Topic: Adult Switch Gamers

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@shani Thanks for getting back to me. That definitely cleared up some confusion and/or worries for me. Or to put it differently, it kinda elevated some of the concerns that kept me from investing in Splatoon 2

Since you asked about Overwatch, let me elaborate as well. Basically, besides the two factors time constraints/backlog and worries in terms of matchmaking (one issue that remains for me is the inability to use the Switch to send messages to friends or in short coordinate), Overwatch is basically the other aspect that kept me from getting Splatoon.

So, when OW launched, I was pretty much obsessed with it for several months. I played, well, from what I recall, nothing else at all for like three months or so. I went really deep down that rabbid whole, and as like half of my friendlist went down with me, so to speak, it was a really pleasant experience, since I virtually never had to bother with randoms. Due to exams and stuff, I kinda HAD to scale it back significantly late in 2016 (which was almost as hard as when I was addicted to stuff like Dark Age of Camelot or World of Warcraft way back when ^^), but I managed. Anyways, since then I try to a) keep in touch with the game, meaning not turning into a noob loosing all my "skill", but also I also try to avoid to b) go down that rabbid whole again, where I have like zero time left for any other game (or book, or movie or TV show or whatever really ^^).

It's a delicate balance, and overall, I'm shifted more and more away from the game. That is most definitely not due to the game's lack of quality, but rather - in my view - it's abundance of quality, to the point I found it incredibly addictive.

My reference to MMOs from earlier is also relevant in another aspect. One thing that always drew me to MMOs (to the point I had to pledge myself never to touch one again, or at least not until I'm retired ^^), was the class system, or more to the point the kind of cooperation that grew out of the holy trinity of Heal (Support/Crowd-Control), DPS and Tank. This lead to players being codependent on one another and it fostered the kind of teamplay, that you can normally only find in other games if you are playing something like semi-professional in a clan or something. It was and still is incredilby addictive to me. I love playing Supporter, but I also love playing tank, and I love the ability to mix it up by sometimes going DPS as well - or play a fun hybrid class. It's just a) the variety you are being offered in VASTLY different playstyles according to your role and b) the way the different roles interact and demand that you adapt an unique mindset for whichever role you are currently filling.

Basically, to me that always felt like a fun game-within-the-game, something that I dearly missed from my time with for instance Destiny. It doesn't really matter which class you pick. All designed to go at it alone. There is next to, or really just zero codependence here.

Anyways, before I start ranting for my passion for the holy trinity (talk about nowadays unpopular gaming preferences), I want to get to the point: Overwatch is a shooter, that managed to streamline that experience I just talked about, which is huge (no leveling, grinding for gear etc.) and on top of that, pack all of that tactical and codependet player experience into a very much skill-based and fast paced shooter (I wouldn't say MMOs are not skill-based, but there is a gap between OW and most MMOs, although I felt like TOR for instance, had a pretty decent skill ceiling). That's even more huge, because it brought together the rush off competitive FPS game, something I enjoyed for like 20 years now, starting from back when I was playing Day of Defeat on clanbase, with my passion for MMORPG "coop".

So, both of these things were huge, but OW took one step further and just created the most wonderful characters and the most wonderful mechanics. There are many favourites among OW, like all-time favorites as far as heroe design and their mechanics go, basically only rivaled by DotA, if you ask me, which was clearly a big inspiration for Blizzard together with their own experience from WoW, but my heart goes out to Tracer in particular.

I'm not sure how familiar you are with the OW cast, but Tracer is basically a ... offtank, to use MMO jargon. But it's also not really an offtank, it's more like a disruption tank, and it's also not really a tank. Basically, what you are doing is being always on top of the enemey harrassing them, dealing damage, avoiding damage with your short range teleport, and if you can't avoid it, smartly use your personal "reset" to "heal" yourself. It's a complete rush to play, and I'm not sure I can compare it to any other experience I had in other FPS games.

