Pikmin 2 is a game about landing your spaceship on an alien planet and meeting a population of friendly and intelligent plants, who help you collect treasure. No, it does not sound like a good idea on paper, but that is OK. The execution is transcendent. This is one of the best video games of the year.

The original Pikmin, which was also about friendly plants and spaceships, arrived in stores a short time after the GameCube itself. It drew mostly pleasant reviews, but failed to create much excitement at the till. That is sort of the way things go for amazing and original video games. If you offer a radically new kind of play experience, or if your graphical style is unfamiliar or whimsical or trippy, or if you fail to include

(a) terrorists,
(b) space marines,
(c) linebackers, or
(d) carjackings,

you can count on a tepid reaction from the software-buying public. This is because the software-buying public is dumb.

The good news is that the software-buying public is getting another chance. The sequel is a lot like the original, only better.

Pikmin 2 tells the story of Captain Olimar, who was also the star the last time out. He is a delivery driver for a space transportation company. In Pikmin, he crash-landed his ship on a strange planet, scattering bits of machinery across the landscape. Just as despair threatened to close in, he met the aforementioned friendly little plants. He called them "pikmin," for reasons that are probably only clear to people who understand how important the Pokémon brand is to Nintendo's bottom line.

The pikmin were eager for something to do and very good at taking direction. In no time, they had gathered up all the far-flung bits of spaceship, which allowed Olimar to go home feeling great about alien hospitality. As the new game begins, Olimar's boss at the transportation company tells him that a bad debt is about to put the company under and would he mind going back to the planet of the pikmin to get some treasure. Episode 1: Must Make It Home Before Life Support Supplies Run Out. Episode 2: Must Bail Out Insolvent Boss And His Stupid Company.

Yes, the sense of urgency is a little diminished. But the play mechanics that were so delightful in the original are here again, even more polished and even more fun, so we forgive the people who settled on bankruptcy as a great hook for a sci-fi story. Here is how it works.

Pikmin are very small creatures. They look a bit like tulip bulbs, except that they have arms and legs and can run around. As you wander the landscape, you can attract nearby pikmin by whistling at them. Once you have them herded together, they follow as you walk, waiting for you to give them something to do. If you should come across a flower with a big number 5 in the middle of its blossom, you need only throw five of your Pikmin at it; they will cut it down, harvest its fruit, and carry the resulting power-pellet back to their hive, which will use it to grow more pikmin.

Suppose you and your herd encounter a big stone wall, which blocks your access to a big chunk of treasure. You toss a collection of Pikmin at it, and they set to work, hammering away with their little bulby hands. It may take them a long time, but they will not rest until they have knocked the wall down. While they are at it, you can tend to another herd and get it working on something else.

You have a colleague with you. His name is Louie. Apparently the bankruptcy is his fault. Here, however, he is singularly helpful; you can switch between controlling him and controlling Olimar any time you like. This, combined with the pikmin's advanced work ethic, makes for furiously multitasked tulip-herding. Master the art, and you will be able to skip the MBA and go directly to the corner office.

The treasure you find is mostly brand-name Earth garbage: Duracell batteries and 7-Up bottle caps and the like. This is mysterious, but also sort of neat. You have already suspended enough disbelief to tolerate walking flowers, remember.