Poll: Did The Splatoon Global Testfire Hit Its Targets?

I'd like them to give us another chance to play next weekend.

I'd like them to give us another chance to play next weekend.

I only had two disconnects between all three sessions, and both were at the start of their respective matches. So I'd say the server is looking good. So hyped for it.

It was good. Felt a bit different to what we usually expect from Nintendo. I'm glad I pre-ordered.

It could use some more sessions, yes. I'm sure there were plenty of people who couldn't play in that short time frame. Other than, I like the game! The competition was always fun, the minigame before matches started was a good way to pass the time, and it was interesting to see what strategies people used. I found myself hiding in the ink a lot to surprise people.
There were definitely a lot of people who used ink rollers, though. Whoa, they would always splat me as soon as I'd warp to an ally's spot! I wonder how I'm gonna get around that when the game releases.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and was able to play 2 and a half of the 3 sessions.I'll be surprised if there is not at least 1 more test fire before launch.With the hype it's built it would be daft to then have nothing more for 3 more weeks.But then again it's Nintendo so we'll have to wait and see.

I played it and I pre-ordered the Amiibo edition of the game right after it was really fun. The hype is real.

It was great, lot's of fun. Sure wish I had more.

I think the popularity of the option for more sessions kind of confirms the option above that it did the trick. I want more too, but if I hadn't already pre ordered I'd have been straight on it after as it already feels like it will be my 2nd favourite Wii u title.

Contrary to popular opinion (of course, don't crucify me), I think it really just made me want the game less. Well, not necessarily, but it made me not want to pay $60 for it. If it was $40, I think I'd buy it. The gameplay/maps got boring after a couple of rounds and the sniper was very disappointing. And contrary to what everyone says, I feel like communication would have helped alot when playing. Not to mention make it more fun than playing in silence.

But it was fun for a little while, so that's good. I hope it improves over time.

Considering the poor quality of my internet, I had a great time! It worked very smoothly for me, much better than I expected, and I had alot of fun! Cannot wait for the full game!

@Operative: Who said it would be 60$?
In Europe it's 40€ (I actually paid 36,99€) so in the US it will be 40$.

But I would've also bought it for 60€ without hesitation, after all Mario Kart was worth the 60€, too. And Splatoon is basically just Mario Kart disguised as a shooter (comparing the fun I had and the emotions it causes).

@shani

Everyone...

http://www.gamestop.com/wii-u/games/splatoon/118965
http://www.amazon.com/Splatoon-Wii-U/dp/B00KWFCV32
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Splatoon-Wii-U/43086178

I get the different time slots they chose to do the sessions, allowing Nintendo to test the stress the servers in different regions during different times of the day. However, as it's been said already multiple times, it was short notice and as such I oy got to do the 8 to 9 session. Ideally another round would be good but one could argue that too many sessions would potentially bore people before it launched - I'm thinking of what happened with Evolve to name one such title.

I didn't get to play because I was gone all weekend.

A strictly timed demo, just, WHY? I get that it's for the online portion of things, test the servers and whatever, but how about at least giving a regular demo of say, a couple story mode segments for those who couldn't participate in the very few hours that it was up?

I'd love another chance to play but in fairness it's awesome that i could try before buying, and hour of gameplay in a demo is actually quite impressive, most Demo's can be played as long as you want but there's very rarely any substantial content. I think one more test run won't hurt anyone and just build more hype.

@shani
It should be. But it's still 60$ in the US.

@Operative. Oh ok, that's strange.
On German Amazon it's still 39€: http://www.amazon.de/Splatoon-Standard-Edition-Wii-U/dp/B00UN1FCZ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431281536&sr=8-1&keywords=splatoon

I just compared it with Toad Treasure Tracker and that one costs 39$ on amazon.com and 35€ on amazon.de. I thought there pricing would be more consistent.

@Operative

In fairness you tried only one version of the charge blaster (there's many more guns that just 4) and from what i saw you can actually get quite competent, despite my struggles with it as well. Also considering it was two maps, all turf war, i don't think it's really fair to judge it as being monotonous. It's a Demo...