I mean, there are other fast paced FPS games out there, but the difference here is that you play as part of a role-based team, like I stated earlier. So you are not just doing YOUR thing, following through on your rush, but you also coordinate with your team, and the beauty here is that depending on what else you have on your team, and how those heroes are being played, you'll have to play your Tracer in a different fashion almost every match, also depending on the map of course, which is a huge factor. That is not just true for Tracer obviously, just that Tracer is so a rush in and off itself, that pairing that rush with the MMO'esque structure meant the game turned into a euphoric delight for me

A further testament to the game then is, that I also loved to switch it up and play Pharah, D.VA, Mercy, Roadhog (talk about a DotA inspired character^^) and really almost about all of them except Hanzo or Genji, because I was just .. never really good enough with them. All the Heroes play different, all the combinations play vastly different and the great thing here is that you CAN and WILL constantly adapt, sometimes every round, based on what the map is, which phase of the match you are in, what your team-mates pick and certainly how your opponents are set up. There is pretty rich meta game here ... again, the rabbid whole here was and still is incredibly deep, and there is this rich MMO-inspired tapestry to it.

uff ... textwall Anyways, to get back to your question, I'm not playing it regularly any more. I kinda ... liked it too much, it brought back the best, but also the worst of my MMOs days, which I struggled to leave behind as it is. I sometimes dipp in, but never long enough to feel that "just one more match urge" for real. It's just that good - or at least, it is to me.

Should YOU get more into it? Well, that depends on your tastes, but I'd say there are definitely parallels between Splatoon and OW in many regards, so there is a decent chance you find a rewarding experience there, if you commit. ALthough it's definitely also a hoot in short burts. It really depends on what kind of player you are. I tried to point out that I came at the game from a very particular angle, as someone who loved FPS games (mostly half-life mods like Firearms and Day of Defeat, but also Quake 3 Arena and UT) back in the day, but who was also addicted to MMOs since the beta of Dark Age of Camelot in, I believe, early'ish 2001 ... for like 10 years or so

Plus, like I said, I virtually never played with randoms, so I was in the position to never have to deal with the kind of toxicity that I keep reading about online. Sometimes I would quickmatch alone, or just with a friend or two, no full party, and yeah, I guess there are "kiddies" out there, the occassional team-block Mei for instance, but again, in ranked and playing with only friends, that was not an issue for by and large.

If you go in TODAY, and IF you have to resort to stranger, I can't say what kind of experience you are going to have. I also played on PS4 all the time, so that might be different as well vis-a-vis your platform of choice, esp. on PC, where you have textchat as well, which was not part of the equation on PS4.

So yeah, my personal experience with the game was like ... most engaging, enjoyable and varied FPS game, I've ever played to this day, but also the most addictive, in that bad "I should REALLY be sleeping, but I'm still playing"-way - that sums it up quite nicely I think.

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@Ralek85 Ah, almost forgot to reply (read your post today on my way to work).
Yeah the lack of a messaging system on the Switch is annoying, it's one of the many reasons I don't understand why Nintendo shut down Miiverse (instead of improving it and fulfilling its potential). I guess most people rely on Discord for that. Or just the NL forums.

Your initial obsession with OW sounds just like mine with Splatoon when it first came out. ^^ For about 1,5 years I incorporated it into my daily routine (like checking the map rotation every few hours or planning ahead), there was rarely a day where I didn't play, because I also didn't want to lose my skill.
And I went down the rabbit hole again with Splatoon 2, only to be interrupted by life... but now I'm getting more back into it.

Interestingly, a lot of what you wrote about OW also applies to Splatoon, only instead of heroes you have weapons. But basically you have the same roles like support or damage dealer etc. Just as in MMOs, there are different ways to fullfill that role, depending on your weapon set, the mode and of course, your play style (in that mode). I always liked to play support because I'm generally a team player (and there were some support abilities that I just preferred), especially in the first game.
But in Splatoon 2, in certain modes (e.g. Tower Control) and with certain weapons, I actually prefer being the damage dealer, whereas in other modes (e.g. Rainmaker) I prefer to be the one carrying the objective, because it's a lot like football.

