Poll: Is Splatoon a Blockbuster That'll Help Revive the Wii U?

It's got potential, as it's something different, but I don't think it's going to have a major effect. Hardware sales will probably get a bump, but the usual case of still not being anywhere near a decent amount. I don't think it will get picked up by all the Smash and Mario Kart fans either. A lot of those people just don't watch Nintendo Directs and probably don't know it exists. It's up to Nintendo to get it out there and I just don't think they've been doing a good job of that.

Im not sure it will move many WiiUs but its really hard to tell, its making people turn their heads way too much to leave the possibility of this game selling many WiiUs out of the picture, not enough to revive the console but maybe put it in a better situation.

And while i would love a "friends voice chat" im kinda happy with it being left out BUT, i do think the most toxic people are on the PS4/XB1 community, i think this one would have fare like TF2 on PC where people just like to have fun without being too terribly into the competitive structure of needing to win every single match while yelling "OMG YOU SUCK AND SO DOES YOUR MOTHER".

That being said, ive yet to find a single online game besides TF2 where people were nice and happy, in that regard,im hapyy they left it out of the game

Sorry I feel this game will flop and not do as well as everybody thinks

the gritty, dark shooters are lots of fun but the market is full of them. its nice to see nintendo liven it up with new mechanics and tons of color!

Here's my opinions.
How excited are you about Splatoon?
Very, I can't wait for it to arrive.
Which major mode are you most looking forward to?
Online 4 vs. 4 battles.
How do you feel about the lack of voice chat in Splatoon?
Not bothered either way.
What do you think of the amiibo support in Splatoon?
I'm loving it, all three figures will be mine!
Do you think Splatoon can be a big hit for Wii U?
I think it'll do well with the userbase, but not sell many extra systems.
It will be interesting to see what others feel.

I doubt it will sell extra units but i hope I'm wrong. If the other epic Wii U games couldn't do it then neither can this.

I'm glad this doesn't have voice chat as i wasn't keen on it since games started using voice chat because it was inevitable that people would abuse the feature.

1. Reasonably looking forward to it. Not super excited but it looks cool.
2. online 4 v 4 to rek scrubz and 360 no scope them
3. Extremely disappointed as voice chat is a standard feature in online games and should be there. There are better options that please both crowds without the complete omition of this standard feature like, I dunno giving a freaking MUTE button.
4. My god, the Amiibo support. So you have 30 bucks worth of Amiibos that are hard to find which unlocks about 60 challenges in the game. I expected better from you, Nintendo.
5. It will be a big hit only in the existing fanbase of the Wii U. Nothing more.

Will Splatoon revive the Wiu? If Smash bros and Mario Kart can't help the Wiiu,what makes you think this game will.It will sell well,but it won't move systems that ship has past.

If I can't get that special pack of the three amiibos without having to pay a ridiculous price, I'm done bothering with amiibos for good. That said, I'm very excited about the game itself, all this recent rush of information has made it even harder to wait for it. But I'm not sure it will be able to move consoles on its own, as much as I hope it did.

The way the squid amiibo looks is enough to excite me. I'm buying the pack just for it. I'm also hoping it will keep stats and have leaderboards for squads or platoons or...splatoons?

Also, shooting something other than bullets will be fun.

Definitely a game I'm getting day one. But selling? I say it has a chance, but nothing too earth breaking.

I actually think Splatoon will benefit in the long run for debuting on the Wii U. It has low expectations, but stands out like a sore thumb against the familiar Ninty IPs, and even more so against the carbon copy COD clones.

As for the voice chat, I don't want to have words with any one in a game, so this makes me want to try the online. It just doesn't fit with Nintendo's image. I wonder if Nintendo would have to put the esrba/pegi rating higher if they would have included voicechat?

I think this game is being overly Hyped.

Sure, it'll sell okay. But at this point nothing can revive the WiiU anymore...

I don't think it will do well. Should have been reworked slightly and given a Mario theme or something. Call it Super Mario Splatoon.

I really am mega excited for Splatoon and have been since that glorious reveal at E3 last year. And I am so so hoping it will sell near to, if not more than Mario Kart 8 which will give Nintendo a reason to turn it into a series.

However, I really don't see Splatoon helping the Wii U. Not now. I think if Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros didn't turn fortunes around as much as Nintendo hoped, then this certainly won't. On top of that, theres so many stupid articles popping up every day about Nintendo's codename NX, I fear those on the fence will hang on till the next console.

Provided Nintendo will market this game properly, I can see it doing pretty well. But ONLY if they market it properly. I can't see this doing very well otherwise. I'm sure it'll do pretty well with the current Wii U userbase though, but it'll only sell systems if it's given enough attention. Either way, I'm looking forward to it!

The lack of voice chat for this game is a huge blow and continues to show that Nintendo is behind the curve ball when it comes to online gameplay, i'm a huge Nintendo fan but I feel that this game will flop like the rest of other Wii U exclusives. If Mario and Donkey Kong can't save the Wii U then nothing will.

I think voice chat should have been integrated, but I do think there is a lot of interest in the larger gaming community because whether people love/hate Nintendo they do know the company has created many timeless games that people love to play. With the general interest in shooters and a unique concept, I do think this will gain a lot of attention and awards, and definitely lead to some people picking up a Wii U that otherwise would not. However, I do no think it will be enough to turn the Wii U around into a huge success (especially with Zelda Wii U delayed), though I hope I'm wrong. Regardless of the larger gaming community my daughter and I are looking forward to playing this game together, and to be honest I feel bad for those who might ultimately miss out on another great game on the Wii U (so many amazing games!).

I still think this game will sell more Wii Us than MK8 and Smash did. They better sell a LE bundle with paint splattered all over the console. also it's important they put demos in every major stores out there. This is something new to the Nintendo genre and I think it will pull those who are on the fence especially those who love shooters.

I doubt it;ll sell systems, but it's a veritable treat either way.

First off, I am very excited for this game and it looks amazing! I cannot wait for it come out!

However! I don't think it's going to really sell hardware. There will be a slight increase the week it comes out but that's probably it. And I can see the software sales being huge the week of release but then sharply drop after that. Nintendo has no idea how to market their products nowadays. They think that the whole world watches Nintendo Directs when in reality only the die hard fans do. Get a bigger advertising budget, Nintendo.

I got a feeling it COULD be a big hit. It will depend on a lot of factors, but mainly on Nintendo's marketing.

I'm excited for Splatoon, and I think the game will do well. Will it sell systems? No, nothing will. Will the game do well? I think so.

Marketing for the game has been better than any other Wii U game with the exception of Smash Bros. It has hands on demos at events like APEX, WonderCon, and PAX. It has media coverage. It has a positive reaction (minus the voice chat thing). It has word of mouth, especially on social media. There's in-store displays with a great tagline. It's featured in EDGE (on the front cover even!). It has amiibo. It's been in Nintendo Directs. Only things missing are TV commercials and other merchandising outside of the amiibo. It'll get a TV commercial soon enough.

Just because something doesn't have a TV commercial, doesn't mean they aren't advertising it. Also, if you only put out a TV commercial and call it a day, then you fail at advertising. TV commercials aren't the only form of advertising, and it pains me how so many people think it is.

I doubt that it will have any larger effect on sales of Wii U systems than Mario Kart or Smash Bros did. However, it's bound to do well with the people who currently have a Wii U.

Looks fun seriously, the only ones excited for this game are nintendo fans. I am pretty sure it'll flop

No because it still looks like a kids game!

