The Nintendo GameCube is the home console for which Pikmin and Pikmin 2 have been released. The console was released on September 14, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia, and has sold 21.74 million units worldwide[1]. The console's successor, the Wii, can also play GameCube games, and is the console for the re-releases of the Pikmin games in the "New Play Control!" range.
History
Before being released in Japan, the GameCube's codename was "Dolphin". Due to this, some of the console's games have a reference to the codename, via an illustration or just a name. In Pikmin's case, it is the name of the ship, the S.S. Dolphin.
Controller
The GameCube's controller consists of 6 buttons, 2 analog triggers, 2 analog sticks and the D-Pad. Games in the Pikmin series use the following general control scheme:
| Pikmin | Pikmin 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Punch, grab/throw, pluck | |
| B | Whistle | |
| X | Dismiss Pikmin | Dismiss Pikmin, lie down |
| Y | Radar | Switch captain |
| Z | Change camera angle | |
| Analog stick | Move cursor and captain | |
| C-stick | Move Pikmin | |
| L | Point camera towards cursor | |
| R | Toggle zoom | |
| D-pad | Lie down (↓) | Use sprays (↕), change Pikmin type (↔) and maturity (↕) |
| Start | Pause the game | |
Memory Card
There are three official GameCube memory card varieties:
- 59 blocks (grey)
- 251 blocks (black)
- 1019 blocks (white)
In the Pikmin series, the first game requires 19 blocks, and the sequel 27.