A friend of mine who's plays DotA excessively (and used to watch me play Splatoon) once said that Splatoon is basically a streamlined, more accessible version of MOBAs, that all the basic elements were there as well. That was before OW came out but I'm pretty sure it applies to both games.

Long story short, I know what you mean by 'game-within-the-game'.
Whenever we NintendoLifers play in [del]Squad[del] League Battle, everyone automatically looks at the their teammate's weapon choices and might adjust his own choice accordingly. Similarly, when there is some way of communication (e.g. on Saturday one of us streamed it and we just used the Twitch chat for that, otherwise maybe just the forums, but Discord/voice chat would also be possible), we might coordinate even more detailed, like asking if using a certain gear ability might be useful for the rest of the team.
And of course one also observes the opponents and might choose a different loadout for the next game if something doesn't work that well (that's one of the major differences to OW, you can't change your loadout during respawn).
I think everyone who takes the game even a tiny bit seriously thinks about these aspects. Of course there are also other aspects like knowing the map, knowing how most players behave in certain situations, being able to read the game and change your strategy etc.

And also similarly to OW, on top of the tactical elements the skill element of being a fast-paced shooter also comes into effect. I think it's the combination of skill, tactics and just pure fun that makes Splatoon so addictive to me.

I can imagine Overwatch having a similar effect on me, although I'm not sure it would be the same. But I guess if there was no Splatoon I'd be playing OW right now. ^^
Anyway, I can't even imagine playing simple Deathmatch anymore, I'd miss having an objective that I have to reach together with my team.

So when OW was released, the main reason I was interested was because Splatoon showed me that I'm interested in this kind of game. Before, I played some singleplayer shooters but no online shooters (except for a bit of UT back in the days) - or any team-based online games for that matter. But now I know it's my kind of thing. I almost regret never having played TF2 back in the days (only tried it after OW was released, because it's OW's main source of inspiration).

One of the things Splatoon does really well is that the map/game design etc make voice chat not mandatory (in OW it's similar, but not exactly the same). I mean, of course a well-coordinated team of four players with voicechat can have an advantage, but a team of four experienced players with high awareness can be similarly effective.
So if you play in the higher ranks, it usually 'clicks' right away, because everyone knows what to do and what to look out for. But on the flipside, in lower ranks your teammates might not listen to your commands or just make stupid decisions.
I especially like that because voicechat distracts me. I mean, I have tried it obviously and I see its benefits, but if I can enjoy the game on a higher level without the need for voicechat that's even better.

So I guess playing with randoms in OW might be a little less fun than in Splatoon, at least that's what I've heard of as well. A friend of mine got OW on release day and played it excessively, but after several months he stopped. And according to him, it's still fun with people you know, but not that much fun with randoms.
It's similar to my experience with GTAO.

And I think that's where Splatoon stands out a little bit. Sure, if you're a bit more serious about it, you join a team/clan as well and play regularly together, but you can also just play regularly in random (in the higher ranks) and just as well be a successful player.

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@shani Based on my experiences with other shooters and online games in general, I'd definitely assume that, as your friend says, playing OW only/mostly with randoms is a far less joyful experience than playing with friends, up to the point where annoyance might take over entirely. I mean, one of the reason that I don't play as much anymore - besides what I already mentioned - is that part of my "crowd" ^^ moved on to other games such as Fortnite or just now, Monster Hunter.

It still a game I see pop up on my friendlist quite a bit, but definitely not as much as the first few months, when I had always at least 8-10 people playing at all times, and at least 2-3 PSN parties open - sometimes with more participants than fit a OW group, hence folks "queueing" up for a slot. Good times

There are definitely all kinds of comparisons to be made between Splatoon and OW in particular, and both games in general with MOBAs and also MMOs. Obviously, I cannot (yet ) speak to Splatoon 2, but I think as far as Splatoon 1 goes, I'd say the most marked difference is movement. In OW varies drastically between characters. I mentioned Tracer, which is one of the fastest heroes in the game, you are basically zipping around the map in a burst of short distance teleports, to the point where a skilled player will kinda "kite" (to go back to those mmo references^^) his or her opponents, or will just continously pop up behind them to harass them.