I have little interest in this, as I have no interest in shooters in general, but I full-heartedly welcome this kind of take on the genre and am very glad that a game like this is coming out, especially for the people excited for it. Maybe if it had a different premise I would've been a bit more interested, but from what I've seen, the overall design just doesn't do anything for me. It's a fresh and welcome - not to mention a much-needed - twist on those realistic, serious and mainly dull, as well as unfavorable and negatively influential shooters we have in this over-saturated market today. I can only ask, why hasn't something like this happened earlier? This seems like such a simple idea, one that perfectly counteracts against all those realistic and serious shooters on the market. This is what Nintendo is all about for me. They can take a concept and make it lively and creative, vibrant, accessible to all ages, without bad taste and questionable morals.

The thing that is getting me excited about Splatoon is the range of game modes and the potential for DLC support.

It looks like a breath of fresh air for the FPS genre.

@IceClimbers You're right, it won't sell systems, well not in large numbers anyway. I'm hoping it sells well amongst the existing Wii U user base as Nintendo need game sales to make up for the lack of hardware sales.

I'll be picking it up on Day One.

An in-store demo would be nice.

I think it's safe to say Splatoon will sell enough to provide long replay ability via online battles. I don't think it will do much to revive the Wii U, though.
And the lack of VC is a half mark in my book, really... despite the fact that I won't use it if it was actually implemented. Other than that, I can't wait for Splatoon to land! I plan to make this game my first ever game to pick up day one.

Right now, I don't think anything can revive the Wii U. It may give it a few sales however it won't be anything to say "The Wii U lives!". It will however as a game do quite well.

I think Splatoon has the potential to be the Wii U's Goldeneye. Seeing as Goldeneye started slow but blew up as word of mouth spread due to how different it was at the time, Splatoon has that same feel and could really explode in the long run. As long as the internet doesn't pull its normal negative "Wii U is Doomed!" BS when talking about the game, it could be a real game changer. Being a longtime Gamer (since the late 80's/early 90's), Splatoon is the first game in a LONG time that truly has me excited like a little kid again. It looks like pure fun with none of the game industry politics and cynical BS that has plagued the industry for the last 6-7 years.

I'm really excited for Splatoon. However, regardless of whether it's good or not, it won't sell many extra Wii U's because Nintendo never advertise games.

@Bass_X0 You're the reason Nintendo rarely tries new IPs and inundates us with endless Mario crap.

The best Splatoon can hope for is to be the Mario Kart/Smash of shooters, and it may not even achieve that. It may give the Wii U a slight bump in sales, but it's not going to be the game that singlehandedly reverses the Wii U's fortunes, no game is going to do that. I do see quite a bit of positivity towards the game, which is a good sign, but it needs good marketing to seal the deal. I'm guessing it'll make about 1-2 million sales.

I'm hoping that this will be like halo for the Xbox and define the console with a new ip. However, hoping for something, and reality are two very different things...

I highly doubt it will move any systems but it will undoubtedly sell well to those who already have the system

I'm so happy that Splatoon is getting some love in a lot of areas I didn't expect. When I first saw it, I was actually not all that impressed, but to be fair my FPS preference is basically Duke Nukem 3D and Unreal Tournament 2004. I have this on my radar, I just hope it can live up to the hype. If it does, it might take off just enough to pull the Wii U out of obscurity at the very least.

Lack of voice chat is not an issue for me. There's always some idiot on there shouting. It's very un-Nintendo.

I'm only a little interested in the game, since I don't really like playing online, and the game seems like it was designed for online play. I'm still getting it though.

No voice chat is a joke. And the reasoning behind it is even worse. Theres things like parental controls and mute options if you dont want it. I actually dont believe this reasoning at all, I actually believe noone in Nintendo has the actual technical skills to implement voice chat. Nintendos online infrastructure is a complete mess and a joke. Hopefully DeNA will be able to help them. If not, then I think they should be talking to Valve.

As for if the game will sell more wiius, not a chance. Will it sell a lot to current wiiu owners.. not sure. Theres been a lot of games come out on the wiiu i thought would sell very well and they barely sold anything, so who knows. Its almost as if there are people out there who bought a wiiu and havent bought any games.

I'm not a big shooter fan, and I don't play online, so I might skip this one, even if I really dig the character design.

@jasonbrr
Nintendo has had voice chat in several games before, and if they didn't they could still hire someone who'd know how to do it. The reasoning they gave might not be the whole truth, but I am certain they could pull off voice chat if it was a priority for them.

@Takerkaneanite6 I put everything you put except on the amiibo part I said, "It's cool, and I plan to check it out"

@jasonbrr I strongly agree with you on the last part

I understand Nintendo tries to put family safety first, but the lack of voice chat in online games really misses the point. You may as well play with Bots. I didn't realize this was how Mario kart only had chat in the lobby until a friend and I tried to play. Who wants to play online with friends and only get to talk for 30 seconds between matches?

You Brits have many interesting idioms, but I believe "It's pants" is the best of the bunch.

The potential is most certainly there, but the no voice chat thing, is a supreme sock to the groin. That pretty much throws any strategy with your teammates out the window. Not a deal breaker, but it does suck though.

I'll smile when this moves units, even though realistically I doubt it. It'll mean we most certainly have a new core nintendo ip and game type.

I'm all for that, to be honest.

This is basically Nintendo's Mario Kart 8 of 2015, especially since Splatoon is coming out either one year, or almost one year, since Mario Kart 8 released.

I'm curious to see how the Splatoon Amiibo will be used in other games. The Mario collection can of course be used anywhere - they are apart of the Smash collection after all (save for Toad). So it's to be expected every Dev and every game with Amiibo Support will be using them in different ways. But for the life of me, I can't imagine how the Splatoon Amiibo will be used outside of Splatoon. Which leads me to wonder if I should get one or not.

An odd one, this. It wouldn't be out of place if it was released for the GameCube more than a decade ago. I know it's been compared to Mario Kart, but it's more like Jet-Set-Radio-meets-Super-Mario-Sunshine-meets-the-wall-merging-ability-from-A-Link-Between-Worlds-meets-Team-Fortress-2. The art design is rather Sega-esque... it wouldn't be out of place on the Dreamcast either. On the other hand the "become a squid and swim through ink" thing is pure Nintendo. Sunshine and aLBW had mechanics that deviated from what's usual for Mario and Zelda so it's nice to see those recycled in a new environment.

When first announced as an entirely online multiplayer game it was quite a radical change from the Big N's previous game design choices... then it gained single player and local multiplayer modes. Guess the developers don't want to break completely with the traditions of the company.

It was well-received at last year's E3, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it become popular with those who own a Wii U. But for its potential as a system-seller... I don't know. Did Pikmin or Animal Crossing convince anyone to buy a GameCube?

But I'm looking forward to it. It is the freshest thing from Nintendo in years.

"(...) we'd suggest the Monolith Soft game will do well among dedicated Wii U owners, but is still rather niche and unlikely to be a 'mainstream' success."

Hey! Final Fantasy VII made the original PlayStation a must-own system, you know. JRPGs have been losing popularity since the late 2000's (well, to be honest, every Japanese developer has faced lower sales and critical reception in the last decade. It's been, using cheap wordplay, The Decline of the East.), but a game that promising can't hurt console sales.

Definitely not a system seller.. The COD gamers will think it too kiddy and the lack of voice chat is criminal.

I think Splatoon will sell well, it will sell some systems, but it won't Revive the Wii U. It'll be more of a sales bump in the road.

As much as it has my interest and I will no doubt pick it up, It's just one game and I don't expect much to be going on online after a month or two.

Then what are you left with in the years that follow? The single player modes.

I hope they are good enough and big enough, and not just an after thought tacked on to an online game.

I never like shooters on consoles using the right stick. But the gyro-asssisted aiming changes everything. This is going to be awesome!

