Feature Articles
Thursday14th Mar 2024
Soapbox As Splatoon's Online Wraps Up Nearly 9 Years On, How Does It Compare To Splatoon 3?
Dye hard
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, as its online days draw to a close, Nile bids farewell to Splatoon on Wii U, a shining proof of concept... On 8th April 2024, Nintendo will be
Monday12th Jun 2023
Feature Nintendo Fans Needn't Lose Sleep Over Foamstars, Square Enix's 'Splatoon Rip-Off'
Fun-but-messy foamin'
When Square Enix's Foamstars was announced during the recent PlayStation Showcase, Nintendo fans everywhere were thinking one thing: "Er, Splatoon-much!?" After going hands-on with this PlayStation exclusive for 45 minutes at Summer Game Fest, this exclamation still rings true. It definitely looks like Splatoon, and it also...
Monday2nd Jan 2023
Soapbox After 10 Years I Finally Got A Wii U, Here’s What I Thought
The good, the bad, and the ugly
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, following up on his piece from a few weeks back, Jim delivers his verdict on the ten-year-old console and how it holds up in 2022 ... Picture the scene. The year...
Saturday31st Dec 2022
Feature Why Is Splatoon So Popular In Japan?
Nintendo is squids in
It happened almost overnight. One day in May 2015, Splatoon merch appeared everywhere in Japan. Baby inklings dangled from kids’ backpacks. Squid-girl stickers adorned pencil cases. Convenience stores advertised raffles for figurines, coffee cups, and Splatoon-branded bags. This explosion of Splat-swag was perhaps more of a...
Friday9th Dec 2022
Round Up Everything Announced At The Game Awards 2022 - Every Game Reveal And Trailer
What was your favourite announcement?
Another year, another Game Awards event. It was a pretty good one though, right? There were plenty of cracking game announcements for all platforms, including the Switch, and for your convenience, we've compiled them all for you right here. You'll find all relevant game trailers below along with a link to our...
Wednesday10th Aug 2022
Talking Point Has Nintendo Done Enough To Justify Splatoon 3's Existence?
Let's break down the latest Direct
Over the past few months, there's definitely been a growing concern amongst fans that Splatoon 3 might not be able to justify its own existence. Regardless of your opinion on them, live service games like Fortnite and Apex Legends have proven that it's perhaps more beneficial to launch what is effectively a...
Tuesday3rd May 2022
Feature 18 Best Credits Sequences And Loading Screens That Let You Do Stuff
Who said waiting had to be boring?
Credits and loading screens within video games generally aren't particularly interesting for players. Credits sequences are a great way to take note of the amazing developers that make our favourite games, but they're more often than not devoid of any interactive element. Loading screens, meanwhile, are just that:...
Saturday11th Jan 2020
Feature Game Of The Decade Staff Picks - Splatoon
Woomy
Following on from our reader-voted Top 50 Games of the Decade, Nintendo Life staff members will be picking their personal favourite Nintendo games between the years 2010-2019. Today, Alex recalls the growing pains of his first major step into his career, and how one squid and/or kid-based shooter made all the difference... “These controls...
Tuesday27th Feb 2018
Art Check Out This Incredible Zelda: Breath Of The Wild x Splatoon Mash-Up
Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl, Inkling Bokoblin?!
As you are probably aware, we're pretty big fans of Splatoon here at Nintendo Life. Then Breath of the Wild came in to our lives, and - even though it was only one year ago - we really don't know how we coped without it. Imagine our shock and delight, then, as we stumbled upon illustrator...
Tuesday28th Nov 2017
Feature Take A Look At The Awesome NES Splatoon We Never Got To Play
"I caught them when they were probably very busy finishing the game"
Splatoon is fantastic in 3D, but what exactly would it look like in 2D? That's what former Vitei (Steel Diver, Tank Troopers) staffer Nathan Heckel pondered last year. "While I was at Vitei wrapping up work on Tank Troopers as a gameplay programmer, I wanted to start my...
