NEW PLAY CONTROL! Pikmin 2

2-Player Battle

Pikmin might be super-cute, but in 2-Player Battle mode there’s a good chance things could turn ugly. After working in isolation to master the art of controlling Pikmin in the game’s central mission, the thrill of pitting your wits against a friend injects an entirely new kind of satisfaction to issuing orders to your diminutive sidekicks.

Facing off against a friend in split-screen combat, you’ll have to guide either Olimar or Louie and a company of Pikmin as you search the Battle Arena for four yellow marbles and try to return them safely to your Onion.

Alternatively, you could attempt a raid on enemy territory and capture a single - more valuable - marble from your opponent to take back to your base. Either way, you’ll have to carefully balance your desire for a sizeable army with a need for speed as you work to secure victory and settle any arguments over who is the true master strategist when it comes to coordinating the Pikmin under your power.

Upping the stakes further is the fact you can order your Pikmin to set about your opposing commander, or collect cherries and take them back to your base to activate one of twelve bonuses that assist your team in battle. You can also set certain handicaps at the outset of the contest to level the playing field. Bring out the competitive side in Olimar, Louie and the Pikmin, and do everything in your power to make sure you don’t lose your marbles (or pride) in 2-Player Battle.

2-Player Challenge

As with the one-player version of Challenge Mode, the aim of the game is to find a key that will ultimately offer you a way out of the Challenge Arena. However, unlike 2-Player Battle, you’ll be working together instead of in opposition.

Don’t expect an easy ride though! Even with two players scouring the Challenge Arenas, you’ll have your work cut out to overcome the obstacles in your path.

2-Player Challenge

To distinguish between your achievements in 1-Player and 2-Player Challenge Mode, your high scores will be recorded separately.

Like Olimar, Louie can take full control of the planet’s Pikmin, and the option of switching between the two diminutive commanders whenever you like opens up a whole range of new strategic opportunities.

Both characters can independently lead squads of Pikmin off in different directions to perform separate tasks. A quick press of the – Button on the Wii Remote lets you jump back and forth between the pair, enabling you to take care of business much more quickly and effectively.

Before you head underground to explore the multi-floored caves, you’ll see an overview of what lies in wait. Depending on the hazards in store, you’ll want to organise your Pikmin exploration team accordingly.

Whatever shape your crew takes, you’ll have to hope they’re up to the task. Because once you’re in the cave, you’ll be without access to the Pikmin-generating Onions you’re used to utilising from the surface...

Playing in one of 30 Challenge Arenas, your job is to locate a key and return to your research pod in order to secure safe passage out of the level. Each arena comes with restrictions – like the number of Pikmin you’ll be granted, or the fact that every challenge is a race against time. And the enemies lying in wait don’t make things much easier either.

A perfect performance that sees you returning to your spaceship with all of your Pikmin intact will be rewarded with a high score and a pink flower to mark your achievement in the Challenge Mode menu.

For information-hungry explorers like Olimar and Louie, the chance to keep track of all the outlandish things they see is too good to miss. To this end, Olimar records details of every remarkable plant encountered and every terrifying enemy defeated in a log known as the Piklopedia.