The wii u is done selling units. It sell about 100,000 this year and thats about it. Nothing especially with the announcement of NX on the horizon, the potiential of Zelda being cross platform Wii U and NX, the fact 3ds is phasing out selling 2.5 million units this year, nothing can bring the wii u back from extinction. I have had one for 2,5 years now and love it more than any Nintendo system ever made, and have to admit that it's a commercial failure. But tru genius often does get left behind. With all the negitive press of this remarkable system, nothing can save it, not even Amiibo.

It certainly looks like a potentially very enjoyable game. To me personally it would depend on how much there is to the single player campaign because I tend to spend far more time messing around with games in my own time and on my own, playing around in the world and seeing if I can have fun just discovering the various layers to the game that go beyond the obvious getting from point A to point B that is usually the main objective in most games, than I do playing multi-player. The only games I ever really got obsessed with in terms of this kind of shooter type multi-player were probably GoldenEye and Counter Strike many years ago. I'm still not convinced Splatoon will sell systems to new consumers in any great numbers though, I mean even just the name alone is already a barrier to that imo (coming across like something for 13 year old Nickelodeon viewers), but in its own right it looks like another potentially great game to add to the Wii U library.

There's not really been any particular game on the Wii U that has just screamed 'this is the game that is going to convert the non-believers" to me however and I think that's probably a huge ask to be honest anyway because for me it would need to be a game that basically stood out in almost every way, going toe to toe with the best that any system out there had to offer, and that's kind of hard when right out the gate the system is clearly graphically underpowered compared to the competition for a start. I mean just look at a game like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, compared to a roughly similar game like Zelda Wii U, for an example of the massive gulf between what these systems are capable of graphically and just in terms of the scale and sheer detail and complexity in the world* Not that Zelda doesn't look stunning in its own way but there is obviously a big gap between the two in quite a few obvious ways. So how do you make a game that wows Xbox One and PS4 users in the same way the best games on Nintendo systems like the SNES and N64 once blew basically every single gamer on the planet away, regardless of whether they owned another system or not, which is the kind of thing that makes people buy systems imo? If you can't do that then you're probably going to have to come up with the next big gaming phenomenon and that's probably an even harder ask.

I mean here's the thing; I personally know it's actually possible to make a game on Wii U that literally just blows everyone away, even doubters, but at the same time I'm also sure most developers don't quite understand how to achieve such a feat on Wii U, including even Nintendo itself, and therein lies the problem.

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NxWHYO87MM (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt latest trailer)
vs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcYXX4TUK4I (Zelda Wii U trailer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXnTYsHOd5E (A slightly deeper look at the Zelda world)

Note: The comparison isn't suggesting The Witcher 3 is a better game just because it has more advanced graphics, I'm pretty sure I'd prefer Zelda at the end of the day if the past is any indicator, just that it looks to be obviously doing a lot more graphically and technically.

Splatoon will be a solid hit, and I'm sure it'll sell enough to warrent Nintendo to make more. That said, I think this is a too little too late moment. Nintendo has gotten a lot of press lately about NX and the Wii U winding down, I find it unlikely that is will turn things around. If MK8 and Smash couldn't turn things around, I'm doubtful this game will. I imagine a good boost, and will likely hold well, but pushing systems is very unlikely at this point.

It looks fairly decent. The single player looks a bit underwhelming though, compared to say Ratchet & Clank. It wont revive the Wii U though, not a chance!

Voice chat is going to be the downfall of humanity. throw on an Xbox live headset for 2 minutes and then try to argue that any decent human cares about voice chat. can't be done. Nintendo made the right call. free up the bandwidth for something useful.

You don't revive something that is still living.

Hardware sales will have a slight bump but will drop off back to normal the following month, I think the game will do better with current owners but struggle to pull in new ones.

@Bass_X0 - "Super Mario Splatoon"

I'm guessing that will be the $20 DLC package for the holidays or the sequel next year. Or maybe just Mario amiibo et al costume unlocks?

Nobody ever mentions the new Star Fox.

@VR32F1END - We're waiting for Ntineod to mention it first. Some off camera E3 showing a year ago is hardly anything for us to talk about.

I'm beyond excited for it. It's not really one of those games that looks to over promise and under deliver like many AAA titles these days. If the game only includes the modes I've seen, I'll be more than happy.

@VR32F1END I'm not getting my hopes up for this one being anything special to be honest, considering it's been passed off to some random third party developer and it was made pretty clear that Miyamoto was trying to get it out rather quickly as opposed to giving it a few years to really turn into something truly special. I'd love this to be the equivalent of the epic cutting edge masterpiece that the SNES game was in its time (as far as I'm concerned), just on a current-gen console, but I've basically zero confidence that's going to happen. I don't think Nintendo even really understands the full potential of the Star Fox license any more to be honest. It could be the "Star Wars" of shoot em ups in terms of grandness and epicness imo, like I feel the original was in its day in many ways, but I think what we'll get is a pretty decent, maybe even very good, shooting game with Star Fox characters in it and maybe some cool quirky new gimmicks to show off some features of the GamePad and that's about your lot. Not quite the Star Fox I'm dreaming of.

@ricklongo - lots of factors like

Nintendo announces a Wii U price cut mid May to $249
LE splattered Wii U bundle w/ game and amiibo for $299
plenty of Splatoon amiibo stock on store shelves
in store kiosk displays and demos
drop game price to $39 in US like the EU, not $59.99

Splatoon can't resurrect Wii U, but it could be the game Nintedo uses as a springboard as part of a larger plan to try and revive it. E3 is 2 weeks after release, some big announcements regarding Starfox and some other games might encourage people to buy Wii U then to play Splatoon.

To be honest, I think Skyanders 5, Disney Infinity 3.0 and Lego Dimensions could sell more Wii U this holiday than any other game as those family type games stop making Wii versions this year (DI stopped last year). Wii U would need to be $199 for Christmas though for parents to bite. Maybe a Splatoon bundle for Christmas?

For those that think it will flop do you think it will sell less than 100k, 500k, or 1 million?

I’m pretty excited for Splatoon.

Those Splatoon amiibo's look nice in the box,don't wanna open it Can't wait to get it

@rOOski187 Selling less than a million wouldn't be a flop considering Tropical Freeze and I believe Pikmin 3 have yet to do that. In fact, Bayonetta 2 supposedly got to 600k faster than DKC Tropical Freeze did.

Splatoon, a hit? No in a million years, sorry, but the only IP who have a chance to be a big hit in the Wii U it's a Pokémon game, which won't happen.

@Faruko
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. That's a game with voice chat and everyone acts adult.

Though the time for the Wii U to make a huge comeback in the market has long since past that doesn't mean this can't be a well loved game for the current userbase. Maybe someday if I get better internet I can join in too.

@Kirk
Actually the development is being handled in-house, not by a 3rd party. Nintendo basically put together a team of younger, fresher blood and let them get creative from what I understand. Of course, Miamoto and others have guided their direction.

Absolutely horrified that about 60% of the people who voted so far don't care about/don't want voice chat for online play.

That is a HUGE issue for a game like this which requires teamwork and strategy.

@ferrers405 The last pokemon game on a console failed misserably, what makes you think this time it wont be the same (the installbase its pretty much the same)

@IceClimbers

You just listed off a bunch of flops.

@VR32F1END

Don't worry...when this game joins the ranks of SM3DW, MK8 and Smash Bros on the list of games which didn't boost Wii U sales that much, Star Fox will become the next 'savior' to be written about on this site ad nauseam.

@IceClimbers sales wise I think those are considered flops. That doesn't make the games bad just like snuggies selling millions despite being complete garbage.

I think it will be one of those hidden gems which only people who are dedicated to their wii u will play

I think Splatoon will sell really well for a Wii U exclusive.