Friday30th Dec 2016
Talking Point Splatoon May Be Winding Down, But Its Legacy Could Be Significant
Modern trends with a Nintendo touch
In the remainder of 2016 we'll re-share some of our favourite feature articles from the year. This article from 4th August reflects on the end of an era after the final Splatoon Splatfest, and how the colourful shooter established a DLC model for Nintendo that's sure to return in the future. Recently we had the...
Thursday3rd Nov 2016
Talking Point Ports vs. Sequels On The Nintendo Switch
A unique switchuation...
In this Talking Point, Arjun gives his perspective on the ports vs. sequels considerations for the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo NX - erm, Switch - has finally been unveiled, and it's arguably the lion's roar that the big N needed after troubles with its last home system. The Wii U has suffered a similar fate to that of the...
Monday8th Aug 2016
Feature Ten Ideal Launch Year Nintendo NX Games
In one writer's humble opinion, at least
Just recently we ran a poll asking you which Nintendo games / franchises you'd like to see in the NX launch window, assuming that to be a period of around six months. Plenty of you pitched in, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and a 3D Mario title being the leaders, with a new Metroid Prime title...
Friday22nd Jan 2016
Talking Point Splatoon Began With an Early Access Approach, and Has Provided a Valuable Lesson
Free updates that kept on giving
Cast your mind back to launch day Splatoon. Single player campaign? Check. Slightly mediocre local multiplayer mode? Check. Online modes? Well, some of them. Back when we were publishing our Splatoon review, its writer and our video man Alex was gushing in his praise, yet some debate was had within our team about...
Wednesday4th Nov 2015
Talking Point Super Mario Maker's Update Continues Nintendo's Focus on Major Games as Services
Going beyond day one
Super Mario Maker is on the cusp - at the time of writing - of receiving its first major update. It solves one of the most notable quibbles that fans have had by adding level checkpoints, in addition to features such as dedicated areas for official Nintendo courses and 'event' courses contributed by companies such as Facebook...
Sunday9th Aug 2015
Poll We Want Your Views on Splatoon Version 2.0
Splatfests, Private Matches, being both a kid and squid
Splatoon changes every week, but the most recent update was one of the biggest yet. It threw in much demanded private matches and the opportunity to team up with friends, while also adding a big batch of new gear, some extra music and boosted level caps. When you add the latest Splatfest round...
Tuesday4th Aug 2015
Talking Point Nintendo's Game Updates and DLC Are Fantastic, Albeit Starved of Attention
Key Wii U titles have evolved a great deal
It's easy to be a little blasé and spoilt as gamers, but it's been striking once again that, with a combination of economic savvy and a clear love for its products, Nintendo is making the most of key releases on the Wii U. Three of the system's biggest games have transformed since launch with a mix of new...
Sunday19th Jul 2015
Talking Point Competitive Gaming With Super Smash Bros. and More Can Be Vital for Nintendo
New audiences and more headlines
It's been Evo weekend in Las Vegas, arguably the most notable fighting game tournament in the world. Super Smash Bros. Melee and the Wii U entry are two of the biggest titles of the event, with recognisable competitors and a lot of press coverage revolving around the series. If Masahiro Sakurai takes personal...
Friday10th Jul 2015
"I want to grow Splatoon as an IP"
Splatoon was a bit of a risk for Nintendo - it was a new IP in a genre that the company has little experience in. However, the title has proven to be a sizeable critical and commercial smash hit all over the world, repaying Nintendo's faith in a young and creative development team. We were lucky enough to sit down...
Thursday2nd Jul 2015
Guide Master Splatoon's New Tower Control Mode with these Easy-to-Use Tricks & Tips
We all want control
Splatoon's new Tower Control game mode has been released to the public, and as with any new set of rules it can take a while to learn how best to approach the matter. That's why we've played and played since silly o' clock in the morning in order to better understand the ins and outs and more importantly deliver our findings and...
