One series that's been all but forgotten for the better part of the past three years is Pikmin. The franchise hasn't seen a proper sequel since 2004 -- a whopping 8 years! -- when Pikmin 2 came out the Nintendo GameCube.

April, however, has been an absolutely huge month for fans of the overlooked franchise. Not only did they get confirmation that Pikmin 3 for Wii U will be at E3 2012 in full force, but now New Play Control!: Pikmin 2 is coming Stateside.

As Nintendo Life reports, a new issue of Nintendo Power confirms that Pikmin 2 will be heading to North America for a second time in June, 2012 — three full years after the motion control-enabled remake first came out in Europe. This sudden urge to bring Pikmin 2 to North America is likely a result of the need to build awareness for the Pikmin brand, with an impending follow up -- the long in development Pikmin 3 -- likely releasing later this year.

The original Pikmin was given the same "New Play Control!" overhaul when it was released on the Wii back in 2009, and the conversion was met with decent reviews. Despite being designed around the GameCube controller, Pikmin's gameplay lends itself exceedingly well to the "pointing" feature of the Wii Remote. Still, as good as the first Pikmin is, Pikmin 2 has long been viewed as the best of the two games by critics and fans alike. Both newcomers and veterans of the series will be in for some solid strategy-based gameplay when the franchise returns this Summer. Perhaps by then we'll even know a little more about the rumored 3DS Pikmin game.

Look forward to once again planting and plucking the adorable little animate plantations in New Play Control!: Pikmin 2 sometime in June, only on the Nintendo Wii.

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Source: Nintendo Life [via GoNintendo]