Nintendo Announces Glorious Additions of Pikmin's Olimar, Co-op Brawling to Smash Bros. Brawl

Captain Olimar, protagonist of Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto-designed Pikmin series, is the latest character to be revealed as a playable character in the upcoming Wii fighter Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As usual, the announcement was made by series designer Masahiro Sakurai on the game's official site. Olimar fights with the aid of his small, plantlike Pikmin companions, which he picks from the ground. A snippet of newly-arranged Pikmin music from Brawl is available on the site.

Along with the Olimar reveal, this week's updates contained details on Multi-Man Brawl, a single-player challenge that pits a character up against potentially countless AI opponents. The mode can also be played cooperatively, either locally or online.

Finally, this week the site also unveiled several more Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN) stages that will be making their way over to Brawl, including Yoshi's Island, Corneria, Onett, Brinstar, and Rainbow Ride. "I can tell you that for everyone working on this game, the amount of content has been surprising to say the least," wrote Sakurai.

If there is even the slightest scrap of justice in the world, the news reflects a continued interest on Nintendo's part in developing the underappreciated series. Before the unveiling of the capabilities of the then-codenamed Nintendo Revolution, Miyamoto hinted that the system would be particularly appropriate for the Pikmin series, which deftly blends real-time strategy and third-person action. Keep the faith, Pikmin believers.