Mario creator Miyamoto introduces new 'Pikmin 3' feature

This is being billed as the pet project of "Mario," "Zelda" and "Donkey Kong" creator Shigeru Miyamoto: "Pikmin 3," a game of herding adorable little aliens and retrieving giant fruits for your home planet's people.

Brittany-Alph-and-Charlie-L-R-of-Pikmin-3-Photo-AFP

This is being billed as the pet project of 'Mario,' 'Zelda' and 'Donkey Kong' creator Shigeru Miyamoto: 'Pikmin 3,' a game of herding adorable little aliens and retrieving giant fruits for your home planet's people.

This time, new space captains Charlie, Alph and Brittany land on the Pikmin planet, searching for supplies, and meeting Captain Olimar, star of the previous games.

'The story of the game tells us a little bit about how three got involved with Captain Olimar,' Miyamoto said, speaking through Nintendo translator Bill Trinen.

Then we meet a Bulborb, one of the series' bigger monsters, a roving mouth with bulging eyes on stalks.

'Don't attack my eyes!' exclaimed Miyamoto, holding a plush toy Bulborb. 'In 'Pikmin 3' you can attack the Bulborb right on his eye, precisely. What's really fun is being able to aim and attack at specific parts this time, so I hope you will try out this new 'Pikmin' with these brand new controls.'

The game is being published for Wii U come July 13 in Japan, with a July 26 release in European regions and August 4 debut scheduled for North America.

As such, a clutch of different control schemes are being implemented, allowing players to use the Wii U tablet GamePad, conventional Pro Controller, and older Wii's remote and nunchuck in combination with a TV screen, GamePad display, or both.