Splatfest

Splatoon held it's first European/Oceanian Splatfest over the weekend. Splatfest involves everyone choosing a team based on whichever 'thing' you like best; this weekend's choices were Rock music or Pop music, and then you duke it out in Turf Wars for 24 hours and see who comes out on top! So, what went down?

Uneven Teams and Communication Errors

In many multiplayer games, it's still possible to seize a victory even if you have a smaller team...but not so in Splatoon. If you lack the full quota of players you may as well quit out because you'll be in for a 3 minute pasting at the hands of your adversaries, and it's just not fun for either team involved.

This became a real problem during Splatfest as it was clear after a few games there just weren't enough Pop fans to make up the numbers (at least that was the impression I got). This either meant you were battling against fewer opponents (or more opponents), or the server played you off against another group from the same team as yours (which is just as annoying as there's no incentive).

There was also a number of communication errors which booted everyone out of a number of matches, which I must admit has rarely ever happened to me since the game launched.

PAR-TAY!!!

The Ink-lings sure know how to throw a party as Splatoon's hubworld was plunged into darkness for the Splatfest, and everyone was treated to a neon musical performance by the Squid Sisters (Splatoon's resident music stars). Every match was accompanied by fully voiced rocking tunes, it truly felt a like celebration and really livened up the atmosphere.

The Prizes Stink!

The whole point of Splatfest was to earn 'Spiky Shellfish', which you can use to modify your equipment. They'll either add another attribute slot to your existing equipment, or randomise your existing attributes if you already have the maximum four attributes for each piece of kit.

The only problem I had is that anyone who picked up the game at launch most likely have the maximum number of attribute slots filled on each piece of their gear (making the shellfish pointless). Of course you can randomise your existing attributes, but randomise doesn't always mean better. I'm aware that some Ink-lings may want to improve a particular piece of gear they like, but there seems to be a better equivalent for every single piece of kit in Splatoon (again, making the shellfish pointless).

It would have been much better if Nintendo had thrown in some unique equipment for everyone to win, thus raising the stakes and making the Splatfest a must-play event. Come on Nintendo, let me win a FLUDD that fires ink!

Global Test Fire

Well this took longer than expected but here's my Splatoon blog! The Splatoon Direct didn't reveal much we didn't already know, if you've been following the splatoon Facebook page that is. The Global Test Fire event however, allowed everyone to play Splatoon's Turf Wars mode for three hours, so what went down?

Turf wars

Splatoons main multiplayer mode is simple; 2 teams of 4 players compete to cover as much ground as possible with their ink before the enemy does. Defeating enemies offers no points, but your characters special abilities will charge much faster, which is imperative if you wish to gain the upper hand. The nature of Turf Wars encourages you to explore the map, making age-old pastimes like camping redundant as you won't benefit your team. Turf Wars is fast, fun and refreshing in what has been a stale genre in recent years.

Setting the Stage

Nintendo offered 2 maps to play during the global test fire, Walleye Warehouse and Saltspay Rig.

Walleye Warehouse has lots of maze like corridors with an open area in the middle, encouraging mayhem between the two teams as they battle for turf. There's also an upper level to allow for sneak attacks and the opportunity to claim a little extra turf that may just give the edge to victory. The only problem with Walleye Warehouse is that when one team takes the upper hand and forces the opposing team back toward their own base, turning the tables is almost impossible.

Saltspray Rig is a collection of walkways and platforms in the shape of a squid. The two teams start on opposite tentacles and work their way towards the head. It's a great map as there's opportunities for sniping, but make sure to watch your step as you can fall from the stage and into the sea.

Weapons

Splatoon has 4 weapons to choose from, each with their own secondary weapon and special ability. First the Splattershot JR; a small automatic weapon useful for scouting and defending an area from opposing forces. Along with this comes some powerful grenades and a bubble shield which can be shared to allies upon contact.

Next the Splattershot, another automatic which feels more like the default weapon (much more balanced). This comes bundled with water bombs (ink-bombs?) as a secondary weapon, and your special ability allows you to throw flurries of ink-bombs for about ten seconds.

The Splat Charger is a rifle that covers quite a bit of ground when claiming turf, but I found it incredibly tricky use, especially in close combat situations. Splat Charger users also come equipped with the same grenades as the Splattershot JR and you can throw flurries of them as your special ability.

Finally we have the Splat Roller, which is turning out to be a controversial weapon in Splatoon because it's hideously unbalanced but great fun to use.  You can claim great swathes of turf by rolling it along the ground or flinging it to claim vertical turf. It's really a melee weapon so you've got get in close to defeat your enemies, but once you do they go down instantly. The secondary weapon is a suction bomb however, I couldn't see much difference between this and the grenade. The special ability allows you summon an immense speaker that blasts some funky tunes, and throwing ink into the sound wave allows you cover huge areas of turf and defeat enemies.

