Pikmin 3 - Years of built up need!

I love Pikmin. I love the RTS gameplay, I love the atmoshpere, I love the characters, from the way their heads bob up and down as they run to the little noises and ghosts when they die. Nintendo introduced us to the world of Pikmin when the Gamecube launched in 2001, since introduction we have only had the original entry, a sequel and two superior Wii-mastered editions. I own all four.

Nintendo first confirmed they were working on a third installment at E3 2009 for the Wii. They still to this day have shown no gameplay or artwork. At E3 2010 Miyamoto confirmed they were still working on Pikmin 3 but with a small team, until they reached a point in development when they would go full steam ahead. At E3 2011 Miyamoto confirmed that development of Pikmin 3 was nearing completion and it indeed had shifted to Wii U. This is the one title I will be looking out for above all others come E3 2012.

As no details have been shared we can only speculate what will occur in Pikmin 3. In the first game players had 30 days to rebuild Captain Olimar's spaceship named the Dolphin. In the sequel the 30 day system was replaced with a treasure hunting mission to repay Olimar's employers debts.

How about in this entry Olimar is tasked with using his knowledge of the planet and its inhabitants to help his company create a holiday resort. The game could be split into two genres RTS like the rest of the Pikmin series and also simulation, a genre Nintendo hasn't worked in for a while.

To begin the game Olimar would have to scout out a safe area to build the resort and spaceport, use Pikmin to build security defences before evening falls. Then later on you could proceed to occupy new territories like beaches, coves, mountains, cliffs, caves, canyons, waterfalls and so on.

Many new types of Pikmin could be introduced which is probably the most exciting aspect of a new entry. There could be glow-in-the-dark, camouflage and audio. The first two are self explanatory; the first for night time play, which would be a first in the series. The second could work for fauna, sand and snow. These could be scouts which remain undetected by the likes of Bulborbs. The third could work in a number of ways; they could hear the footprints of distant enemies approaching, they could emit sounds to either scare away or lure enemies into traps.

The screen on the controller could be used as a top down mini map for easy selection of your Pikmin. You can select specific colours, co-ordinate several different troops at any one time. Olimar's getting old, he can put his feet up and control his Pikmin remotely!

Another feature which should be incorporated would be online multi-player. This could be the same as Pikmin 2's co-op mode, but they could take this further and players could visit each others resorts or even engage in battle mode, capture the flag and even Chase Mii style games!

All of this is speculative, Nintendo always end up surprising us, but its fun to try and guess what their next move is. Only for them to go in a completely new and innovative direction. E3 2012 can't come soon enough!