Publisher Nintendo | ||
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Games Pikmin 2, Pikmin | ||
New Play Control!, known as the Play on Wii Selection (Ｗｉｉであそぶセレクション, Wii de Asobu Selection) in Japan, is a series of Nintendo GameCube games redeveloped by Nintendo for Wii. Games in the New Play Control! series feature a number of enhancements, most notably the implementation of Wii controls with the Wiimote and Nunchuk, as well as the inclusion of widescreen support and enhanced graphics.
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Pikmin wii trailer new play control
Background
Nintendo initially announced the Wii de Asobu Selection range of titles in a presentation on October 2, 2008, confirming Pikmin and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat would launch later in the year, whilst a spokesperson for Nintendo of Europe confirmed days later that the series would also launch in Europe. In Japan, Pikmin and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat launched in December 2008 and were followed throughout 2009 by Mario Tennis GC, Pikmin 2, Chibi-Robo! and Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes. In the same year, New Play Control! launched in Europe, North America and Australia, though not all games were made available worldwide: Pikmin 2 did not launch in North America until June 2012, when it was released as a Nintendo Selects title instead of a New Play Control! title; Chibi-Robo! was never released outside Japan.
Changes
Pikmin and Pikmin 2 allow players to point and click with the Wii Remote to select and direct units. Mario Power Tennis draws on the swinging motions seen in Wii Sports to perform various swings, while it is also possible to move the character with the control stick if the Nunchuk is attached. Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes use the same control functions as first seen in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. An early prototype of the control scheme had already been used with a technical demo version of Metroid Prime 2, first seen when the Wii Remote was initially announced.
Other changes have been made to the games other than the updated controls and improved graphics. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat features new levels and modified level design for existing levels to give the game a more traditional platforming feel. Pikmin allows players to roll back their game saves to previous days, erasing only a recent part of the save file, though this did not carry over to Pikmin 2. Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes feature some of the features introduced in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, including the achievements system, unlockable content and the ability to take screenshots.
Release
Four of the games - Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Mario Power Tennis, Pikmin and Pikmin 2 - have been universally released as New Play Control! titles, though Pikmin 2 did not carry the moniker for its North American release as it was delayed for years. The two Metroid Prime games were bundled with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and released in the limited edition Metroid Prime: Trilogy compilation, which launched in 2009 and was given only one limited edition print run, being discontinued soon after release; The game would later get a standard reprint in 2013, and had since been digitally re-released via the Wii U eShop in early 2015. Pikmin 2 - which was released in Japan, Europe, and Australia in 2009 - was not released in North America until June 2012, when it and Mario Power Tennis were released as budget titles in the Nintendo Selects range; these versions of the games do not feature reversible cover art or the New Play Control! moniker, instead being marketed as classic Nintendo GameCube titles with enhanced Wii controls.
Each game in the New Play Control! series features a standard cover art, explaining the premise of the series, as well as each game's original Nintendo GameCube cover art. Each game's cover art is reversible; reversing the cover shows the original version of the cover art with no New Play Control! branding, except on the game's logo.
