Pikmin (Gamecube, 2001)

I remember the reason why I got Pikmin (2001) when I was a little kid.  The Gamecube had just come out and the only game I had for it was Luigi's Mansion, so I saw this one in Nintendo Power magazine and decided I would get it.  That was one of the happiest accidents of my life.  Pikmin turned out to be a deep, beautiful, original, and challenging game that still amazes me to this day.  The more times I play it and think about it, it gets better.
Captain Olimar, employee of a freight company from the planet Hocotate, is travelling the galaxy in his spaceship, the SS Dolphin, when he is blind-sighted by a meteor and crash lands on the planet below.  When he comes to, he finds that his ship is completely busted.  Thirty important parts are missing, and to make things worse, his life-support systems will only keep him alive for thirty days before succumbing to the planet's poisonous atmosphere (comprised mostly of oxygen).  Upon a quick survey of the crash site, he discovers a bulbous plant-like craft (which he calls an "onion") which sprouts a single seed.  The seed quickly blooms, and when Olimar plucks it, he makes his first encounter with the plant-animal creatures that he decides to call "pikmin".
Olimar discovers that he can direct this pikmin to do various tasks.  He can tell it to carry plant and animal life back to the onion, which uses the prey's nutrients to generate more pikmin.  He can make them push a heavy object out of the way, and behind it, he finds the most crucial piece of his ship, its engine.  Using the pikmin to bring it back to the ship, he begins to make repairs.  Olimar decides that he will use the pikmin to help him escape the planet before he perishes.
Immediately the game has you determined to survive.  There is a natural feeling of urgency that influences every decision and plan you make from here onward.  The game is a mixture of real-time strategy and puzzle elements that come together with perfect harmony.  You find three different kinds of pikmin here, the fire resistant and stronger reds, the bomb-rock wielding and lighter yellows, and the amphibious blues.  You must use all three types intelligently in order to make progress.
There is combat in Pikmin, but it avoids feeling like random battles, and feels more like natural rivalries between species.  Hostile creatures don't exist to stand in your way, you are invading their habitat, and they are merely defending themselves.  The developers take every opportunity to craft enemies that test your strategic capabilities.  Reptilian Bulborbs nest in your way, and it is possible to attack them while they sleep to minimize damages.  Swooping Snitchbugs, which fly high above, are easier to hit with yellows.  Wollywogs wade in large pools, and are only approachable with blues.  There are also plenty of creatures that are not hostile.  Wisps will go about their way and will not fight, even if attacked.  Mamuta is a gentle giant that will become angry if provoked, but is otherwise harmless.
Pikmin is designed so meticulously that it feels real.  Nothing seems like it was placed somewhere by intelligent design, it's just supposed to be there.  Olimar frequently logs his discoveries at the end of each day, and that is another feeling the game gives the player.  You feel like a survivor and an explorer.  Collecting all of the pieces is a daunting task, and each day brings new trials and  increased weariness, but you are taken aback by the game's beauty so much that it seems worth soldiering on just to witness more of it.  Pikmin is a fairly underrated game on a system that was fairly underrated itself.