@larrydavis: not to mention the locked contents for amibos.. You remember Evolve's day one dlc, right?

Opinions. I thought Evolve was a blast, and definitely got my money worth -- I'm already bored with Splatoon. At least Evolve had 12 characters and 3 monsters, all of which played very differently. So far, it seems like Splatoon mostly appeals to Wii U owners starved for something, ANYTHING, new to play. I definitely am in that demographic, that's why I bought it, but there just is not enough here to justify a full release. It would have been a 20 dollar downloadable game on Steam or PSN/XBLA.

@ripelivejam: It really was not as crazy as some people (including those on the bombcast) would have you believe: as long as you knew how to play your class, communication was not essential. I never used voicechat, ever, and things went pretty well. But hey, now you can play it without fear of anyone talking to you, because there's fucking nobody playing! Hooray!

@giant_gamer: Not really? Unless you mean the monster pre-order bonus. I got the game for a net cost of $38 for preordering it anyway, so it's not like that's something I would hold against it. The "super expensive" DLC that everyone freaked out about were just gun skins that other players can't even really see, or monster skins that make them more visible, actually giving them a disadvantage. MK's Krypt unlocks/fatality tokens were way grosser, and Splatoon locks single-player levels (regardless of their quality) behind buying the Amiibos.

I think it's totally fair to say Splatoon lacks content. Since people keep making the comparison to Evolve, the only real difference is that the internet decided to make a big controversy over Evolve before it even released, whereas Splatoon seems to be beloved by almost everyone. That's not something you can really control, and I don't think it's worth arguing over.

I guess the Amiibo stuff is a fairly egregious way of handling content, but I'm willing to believe that their plans to release free DLC content slowly over the next few months will help keep the game active and fresh. Also, it should be noted that Splatoon is only $30 in the UK. Not sure why it's double that for NA peeps, but I will say I personally don't have a problem with what I paid for it.

I think it's worth mentioning that Evolve was sold as a hardcore/ e-sports shooter for the hardest of hard core players while Splatoon was sold as a colorful paint game for everyone. Evolve blended in mechanically and aesthetically with a ton of other games while Splatoon is trying to create a new niche. I think that there were a lot more people looking for a quirky and colorful game with unique shooting mechanics than there were people looking for a 5 player coordinated hunting game. It looks like Splatoon is appealing to a different set of emotions and play experiences than Evolve did and its being rewarded for it.

These games go for very different audiences and very different tones. So it isn't surprising when the one targeting an oversaturated audience is met with tepid reviews and the one targeting an underserved audience is embraced. People will pay extra for a new experience that other games don't offer.

The reason why this game is "beloved" is because it's released for a console that's almost dead at this point. If Splatoon was released on PS4, Xbox One and PC, it would get mediocre reviews and people would give it shit for the lack of content. I don't want to sound overly-negative, but almost everyone discussing this game just turns it into a circlejerk, when the game is clearly just a fun simple game that would have been a cheaper downloadable game if it were released on any other console. It's not like the quality is that much to brag about either, everything works, but it's not like anything in the game is new and mindblowing. I really like how the focus is less about getting kills and more about controlling the area. As it stands, they could turn this into 1 minute matches honestly because the only thing that really matters is what you do right before the game ends. I don't understand why they won't score you for how long you've controlled most of the map, but only scores you based on how much paint is out at the end. This would be a very good way to determine the winner if you could actually chat with people in game to get people to work together to keep your advantage, but when everyone is just doing whatever then it doesn't really work.

Oh I wouldn't like overall time controlled one bit. The frantic rush to keep everything painted at all times is the reason the game works.

Splatoon was the catalyst for me finally buying an external hard drive for my Wii U. Worth it!

New Nintendo Direct, with some Splatoon news. Getting a new map (Port Mackeral), and a new gun (N-Zap '98) as free DLC tonight. Also, Ranked battle mode will be opening up!

The difference in perception between Evolve and Splatoon might come from the fact that Evolve's DLC plan was cluttered with deluxe editions, preorder bonuses, season passes, and mostly just tried to sell you expensive stuff, while all of the DLC they've announced for Splatoon (so far) is supposed to be free (aside from the questionable example of the Amiibos).

Yeah! I was expecting something new for E3 week but this is great news, even if its only a little bit of content. Port Mackerel looks a little samey in its design but beggars cant be choosers.

Lack of voice chat and parties really kill my hype for it

Fresh and fun.

Best time I've had in multiplayer in a long time.

@larrydavis: yeah, i ment the monster and maybe some hunters?

I remember how angry everyone was at 2K for looking game contents on day one while it seems okay with Nintendo doing it.

Hunters came out almost 2 months later. I do think they're kinda overpriced, but they play really differently, and MKX's character DLC prices are pretty much exactly the same.