It is not just about speed and mode of movement though. THere is Hanzo you can literally run up walls vertically. Or take Genji for example, he can not only do that, but he can also double jump mid air. He is extremely agile and can cross maps quickly by 'exploiting' vertical shortcuts. Then there is Lucio who can wall run (horizontally), but also has an actual speed buff (which remninded me so much of Bards in DAoC, who had a literal speed song, which made them essential in RvR/PvP). Then there is also the difference in size: Roadhog is hard to miss, while Tracer has a much smaller frame and due to her "zipping" is hard to hat. Obviously a wall-running and double-jumping Genji is even hard to hit, because you constantly have to track not only horizontally but also vertically.

Splatoon had the same movement set for all players (aside small speed buffs in squid mode via items for example), hence in that regard, Splatoon is more homogeneous and less varied. Of course, that means it's also easier to balance, something that is always an issue with OW, even though Blizzard works on it day to day and really communicates very well with the community.

Movement in general is something I really, really like in OW. Variations aside, it also feels smooth, and like I said (quite elaborately) Tracer is SOOOO fun to play thanks to that. I might even enjoy playing a Tracer-Only game - well, I guess that would grow old sooner rather than later, but it would be kinda interesting. It's not the games mascot by accident, it's just such a fun character to play and also the character itself is incredibly likeable, and I also love the voice actress - outstanding job all around. (Which reminds me, I wanted to pick-up one of these Tracer statues from the Blizzard Store at some point ... ^^)

Then obviously, in OW you can change class at all times, so that is a very significant dynamic that constantly shifts the flow of battle.

OW is also objective driven btw, very much so. It's absolutely not a death match focused game at all. It's always about capturing an era or moving an object (payload) forward. It's just one of those ways in which it fosters cooperation (aside from the very obviously MMO inspired classes). Running off killing folks might help your team, but you can be quite effective in doing that and still loose the match. I've seen it happen more than once.

One thing I also like about OW is the combo "system", meaning that you can combine different ultimates for devastating effects. You can also create neat teams-within-the-team. So for example, the most popular, I assume, is still Pharah+Mercy. Pharah is basically a flying character and mercy (the closest to a dedicated healer the game has) can fly towards her target. So, basically, you get Pharah up in the air, blasting away with her rocket launcher, while getting damage buffed by mercy sticking close to her and using her as a shild, and if you get incoming damage, mercy repositons and switches to heal.

It can be rather effective, and it's really fun to play - for both Pharah and Mercy I might add.

In general, I would say that OW vs Splatoon (1), the difference also lies in the verticality as such. OW levels have alot of verticality, and it's just "there", it crucial and used constantly thanks to the movement ability. Obviously it's also more "ranged" than Splatoon which is mostly short rang'ish combat, evne when using a charger. Widowmaker is true FPS sniper, equipped with grappling hook for getting up high quickly (also, in best MOBA design manner, it's her escape mechanism too^^).

So, in that sense, I'd say that your firend is quite right, Splatoon is a take on the idea of streamlined, action-focused MOBA (also the lack of NPS and in-match progression still spells a huge difference), but in that sense it's also a more streamlined version of OW. I wouldn't say it's worse, it just ... well, I dare say a bit arcadey maybe, and a bit more accessible. I spend alot of time in OW and yet, the skill ceiling for Genji for instance always eluded me by light years. The movement along demands not just skill, and situational awareness, but also an extreme understanding about the map.

If you want to know what I mean, just check out Seagul playing Genji here, it's a thing of beauty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZeZATcLiPQ

That's basically 90 seconds encapsulating everything I said about classes, movement, "MMO'esque abilities", vertically and the fast paced nature of the game. It just awesome ...