Wednesday3rd Jun 2015
Interview Splatoon Producer Hisashi Nogami on Claiming New Territory for Wii U
Aimed to create "an entirely new form of gameplay"
Though the claims that Nintendo simply doesn't tackle new ideas aren't entirely fair, there's little denying that Splatoon has been a breath of fresh air on Wii U. As a new IP that utilises a genre so rarely entertained by Nintendo - a third-person shooter - it appears to have succeeded in grabbing...
Tuesday2nd Jun 2015
Hands On Checking Out Splatoon's Freshly Unlocked Ranked Battle Mode
Laying it all on the line
If you booted up Splatoon this morning you might have noticed that without even the need to download an update that you can now play on the new Port Mackerel map. You can also buy the N-ZAP '85, a new weapon which looks suspiciously familiar. Of course what will be most exciting for competitive gamers is the introduction of...
Sunday31st May 2015
Parent Trap Splatoon Gets Family Tested, And Comes Through With Flying Colours
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson investigates Nintendo's new smash-hit
With Splatoon out in the wild we can get a first proper impression of how the game is going down with families. With this in mind I checked in with the Huo family to see how they'd taken to the local and online components of Nintendo's new shooter. They took a while to get used to...
Saturday30th May 2015
Poll Early Impressions on Splatoon and That All-Important Online Multiplayer
Fitter, younger hamsters spinning the server wheels?
Nintendo's releasing a game that prioritises online play, so naturally plenty reach for popcorn. Splatoon is on store shelves and appears to have had solid numbers hopping online to splat each other with ink, while some may even be tackling the single player campaign - those rogues. The old...
Sunday24th May 2015
Reaction There is a Positive Angle to Nintendo's Splatoon Global Testfire Issues
Lessons learnt
When Nintendo announced the first round of Splatoon Global Testfire sessions we described the idea as a clever Nintendo Direct highlight, as it achieved multiple goals. It created 'event'-style hype, gave curious Wii U owners a look at the game, and also allowed Nintendo to stress-test the online component with an audience of a decent...
Tuesday12th May 2015
Parent Trap Splatoon Is The Perfect Family Firepower-Fest
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson gets inked up in Nintendo's new hit
Splatoon has been bubbling away for a while, but it's only now - thanks to the recent Global Testfire events - that we start to see how unusual and engaging a game this will be for a whole new audience of shooting fans. Every family is different but a video game flash point for many...
Sunday10th May 2015
Poll Did The Splatoon Global Testfire Hit Its Targets?
A demo unlike any other
If you took part in the Splatoon Global Testfire this past weekend you'll have looked a great deal at the app's icon before loading, which is prominently branded as a 'DEMO'. Yet it was a demo unlike any other, with the download now essentially irrelevant, unless Nintendo schedules more online sessions. Three one hour...
Friday8th May 2015
Feature The Key Details on Splatoon, Nintendo's Shot at a New Wii U Hit
Modes, guns, 8-bit games and amiibo
This week brought us Splatoon Direct, Nintendo's quirky pitch for its upcoming ink-based arena shooter. It's a game that's justifiably been talked up a fair deal, with a blend of intuitive and clever GamePad controls, bright visuals and a whole lot of gameplay potential. While large sections reiterated information...
Thursday7th May 2015
Reaction The Splatoon Global Testfire Demo Is a Clever Nintendo Direct Highlight
Stress tests servers, creates an 'event' and builds hype all at once
Nintendo isn't quite as old-fashioned as some like to pretend; it is, after all, a multi-billion dollar entertainment company that manufactures and sells consoles. In recent times it's signalled a serious intent to tackle the smart device market, shake up its customer loyalty...
Wednesday6th May 2015
Feature What We Want to See in the Splatoon Direct
Inking in the details
It's now less than a day until our next Nintendo Direct or, to be more precise, a Splatoon Direct. Nintendo is mimicking its Direct scheduling approach from 2014, filling the spaces between its latest major broadcast and E3 with presentations focused on retail releases. Mario Kart 8 had its own - fairly lengthy - Direct not...
