In one of the more interesting publicity stunts in a while, Nintendo has sent tiny potted plants to select members of the press, along with a letter from Captain Olimar:
Greetings! Here is a specimen I gathered on my interplanetary travels. I’ve been busy repairing my sleek ship, the Dolphin, after crashing onto a strange world. Through my many encounters, I’ve learned that commanding Pikmin with a simple point and click is a much more efficient and effective means of exploration. It will come in handy should I encounter any hostile life forms….
Additionally, my observations suggest that stimulating the specimen sample I’ve sent with water and sunlight over just a few short days should result in surprisingly rapid maturation!
Signed,
Captain Olimar
It almost definitely has something to do with New Play Control Pikmin, the enhanced Wii port of the original GameCube Pikmin. Apparently the plants are supposed to mature in 7 to 14 days, at which point a message will be revealed. What kind of horrifying, genetically-modified monster plants are these? I’d probably be a bit nervous to water mine (if I had actually been sent one) on the off chance of that message being “FEED ME” à la Little Shop of Horrors.
