Nintendo opened their conference today with a game people have hoped would be at the last several E3s: Pikmin 3. Finally we get to go back to the Pikmin world and accidentally throw all of our red Pikmin into the water. FINALLY.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxWIvaD2XQI&feature=plcp&w=620]

Let’s just bask in the beauty of the game for a moment. Just lay back and bask in it. The selective focusing used in the game is so great; I am a huge fan of depth of field stuffs.

In this Pikmin, it looks like you can take control of four tiny space voyagers at once, all with their own loyal Pikmin. A new, hardier breed of Pikmin joins the scene and defies how plants work with the Rock Pikmin. They can shatter glass and hard enemy shells like the tiny, adorable bosses that they are.

Here is the story and additional features from the official site:

The Return of an Army
Pikmin 3 is a fully reimagined, mass-action strategy title from the critically acclaimed Pikmin series. Players will discover a beautiful world filled with strange creatures and take command of a swarm of ant-like Pikmin trying to survive. The world is densely packed with treasures and enemies, which makes the game much more action focused and fills it with layers of potential strategies and paths, adding greater replayability to challenge modes.

Features:

Players can play using Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk-based controls or the Wii U GamePad controller. With new intuitive controls that make it possible to aim at objects directly, players can command their tiny, yet powerful, squads in different ways.

The GamePad acts as an overhead map and radar to track Pikmin movements in real time. Players can slide a finger across the touch screen to quickly switch between areas, giving greater flexibility in commanding multiple groups of Pikmin.

The greater processing and HD capabilities of the Wii U console are put to extensive use, resulting in a more intricately designed world, enhanced ant-like movement of the Pikmin and precisely detailed overhead views for enabling easier strategic use of the Pikmin.

After completing a stage, the replay feature allows players the option to review their results using the GamePad and TV. Fast-forward, rewind or pause while assessing the previous mission to decide on other paths.

In addition to the five original types of Pikmin encountered in previous games, the new Rock Pikmin bring powerful new abilities and are able to crack hard outer shells of enemies and break through solid barriers.

Mission Mode challenges players to earn the most treasure in a given time.

The thing that is unfortunate to not see is any hint of multiplayer. In fact, the description page for the game only lists it as a one player title. This is certainly not a deal breaker, but hopefully they add some sort of cooperative play considering there are four possible characters to play.

The release date for this game is currently set for: Release Window.