It looks like it's pretty popular amongst us here on Nintendo Life and it looks like it will be a game that's a must-have for the console, but I doubt it'll increase the sales of the console by much because the PS4, XBO, and PC gamers already have Battlefield, Call of Duty, and a plethora of other online shooters to spend their money on.

I do think the game will do really well for the console it's on. Maybe even be a million sales game.

This won't sell hardware. Sure, it might get a decewmid summer bump, but it won't be all that much big picture. I could see it selling about 2 million copies.

@JaxonH Hmmm; I hadn't heard they'd decided to ultimately stick with in-house development. A tiny bit more hopeful but still not sold. It would be good to finally see some actual gameplay footage of the game in action and then we can make fairer judgements I guess. Nintendo...

I'm on the fence its not my type of game but I will will look into it more. I still have a hellish semester to finish and Xenoblade. So I will probably be booked when this comes out. I hope it does sell hardware. I want to be an optimist.

No. Nintendo has given up a golden chance to make the wii u a success. They should have pushed $$$ behind it but they failed to capitalize on the wii success. I understand that they use the Apple model but they got to shift away from that. Too many players in the game now, with PC gaming making a big push. PC gaming have no handcuffs and different games comes out for it weekly. Nintendo got to broaden its spectrum and then again it will be successful

I can't wait for this game personally. But I doubt all the gta and cod players are going to stop gaming on ps4 to play splatoon. Most gamers today think if it's not hyper hd realistic graphics with blood and language and a meaningful story then it's not worth playing. What happened to just having fun playing games together? nintendo makes great games. I play dark souls on PS3. I love it. But in a normal few days, I play that, anything from wii sports to twilight princess, hearthstone, mh4. I want to get a ps4 so bad, but for what games? Newer versions of last years stuff. after dark souls today, I played mk8 and cpt toad. I played some cod black ops wii u last weekend to shoot some people. My 13 year old plays black ops 2 zombie and minecraft on PS3 with his friends...but then treat the wii like cancer. Splatoon will be another great nintendo game that will be ignored by today's core gamer. I would love to be wrong about this. But my best friend just got an X1 so he can play 1st person gta. He has played with my wii for years but still refuses to get one and never will...

If they want to shift units, they should do Splatoon (downloaded)/ WiiU bundle with the amiibo included.

I'm very excited about Splatoon, and as a usually non-online player, though MK8 is slowly changing that, this is the sort of game that's making me want more of online. The lack of voice chat suits me very well but can understand those who want it. That being said, lack of voice chat shouldn't be a deal breaker. Gameplay should always be core reason to buy a game, and Splatoon looks like it has it in spades. I find it very sad that people wouldn't buy a game just because it didn't include voice chat.

How successful it is will be down to how Nintendo markets this game. With MK8 and SSB4 Nintendo didn't really need to do very much as they're already established franchises, but with this new IP they really need to push the boat out on this one. But this is Nintendo.

All this will do is be another game that pushes people to pick up the Wii U because of the already impressive (imho) library. I think a price cut in may + Splatoon would do a lot more for the wii u than just a single game. A one/two punch has the potential to really move units. The games are there, people just need that extra push.

@Faruko a true portable Pokémon experience game, not like Colosseum, others games can and will do sucess on the WiiU but a big hit only this game can make.

As a fan of the genre RPG i have to say Nintendo has gone in a nice new direction, but i feel the game will be overlooked due to its colorful theme arts. The game needs a solid mode that everyone will enjoy. I dont feel like they should of limited the players to 4 vs 4 could of at least been 6 vs 6 but they claim you'd probably lose focus and such understandable. Ive been keeping my eye on this game and its looks to be an awesome installment for big N definitely need a shooter of their own. Look out for Gameday baby

P.S.

Anytime something is missing in a well known genre that seems mandatory specially when you limit the players...yeah its gonna hurt , hurt real bad. Dont they take polls and read up what people want in their games these days ? Its a team based game and your telling me can talk or communicate without relying on some other media ? This should be frown upon and noted as automatic in this day in age. Nintendo doesnt take advantage of their own hardware and they made it.... Its gonna hurt indeed.

@ninjalink Not many people think it'll do well. I'm among that group who believes it won't sell too well, but I don't really mind because I think it looks awesome.

http://www.destructoid.com/splatoon-s-multiplayer-feels-promising-for-casual-and-hardcore-shooter-fans-but-will-people-buy-it--289194.phtml

@daveh30 Man it seems you and many people here don't know what a mute button. Yeah they made the right call if they wanted to show everyone they are still living in the past.

No. No I dont

I hope it gets post launch support, I'd like friends voice chat eventually, and I have a feeling I'll want more maps eventually as well, also I want squid girl dlc invade invade invade.

@CTs_Lieutenant

I hope you will enjoy playing a 4 vs 4 competitive online shooter that requires strategy but robs you of the ability to speak with your teammates and make a plan of attack! Might as well be playing with 3 AI bots.

Left 4 Dead 1-2 are some of my favorite online games, and when you are playing with a team of people who are using voice chat, the game is 1000X more enjoyable. Without it? It can be hit or miss (miss 70% of the time) and you are losing out on a huge portion of what makes it fun.

The inability to direct traffic and communicate with teammates is most likely going to stop me from buying this game, and most certainly will do the same thing for people who enjoy these types of games on other consoles.

I honestly believe the only people who are saying they don't want/or don't like voice chat are people who have no prior experience playing games like this online (team based shooters) or are basing it on what they heard playing free-for-all on COD, which is a mad house. Though one that I enjoy.

@rOOski187 @MasterBlaster In that case, the only games considered considered successes are Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros, with 3D World and Wind Waker HD selling moderately well.

That also makes the 3DS not as good as people make it out to be, as there's no excuse with the install base it has. Zelda did actually a lot worse than people think on that system. Tomodachi Life outsold both OoT3D and ALBW, if that gives you any clue.

Edit: Ok, let me rephrase that first sentence of the second paragraph. What I meant is that many 3DS games that people consider at least somewhat successful are actually flops, such as Fire Emblem Awakening, Kid Icarus Uprising, Mario & Luigi Dream Team, and arguably Zelda A Link Between Worlds.

Basically, "successful" is a manipulated term that can be taken in different ways when different contexts are used.

@ferrers405 you mean like Gale of Darkness ? which is one of the pokemon games with the lowest amount of sales ?

@MasterBlaster i play Dota 2 and CS:GO all the time, 80-90% of the time i get a kid who sucks but will yell over the voice chat that its our fault.

How awesome its to have a terrible day at work just to get home to be tell that you are a worthless pos ? Which happens quite a bit on some "hardcore" games

I agree that games can be better with voice chat, sadly much more often than not it sucks and its an unpleasant situation of someone yelling and crying.

I do think rulling out the voice chat completely its kinda a little too extreme, "friends only" would have been a good middle point.

And to be fair, L4D its a pretty friendly game too, Dota 2, CS:GO and CoD are the real deal

Wii u should have similar online functionality to compete with PS and Xbox one.

@IceClimbers

You are right about MK8 and Smash Bros, as Nintendo brags about how many copies those games sold because they were hits and sold in impressive numbers. Pikmin 3, DKC:TF and Bayonetta sold less impressively (ie. flopped) and that's why Nintendo doesn't brag about how those games sold.

Zelda games don't sell well in Japan, so it misses out on bigger sales numbers that games like AC and Tomodachi enjoy

Nintendo should spend some money and actually pay for an ad on a prime time network (gasp!) . Get the word out on this and it could be a system seller.

@Faruko

I can't imagine Splatoon matches fostering the aggression that COD does haha, but having a chat option and a mute button would have been a better choice than no chat at all.

This will do well among the Nintendo core but it won't sell systems. To the larger audience its a kiddy shooter without voice chat.