All in all Splatoon is shaping up to be a brilliant shooter and a must-have title for the Wii U. There's still a few things to tweak as we slowly make our way towards launch, the Splat Roller in particular, but with free DLC, tons of unlockables, and not to mention the single player campaign; Splatoon is going to have you hooked for a LONG time.

The Global Test Fire is happening again on May 23rd, hope to see you on the battlefield!

Free Hat! Free Hat! Free Hat!

I wish they'd announced this before I pre-ordered Splatoon from Nintendo.

For those who pre-order Nintendo's colourful shoot em up from Game, you'll receive this sweet inkling hat! It doesn't mention if they have any different sizes, so hopefully it'll be one size fits all. And even if it's not you can always get a handmade one from etsy. :P

There's also going to be a Splatoon themed Nintendo Direct tomorrow at 3pm (UK time). I'll be at work so I won't catch it straight away, but I'll see if I can get a blog up about it on Friday. 

Happy Birthday

It's one year to the day since I posted my first blog. 

\ ^_^ /

We've come a long way since that first post, and while there's been some stops and starts, I've had a blast putting the blog together and I'm looking forward to doing so much more over the next year. I'm currently busy working to restart the YouTube channel, hopefully sooner rather than later, and I'm also going to be updating my Soundcloud. :) The epic clear out is still going on but soon we'll have our studio space, and once it's ready everything should start to move a lot faster (I hope).  

On the gaming front I'm currently addicted to Super Smash Bros on Wii U, and I'm determined to collect every trophy in the game (I have 355 at the moment... only 364 to go). Meanwhile my 3DS has been commandeered by my wife to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3D... perhaps we'll have a little interview/review blog all about it. :P

I finally caved and pre-ordered Splatoon. I chose the bundle with the girl amiibo so I can look dashing in my school outfit. Only 25 more sleeps and the mayhem can begin!!!

And finally we must remember that it's May 4th; Star Wars Day! I have been working on a blog about the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront, originally how I was so looking forward to playing it. After much research however, it's looking like EA may have strayed to the dark side. More on that this week.

Mewtwo returns and amiibo woes

It's a been a while, so what's been happening?

Mewtwo Strikes Back!

Last week the Mewtwo download codes finally arrived for those who picked up both the Wii U and 3DS versions of Super Smash Bros. Mewtwo is just like I remembered him back in the days of Super Smash Bros Melee, but now of course he has a final smash!

If you manage to outwit your opponents and nab the smash ball thingy; Mewtwo will transform into his Mega Evolution and blast his opponents with a devastating orb of energy (awesome). My characters of choice have usually been Bowser or Little Mac, but Mewtwo is slowly making his way into the fold.

No Squiddy amiibo for me :(

I left pre-ordering Splatoon a little too late and all of the Squiddy amiibo bundles are sold out. I'm holding out for another batch to appear on the Nintendo store, but if it gets to the final week and there's no joy then I'll grab a different bundle.

I must admit I'm pretty stoked for Splatoon finally arriving next month as it's shaping up to be one of the biggest releases of the year. The Wii U has been starved of an online shooter, but now prayers have been answered and Wii U owners are being treated to one of the most unique shooters I've seen in a long time.

Studio Progress

We've been clearing out some more stuff and you can finally see the floor, check out the photo! I'm hopeful the room will be cleared by June, but I may be holding off getting new kit until November...to coincide with the release of Star Wars Battelfront. :P

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer

Speaking of Star Wars; I was dreading the upcoming film was going to be terrible however, the latest trailer has done it's job and I'm bloody excited. Drop whatever you're doing now and watch it if you haven't done so already!

Highlights from Nintendo Direct

It's getting pretty late here; so I'm going to do a roundup of what I feel were the highlights of the latest Nintendo Direct!

New 3DS and New 3DS XL arriving February 13th- Yup, the New 3DS lineup will hit European shores on February 13th 2015. The smaller model comes in Black or White with customisable faceplates, while the XL comes in Black or Metallic Blue. I think Nintendo just gave me an idea for a Valentines Day present. ;-)

There's also going to be a limited edition Majora's Mask XL model and a Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate XL model. The MH4 console looks gorgeous but I can't help but think the Majora's Mask console should have been purple instead of gold, it would have been much more striking!

New Amiibo's- Still no word on Captain Olimar ( ; _ ; ), but instead we have Wario, Robin, Lucina, Ness, Pac-Man and Charizard to keep us company in the meantime.

