Miyamoto explains why Pikmin 3 took so long, will most likely return to timer-based gameplay

"When we created the first Pikmin, we had a very clear concept of what we wanted to do. And then Pikmin 2 essentially took that concept, and... what we tried to do was make it easier to play, simpler to play and improve upon the areas that were a challenge in the first game. Since then, part of the reason it took so long, is because philosophically we were debating what should a Pikmin game really be? And the other reason, obviously is, because we have Wii and 3DS or Wii U, part of it was simply doing experiments on these platforms to see what kind of Pikmin game we wanted to make, which platform was best suited for it." - Shigeru Miyamoto

Here's a bit of bad news for those of us that enjoyed Pikmin 2's lack of timed gameplay. It sounds like Miyamoto is a fan of the timer...and that he's pushing hard to get that aspect into Pikmin 3.

"I personally am the kind of person that likes those sort of timer-based challenges. When you first play it, you're kind of nervous or feel pressured by the time. And, gradually, as you go back in and try it again, you seem to get calmer and are able to think more thoughtfully and work your way through a little bit better. With Pikmin 2 the development team tried to create that game with a lot of freedom. This time, I am more forcefully sharing my opinion."

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