@Farukomen, you don't get, I mean a (improbable) sequel to for example X&Y - Z only in the WiiU, that I know for sure would sell many millions of copies.

Thank you everyone who commented. I thought the entire fan base was hell bent on it being the Wii U savior. It's gonna sell, and then in 5 months everyone will have literally forgotten about it.

Every major Nintendo release is going to sell at least 1 million units at this point. People want games for their Wii U and Splatoon I think qualifies. It will be interesting to see how the year progresses, especially with XCX hitting Japan in a week and this a month later.

I want this game but it probably wont find my home till fall

I think it looks fun but the art style is a big problem for me I just don't think the characters look cool at all I have no interest in playing as them they should have a more cartoony look rather than just looking like kids, that's just my opinion though i guess, but i wont be picking this up

@MasterBlaster yes, in theory, but every single online chat I have ever been on is muffin teens that only talk trash.... It's not fun...

Will Splatoon 'revive' the system? Smash didn't bring the Wii U up to par and neither did Mario Kart. I like my Wii U a lot, but I think it's time to accept that the console is never going to sell like its rivals.

I fear it wont sell "well".
To date only Big Ns really well established, long running heavy weights sold noteable numbers: Noteable in relation to Wii Us tiny install base.
Mario Kart Wii alone sold 3 times more than actual Wii U consoles have been sold.
If Nintendo does not promote Splatoon eagerly outside of enthusiast circles (like the ones we Nintendo enthusiasts dwell in) I cant imagine it doing anywhere near impressive numbers.
But right now Big N seems just to want to cater to the likes of us (fans). No broader marketing, no price drop, no real initiative to push Wii U beyond boundries.

No, behave.

@Harry_Legs "But right now Big N seems just to want to cater to the likes of us (fans)."

The recent Direct looked more like them milking the fanbase, more than catering. There's a bit of a difference.

need local 2 on 2!

I agree with the consensus here, as much as I love Nintendo and as much as I love the gameplay that Splatoon is offering, the wii u wasn´t revived by smash bros., and if smash bros. didn´t revive the wii u sales, I highly doubt Splatoon will do it, I even doubt Zelda will do it in 2016.

Not to be the nay-sayer here. I hope Splatoon does well but I'm notinterested personally.

@argh4430 Guess we agree on that microtransactions suck, though I was rather pleased with the way Mario Kart 8s DLC turned out, but Mewtos pricetag and the Mii Costumes on the other hand ...a different story.

Sometimes I can agree on some tender milking of mine, but if someone tries it the rough and ugly way... no milk for you my friend !

No, Splatoon will not "revive" the Wii U. If Mario Kart and Smash didn't revive the Wii U, then Splatoon definitely won't.

And no voice chat.... In a game that pretty much requires cooperation and communication with a team? What were they thinking? It's one thing to omit voice chat from Mario Kart and Smash, two games in which your success is primarily based around your individual performance. But to exclude it from Splatoon, a game which practically hinges on your team's cooperation.... That's a new level of dumb, even for Nintendo.

@MasterBlaster im not sure about that, i dont think Nintendo think those games underperformed.

For once, Bayonetta 2 sold 600k+ on a console that had 7-8m users compared to Bayonetta 1 which craked about 1.2m on a combined userbase of 120m+ consoles

Same as DKTF, about 1m copies on 7-8m users vs 6m on 100m+ users

IF they werent stupid with their predictions, those are, albeit dissapointing as a whole, pretty good considering the user base of the console

Online shooters are a hotbed for verbal diarrhea. This game is going to be rated E10+ at the worst. It's being cross-promoted with toys. Leave the voice chat out. As a gamer, it's inconvenient, but as a parent, I wholeheartedly approve.

I want to be pumped about this one, but I'm not.
Even as a lifelong Nintendo diehard, I could use a demo. Who knows, they might release one. Or maybe give it a go in-store if they set something up.
I admire their dedication to the game, though, they've promoted the heck out of it.

It's not a system seller, nor anything that looks like it'll go well with many people, but it should please some of the current userbase.

@crimsontadpoles I think some people who held off on a Wii U for Mario Kart and Smash Bros will cave in for Splatoon. Might only be 1,000, might be 100,000.

Short answer: no.

This seems like the sort of game that could easily have been a runaway success during the lifespan of the Wii, but the Wii U's user base is far too minuscule to be able to turn this new IP into a hit. I could be wrong though. It'll certainly sell more units than The Wonderful 101, but I can't imagine Splatoon beating it by very much.

The only titles right now that will increase the user base are:

Zelda Wii U
3D Mario (in the vain of 64 or Galaxy)
Metroid (2D or 3D)

A portion of the Wii U user base will buy this game.

It won't sell systems. I don't think anything will at this point. The Wii U is basically supported by just hardcore Nintendo fans. The casuals have left for smartphone games, they're not coming back, and hardcore gamers are more interested in the PS4 and PC for their better raw hardware and multiplatform support.

No voice support is more intentional prevention of communication by Nintendo to "protect the children" and will further make this game less appealing to hardcore gamers,

At this point not sure if I am gonna pick it up... maybe, I'll see how it is at my pal's place first.

Splatoon: A fun distraction until the big games of 2015 come. Which is exactly one game (XCX)

I'm very excited for this game but I'm not sure it will sell tons of consoles. I think Zelda Wii U has a better chance of doing that than Splatoon

It had a chance I think till they announced no voice chat. Maybe they are screwing the pooch on purpose?

This is a budget buy for me. If it ever reaches budget prices.

Maybe using some kind of Voice Guided System (VGS) or Pings in Splatoon would be a good alternative to full-on voice chat. Most of the benefits and none of the downsides. I hope Nintendo is at least considering this option.

Also, if Nintendo's excuse is all the crap and abuse that comes with voice chat then how about at least having friend chat too (along with the VGS/Pings in normal multi-player) Surely that's a pretty acceptable solution for most people.

I think it'll do well with the nintendo fanbase as it looks a lot of fun. I dunno if it'll boost hardware but I think they should do adverts showing this ,xcx and something like Devils third to show just how different the wii u library can be maybe that would attract buyers.
The amiibo sounds interesting a lot depends on how much replayability the challenges have.

Wii U doomed to not, winding down or fizzling out... I don't care much personally. I've had, am having and will continue to have great fun with it! I'll buy splatoon or hopefully get it bought for me since it comes out the day before my birthday and I hope to get 99% of the other announced games. And I don't care at this point if they sell hardware or not, I'm happy with my purchase, to hell with everyone else!!

And just to clarify, yes I am a Nintendo fanboy... I own every Nintendo system bar the Virtual Boy. But I also own every Sony home console, a Dreamcast and an original Xbox so I'm not a blind fanboy!

As fantastic as Splatoon is going to be, one game can't 'save' a system. Period. And that's really a shame because there a lot of people who are going to miss out (including myself since I don't own a Wii U and probably never will). It's also a shame that because of Nintendo's crappy leadership under Iwata, the dev team could've made more return on investment if the Wii U install base was bigger than it is (and will probably ever be). I'm hating that I'm missing Mario Kart 8 and a couple others but I'm not spending $300-350 + tax for a system I'm only interested in a handful games for. The Wii U was supposed to be the "Gamer's Choice" but as usual with Iwata, over-promise, under-deliver. Maybe the next one, he'll actually mean what he says.

I'm really looking forward, and in terms of critics, it will do quite well. And if Nintendo market it right, it can sell, possibly more hardware as well. I mean, if they can do it for Mario Party 10, they should be able to do it here. And whilst I don't care about lack of voice chat, I think it is important. To myself, it is no game-breaker or anything, as I will just use Skype to talk to friends. But without voice chat, I fear that the typical customer will go away, just because it is a feature in every other game.
Say if I had a friend who plays shooters regularly. And I tell him about Splatoon. He says that it seems quite interesting to him. He then asks 'will this have voice chat?' and I reply 'No'. Near immediately, this draws him away, and despite this ONE little feature, he is no longer interested. I'm afraid this will happen with everybody as they don't look deeper into what makes this game great.

