Adam Tyner

A Splatoon-centric Nintendo Direct is scheduled for May 7th at 10 AM (Eastern).

Adam Tyner

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That commercial is...hmmm. Something.

A Splatoon multiplayer demo is available to download now, although it's only playable during certain hours on Saturday. People who download the demo in the UK get a 10% price break on the full game digitally; haven't seen anything about that in the US, though.

GameStop preorders offer up Splatoon skins of Super Smash Bros.:


There's also gonna be free DLC after launch, themed multiplayer Splatfest events with special rewards, and...well, other stuff you've already seen on every gaming blog or can check out in the Nintendo Direct:

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fujishig

I hope those Splatoon Amiibos are easy to get.

Moopher

Did anyone try the Global Testfire for Splatoon? It was a total blast! The connection was amazing, zero lag and maybe one or two issues connecting to a room on the first session.

XavierMike

It was great. I was really surprised how stable the online experience was. It made me much more excited for the game. I thought the rollers were over powered though.

jeffdsmith

Jumped online for all the splatoon test fires. Loving it thus far, no lag. See what the staying power is soon enough.

Adam Tyner

Splatoon reviews are up now, although the online nature of the game and the limited number of maps at launch have some outlets waiting to post their full reviews.

Polygon - 8.5/10 (provisional)
USGamer - 4/5
The Jimquisition - 8/10
Nintendo Life (in progress)
IGN (in progress)
Gamespot (in progress)
Eurogamer (in progress)

Adam Tyner

I cannot get over how fun Splatoon is.

Adam Tyner

Ranked Splat Zone matches in Splatoon will be unlocked when a certain number of players hit level 10 online. (...which I just did, so I'm helping!) Nintendo of Japan has tweeted that we're really close to hitting that threshold, so new modes should be popping up any time now.

I mistakenly assumed that the single player mode would be something tacked on as an afterthought. While it is very short, it's really fun, and it's a nice way to practice before heading online. There are a lot of really cool mechanics that aren't in the online mode, but that's okay. Every boss you defeat unlocks weapons in multiplayer, and it culminates in the best final boss battle I've played in ages.

The weapons are really well-balanced, and high level players aren't hopelessly dominating. The ink guns and secondary/special weapons are also really eclectic, with each loadout really changing the way Splatoon feels.

Things I was concerned about that turn out to be no big deal:

• Lack of voice chat - The online matches move so insanely quickly that communication/coordination would be really difficult, especially since the teams are changed up after every round. Other than a general 'party chat' function, I really don't think this is as much of a loss as people were making it out to be.
• Limited maps at launch - I do wish that there were more than 5 maps in rotation -- 2 at a time, swapped out every 4 hours or so -- but Nintendo rolling out (free) content over the summer is an interesting way of prolonging the game's life.
• Being stuck with default stuff until you level up enough - You can't select different weapons or upgrade your outfit (which has perks attached) until you hit level 4, but in practice, you'll hit this in 15-20 minutes of play.

Things that are kind of annoying:

• You can't change your gear/weapons without going back to the lobby
• Lotsa networking issues. I've noticed laggy games where my ink takes a while to register, and my Inkling took a couple of kills that I don't think would've happened if the netcode/servers were more robust. I've played a lot of matches where people are awarded 0 points at the end, and the only way that really happens is if they're disconnected.
• The local multiplayer mode -- just balloon-blasting -- is pretty lousy.

I haven't tried any of the Amiibo challenges yet. That might be next on my list.

kstublen

Yeah I'm loving Splatoon so far. It's just super imaginative and a lot of fun. I am disappointed that the local multiplayer is just bursting balloons though and wish you could have a similar mode to the online player.

I tried out one of the Inkling Girl challenges and it was just re-playing the story mode with a specific weapon which has its challenges actually and forces you to work with different weapons. I think the Inkling Boy and Squid challenges are similar.

Adam Tyner

Aside from requiring different weapons, the Amiibo challenges can add on a time limit or limit the amount of ink you can use. It's that way for the squid, anyway.

Adam Tyner

The Port Mackerel map, the N-Zap '85 gun, and Ranked Battle mode are coming to Splatoon tonight!

DaveNinja

Is the online multiplayer just one person per Wii U?

starseed1981

Any split screen co-op in this one?

Adam Tyner

Yes, and you're required to use the gamepad.

Unfortunately, no. The only local multiplayer mode is 1v1, and the goal is popping balloons rather than trying to cover territory in ink.

Goldberg74

My kids are pooling their money to get this game... I showed them some gameplay vids and some reviews.

Thanks to my BB Gamer's Club membership, it's only $47.99!

More tomorrow!

Goldberg74

My kids are loving this game! From the 17yo all the way down to the 6yo... even me!

Mikael79

Only took them one day to save?

XavierMike

This game is really good. I've actually found myself using the motion controls. Anyone else?

mattysemo247

It looks like our local library will be carrying this. It looks fun, I'll check it out.

Adam Tyner

Me too! I can't imagine playing the game any other way and being anywhere near as accurate.

Goldberg74

My kids hoard their money like no other. My 6 year old has around $80 total from birthdays and holidays that he's saved up.

Mikael79

That makes me damn proud, and they're not even my kids!

It's funny, the newer generations seem to either save like crazy, or not at all.

Goldberg74

I've got 5 kids and they all wanted in and pitched in differing amounts:

17-yo son - $10
15-yo daughter - $5
11-yo son - $15
9-yo daughter - $10
6-yo son - $10
Total - $50 gathered

Makes me proud.

fujishig

Did you tell them that only one can play at a time?