Pikmin 2 Is Finally Coming To The Wii June 10th! A Celebration Is In Order!

Pikmin 2 is one of the greatest games of the Gamecube era. Actually, I think it’s one of the greatest games of all time. And now it’s coming to the Wii as part of the Nintendo Selects series (along with a few more titles getting new retail prices and packaging).

When Nintendo went motion control in 2006 with the Wii, this is probably the game that gamers wanted ported over. It was an obvious choice. When Captain Olimar was playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, gamers started getting excited about the possibility. Pikmin 1 was soon ported over, but as great as it is, it’s no Pikmin 2. And now with Pikmin 3 potentially getting announced at E3 in a few weeks, it seems the right time to get gamers re-aquainted to the Captain, his co-pilot Louie and their new plant helper friends (but man when you let them die… there is no greater agony to your soul)!

I’m looking forward to June 10th. This is great, great news. Hopefully Pikmin 3 is something I can StreetPass with… or maybe it’ll be a WiiU title! Here’s the full press release, with news on Mario Power Tennis and new prices for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Donkey Kong Country Returns:

Nintendo is adding two great games to the Nintendo Selects value collection for the Wii console on June 10 with Mario Power Tennis and Pikmin 2, a Nintendo GameCube classic making its U.S. debut on Wii. Nintendo Selects games are available at a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Separately, two of the best-selling Wii games of all time will be getting new prices: Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Donkey Kong Country Returns each will be available at a suggested retail price of $29.99. The value pricing provides shoppers with a great way to expand their game collections with some of the hottest Wii games around.

Pikmin 2 has updated controls optimized for the Wii console as players help brave Captain Olimar and his assistant, Louie, salvage treasures and return them to their home planet. In addition to the original red, blue and yellow Pikmin from the first game, players can also take command of purple and white Pikmin, creating a wealth of new strategic options. Additionally, Pikmin 2 features a frantic, two-player split-screen multiplayer battle mode, for which additional accessories are required and are sold separately.

Mario Power Tennis lets players power up their tennis game by swinging the Wii Remote to smack powerful forehands and backhands. Players can take on the role of their favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters and play on imaginative courts not possible in the real world, including a court littered with Mario-style power-ups. As players win tournaments, clear minigames or challenge Gimmick Courts, they unlock new characters, courts and challenges. Up to four players can compete in wild multiplayer action.

The fan-favorite Super Smash Bros. Brawl features dozens of characters from numerous Nintendo games and franchises in a battle royale. Up to four players can battle in the same room or over a broadband Internet connection. To date the game has sold nearly 5.5 million in the United States alone.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a new take on the classic platforming, barrel-blasting and banana-hoarding franchise. The game features the first simultaneous cooperative game-play mode for the series, allowing both novice and skilled players to play the game together. Players run, jump, climb and defeat enemies through diverse environments until they retrieve Donkey Kong’s stolen banana hoard. The game has sold more than 2.5 million in the United States.

Other games in the Nintendo Selects collection include Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Strikers Charged, Punch-Out!!, Super Paper Mario, Wii Sports, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk and Mario Super Sluggers.