Anybody played Pikmin 2?

[vegeta1215]

I bought the original Pikmin game last year and really enjoyed it. I got Pikmin 2 for Christmas and just started playing it a few days ago. So far it has been really fun, but the game feels very different.

I'm not sure if it's because I became really good at the first Pikmin, or if it's the new additions such as the new Pikmin types (specifically the purple ones), but the game just feels easier. Defeating enemies is a piece of cake now, and I've never teared down obstacles (like walls and bridges) so quickly. Anyone else feel this way about Pikmin 2?

On another note, two of the stages in Pikmin 2 look almost identical to two stages in the first game. Things are mixed around a bit, but the basic landmarks are the same:
Forest of Hope == Awakening Wood
The Distant Spring == Perplexing Pool

The things they mixed around do make them feel different, but not different enough imo. I was a little bummed to figure this out. :(

Any comments?

[phattonez]

It is easier, but I don't like the new types of Pikmin. They are too rare and I find myself losing them too quickly. At least the time limit is gone; that makes the game accesible to more people.

[Grasshopper]

I don't think they're that rare. Its just that the only way to get them are from Candy Pop buds, which are underground. If you know which tunnel has the white, or purple, just keep taking pikmin down that tunnel until you have enough.

The game seems a bit easier, but I think its the purple pikmin. Those little guys are 10x the strength of the regular guys, so you send in about 50 on a boss, and hes gone in no time.

I think most of where they wanted the challenge was in the tunnels. And even those can be a bit easy. The 4 areas are quick to get around in. And with two guys, multitasking is so much easier.

[vegeta1215]

The game seems a bit easier, but I think its the purple pikmin. Those little guys are 10x the strength of the regular guys, so you send in about 50 on a boss, and hes gone in no time.

That's what I was thinking. Purple Pikmin are awesome. Not only do they lift 10x as much as regular Pikmin, but they can stun most enemies, leaving plenty of time for your Reds to squash them.

I suspect maybe it's their strength that enables me to unroll bridges and tear down walls faster... either that or the developers tweaked those a bit so they take almost no time at all.