Famitsu's Pikmin 2 review

[lazyfatbum]

Let me repeat myself, this time please pay attention to subtle difference in the words presented.

You play a game. This means you have played a video game you recently purchased or rented.

You beat the game. This means you have finished the game by completing the tasks that were given to you. Or, you made it the ultimate goal of the game. Usually, when a gameplayer sees a cut scene followed by a credit sequence after defeating a major enemy or accomplishing a major task, the game has been beaten.

You liked the game! This means that after you beat the game and you're able to look back on the experience, you might decide that it was a good game and it deserves to be played again. Sometimes, you might decide that it was a bad game, and that you no longer want to play it. Most of the time, you will decide that a game is bad before you beat it.

You play the game again. This means that we as human beings love to accomplish things when we have experience of already doing so. For example, the first time you play through a game it will be difficult simply because you do not any experience with it. Upon completing it, you may be tempted to play it again with your existing knowledge and experience of what will happen. This is done usually for the gameplayer to get the most out of the game on his second run through. He will remember traps or when a boss will attack and will be generally prepared for anything in the game. This results in an even better experience since the player now feels educated and will usually do a better job than his first play through.

You try to get the most out of the game. What this refers to is how a game player will soon grow tired of his game, even though he loves it, after playing through it multiple times and will try to accomplish goals in new ways or break records, completing objectives in record times for example. Often times, it means trying to do things you weren't supposed to do such as reach areas that were only for decoration or break a sequence of events. When the gameplayer has found everything he can do in a game, he might resort to using a third party cheat device to breathe even more life in to the now "dated" game. Now mind you, the gameplayer will still love this game, but unfortunately a video game can only be played so many times in so many different ways before it becomes boring. When this happens, the gameplayer may go on to message boards and demand sequels or games of equal scope and playability.

The end result:

You play through Pikmin feeling rushed because you must be done in 30 days.

You finish the game within 30 days.

You practice (if needed), and learn how to beat the game within 30 days with all 30 parts.

You begin another game, confident in your skills. You realize the game can be beaten in 15 days or less based on your skill level. You spend extra days simply wandering around exploring, even though you have all the parts within the time limit. You may spend a day trying to kill a boss with only 5 Pikmin. Whether you fail or win, you can then decide if you want to save that day or not, and move on to see what else you can do or try that you haven't done or tried before.

Now please, argue with me. I beg you for it.