Splatoon: I Ink Therefore I Clam

[Caldwin]

I played the first two games rather casually. I'm kinda surprised, actually. I came into this one expecting it to be like the first two where I win some, lose some. But it seems that those more dedicated to the game have gotten that superior skill level where casuals are going to have a harder time than they used to. Not going to let that deter me, though. It's still a pretty fun game.

I do see some differences (the way you start out on your base and such). But over all it does feel pretty similar to the first two games. I don't know if it feels the same because I'm more casual and the more hardcore fans definitely see and appreciate the differences or what. Anyway...new Splatoon! Who's playing?

 

[Pocket]

So, is this Nintendo just pulling a Call of Duty and rereleasing the exact same game under a new name to get people to buy it again? I realize it's been five years since the last one, but Nintendo usually doesn't pull this until a new console is out. Besides, people went apeshit over Blizzard's plans to do that with Overwatch after seven years.

 

[Caldwin]

Well, like I said, I'm a casual fan. A casual fan sees New Super Mario Bros and thinks it's okay but just the same as every other SMB game ever. A true fan hears what the casual fan says and replies with "are you hugging kidding me?"

I mean, they definitely streamlined some things. If you never played a Splatoon game before, this is definitely the one to get.

But I would like to see a more dedicated fan give me the "are you hugging kidding me" treatment because I really would like to see what they see.

 

[Pocket]

I thought it was already pushing it to make the initial Switch release a sequel in the first place, for a number of reasons:

1. Anyone who was suckered into buying Nintendo's worst console ever and got Splatoon for it was now stuck buying a new game and a new console if they wanted to keep playing the game. This is also true of Mario Kart 8's online mode and that sucks too (especially for people who even shelled out for the DLC) but at least that game had offline multiplayer. You might at least get a few pennies at GameStop for your trade-in. Copies of Splatoon are pretty much just an oddity for hoarders now.
2. Unlike every other WiiU-to-Switch port, Splatoon 2 isn't just the entire original game plus more content; the entire single-player campaign was replaced, as was the multiplayer soundtrack (seriously, if you've never heard the original main theme, "Splattack", go look it up now, along with the original Splatfest theme "Ink Me Up"), and they will never see the light of day again. If you weren't there, you don't know what you're missing, and I guess that's true of all lost media... maybe I'm just being a grumpy old man yelling at a cloud for caring, I dunno, but...
3. The original game was only two years old. Even the worst AAA companies don't shut down games that fast unless basically nobody buys them.

I dunno, maybe my impressions of the whole thing are skewed by the fact that I'm a PC gamer whose top-played game is Team Fortress 2, a game that's still getting free content updates after almost 15 years. Lord knows that business model isn't perfect either, and has come with some of the exact same problems (no one will ever know what it's like to play this game without every character looking like they got dressed by having a wardrobe fall on them...and I still think Demoknights are ridiculous) but the game I got back in 2007 is still a functional product all these years later and runs on every computer I have, not just the one I bought it on.

To be fair to Nintendo, I'm betting they started work on this game assuming it would be released on some hypothetical successor to the Switch instead, because everyone was expecting there to be one by now. And also to be fair to Nintendo... they didn't go through with those plans. They didn't bribe their way to the head of the supply chain so they could squander the planet's dwindling resources on a New Switch for scalpers to buy up and resell for $1000, and release a slate of exclusives no one can play.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

Anyone who was suckered into buying Nintendo's worst console ever and got Splatoon for it

Splatoon was on Virtual Boy?

 

[Caldwin]

I still think the WiiU was a great system with great games. It's just that the marketing for it was horrible.

 

[MEDdMI]

It was pretty cool having the tablet for maps/2nd player w/out taking up room on the main screen. Non-Nintendo games didn't really take advantage of it.

But anyway. S3 is fun, there's more weapons and hairstyles, of course. There's still an offline story mode, but you should get at least a month of online service for multiplayer (and to unlock the shops). The multiplayer is the true appeal, plus seeing other people's messages/art is fun. The paint roller is my go-to, don't have to worry about aiming much.

 

[Caldwin]

Honestly, the WiiU was the Zelda fans dream.

On the topic of Splatoon, I am having fun with it. Also, being a more casual fan, I'm not sure what they'd do to make it stand out more from previous games and still be a Splatoon game at its core

Honestly, it's not a bad game...at...all. I'm just not seeing much difference between games. But I really think that's just a me thing for being a casual player of the series. Which may be an unfair thing for the game when actual fans can tell the difference.

It's just, when someone comes at me with "oh, you played it! Is it any good?" Like, what do I say? My personal experience is that it's good but more of the same. But I also know that my passing familiarity with the game may be an unfair place to judge the game from.

 

[Pocket]

Splatoon was pretty much the perfect version of itself from the get-go. A lot of franchises take a few installments to find their groove, but a lot of franchises aren't made by Nintendo. They also allowed their developers to make balance tweaks post-launch, so they pretty much ironed out the few kinks it might have had that way.

 

[MEDdMI]

If any of you missed the server test/global launch, one of the big changes is the Splatfest. There's 3 options now, and 2 rounds of fighting. The first round is one team vs one team. The 2nd round pits whichever team is in the lead against the other 2 teams at the same time. 4 members of the lead team will go against 2 members of the two other colors. Makes it more chaotic.

 

[Caldwin]

To whom it may concern:

INK YOUR HUGGING BASE!!!

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

And don't bother inking walls unless you intend to climb. They don't count towards the final score.