The monster didn't come out until that day, too. There was no actual day-one DLC apart from the skins. Post-release maps have also always said to be free. The outrage over that game has been completely baffling to me. But yeah, I guess Nintendo can do no wrong. Fight the power.

@larrydavis: You're acting like everyone is giving Nintendo a pass on this when that isn't the case. It's been a common complaint that I've seen all over the internet.

Anyway, I continue to be on the fence on Splatoon. At $40, I'd be all over this, but $60 seems like a stretch. Maybe after the update I'll take the plunge.

So far I like it. I'm on the fence about whether it's worth $60, but I've paid far more for far less. I don't think it has a content problem. I'd love voice chat, but it's not necessary, and the free DLC plans sound great.

Anyone want to get a GB game together? NNID: Katori22

I've been running into a few online problems, but about 80-90% of the time, it's fine.

For the record, I think it's okay to say that both games (Evolve and Splatoon) have problems and it's okay to like one and criticize the other even if the games have similar problems in regards to content.

Also for the record, a 4-5 player co-op monster hunting game has different appeal than a mostly fun uncoordinated shooter. To put in my somewhat controversial opinion, having to have that many people coordinating in order to have fun is very niche, while having something colorful and uncoordinated is more welcoming. I see Splatoon lasting longer as a result.

I feel like the opening 30 seconds of the Skate park map catches on fire every time I've played it. Most of the time it recovers, sometimes it burns all the way down.

Yes. There's definitely some ways in which the scoring is busted. There only ever seems to be two ways a match will ever go. Down to the wire or if the other team gets steamrolled , or Paintrolled if you will ( Thanks @yummylee) The final 30 seconds are all that ever matters. I mostly put this down to Nintendo's weird all-inclusive nature when it comes to multiplayer.

That said I still really enjoy the game and the amount of clothing and charm is through the roof. I just wish there was more skill involved. I have won a ton of times and gotten less or very similar points than if I was losing, there's something seriously wrong with the way the scoring works if that's the case. That and the weird unbalance with some of the weapons. You could have a miserable time in the early levels when everyone has all of these fancy guns and specials. They seriously need to let you change loadouts between deaths. Not let you create whatever in a loadout though as some people have mentioned. That would just lead to there being an optimal build that everyone would gravitate towards.

Up to level 10, ready for the update. Will be good to get into some ranked matches as a lot of my games recently have been a case of "who got all the high level players on their team?".

I'm kinda surprised and loving how often I am changing my set-up. Before tonight I had almost completely ignored the roller but I wanted to try it again so got the Krak-On roller with gear that gave me a large ink tank and faster movement. I had a blast. I'm playing this setup without even caring about combat just laying down paint, saving up my Kraken for when I encounter someone. If I don't have the Kraken? Well then I assume I have given myself enough paint on the ground to create an escape route for myself, and I move on to another area, avoiding conflict entirely.

I love the game, then I hate it, but I always seem to end a play session loving it again so I keep going back for more!

Ranked Battles seem stressful.

Man, my first experience with a ranked battle was over before it had even begun. I made me just want to play turf war again, but y'know, plenty of content and all that.

The NES zapper is a nice bonus.

Oh man was down like 80 seconds in this ranked match. came back and forced overtime and won by a second. Shit was absolutely intense and gratifying.

I hate the two map rotation. It just doesn't work properly. Like... Okay so tonight I decided to play a little. Try out the new map, you know? I played 4 games. Each had a 50/50 shot at getting the new map. Each time it was the map from the beta instead. It's fucking ridiculous. I want to play different maps every match! Two of the same map in a row is worth a groan, but 4? That's just miserable. If I had gone on and gotten Walleye Warehouse a 5th time in a row I'd have been wrecked. By the 6th time I'd be dead inside.

They need to do serious shit to fix that. Maybe tinker with the odds. Make it a 60% chance if you're in a lobby that just played one map you'll go to the other map. Maybe they could increase the number of stages in the rotation. Do three and then lower the chance of a repeat to like 20% or even zero.

I feel like a three map rotation is coming, there is space for a third in the map rotation screens when you enter the match room.

As for your idea of the odds, I think the problem with it is that when 4 people drop out of match A and 4 out of match B those two lobbies get mashed together. So I imagine a lot of the time you get lobbies with a mix of people who just played map X and those who have just player map Y, so some people are always going to be upset. When I found myself is consistent lobbies with 6 or more of same people coming back it seemed to rotate each match...

...Or I could be talking bullshit and its all in fact random!

I played Evolve and enjoyed it. I feel like I got my money's worth but the key difference between Evolve and Splatoon is twofold.

