The newest game for the Wii U, Splatoon, can be summed up in one word - addictive. I picked it up on release day and put it on the moment I was home, burning away the remaining hours of the evening on this third-person shooter. Nintendo have always put a great deal of effort into their games over the years, and their game series are some of the most famous in video game history. Splatoon is a new franchise with no predecessor titles, but it has all the charm and charisma of other Wii U releases.
The game mechanics are fun, fast and versatile. The whole concept of shooting paint to cover a map and kill enemies is one thing, but then one of the other main features is to travel through this paint in the form of a squid. This may all sound daft, but the shift between squid form and kid form becomes fluid. You'll be diving into one paint puddle and then splattering walls with your paint gun and moving up and around that wall as a squid. Rinse and repeat with an array of obstacles and opponents.
Maybe i'm not selling Splatoon to be an all-singing, all-dancing impressive video game. My first experiences were lacklustre, and whilst the mechanics were ace there was nothing that dragged me in. This is because 90% of Splatoon's quality comes from it's team games via the online lobby. This game is nothing grand offline, but playing against thousands around the globe makes it awesome.
Online matches are quick action-packed rounds which last only three minutes. This sounds like no time at all, but speedily swimming around as a squid means you can move and shoot and support with haste. Super jump's can be done from your location to a team-mate's location to offer swift assistance. Trust me when I say a lot can happen in a three minute match. Victory requires co-ordination, aggression, and territorial domination. This would be easier to organize with voice chat, a feature sorely missing from Splatoon.
Splat or be Splatted!
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