Spla2n: 2018 is The Year of the Octoling

Aye the musselman covers it well there tbh, the single player will also allow you to practice in a less intimidating environment too.

Seconding what Jas said - the single player actually has different weapons to use once you clear the first few stages, so you'll get a chance to get to grips with the weapons and aiming without the pressure of playing with other folks.

I've only played for a little bit, to get me to level 4 and the proper shop access. I saw the online organisation on Twitter, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to join in at the same time (I can only really fit in short bursts at the moment). But... I think I'm OK at this! I've been on the winning team >80% of the time so far. My "world's fastest pawn" tactic seems to be paying off.
Anyway, them's boastin' words, and I shouldn't say that without proof! I'm sorry you're having a bad time Balla (I do understand - this is the only game I dare play with randos online across all systems) but I hope generally everyone's having a good time.

Aye I'm having an absolute blast with it, I played some ranked splat zones today (so I could unlock league battle) and even though it was infuriating at times it's great to have that choice of having a super competitive game mode compared to the regular turf war. Then the co-op of Salmon run genuinely throws up some tense moments, if they weren't going to be adding free content I'd honestly be happy with all that's here as it feels like such a well rounded package.

The only thing I'd really change is to allow folk to team up easily across any game mode, anyhow great to see other forumites who didn't get the first jumping on board with this one.

Even though I did pick up the first game and I always liked the characters, it never really clicked I don't know why but the second even though isn't really that different has got me hooked already.

I don think it is due to playing multiplayer with some of you guys from day zero and having a blast in salmon run and even though the app for online gaming is a damp squid, it certainly helps with the game with the gear and knowing what's coming up and when.

masofdas wrote:

even though the app for online gaming is a damp squid

Keeps the wannabe dank squids from screaming through me telly though

Played through the first two stages of single-player.  My aiming's still bobbins, but I do at least know how to activate special moves now.

THIS GAME IS THE TITS
Right from the opening, when I got that cool, slightly distance-blurred, very HD shot of Inkopolis Square I was sucked back in. Splatoon is so cool, in the realest sense of the word, more so than anything else Nintendo puts out. The attitudes and styles, the music and the characters.

Turf War is still the best online game mode I've ever played. It's always fun, it's slick and playable, I rock at it, and even when a game goes badly it's over in three minutes and you can start again. I've had good matches on ARMS, but I've also had bad days. I've enjoyed the likes of Titanfall but the matches can drag on and get a bit samey. Something about the colour and speed of Splatoon makes it a game I can play, maybe only in small bursts, literally forever.

The singleplayer is similar to the first game but more so, which is exactly what I wanted. Fast paced, colourful and constantly throwing new ideas at you. Grinding on rails, jumping back and forth between hoops while shooting baddies was amazing. Extra weapons to play through it with are a nice touch, though I'm not a fan of being forced to use rollers. I bought Spla2n to shoot things!

Then there's Salmon Run. I've had a few games with the lads. It's pretty fun, I do enjoy a good horde mode, though the way it automatically assigns weapons is a bit of a pain in the arse. As I said before, I'm not a fan of the melee weapons in this game. Also, the aesthetic of Salmon Run is really murky and dull for Splatoon. Even the inklings have to wear dreary work clothes instead of their usual high fashion. It's interesting that this is the part of the game which is canonically "a job". I definitely detect a commentary on the soullessness of working for the capitalist machine compared to the individuality of being oneself outside of work. I suspect these themes are doubly resonant in Japan.

Overall: hell of a game. I know it didn't really happen for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or ARMS, but we definitely need to get a decent 8-man GNamer lobby and skype going.

SSSSPPPPLLLLAAAATTTTOOOONNNN

I'd be up for playing this with youse - just give us a shout sometime. I jumped into one of your games last night, got destroyed by (I think) JayMoyles, and quickly thought 'nah, fuck this, I'm going to play other shite folk instead'.

What I've played so far has been quite good, but I think I could be enjoying it more than I am. I'm well away from calling it "a hell of a game" or "inkredible" or anything like that. I'd say it's good, but not BOTW/MK8D/ARMS good.

We were wondering if you were the Ross who joined us! I'm sure it'll be a regular thing that some of us hop online of an evening, the question is whether we can fill out an 8-man lobby of just friends.

TCK wrote:

I'd be up for playing this with youse - just give us a shout sometime. I jumped into one of your games last night, got destroyed by (I think) JayMoyles, and quickly thought 'nah, fuck this, I'm going to play other shite folk instead'.

He may have been using the OP Aerospray weapon at the time so I wouldn't worry about it plus even though some of us may get caught up in the moment it's forgotten about by the next game. It really is hard to stay angry at Splatoon for more than a minute due to the 3 minute match timer.

Also I'm well up for trying to get an 8-man lobby going some night that way the game won't fuck over one person by putting them on the team with randoms.

I'm really enjoying this. The single player really is one of the best little single player campaigns I've played in a shooter to date. It's simple enough that you can drop in and out of it for a level here and then, plus it teaches you the mechanics of traversing around the stages as a lil squid dude and how to use the weapons somewhat effectively. As a straight up shooter, there's a lot of strategy and depth to this beyond just inking fools, so I'm enjoying finding out how each weapon works and how to best use them in battle. My current weapon du jour is the Zapper - I've forgotten its proper name - and I've been tearing it up on Ranked with that bad boy.