I don't really understand why the wii u has not been as successful as the wii maybe that in isself is the problem and 3rd party developers not supporting the wiiu because its easier to churn out the same games on other less inative consoles thus keeping costs down and profit high. Just a guess.

but the real point I want to make is how many times has it been said that will this new zelda mario mario kart smash etc game will revive the wii u. Its dead unfortunately. even Nintendo see that by announcing a new console is been developed.

How many times can you flog a dead horse.

mean while the 3ds family is doing welll but is being neglected by Nintendo whilst they have tryed to save the wii u with virtual console stuff etc.

@Dr_Corndog LOL on the "pants" bit. I think it's simply a more polite term than using slang for one's derriere. I voted the "pants" option for the Splatoon Amiibo. I collect Nintendo Amiibo from my favorite franchises and leave most of the obscure stuff. They are fun diversion in Smash Bros (and Toad for Treasure Tracker) as well as bonus unlockables in various games, but at $30 for the 3-pack, the Splatoon Amiibo figurines really look like an uninspired cash grab and IMO would look dumb on an adult collector's shelf. But if Splatoon takes off, the 3-pack will sell like hot cakes adding an extra $30 of DLC to the game. I wish them well regardless but the game doesn't interest me, and the locking away of content is "pants" as you say.

@SmithJurd I, too, own all the N consoles (V-Boy excluded), but like you I've dabbled with third party. Starting with the newest first, I have an Ouya, PS3, Genesis (and SMS via adapter), TurboGrafx, Atari 7800 and 2600.

I have zero desire at this time for a PS4 or X-Bone.

This game will be fun but ultimately it won't sell systems. No voice chat is a typical Nintendo move, thinking they need to be moral guardians of us all. It's decisions like that which ruin nintendo and will be their undoing. They will never learn what the mass public want

Let's face it, the WiiU is (unofficially) dead. No game can 'revive' the console at this point. Sad truth...

My question is: "Are they going to remove the online servers for this game when NX comes out JUST like they did for the Wii?" If so, that is freaking ridiculous.

No, it won't revive fortunes. I have a feeling this game will be looked back on fondly in years to come, but I'm not sure if it will sell particularly well.

People are putting way too much importance into the voice chat, as if the game will or will not sell well based only on that, voice chat has been always underused... I swear to god qhen im playing Dota 2 or CS:GO ranked the first thing i ask is "Does anyone have a mic, if so, please use it" which is followed by a dead silence or maybe 1 or 2 saying "i do".

Im not saying its not important, like i said earlier, rulling it out a 100% its was a little too much, having the option is nice also, but it wont be what made this game sell or not

I'll pass for now, but the hype is real for other people.

I'm not really interested in Splatoon. When it was first announced I was curious, but after more details were revealed I just stopped caring.

When compared to what Xenoblade Chronicles X is doing with their online component, it's pretty laughable. It'll go over well with the casual and younger crowds though, which is why Nintendo made it in the first place.

The option for voicechat should always be there in an online game. But of course Nintendo and Options dont go very well together. They need to pidgeon-hole gamers into their mindset, then we're all waggling un-responsive controllers during Skyward Sword and pointing gamepads at screens to control an Arwing.

Witcher3 will come out 10 days before Splatoon. That's what I'll be playing instead.

@luke17 It was GameSpy who shut down Nintendo's Wii/DS servers, not Nintendo. If you looked closely plenty of popular PC games that ran on GameSpy's servers were removed even before the Wii/DS shutdown announcement. That said, it could happen again if DeNA goes bust as they will be in control of Nintendo's online servers from fall 2015 onwards.

@Faruko

There's a lot of people in the comments complaining about voice chat, so it obviously is an important issue for people. Many are saying they aren't buying it because it won't have it.

Better to have the option to turn chat off or on rather than say no chat, period.
Nintendo spends the time and money to put a microphone in the gamepad and then they won't even let you talk into it for games they make.

Maybe on their next console with a built in microphone they will label the speaker 'blow-hole', as that is what most Nintendo games only allow you to do into it anyway

@MasterBlaster The voice of the minority TENDS to be a lot louder than the majority, they are a lot more vocal about it.

dont get me wrong, i know it hurts some people, but I HARDLY believe people will base their decision to buy a game whatever it has voice chat or not, if you are or not buying it, it will not be based on that alone.

Remeber when people were crying and saying "we wont buy Destiny because its an only online game", yeah, lets see how did that turn out at the end,the game still sold millions and it was a terrible game anyway

Same as halo 5, people are saying that they wont buy Halo 5 because Halo MCC has such problems... im pretty sure Halo 5 will sell a crap ton either way

Make a product, make it desirable and it will far outweight its problems, and i think Nintendo has done a decent job in that regard with splatoon

I think it's safe to say that if Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda can barely move the system, then a title that nobody really knows about (except nintendo fans), won't move either. I can already hear the talks among nintendo haters, about how nintendo made a kiddie-shooter, complain constantly about it and then complain about the Wii U. It's nice to see a clean and family-friendly shooter that even younger kids can get into, but I don't think it will help push the sales of the system. It's a real shame that this system is not doing well, as it has a lot of potential. I really hope their next system puts them back in the run against Sony and Microsoft, instead of always being held away from them as not even competing. Come on nintendo...make an amazing system with some very amazing games...sell it out (it was 2 years before people really started seeing Wii Systems on the shelves)...make Sony and Microsoft panic!!!

@Faruko

First off, millions of people who buy COD do so for online play exclusively. I guarantee if it was missing from the upcoming game, it would sell half or 1/3rd of what it would normally. Destiny was guaranteed to sell in the millions because it was a game designed around the element of gameplay which makes COD so popular in the first place. People don't buy that game to play a linear 7hr campaign each year then put the game on the shelf. They buy it to play online for a 100+ hrs.

Secondly, I am not buying Splatoon because there is no voice chat. How about that? I have no desire to play a team based strategic shooter that does not give me the option to gameplan or strategize with my teammates. And who cares if when you play other games, occasionally only a couple other people bother to chat? Guess what? If your team has some people communicating and they other team has none, you have a major advantage and will likely win.

As I said before, playing an online competitive shooter with teammates and opponents you cannot communicate with is basically worthless. You might as well be playing with a bunch of AI bots. Same thing goes for MK8 online for that matter, though not to the same extent. No voice chat in MK8 makes an online race play and feel exactly like a single player one. There is no added excitement or fun as the online game removes the human element.

Nah I don't think it'll be a system seller at all. I wasn't even going to get it until I saw it was quite cheap (I got a deal for the squid amiibo for £33).
Just seemed to me at first glance as a online focused game, and...thats far from Nintendo's speciality. I know it has campaign too, but I believe it was something that wasnt going to be in splatoon from the start, so not really sure what to expect from it.
Maybe if it gets perfect reviews people will buy the system for it, but I don't see it.
Getting a little fed up with the amiibo thing too tbh. Maybe in this case its more justifiable as there arent splatoon amiibos available now, but part of the appeal for amiibos for me is that they can be used on a variety of games, and that's great, increases their value, but with yarn yoshi for example, you need to buy a "Special yoshi amiibo" to work for that game only, if its going to be like that in the future where you need a special new amiibo to have functionality, count me out. In Splatoons case, it also seems the amiibo locked content is pretty significant too, while before the amiibo unlockables havent been so...content rich, you could see that as a good thing for splatoon, but at the same time, it's bad. I mean think how much it is for the content, £30 to get all of it and the price doesnt really match the content, and I doubt they'll be used in other games apart from an Splatoon 2 if one is made, or in SSB if they become a character, so even less value. At least with existing amiibos they have use in many games, therefore upping the value, if Nintendo can keep doing this, thats great, but having only the yarn yoshi have benefit in the game has decreased the value of the yoshi amiibo.

agreed with some other comments about the lack of voice chat features since its mainly a multiplayer game with potential the lack of that feature really bothers me sigh i mean come on the gamepad has a freaking mic on there when are they going to let us use it for games?

another thing i didnt like is the lack of more modes in the multiplayer like team deathmatch or those famous ones were you have to take care of 3 certain items in the map from the opposing team those are always fun and yet they dont have that :/ i mean why dont they think like gamers come on man get it together already -.-

Mario Kart 8 proved to me I don't have the tolerance for online without adequate voice chat and other standard online features (system level invite / join, notifications, etc).

