Splat attack!

Splatoon is coming later this month, and judging from the rapturous reception the Global Testfire has received, there are plenty of Nintendo fans positively gagging to get their hands on the final game.

However, according to Nintendo UK marketing manager Chandra Nair, there are high hopes that the game's appeal will be so intoxicating that it will pull in those Nintendo fans who haven't yet taken the plunge with the Wii U.

Speaking to MCV, Nair said:

We're targeting Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros owners but we're using this opportunity to talk to lapsed Nintendo fans, too. Wii U has a fantastic software line-up and there really is something for everyone. There are a whole load of non-Wii U owning, lapsed Nintendo fans out there who will be tipped over the edge by Splatoon.

Nair - who used to edit the UK's Official Nintendo Magazine and is therefore ideally placed to comment on the desires of gamers - is confident that the title will prove to be a smash with fans of all ages:

Games of this quality and distinction don't come around very often and we'll be shouting from the highest rafters for all to hear. If you own a Wii U, you need this game. And by that I mean everyone. We have TV campaigns for kids, 12 to 25 year-old boys, Nintendo gamers and the wider gaming fraternity.

He also brushes asides concerns that Nintendo doesn't "get" the online shooter - a claim which has been uttered by some industry experts. Nair admits that it's new territory for the company, but insists that Nintendo's core values will shine through:

It is a new genre for Nintendo – it's a shooter – but ultimately Splatoon is what Nintendo does best: multiplayer fun. It feels like a Nintendo game and has all the values that you've come to expect. So fans are going to love it.

Finally, Nair was quick to point out that the online side of Splatoon - the component which has received the most attention so far - is just one part of a much larger package:

Up until very recently we've only talked about the multiplayer because that was the basis for the versions of the game we've showed off so far.

But there will be a satisfying single-player aspect that sees characters taking part in more traditional challenges. Three Amiibo also unlock a further 60 challenges. Splatoon is a game that you can enjoy on your own or with a friend in the same room. But it comes into its own online.

Splatoon launches on May 29th.

[source mcvuk.com]