@Operative
@outburst

Now I don't know if this works for sure, but maybe you could buy a download code from Europe and use it on your Wii U?

I bought it here and they also have an US-site:

http://www.mmoga.com/Nintendo/Wii-U/Splatoon-Wii-U-Download-Code.html

If it shouldn't work (can't imagine that), you still could let them refund you the money.

You can also compare prices here: http://www.allkeyshop.com/blog/buy-splatoon-nintendo-wii-u-download-code-compare-prices/

I really wish I had been able to participate. But I was working during all the sessions. Maybe they'll hold another few sessions in another week or so. Either way, I'm still probably gonna get the game, I was interested before hand, but I've heard a lot of good things since the demo, so I'm actually still very excited.

They should hold one more session Wednesday and maybe a few next week end. It was really fun!

@Kevlar44

With that logic, then it isn't really fair to be praising the game either, right? The demo showed us the basics of the game, and I wasn't entirely satisfied with it. There isn't much else that's going to be in the full game, in terms of game modes.

I was positively surprised, even with the already high hopes I had tbh.

This is game is very well done. Here's hoping for another round before release...

Can't wait for the game release, now !

I thought the idea of a multiplayer demo was brilliant, until I realized that it was limited to just 3 one hour sessions. So I didn't get to play it. I'm buying the game either way but what's wrong with a normal demo, Nintendo???

They really got me with the demo. As someone who hasn't been keeping up with all the info nor did I watch the Splatoon direct, I went in with no expectations and came out hyped for the release. It's fast paced, ridiculous, and really makes you feel like you're a important part of your team.

I absolutely loved what I played, just wished we could get a little more time.
I think I had one communication error, other than that no problems at all. The game played smoothly and loading and connection times were short. Can't wait for the full game to release.

loved it, will buy it. glad they let us try it first even if for a small amount of time.

I think the result of the polls highlight a lot of things, not the least of which that yes: of course we all want more sessions, but frankly we'd be spoiled to think we're owed it.

As a father and someone who plays video games in his free time, I felt this concept was awful. I downloaded the demo, but didn't get the chance to play due to other commitments during the time slots. In my college days however, I think this would have been the bees knees.

I had one disconnection during my session. Missed the first two so of course I would love more before release.

Hype so high I watched the Direct again. My bro watched some of it as he was not home during the testfire.

I loved the plan, but by the time the announcement came out, I already had plans for the Saturday, so I couldn't make it to any of the sessions That was a bad move on their side. I hope they schedule more sessions! I also hope they monitored server behaviour to polish it and get rid of all those disconnections!

I hope they do more testfire demos. I only got to play one session. But it was pretty fun. It definitely sold me on the game.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only really big issue I have is with the seeming randomness of the map selection. During the last testfire window, I only got to play the warehouse level, which is approximately fifteen point eight times better than the alternative, once. During the first session, the alternation was at a comparatively healthy, agreeable level.

I only played 1 session and I sucked in the beginning, then I kind of figured out how to work as a team. I had no server problems. I enjoyed it immensely. The last shooter I got into was Halo 2. That is how long I haven't played that genre. It was refreshing. I can see many of drinking games and family fun on this one.

I could participate in only one session but it was brilliant! I knew that I'd get the game but the demo was so good that now I know I'll be playing often when it launches.

Amazing, but not long enough. Why not just have it all weekend?

I had oral surgery Friday and was in too much pain to play, and then had to work Saturday, so I missed out. Blah.

But I've been hearing nothing but good things from those who played it. I did watch a considerable amount of gameplay footage from the demo and I gotta say, it got my blood pumping!

I played through all three sessions (my brain had forgotten what sleep was by the time 4am hit), and had a blast with all of them.

I only encountered two very short moments of lag, and only two instances where the connection died and thus the match had to end. Otherwise, the connection was brilliant, quickly getting in and back into games. Even in the few moments where they took a couple of minutes, the Squid Jump arcade game kept me occupied long enough to make the wait a breeze.