So I skipped on Super Smash Bros U, and I will be skipping on Splatoon and any other games Nintendo continues to make with online modes as main attraction while missing those essential features.

I'm optimistic that it'll be a really buzzy game. Ahh, that'd be great!

But it'll more likely not be. Which isn't to say it won't be a great game, but it'll have to really strike a chord with people in order to be a phenomenon. We can certainly hope.

@c1pher_c0mplet well, you are missing out! Smash Bros. plus MK8 alonene justify the purchase of the system. I have 300 hours on those two alone. Trust me, the tax you speak of is well worth it.

The dust has settled. People are set in their ways. I don't see this converting any XBOX or Playstation owners. If the game was on their system they would probably be praising it. But they are not going to buy a Wii U for a game that looks kiddy.

Splatoon looks fun, but not really system-shifting caliber, as has been said countless times before: If Mario kart and Smash bros. didn't shift a lot of systems, something unknown like Splatoon really won't, it will probably sell well to existing WiiU owners though

I don't know about revive, but it definitely doesn't hurt adding more amazing games like this one.

To those of you complaining about voice chat several devs have been debating on how important it really is
http://playeressence.com/multiple-developers-discuss-whether-voice-chat-is-crucial-to-online-multiplayer/

I think some of the devs make some pretty good points here. I noticed this particular comment that caught my attention was this

Marc Duarte
Just because you have the option available to implement a certain feature in your game doesn't mean you should always use it. if you do, it should be done on a case-to-case basis, not collectively just for the sake of having it. It doesn't matter whether it's considered an "industry standard" or not as some people like to continually spout off. Games should be unique experiences with features tailored to the gameplay, not gameplay tailored to the features. Uniformity gets old really fast and kills creativity because precious time and energy are spent implementing these many features instead of focusing on the fun aspect of the game itself, which should always have the highest priority. Nintendo is one of the few developers who seem to get it, which is why their games are considered some of the best in existence.

I'm hyped for it but I dont think it will change the wii u honestly. It will help move some units and help the user base but we will see if it helps the wii u out anymore than that.

@Wolfgabe The thing is: No, you don't really need it to coordinate and no hardly anyone really uses it for that. But you wanna chat with your friends. Nintendo is soooo big on local multiplayer and always emphasis how much more fun it is. The reason it's more fun is you can talk to your friends while playing. It's a communal experience and you're having fun together. No voice chat in the game kills that a bit. And please don't start with skype. In reality you won't get 4 people to start skyping while they are playing online.

I'm "quite excited" for the game. Not as full to bursting as I am with Mario Maker. I don't really care about the voice chat so that's a plus for me.

@DarkNinja9 Thing is its not just a multiplayer game. Its an objective team based game. If it was just single player deathmatch then you can make some points of it not being important. But once you need to work as a team, its pretty essential.
Like I said before I dont by the reasons they give for them lacking this feature. I really believe they dont have the people in the company to implement it properly. Same reason why the Mario games lacked online play completely, cause they couldnt implement it properly.Remember this is now running on Nintendos own servers, with the wii/ds they were running over gamespys. Setting up a network like this isnt easy. MS started way back and are still the standard. It took Sony years to catch up. And it will probably take Nintendo even longer. This is why I think they teamed up with DeNA.

And anyone who says they dont care about voice chat...really? You wouldnt want to talk with your friends when playing the game?

@Bass_X0 And have the market saturated with even more Mario? No thanks. I'm glad we're getting something new. I don't think it will do suuuuper well, but it will probably sell as well as Donkey Kong tropical freeze, or bayonetta 2.

@jasonbrr

Imagine sitting on a couch with three people playing mario kart 8, and not being able to talk to each other. No laughing, no taunting, no excitement. Just sitting in silence playing the game. Sound like fun? Of course not. But people are saying they want to play like this online? With no ability to communicate? It's so near sighted. It's not a 'good' thing to not have the option to voice chat no matter how someone spins it.

I am pretty excited for the game, it will sell well but not move systems. I am glad it doesnt have voice chat actually. The trash talking and bashing i have experience on every shooter isnt kool with me. PLus there are othre ways to chat with friends like TS or Skype.

im just hoping i can get 1 splatoon amiibo on release day. im hoping they are producing a lot of them like the few amiibo that are always on shelves (mario, peach, luigi, etc.). i might get lucky though my gamestop seems to not sell out of amibos last time i was in they had more than a few of the rarer ones, its great to live in a small town.

@steamtrain

The only reason people don't want voice chat is because they say they don't want to hear people swear online. That's the reason they say it's a 'good thing' not to have it.

How about leaving it up to the consumer to decide if they want to use voice chat, rather than having no choice at all?

People can still have fun playing it, I never said they won't, but many people are already put off that there is no voice chat. When this news was announced it was a big story on gaming sites for a reason. It's a poor decision and just another example of Nintendo's childish censorship, which is funny, since they are headquartered in a country where you can buy porno magazines and DVDs in every convince store and airport.

Meh, not a fan of the amiibo craze now. On disc DLC locked behind a paywall on release day. AWFUL

I believe the lack of voice chat is re-confirming people negative view of Nintendo in general. Nintendo is known for innovation but they can't figure out a happy medium, come on guys!

It would have to catch of wave of critical acclaim and maybe some e-sports attention or some new meme or something to sell a significant amount of consoles. All of that is possible, but not probable. It looks to be a solid start, though and it's always great to see a stong new IP and different type of game from Nintendo. It will help define the Wii U when looking back on it, I think.

I'm pretty excited about it.

I'm looking forward to this game. Looks to be a lot of fun and I can play it with my 2 year old around.
Personally, I have no issues with the lack of voice chat. Had a few bad experiences that I have no interest in repeating, however to completely shut it out may be a tad extreme. Regardless, I'm looking forward to hooking up and playing online

It'll sell to some Nintendo fans, doubtful that it'll actually move any hardware, and it certainly won't revive the Wii U. That ship has sailed. If Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros didn't revive the Wii U, this sure as hell won't do it. The game is going to be hit hard by reviews due to the idiotic lack of voice chat, and lacking that feature will only further convince fence sitters that Nintendo still isn't ready for modern gaming, and that the Wii U isn't worth their money.

We need to face reality: The Wii U is on it's way out. Nintendo is quickly looking to get new hardware out in a "third tier" capacity, that if successful, will likely help usher the Wii U into a quick retirement. Nintendo is clearly not interested in reviving or "saving" the Wii U, and the announced hardware means an obvious decline in development for the machine as they move resources over to the new hardware.

