I'd say tension is a better descriptor to apply to the first Pikmin than 'stressful.' I don't really associate stress with particularly positive emotions, but I really liked Pikmin. It's tense, having to be quick and efficient under that time limit, but I wouldn't call it stressful.
The one sticking point about such a time limit is that there's a very definite end to the game. Whether or not you accomplished the objective in Pikmin 1 after 30 days, the game is over after that point. And it is certainly completable well before the 30 day limit - I've heard of people finishing it in 9 days. In real-time, that's about 2 and a half hours, give or take, but even if you take all 30 days, that's still only around 7 hours. Now, a game being short is not necessarily a knock against it if it's a dense, full experience in that time. But I'd hope to be playing Pikmin 3 for at least as long as I did Pikmin 2, which, whatever merits or demerits you label that game with, was more content-rich than its predecessor.
It's an interesting approach for sure. I am amused by the use of the word 'persuade' in that quote. As if to say "I'm Shigeru Miyamoto, I say this is what's happening and if you don't like it, tough luck!"