The demo was awesome, with the only criticism I have to it being how they kept the same two stages for all three sessions. It would have been nice to see them rotate them like they mentioned they would in the actual game itself. In any case, I loved it to bits, and now must suffer waiting all the way until the end of May before I can launch myself back into the game. It's likely to be an all day, all night experience for me on the day of purchase (I wish my Game store would have a midnight release for it).

Got errorcode and couldn't play at all. Very disappointing because that.

I WISH I'd stayed up for the one in the early hours of Saturday morning. I was off this wkend and figured I'd catch the other two sessions with no problem... ended up I didn't get the chance, but I still think job done, I got caught up in the excitement, was pretty cool seeing #Splatoon trending and footage I've seen since has been great!

Played 2 sessions and i had one connection issue, but that was when i was trying to find a match. Other than that i had a great time! Day one for me

Played final session and surprisingly enjoyed the gyro controls. A few long(ish) waits for match but otherwise seamless. Great hype builder....glad I pre ordered Squidling amiibo bundle...

I missed it because of football. Kind of upset

Is it possible that some of you with connection problems actually logged in at the wrong time? I only say this beacause there was no warning or message when the hour was up, it just stopped working and showed the standard connection error message on screen. Same if you logged in too soon.

No issues at all here, I hate online shooters, but really enjoyed this, I thought it has a similar 'one more go' appeal as MK8. Can't wait for release now.

The netcode in matches was great, I only had 3 disconnects when trying to join matches in the space of two sessions, but it was a test. The thing I noticed most was how keeping an eye on the map made up for the lack of voice chat in the games I played. It was easy to see where I was needed or where I could go to help lay down ink.

I'm a little unsure about the gradual roll-out of content, and I suck with the Charger, but I had a blast. Would be nice to see another session or two in the run up to release.

Those who managed to play tutorial played in right time. I got errorcodes after creating character and choosing my weapon for online game.

It was a fun experience and I've already pre-ordered the full game. I had a couple of occasions where it said 'session full' or 'communication error' when looking for players, but never in mid-game. No noticeable lag, but there were several times I got a double-KO (splatted each other at the same moment). My last match, however, was a bit unfair. One of my team-mates disconnected before the match started, and another team-mate didn't move at all, so it was 4 against 2!

I never got to play as the windows didn't suit me so i thought it was a rubbish idea

@Captain_Gonru honestly, when I was playing, I completely forgot about the lack of VC. Everyone on my team was doing there job well and it was the most fun I've had online ever. The gamepad map felt like it erased the need for VC and IMO the mic sucks badly on the Gamepad so I wouldn't even use it in friend matches.

Stupid idea with such tiny time slots. I guess they think their target audience spends most of their days in front of the console.

Risky price tag too for a console with a limited playerbase. They should have aimed low and made it a game everybody ends up owning, filling up the servers and feeding the frenzy. But alas, it's nintendo. They'd rather rip off ten people than make a hundred happy.

If it HAD to be limited, then I would have preferred it be for the duration of one entire day, rather than at three select hours.

I also wish that the demo always allowed access to the tutorial and the loading screen minigame, too, since they are singleplayer elements and shouldn't require online to function.

Lots of disconnections, many of them after just starting a match. It was very frustrating. I enjoyed the half dozen or so matches I did complete though.

The hour slots were a good idea to force high network traffic, they should open it up for a whole day next weekend though.

Now that I played the multiplayer demo I'm really excited to play the Single Player campaign. I love the enemy character design!

I loved every single second of the Testfire and joined all three slots for their full duration!
There was the occasional disconnect, and from time to time, I noticed that my ink wasn't being registered correctly, meaning walls I shot weren't colored until after a few seconds. I'm also still trying to find out why there were people with 0 points every once in a while.

One thing I'd like to see is to have Nintendo repurpose the demo to only feature the training dojo, just so the current one doesn't become fully useless (though mine is STILL running the tutorial park so I can keep playing).