However - and I appreciate I'm likely three years too late for this bit of chat - I'm really not enjoying how restrictive it is to team up with your mates without getting randoms involved. I'm trying to unlock League Battles so I can play with you guys on a team and share in our successes together, but it's staggering how much time the game expects from you before allowing you to lobby up with your mates - something other shooters allow you to do from the get go. First, you've got to level up your inkling to Lvl 10 in regular battles to unlock ranked battles. Granted, not a huge ask but it's a good few hours of battling. But then the game asks you to level up your rank to B+. Again, this wouldn't be a huge ask being that it'd take a few hours to do so, but the fact that each ranked mode gametype seems to have its own unique rank is mind-boggling. I've just got to hope that when I want to play Splatoon 2 next that the Ranked battles are Splatzones so I can continue proceeding to rank up. Couple that with the map system growing a bit tiresome over extended play and I've just found myself wishing I could easily lobby up with you lot for some splatting fun.

I hate playing alone in online shooters, so it's sapping some of the fun from what has been a great shooter thus far. Soon, League Battles, soon.

Played for 4hrs straight yesterday and finally got into rank, which tower control can do one.

This might be my favourite Switch game so far.

The_Jaster wrote:

It really is hard to stay angry at Splatoon for more than a minute due to the 3 minute match timer.

Jay wrote:

However - and I appreciate I'm likely three years too late for this bit of chat - I'm really not enjoying how restrictive it is to team up with your mates without getting randoms involved. I'm trying to unlock League Battles so I can play with you guys on a team and share in our successes together, but it's staggering how much time the game expects from you before allowing you to lobby up with your mates - something other shooters allow you to do from the get go. First, you've got to level up your inkling to Lvl 10 in regular battles to unlock ranked battles. Granted, not a huge ask but it's a good few hours of battling. But then the game asks you to level up your rank to B+. Again, this wouldn't be a huge ask being that it'd take a few hours to do so, but the fact that each ranked mode gametype seems to have its own unique rank is mind-boggling. I've just got to hope that when I want to play Splatoon 2 next that the Ranked battles are Splatzones so I can continue proceeding to rank up. Couple that with the map system growing a bit tiresome over extended play and I've just found myself wishing I could easily lobby up with you lot for some splatting fun.

Aye I really don't like that either, League battle should have been locked via levelling up as well perhaps around 15? This would give folk plenty of time to get to grips with how the Ranked game modes work as levelling up at that stage takes a fair bit without the XP boosts.

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Balladeer after all his splatoon games.

Balladeer wrote:

The_Jaster wrote:

It really is hard to stay angry at Splatoon for more than a minute due to the 3 minute match timer.

Ahhh, Kevin Spacey. How I've missed you.

Finally got my copy, I won't be preordering from Gameseek again

I don't think I'd ever order from a company that sounds like a "web browser extension toolbar that your parents installed because the JavaScript update asked them to". Sorry to hear than Gwyn.


Big digression: even though they're a fictional species, I have a horrible feeling I'm enjoying Inkopolis too much, as a "popular teenager simulator". I was not a popular teenager.

I think I might be a no-motion-controls-nancy. Played and beat the first boss of the single-player tonight (in handheld mode), and I'm so much happier without tilt.

Also, that's an excellent boss there. Good design. A bit of the ol' Galaxies, more so even than the levels.

Now I know not everyone likes motion controls but you're honestly putting yourself at a disadvantage at least in MP because it is not only a lot slower but harder to make those small adjustments, in handheld mode I have them off also but that's because I don't want to be "swinging" the system about & that'd just be for single player.

This competitive Splatoon player has a tutorial up that may help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0ep2tJk8f0

I really don't see how having control over my character is a disadvantage compared to breaking my wrists trying to aim, freaking out because I can't change where I'm aiming vertically whatsoever and just shooting at a random spot 90 degrees above the enemy.

I've always said the biggest issue is that they totally disable vertical aim, I'd love to have it for fine tuning, but if I don't have full control of the rough aim the fine tuning means shit all. Zelda worked so well because it did give you the full range of tools.

Finally made it up to B- on Splatzones. Still furious about the ranking system, but there we go, Nintendo had to be archaic didn't they? Can't wait to finally be able to play the game properly with friends!

It's kind of sad, but I basically don't see myself playing Turf War or Ranked again. I really hate playing with randoms, it just doesn't feel fun because the team comps are often ridiculously one sided and the quality of players seems to be poor (especially on my side!). Really hope they have a bit of a think and rejig the options to make them viable again.

Aye, playing with randoms isn't up to much. Most of them are utter baws at the game, or just want to take ages to colour in the map with the worst weapons. Still, I've already played this more than the first Splatoon, and that's without playing Salmon Run, Hero Mode or reaching the Ranked Battles yet. I'm definitely enjoying it well enough, and personally I really like the motion controls with the Pro Controller - well better than the GamePad in my opinion. It needs more maps in rotation though.

That's annoying Andy as I've been playing some ranked and I think I've been on a winning team twice as no one seems to know what they're doing, and isn't enjoyable compared to Turf War.

I want to play league if that's where everyone will be but I don't want to deal with ranked to get there.

Andy wrote:

I really don't see how having control over my character is a disadvantage compared to breaking my wrists trying to aim, freaking out because I can't change where I'm aiming vertically whatsoever and just shooting at a random spot 90 degrees above the enemy.

I've always said the biggest issue is that they totally disable vertical aim, I'd love to have it for fine tuning, but if I don't have full control of the rough aim the fine tuning means shit all. Zelda worked so well because it did give you the full range of tools.

If you're nearly breaking your wrists to aim then that honestly sounds like you're over doing it but like I said I get why it might not be everyone's cup of tea but that doesn't change the fact that right stick only limits your overall movement/aiming when compared to sticks & motion. The vertical aim being disabled for the right stick has never bothered me but I do agree to a certain point that it might work even better if it was like aiming the bow in BotW.

It may well be down to weapon choice as well though since you are into using the roller which really isn't about precise aiming but if it works for you then fire away - I'm just saying new players shouldn't right off motion control without giving them a proper go.