remember all this cool stuff from the first two games?" without adding anything interesting of its own. Even the final boss, the Plasma Wraith, is nothing more than a nod to the super creepy Water Wraith from Pikmin 2 - a boss enemy that appears a single time in one of the optional side dungeons hidden in the game. Pikmin 3 is just so short, having completed it 100% in less than 8 hours, and doesn't leave any real lasting impressions aside from the fact it looks very nice. There's barely any content outside of the main game (where there is a SINGLE save file, and they expect you to "replay" days to get your money's worth out the game) and the few bonus missions, which are simply boss rematches and playing in a small section of the levels already present in the main game with some collection goal. Compare to Pikmin 2, where the bonus missions were self contained areas with a completely unique design and enemy set up. There's no "Piklopedia," the fantastic option from the second game that gives information about all the enemies, plants, and even collectables in the game.

...Ehh, let's just say Pikmin 3 is another example of those amaaazzzziiinnggg Nintendo titles that have nothing really wrong with them, but they're so by the numbers and play it safe to the point that they come out simply mediocre if you're looking for something new and interesting or with any real depth to it.

TL;DR

Uuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggg
 

Lord Draenor

New member
Sep 20, 2010
112
0
0
I laughed at the German text for a few minutes. For reference, on the box it says "The nicer shit" while the TV text is "MMM You've eaten corn" XD
 

PunkRex

New member
Feb 19, 2010
2,533
0
0
Llarys said:
PunkRex said:
Funny enough. it's implied that the Pikmin are indeed Parasites.
Well, actually, Pikmin aren't parasitic as a whole, but one subspecies of Pikmin are parasitic and you can control the fan-favorite Bulbmin: Bulborbs infested with the parasitic species of Pikmin. [/Played too much Pikmin back in the day]
I too clocked silly numbers on the previous games, I used to just sit in the Forest Navel and listen to the music, thats my fave game level... alongside Black Velvetopia from Psychonauts. I'd love for Nintendo to realease an artbook with some Pikmin biology stuff in it.

Llarys said:
There's no "Piklopedia," the fantastic option from the second game that gives information about all the enemies, plants, and even collectables in the game.
Woah, woah, woah, wait a minute... they removed the Piklopedia!?
 

Grach

New member
Aug 31, 2012
339
0
0
j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
Aside from that, I love how Yahtzee complains about how modern games are so drab and brown and gritty, yet when a game comes along with some actual colour and some fantastic art design, he mocks it for being 'twee' and 'for babies'. I mean, people stopped using that argument years ago, when the common consensus became that it's actually a damn good game franchise.
I think that it has less to do with the game actually being for kids and more with the fact that Yathzee is pretty much the most bitter person on this site. I mean, I don't have a problem with colourful, for example, but I don't watch MLP* because it looks so saccharine that I can't handle it.





*And I won't watch it, shut up bronies.
 

major_chaos

Ruining videogames
Feb 3, 2011
1,314
0
0
j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
just use the Gamepad
Nope sorry. Apparently I have really small hands or something, but I find the pad controller extremely uncomfortable. To me the best possible scheme would be to do most things with the pro controller while the gamepad sits next to you for easy access to the minimap and quick commands to the other two commanders.
 

saduj

New member
Aug 28, 2013
2
0
0
Just sent a few e-mails to sites being published here on escapist, and asked if they are fine with being on a page that supports discrimination of German people.
 

Yokta

New member
Mar 23, 2013
55
0
0
If I may take a position that will probably be seen as devil's advocate, I didn't really have any problem with Pikmin 3 at all.
Yes, it's short, but it's also one of the only games I've replayed once, let alone twice, immediately after I first beat the game, just to beat my time.
I never had any problem with the GamePad controls. They took some time to get used to, but once I did I could stand anywhere and aim in any direction. Besides, they tried using touch controls in Pikmin Adventure for Nintendo Land, a.k.a. Pikmin if the creative process was headed by a homeopath. So I really appreciate the controls for Pikmin 3.
And let's not forget Bingo Battle. It's a two-player competitive mode where you have to claim various fruits, marbles and carcasses in order to fill spaces on your bingo card, and get a line, row or column before your opponent. If you can find an opponent, even one that just barely knows the controls and strategy, Bingo Battle is loads of fun.
I'll admit that the Mission mode could have been meatier. The Defeat Enemies missions weren't much fun at all, and the Boss Battle mode was kind of redundant. But I had loads of fun with the Collect Treasure missions.
So while I wouldn't say Pikmin 3 is the best game I've ever played, it's still damn fun and I will buy any DLC that comes out for it, no questions asked.
EDIT: And I'm very ashamed that Yahtzee gave up during the Formidable Oak, because the final boss at the end of it all is actually a final exam of sorts, requiring you to be aware of your Pikmin's strengths and weaknesses. It's not just some epic rollercoaster ride with a climactic orchestral soundtrack that looks exhilarating but doesn't feel it because it's so easy. Of course, if he DID get that far, he wouldn't be saying that. No, he'd scheisse all over the game's length and the post-its that flat-out tell you about the boss' weaknesses. Not that I'm bitter. I'm at least glad that Yahtzee appreciates the game's beauty. It means I'm not just totally tasteless.
Alright, I think I'm done now.
 