I'm still unclear on the whole concept of being in favour of not having an optional voice chat in a competitive team-based online game like Splatoon. I fully understand that not everyone wants to make use of voice chat (esp. not always in any situation), but so what? As long as it's optional just don't "opt in" or "opt out" depending on the way it is handled.
I'm opposed to any kind of permanent enforced voice chat, but honestly I can't recall any game that did anything of the kind .... ever. The whole notion of "I don't need/ want it, so nobody else needs/ should have it either" is pretty obscene.

Other than that, I think it will be a splendid game and I'm certainly looking forward to it alot. I don't think it will make any differences to the WiiU fortunes though. Therefore it will - unfortunately - not turn out to be a big seller, since it will probably move little new units and it will only appeal to a fraction of the WiiU userbase, who - despite bein very vocal about it - has next to no interest in Nintendo doing something different or "innovative" in terms of software.
They can pull off a brilliant game like SM Galaxy and still, it will be outsold by the next 2D NSMB by huge friggin margin no matter what. Frankly I'm surprised they still even try to pull something like this, by now they really should know better.

I hope it sells well but I'm afraid it won't be a systemseller. People want new IP -> Nintendo creates something new and amazing (+ backwards decisions made [sometimes]) -> People don't buy it. It's sad, cause this game needs to become a series STAT.

@AyeHaley

Aye, totally agree. Though not for everyone, Bayo 2 and W101 should have sold TONS more. Splatoon will be the same...but hopefully they sell more to the userbase at least.

On the amiibo question I wish there were an option like "The physical figures look awesome! But the unlockable content is 'meh'".

It won't do much. Won't sell systems obviously.

I actually think Splatoon has more of a chance to be a success. There's more hype and marketing behind it than there was for games like Bayo 2 and W101. I don't think it'll reach Mario Kart/Smash Bros. levels, but I could see it reaching about 1-2 million sales if they play their cards right (i.e. with the right marketing behind it).

Glad to see more than half the voters realize Splatoon is not going to help sell WiiUs. I feel it lots the small % of chance it has to be a system seller when voice chat was declared dead. FPS people want voice chat. Not putting it was a costly decision.

Unfortunately Nintendo needed to do much more than they did in the first few years of the Wii U's life for it to become successful.

I don't think there is much they can do now to help it succeed no matter how good this game is.

@datamonkey
I agree completely, the wii u is a fantastic system and i think it will be one of those systems that alot of people look back on in the futre and think "Wow, that was a weird yet cool console." Much like how people look at the Sega Dreamcast (A fantastic console that was tragically cut short in it's lifespan.) Not saying nintendo is going the way of Sega since sega was in much worse finacial shape than nintendo is in. Just saying it's gonna be one of those highly underrated consoles that future generations may re-discover and find enjoyment out of and maybe regret never picking it up.

@steamtrain "Voice chat optional or not affects gameplay" How so?

@Ralek85

Because he says if one team talks and the other doesnt, it gives them an unfair advantage. So it's better to dumb down both teams.

Nope. It will not have much of an effect on selling new hardware whatsoever. People who own a Wii U already will pick it up, no doubt, but if Smash Bros and Mario Kart didn't turn it into a rip roaring success, a new IP that doesn't have the built-in nostalgic fanbase definitely won't.

Wii U is dead. Bring on the NX.

@MasterBlaster Yes, indeed, but that is why you need optional VC. People who have the ressources and are willing to make the effort, will always "have" voice chat. That is why the hurdle has to be as low as possible.
I will setup voice chat with my friends as well. It's just so much more involving and fun to play a game like this being able to properly communicate with teammates, esp. when playing wirh friends.
I'll feel somewhat bad for having an unfair advantage over anyone missing out on that option with his team, but honestly, the game looks to great to miss out on, but I have close to zero interest in playing it as a temporary mute. So yeah ... Nintendo should make it easy for people to level the playing field.

@steamtrain I see your point, but it doesn't really compute with my own experiences. I think there are a number of different scenarions where VC comes into play. One could just be good old fashioned trolling, but that aside (that why it should be optional, meaning at least featuring a "mute button" of some kind), there is the actual "communicating" with fellow players, which in my humble opinion significantly enhances the enjoyment one can get out of a competitive game, esp. if it is one at least as much concerened with tactics than it is with "twichting". There is also the "trash talk" one, with friends or the occasional "mature" stranger one can meet (which I admit is rare, but not impossible). Nobody wants to have 12 years old russian kids screaming in their hear hours on end ... that much is obvious.
I stand by what I already mentioned above with regards to @MasterBlaster, there is a number of people that will use VC anyways, if the game provides for it or not, not only will this affect the gameplay as well, but it also unfair, not to say inconvenient.
Genereally speaking, there is something to be said for "tactile understanding", for sure, but how often does something like that occur, even more so with matchmade strangers and how complex will any gameplay that relies solely on that "low level" communication actually grow? Last but not least, I feel there should always be an option for "trash talk" with friends, simply because I never recall any event where i was doing couch play in the last 20 years or so, and we all just said there in silence playing along for an extended period of time. Maybe I'm a unique case in that regard, but to me, VC is one aspect that makes online with buddies more "back in the day"-ish ....

@OmegaPowerDX and that is exactly what's wrong with the Wii U. If somebody is deciding what console they want, and the enjoy playing COD or other third party titles then the Wii U is automatically off the ballot. That's why for most people the Wii U is a secondary console. Nintendo will have to fix this with their next machine if they hope to stay competitive with MS, Sony, and the PC. I'm not sure where you got this idea that if something is aimed at an older demographic then it shouldn't be on the Wii U, but it's just silly. That is one of the major reasons the Wii U failed. Limiting consumer choice is never the right choice.

I'm on the fence about this game. I do think it looks really cool but just don't know if it's for me. I don't think it will be a console seller, but I do think people who already own the system will pick it up. The choice is leave voice chat out is ridiculous though. Limiting the consumer is never an option. All the arguments I've seen against VC are nonsensical or shakey at best. If they don't want to hear people then they could just mute them. As for the argument that one team utilizing VC while the other doesn't is unfair, well that's just too bad isn't it? If one team can work together efficiently and yours can't then that's no body's problem but your own. That's the worst excuse I've heard for taking out VC. Like I said, limiting consumer choice is never the option, and as we can see in this thread, it has turned people off of the game.

Personally I'm not bothered by the lack of voice chat really although I can understand why some people are. I like the "canned messages" approach of Mario Kart but I'd like to see a wider range of messages available and I reckon another mode where you have like a soundboard on the gamepad in game would be pretty cool

@steamtrain I definitely will get the game. However, I will also use VC while playing it (at least when playing with friends^^) I think most of my disappointment stems from Nintendos continued failure to bring together their traditional fanbase with players of ... let's say more diverse tastes. I know a lot of my buddies will be turned off by Splatoons visuals (personally, I think they look great and refreshing, and I'm willing to take them over the standard shooter grey/brown any day), but I'm positive the lack of VC will disqualify the game entirely from any consideration, since to them it reads simply: "Casuals Only". It doesn't really matter if it's true or not, but it will definitely shape their perception in such a way, and I'm also sure that they are not unqiue in that regard.
This leads me to believe that Nintendo is missing out on a number of players, like a part of (former) TF2 players, who you mentioned already, and who I could totally see enjoying Splatoon as well.
I had hoped that Nintendo doing a "shooter" would offer an unique opportunity for them to go beyond their "traditional" crowd, offering the quality and creativity they are famous for, combined with all the features and the convenience most players today are accostumed to. I guess that will have to wait some more ...

@XCWarrior I feel a bit neglected by Nintendo tbh...it feels like they are pushing solo players to PS4/X1 by only caring about local multiplayer :/
Why can't we have voice chat as an option? Automatic muting shouldn't be that hard to implement, right?

"a bit pants" haha I love that I've not seen anyone say that anywhere since my ex who is English. He killed me the first time he said it, I literally laughed so hard I fell down.