Pikmin 3

(No Spoilers) Pikmin 3 is a quirky real-time, puzzle adventure game. It is kind of a rock, paper, scissors in a way. Yellow Pikmin are resistant against electricity, red are resistant to fire, blue to water, etc. This creates unique puzzle and enemy situations where players must use up to 100 Pikmin in combinations because there might be a mixture of fire, electricity and water. There are also flying pink Pikmin and rock Pikmin as well. Each round is a "day" long and the player can pick which world to go to. Players start with only one or two worlds at the beginning but more soon open. A "day" usually lasts about 7 minutes or so. To start the game, a player is kind of locked into a tutorial mode. But it is not too lengthy, is fun and gives a quick and good understanding of what to do. A player can spend a day growing more Pikmin, gathering fruit, discovering treasures, battling enemies and so on. It's really up to the player. The puzzles are clever and parents should be pleased with the amount of strategy and problem solving involved. There is also a great multi-player system. Players compete in boss battles or try to gather the most fruit. The strategy is endless. Should you grow more Pikmin for your army? Should you just focus on gathering and battling? Should you attack the other players Pikmin? It get's really exciting and things change quickly. As a parent, the only thing I would be concerned about is the violence. BUT it is no worse than Mario stomping on enemies. In other words, it is just soft cartoony violence and I would see no reason that it would be a problem for a child at any age. That said, the real restriction is the complexity of the game. On average, I would say a 9 year old would be able to understand what is going on. An 8 or even 7 year old might be able to handle it but it depends on the child. It is rated for Everyone 10+. I would say 10+ because of the difficulty. Regardless, even some of the younger children could have fun "helping" mom or dad play against older players. It's a great game and I am a long time fan of the series. Highly recommended!

Just as in the previous 2 Pikmin games, in Pikmin 3 you play as an astronaut who has crashed in a planet full of lush green jungles and predators. The player commands plant-like creatures called Pikmin, which are boneheaded and unable to survive on their own wit, but will obey the commands of the player. You will use them to attack enemies (though violence is very mild), carry objects such as fruit to survive the day or ship parts to repair the ship. The game requires a lot of strategy in real-time, as one in-game day is only 15 minutes. It requires a lot of multi-tasking as well, as you always have to give up one priority for another. Pikmin 3 has not changed a whole lot since Pikmin 2, but that's okay. We're just happy to see Olimar and his friends again. Overall, this is a very fun game, but the strategic elements also make it a bit educational. Strongly recommended for children (and adults as well) who have the Wii-U.