Pikmin 3

[Kriven]

Yikes, Pikmincide above.

In Pikmin 1 you have Reds, Blues, and Yellows.

Reds are the strongest of these three, and are also impervious to fire.
Blues can be used in the water without drowning, and can also save drowning Yellow or Red Pikmin.
Yellows can be thrown the highest, so they can reach ledges inaccessible to Red and Blue. They can also carry and use Bomb Rocks to clear your path or attack enemies.

In Pikmin 2 there were introduced Purple and White Pikmin. Yellow Pikmin were also given a unique ability.

Yellow Pikmin are impervious to Electricity.
Purple Pikmin can lift 10x the weight of regular Pikmin, and do 10x the damage. However, they're very slow. They also perform stunning groundpounds when thrown.
White Pikmin are immune to poisons and toxins, and are also the fastest of the Pikmin. They also poison enemies when eaten.

You can only utilize 100 Pikmin at a time, and knowing which ones you'll need in a specific environment is important. You also need to know which ones you'll need to attack enemies. For instance, you might need to use Yellow Pikmin to destroy an enemy's armor, but then you'd want to use Red Pikmin to attack, since they'll deal the most damage and won't die as easily. You might want your Blues to distract a water Blowhog so it won't drown your Yellows when you go to battle a Puffy Blowhog. Etc.

The series is really cool and it will get your noggin working if you're looking for a thought-intensive experience.


Edit: I'm not quite sure what the deal with the Rock Pikmin (Black Pikmin) really is. They just look to do about the same thing as Purple Pikmin, to me. And the cinematics tease Pink Pikmin which can fly, but I'm having a difficult time thinking of a practical use for them. I'm not at all sure how Pikmin 3 is going to turn out.


Edit to Add:

I forgot a little about Pikmin 2. For starters, I left out a Pikmin type:

Bulbmin.

Bulbmin are parasitic Pikmin which inhabit and control a host body, in this case a baby Bulborb. Bulbmin are carnivorous and eat other Pikmin, but if you kill the leader Bulbmin you can use the babies to your advantage. Bulbmin are weak, but they're immune to all elements and don't drown. Bulbmin cannot leave the caves in which they are found, unfortunately.

Also, Purple and White Pikmin do not have an Onion to return to. They are rare Pikmin which can only be created by feeding another Pikmin to a Purple or White Candypop bud. This makes it more difficult to breed them and more worthwhile to protect the ones you have.