There's also going to be new versions of Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach and Yoshi, alongside a new Toad amiibo, with their designs being in-line with the Super Mario universe rather than Smash Bros.

Splatoon- This is shaping up to be one of my most anticipated Wii U titles for 2015. Nintendo revealed updates for their colourful new shooter including; customisation options for your characters, new weapons and a huge plaza allowing you to interact with other players while you gear up for your next battle.

Here's a link to the Nintendo Direct if you want to check it out.

Nintendo at E3 2014

I spent the majority of yesterday glued to my computer watching the Nintendo Digital Event livestream and I've got to say I was pretty impressed. I don't want to get into the whole 'who won E3' debate, but I want to give you my own thoughts on some of Nintendo's announcements.

Smash Bros- Let's get Smash Bros out of the way as this was clearly the focal point of Nintendo's conference, and rightly so because if this isn't a system seller, nothing is.

We discovered that Mii's will be playable characters and it was pretty much expected. It's allowing you to inject some of your own personality into the game, which is a design ethic that Nintendo has been proudly delivering throughout many of their recent releases.

Pac Man was also revealed to be a playable character, again not very surprising seeing at the game is being developed by Namco Bandai. And after all was said and done we got treated to a stunning anime of Link dueling with Pitt, which then turned out to be another character reveal for...Lady Palutena.

My first impressions were "Really??? This is what they're saving till last." Then I saw the amount of effort they had put into this reveal, as previously mentioned the stunning anime, with the well scripted dialogue reminiscent of Kid Icarus Uprising. Lady Palutena then silenced doubters by showing off one of the most impressive movesets of any member of the Smash Bros roster, leaving enemies obliterated and me appropriately stunned.

I was a little disappointed to find that Smash Bros has been delayed from July until October, but I'd rather that the game was polished and performing at its best. We learned that the 'amiibo' toys are going to be an released alongside the game (more on those in a moment), there's also a gorgeous line of Gamecube controllers being released alongside Smash Bros (I'm going to be so bankrupt), and they've even brought back the digital trophy collection last seen in Smash Bros Melee.

There was little gameplay footage during the Digital Event but there didn't need to be any. The Smash Bros Invitational was going to provide a whopping 2 and a half hours of live footage, I'm watching it now as I type, and suffice to say I can't wait for October to arrive so I can finally join the fight.

Amiibo- Ever since Smash Bros Melee was released on Gamecube fans have dreamed of collecting their own Nintendo figurines. Now the dream has finally been made a reality in the form of Nintendo's line of amiibo toys; wallets ready.

The toys can be used in conjunction with Smash Bros, along with other future Wii U/3DS releases, and they allow the character to leap into the game to beat the living daylights out of your opponents...that's when I became confused.

I thought these figures were going to be similar to Disney Infinity and Skylanders; where introducing the figure will allow you to PLAY as the character and not just watch them on screen. They're almost like a virtual pet as you can train them by introducing them to various games, and customise their movesets and abilities to make them your own. Either way the amiibo look fantastic and it's going to be interesting to see how they fare against the likes of Disney Infinity and Skylanders.

Splatoon- The Wii U finally has a first party shooter...but it's not Metroid. Splatoon is a third person shoot em up where two teams of four try and graffiti a variety of levels with their own colour of ink. The team who has gained the most territory ultimately wins, but covering ground also allows you to transform into a Squid so you can quickly traverse your ink and get to where the action is to fend off your opponents.

It's nice to see Nintendo delivering a new IP and I'm really excited to play this one. The art design has a great sense of attitude, reminiscent of Jet Set Radio, with the gameplay style of one of my own personal favourites; De Blob.

Zelda Wii U- We were treated to a cutscene of the brand new Zelda game for Wii U and it was nothing short of stunning. There wasn't much information provided but we do know it's going to be an open world adventure, it has a similar art direction to Skyward Sword and I don't know about you but the weapon designs look amazing. It's scheduled for release sometime in 2015, it's going to be a long wait...

Hyrule Warriors- ...In the meantime however, we have Hyrule Warriors, which I was quite skeptical about this considering it's a hack 'n' slash title rather than a traditional Zelda adventure. The reveals were very persuasive however, as Nintendo revealed there will be four playable characters (Link, Zelda, Impa and fan favourite; Midna), and there will also be two player co-op. Since Smash Bros has been delayed this is arguably Nintendo's biggest release until then, let's hope it delivers the exciting experience it promises.

There's a ton of other stuff I could go into but this blog is already long enough.

Nintendo have come under a lot of criticism as of late, but whether you love them or hate them, they delivered a fantastic performance at E3 2014. In fact the show's still going on as they're still making new announcements throughout the whole of the convention, but will it be enough to persuade the masses to go out and buy a Wii U? Only time will tell.