1. While they both are somewhat lacking in terms of content Evolve's marketing was all over the place while Splatoon had an entire direct dedicated to it explaining exactly how everything was going to be released - 5 maps at the start and more released throughout summer until a large update arrives in August and all free. While I think TurtleRock had the right idea with releasing the maps for free the release timings were unclear to say the least. You just have to look at people crying about the day 1 dlc which as you said only amounted to a couple of skins and not a new character to prove that this stuff wasn't communicated well enough.

2. While both are very unique Splatoon has the distinct advantage of having much less downtime. In Evolve having a good team is key and while you can get three other friends to play with easily enough it is still an extra step to enjoy the game fully. On the other hand you also need a competent monster to not turn games into stomps which are extremely boring. On the other hand Splatoon matches are short (ranked matches typically last slightly more from what I've played today) and so if you're getting your ass handed to you or destroying the enemy it doesn't take long to get into a new even match. On top of this the moment to moment gameplay is more engaging. While I greatly enjoy Evolve's tense fights with the monster it does take a fair bit to get there as tracking takes a bit. In Splatoon you are at most 20 seconds away from encountering an enemy and even when you're not fighting you still feel as if you're contributing by inking the ground - both on a macro level of getting points and on the micro of filling your special meter.

What these 2 points add up to is simply a refreshing game with nothing quite like it on any console or PC, that we know will expand and has actually already done so one weekend after release.

As for the part that Nintendo can do no wrong I refer back to my 1st point. It's not that they can do no wrong, it's that they were pretty transparent with their plans for the game. Plus they've gained a reputation for making silly dumb mistakes whenever it comes to online games so people have kind of gotten tired of complaining. Not to say that that is a good thing; just that a lot of us see Nintendo wee on the carpet and we collectively roll our eyes and say "Oh Nintendo...". They don't seem to do it out of malice, just stubbornness and ignorance. (though I've seen plenty of people complain about how online is setup so I don't understand how they're getting a free pass)

As for the thread's topic I'm having a great deal of fun. Still haven't finished single player (have 2 worlds left) but I've gotten to level 15 in multiplayer and managed to buy some gear with 3 ability slots. Tried the new map and I like how different it is compared to the others. Seems designed for rollers or chargers to dominate with both the long corridors to ink in one charge and plentiful corners for the rollers to surprise people. Splat zones also seems like a fun mode. Only played it twice but it feels very different from turf wars as you kind of need to fight the other team and can't just run away. People seemed to really like using the ink strike special in that mode but I think I'll stick to my bubble and kraken thank you very much.

Inkstrike seems to instantly capture a splat zone even if it doesn't seem to cover enough ground. Since way too many people believe that defending the zone means clumping into a ball it tends to do quite well.

All about the Ink Mines in that mode though.

This game completely knocked me on my ass by how good it ended up being! I'm level 11 and been playing since Day 1!

I have no friends on my Wii U so if anyone would like to throw a Friend Code my way that would be great!

I've been playing a bunch of Splat Zones and it has quickly become an insanely frustrating experience.

The fact that some matches seemingly end in under a minute, and that your time can be rewarded with zero money or experience because the way you're randomly assigned team mates that have no idea what they're doing. It also doesn't help that they don't fully explain how the mode works. I lost 20+ matches in a row earlier, not because I was doing bad but because the game decided I always had to be placed against people much higher leveled than me, and that really does seem to make a difference. That gun at lvl 13 (and beating the third boss) has an unbeatable fire rate, it's just zero fun getting stomped over and over.

I want to play this mode because it's far more interesting, and actually requires skill and strategy unlike Turf War. But the fact that I spent hours playing this mode and got NOTHING for my time other than permanently being forced to a C- makes me not want to ever play the most interesting mode in the game. I refreshed the people I was playing with a bunch of times and still always ended up on the side that gets stomped all over.

They seriously need to have an unranked version of Splat Zones.

Edit - I have now aquired the Aerospray RG. It's stupidly unbalanced for SZ.

I'm already bored with the amount of content in it after only three days. Want to play with friends in parties for ranked matches with voice chat, but that's not possible. I have no idea why Nintendo won't give me the option of playing with my friends in a party with voice or text chat. I find myself enjoying the squid mini game more than the same damn maps over and over again. Overrated game for its asking price.

I'll probably sell it next week and put that money towards Arkham Knight on PS4.

@valhallen: whats your friend code thing? Or whatever nintendo use these days. I ordered Splatoon yesterday so should get it for Monday

Its a shame to hear people not enjoying the game because of a lack of content. I played some Titanfall last year but before that the last multiplayer shooter I really got into was Bad Company 2, so Splatoon has actually been a great way to ease back in to a multiplayer shooter. Big player counts, annoying people talking on mics, long matches, lots of maps to learn are the reasons why Splatoon is clicking for me, because the game does none of that!

Value of a game is entirely subjective, so a shooter that I am actually really enjoying regardless of content is a win in my book and worth the price.