VIDEO GAME Get ready to dominate an army in 'Pikmin 2'

Improvements include sharper graphics and no time limit.
By PHIL VILLARREAL
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Maybe you never realized that it was your buried dream to raise an army of dozens of tiny creatures, then command them to do your bidding.
Five minutes with the zany GameCube puzzle/strategy game "Pikmin 2" and you'll likely be assured that it feels oh-so-right to rule over your tiny army.
Taking full advantage of the game system's capability for allowing more than 100 distinct characters to move about the screen simultaneously, "Pikmin 2" blows gamers' minds with its madcap excitement and nonstop chaos. This is one of the weirdest and most addictive games on the market.
Characters
You play as Captain Olimar, a rocket man who is stranded on a bizarre planet and saddled with a debt of $10,000 Pokos. To raise the, uh, cash, it's up to Olimar and his assistant, Louie, to gather Pikmin -- miniature antlike worker creatures -- to collect little treasures, swarm over beasts and explore caverns.
Improvements over the original "Pikmin," which underperformed but drew an enthusiastic enough following to merit a follow-up, are everywhere. Graphics are sharp and lushly rendered, and there is now no time limit, allowing players to more thoroughly explore regions and craft elaborate battle strategies and techniques.
Pikmin, who grow out of the ground as sprouts, can be tossed, ordered about and divided into separate teams. Different colors of the creatures signify varied abilities, and power-ups and boost potions are available. The little guys are so obedient that they give you an ego boost and sense of severe responsibility. Few video-game sights are sadder than witnessing a group of eager Pikmin cluelessly marching to mass suicide in a lake -- most Pikmin can't handle water -- and few feelings are more rewarding than watching a group of 100 Pikmin tackle a humongous creature that takes up a quarter of the screen.
Help from the Onion
Olimar is aided on his quest by the Onion, a mother ship that acts as the Pikmin nest and holding facility. If your ranks have decreased, remaining Pikmin can pick up a pellet, stick it in the Onion's tractor beam, and -- whammo! -- out pops a new Pikmin sprout. Hey, from a programming standpoint, it's better than having to insert Pikmin sex scenes to cover population regeneration.
If you think all that stuff is weird, wait until you get to the Burgeoning Spiderwort.
There's a sun meter located atop the screen that indicates how many hours you've got until sundown, when the nastiest of beasts come out and lay waste to your poor little Pikmin. As long as you get shelter each night, the next day is wide open for Pikmin marching and treasure hunting.
Top L and R buttons on the controller shift camera angles, and players can move in for close-ups or fade back for master-plan overhead views, feeding into that ego again.
A two-player battle mode is also available, and is similar to "capture the flag" games in more serious war titles. Because nothing in "Pikmin 2" can be normal, though, you're charged with stealing the other player's marble and loading it into -- where else? -- the Onion's tractor beam.
X"Pikmin 2," by Nintendo for GameCube, is rated E for everyone.