Nintendo

What was your first exposure to the Pikmin franchise?



Like many things Nintendo, for me it started with [Smash Brothers](https://youtu.be/mjqAzqqAvaY?feature=shared). I didn’t grow up with a GameCube, and so as a kid I had no idea who Olimar was or what those little multicolored vegetables following him were. I just knew the series as that one weird plant throwing guy from Smash for the better part of a decade.

So when Pikmin 3 came along and brought the franchise into HD on the Wii U…. I still didn’t care. I didn’t own a Wii U until Smash came out and my eyes were solely focused on that. I didn’t even buy first Pikmin games until the Wii versions came out on the Wii U Virtual Console (rest in peace…). I played a little of the first game and enjoyed what I played with those smooth pointer controls, but the desire to keep going just wasn’t there.

My next time touching a Pikmin game was Hey Pikmin on 3DS… in 2022. I played a couple stages and once again didn’t feel the Pikmin bug bite me yet. I then waited until just this year when Pikmin 4 was about to come out and decided I was gonna go all in on Pikmin, especially now that the entire mainline series is on one console. But then Advance Wars Reboot Camp came out. And then Xenoblade 3 Future Redeemed came out. And then Tears of the Kingdom came out. And then classes started again.

I swear I don’t hate the series! I just haven’t gotten around to playing it since so many other stuff I’m interested in was also coming out.

by Asad_Farooqui

33 Comments

  1. tunasardine

    Bought Pikmin 1 when it came out. I’m old

  2. SPAREustheCUTTER

    Went into EB games in… what was that, 2002? Anyway, they had a trade in deal where you could basically get pikmin 1 for free if you preordered pikman 2, plus I got something like 75 bucks in extra credit. I essentially got both for free and some other random GC game.

    I prob wouldn’t have played either hadn’t I got them for free. But damn, I’m glad I did. They are sooooo good.

  3. Pikmin 3 in 2022. My son watched some YouTube videos and it began. Now I can’t stop.

  4. TidesOfRye

    Got Pikmin 2 for Christmas, great memories.

  5. Dry_Ass_P-word

    Rented it shortly after launch a few times back on the GameCube. And finally got the money to buy it after a couple years.

  6. Ratchet2332

    Got the Wii version of Pikmin 2 like 15 years ago or smth, don’t remember how I got it, might have been a Christmas gift.

  7. I was strange as a kid. I didn’t have Sunshine, Double Dash or a Zelda for the GC but decided to pick this up. Quirky and tough I loved it. Barely was able to beat it as an 11 year old getting out with like half a ship, and I still enjoy the series today. The New Play Controls are still my favorite way to play. Haven’t played 3 or 4 yet. Funny enough though, I just booted up my copy of Pikmin 3 in the Wii U I recently got. Should be done updating by the end of this comment.

  8. GrandMoffFartin

    Also old and played pikmin 1 on launch day. I still have my GameCube copy of pikmin 2 and just got the physical of 1 and 2 together on switch.

    That being said, pikmin 4 is the best fit for the type of gamer I am today. I’m very glad they overhauled things.

  9. pikmin4, i haven’t started the game yet, tho

  10. Ok_Introduction6574

    I have heard about it a few times over the years in passing mentions on YouTube. Seen some gameplay, but I do not care to try it. My backlog is too big to throw in something that does not interest me in the slightest.

  11. medicated_in_PHL

    I own a physical copy of Pikmin 1-4 on Switch, and I’ve never played a single one.

  12. PayneTrain181999

    Olimar’s trophy in Melee

    Olimar in Brawl

    Chuggaaconroy’s let’s plays of 1 and 2.

    Finally owning them on Wii and playing them myself.

  13. randomtoken

    Pikmin 3 as a purchase bonus for Mario Kart 8 in the Wii U days. Little did I know I’d end up playing the bonus more than the actual purchase!

  14. Skeptical_Yoshi

    Was at the mall with my parents when I was a kid, walked past a gamestop and saw the commercial for the first one. Was instantly intrigued.

  15. SoligDag

    I’ve heard and read about Pikmin before, but the first time I played a game in the franchise was Pikmin 3 on the Switch. I loved it! Then I played Pikmin 4 and loved it even more. And now I just got the 1+2 double pack and I hope to love those games as well.

    I’m late to the party, but better late than never. Pikmin has become one of my favorite Nintendo franchises.

  16. CinderN64

    Parents got me pikmin 1 sometime around its release. At that time, being only 5 or 6, it was the hardest game i had played. The time management was tough, and having my whole squad squashed by a single boulder was a nightmare. I loved the mystique of not knowing what enemies to expect and trying to get my pikmin rounded up before dark. Games a cakewalk now 20+ years later but is still my favorite pikmin and one of my 10 favorite games of all time. 2,3 and 4 are fine, but nothing compared to 1 imo.

  17. sludgezone

    I remember reading about Pikmin’s development in Nintendo Power and then getting a GameCube holiday 2001 and it was my first game. Strange game but I enjoyed it, even if it’s my least favorite in the franchise.

  18. __charles

    Tomorrow when Pikmin 1+2 arrives. Crestfallen at the lack of product placement

  19. DoubleE55

    Renting Pikman 1 from blockbuster during the early days of the GameCube.

  20. SvenHudson

    I rented 1 when it was new. Didn’t care for it.

    Eventually got 3 on Wii U for free from some promotional thing and thought that was pretty decent. Went back and tried 1 again and still didn’t like it. Didn’t like the demo for 4, either.

  21. I got Pikmin 1 after I 100% Rogue Leader, which I bought at Gamecube launch. Played it for a few months straight, really enjoyed it. Got Pikmin 2 but never 100% it and then never thought of the games again until my son asked for Pikmin 4, which seems a lot of fun to see him play it.

  22. BlazedInMyWinnie

    I’ll add another example of old dudes in this thread, got Pikmin 1 back when it launched in 2001. Fell in love with it and have played every entry since.

  23. SilverWin5

    I watched Chuggaaconroy play it on Youtube which made me go out and buy the first one for gamecube.

  24. Samsterwheel920

    Pikmin 1 in 2001. I thought those were the best graphics possible for video games and we’d never see anything better.

  25. Mushimishi

    Didn’t play until 3 on switch, didn’t have access to the others. Saw gameplay of the older games and was interested.
    Loved 3, now have 4, 1 and 2 lined up on switch.

  26. Rinku588

    Funny story: I was looking around during the early days of YouTube for a game my neighbor and I played when were like 10: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. We never got far, and I was curious to see what the game was actually about. I found one walkthrough, but it either just started or stopped after the early chapters, so my quest continued. Afterwards I lost interest in finding a POR play through and searched for another game: Pikmin! Knew about the franchise, but wanted to see what it was about. So I ran across a video series that was already completed (since I didn’t want another POR) by good ole SlimKirby. And what was Slim playing and continue to update? Why a POR Let’s Play too!

    Good times man, good times

  27. 3dDeters

    saw a very early trailer for 1 on a promo CD-ROM

  28. pocket_arsenal

    I think it was a demo video in Luigi’s mansion and maybe a few previews in Nintendo Power. I also saw a few trophies in Smash Bros I believe.

    I was going through a time where I was making up for my childhood pickiness, I used to only play Mario, Sonic, Pokemon, and games based on licensed IP I already had familiarity with, I did not like taking chances. Smash Bros made me open my mind a bit since all those other characters we cool, and then melee had a huge trophy gallery that exposed me to more series, including Pikmin. So I bought Pikmin maybe a year or two after melee came out, and I found it very addictive.

Write A Comment