FallenMessiah88

So fucking thrilled to be here!
Jan 8, 2010
470
0
0
Ihave never played a Pikming game before, but it sounds intriguing. I quite liked this episode. It had some of that signature ZP quirkiness.
 

mike1921

New member
Oct 17, 2008
1,292
0
0
ToastiestZombie said:
AuronFtw said:
Genocidicles said:
I'm sorry but the references to the Battle of Somme were highly distressing to me. The Battle of Somme is one of the bloodiest battles in human history, where over a million men were wounded or killed. It makes me sick that such a thing was made light of, and I request that it be changed.

I can't in good conscience continue watching Zero Punctuation after that. It made me feel uneasy, and I'm ashamed Mr Croshaw brought it up.
Ahahaha, I love this. We should crusade to get some little detail changed in every video from now on.
This isn't a crusade, this is common decency. Yahtzee should have realized that making a jokes around such a big issue would result in offense and backlash. I personally think that Yahtzee should consider making his "own" "choice" and changing the joke to something less offensive like a holocaust joke.
Can I just say, it's absolutely disgusting that if you apologize or change anything that you automatically have no integrity or free will of your own? Isn't yahtzee still the main attraction here? I'm pretty sure he could have easily gotten away with not apologizing, I mean unless TheEscapist doesn't want all the ad revenue he brings. Like, it'd be one thing if Yahtzee often did this kind of thing, than maybe there'd be reason to think he had no choice but people get pissed off at him all the time.
 

Muspelheim

New member
Apr 7, 2011
2,023
0
0
Casual Shinji said:
You know, I could already sense the amount posters waiting behind the bleachers with baseball bats for this Zero Punctuation, aching to get a crack at Yahtzee.
But he sold out, maaaaaaaan, he sold out and bowed before them PCs! The gay muslim feminist multiculti horde is outside the gates of Vienna, and PC sellouts like Yatzhee unlocks the gates from within, maaaaaan!

The PC Brigade are running this site, maaaaaaaaan, unless we do something, they'll take over, maaaaaan! We know best, maaaaan!

(And so on and so on and so on...)
 

Vhite

New member
Aug 17, 2009
1,980
0
0
Blood is in the water, trolls are closing in from all sides. Pray that the harsh but just mods protect us.
 

Plunkies

New member
Oct 31, 2007
102
0
0
Holocaust jokes and animal cruelty are fine, just don't call a man with a penis a man or someone might be offended. Crap. I said man. That's offensive. I meant "person of uncertain gender until he/she/it tells me what gender they prefer to be called" instead. I've learned it's not about what they factual are but what they feeeeel they are, otherwise you're supporting the evil white patriarchy and suppressing their civil rights.
 

AdamRBi

New member
Feb 7, 2010
528
0
0
When it comes to the control scheme I do really dislike the gamepad (and by extension the Pro Controller), I really like the Wiimote controls. That being said, the improved aiming and locking has come at a terrible cost...

... you will be missed C-Stick.

Ba dah ba de ba ba bah da ba da ba


major_chaos said:
j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
Why would you want to? The Wiimote and Nunchuck give you objectively more accuracy than analogue sticks. You can even target specific body parts of enemies with the Wiimote, which you can't do with analogues. You can indeed play with the Pro controller, but why would you deliberately pass over a control method that gives you greater control?
o hai jefffers, I'm slightly amazed you don't have me on ignore.
But anyway, to answer the question of why I would rather use the Pro controller:
1. The Wiimote is finicky and inaccurate,to the point where even simple motions like trying to do a search on netflix is a pain in the ass.
2. I played the Wii version of Pikmin 2 once, and despite having beaten the GC version twice I could barely survive the early game and found myself wishing for the GC controller.
3. My Wii is in front of my couch, so I like to lounge when I play, which makes aiming with the Wiimote even harder.
That might just be a calibration issue or light sources messing with the sensors. Mine works great and it's incredibly precise, only issues I have is when I hook it up somewhere else where there's a light source behind the TV like an open window or lamp.
 

MonkeyPunch

New member
Feb 20, 2008
589
0
0
Bloody funny episode!
Also he did get me thinking... why is it that watching TV (snore) is still considered more "important" than playing video games?
 

Furrama

New member
Jul 24, 2008
295
0
0
I've never had the battery life problem on my pad, did you get a bad one? My 4 year old and I play on ours for hours before the little red light starts turning red.

And even if it does you can set it up so that you can just plug the dang thing in and keep going.

Having finished Pikmin 3 I do agree that the controls could have been better for gathering them to you. The campaign was too short and I don't feel like it got as hard as it could have, and the story at the end fell flat. But I did like how bad it made me feel, how tense it felt... until I realized you could start a day over. That kindof ruined it for me. But I guess you're supposed to restart and go back so you can get all the fruit and as efficiently as possible. It is beautiful though, and most of the puzzles are fairly clever.