It was GREAT! Made me pre-order the game.

I had one D/C and could only play a few rounds b/c of homework, taking my wife and daughter out, and things of that nature. It was pretty fun and I think it's a balancing act with the test fires because while they could've added more time, giving people too much would have the opposite effect of building hype. Sure wasn't the perfect amount of runs, but it was enough to get a nice idea of how the game will turn out.

Played during the first and third sessions. It was an absolute blast. Highly enjoyed it. I played using normal wifi instead of a wired connection and I only encountered a couple of "couldn't connect to partners" when joining a session, which is the equivalent to being booted from the lobby in CoD. Had no issues during matches with absolutely zero lag. I was thoroughly impressed with the net code, and that's for a server stress test.

Also, I felt that the matches were too short and chaotic for voice chat to be effective. In fact, there were matches where it honestly felt like it would have been a hindrance. Strategy wise, it's pretty much cover the ground that isn't covered or is in the opponent's ink. The GamePad map made it pretty clear where my efforts were needed.

Sounds like Nintendo achieved what they wanted: test the servers and build hype. Good to see they are doing both.

T'was great, but should of lasted longer, like a full 48 hours.

I had a blast with the game. Good ol'fun with enough tongue in cheek mentality.

However I would like to say that I have become a fan of the voicechat after the demo. It would benefit the game. I can definitely live without it and it does give the game different kind of feeling. But just being able to ask for help would be so nice. Even if it was pre-recorded messages.

I preordered after the direct downloaded the sessions demo.after playing the first session I was very happy to know it's downloaded on my wii u for the 29th.

I would have liked it more if you could just use the analog sticks instead of the gyro-scope controls.

This pool is flawed

"Did you have fun with the Splatoon Global Testfire demo?"

Um... It was ok for me...? where is the neutral option? Why it is "YES!" or "IT SUCKED!"?

I've been excited for this since the reveal. Actually playing it really blew me away, I think Nintendo has created something really special. It is just pure fun, an absolute joy to play.

@Navi you could turn off motion controls in the settings. I didn't find out until the third session, myself.

Had a blast with this and only one connection error in 3 hours playtime. I'm also glad it was only 3 hours I don't wanna be burned out before the game is released. They have to make some things clearer in the actual game: Took me a while to find out I can switch off the annoying motion controls and I just found out after the demo that WALLS DON'T COUNT...that wasn't clear imo.

@ikki5 True that. I was kinda torn on which one to go with.

1)"I did, it was solid entertainment".
Um, it was quite good I guess, but I wouldn't say it was great entertainment.

2) "I didn't really enjoy it, to be honest".
No, I can't say that I didn't like it since I did at least had a little fun within the first time playing the demo.

@Sceptic I've only paid £30 for the game, from Amazon. I think that's an absolute bargain.

I got in for a session and a half and enjoyed every bit of it. It definitely left me wanting more, so if that was the goal, mission accomplished. Speaking of which, I think 100% that three short sessions was absolutely the right call. With only 4 weapons and two stages, perhaps part of Nintendo's thinking was they didn't want us to burn out for lack of variety. Though I suppose it wouldn't have hurt to do a few more sessions to cover a wider variety of times.

@IceClimbers I totally agree with your assessment of voice chat. The only thing I'd say about that is perhaps there should be a lobby chat just to co-ordinate with your team on who's taking what weapons into battle, as from a strategic standpoint, you probably don't want everyone to take rollers with them. Or maybe have the ability to adjust your load out before starting.

Missed all 3 Slots
So much for that.

Unfortunately, I have three AP exams to study for, so I couldn't play and still can't play until Thursday. This was the absolute worst weekend of the entire year that they had to do it.

I was just about to say that @Obito_Sigma
This was theee worstttt weekend to ever do it for me completely disappointed that i missed all of them i'll just have to wait like another 20 days...:/

I occasionally ran into a situation where my ink would just stop appearing on surfaces, even as I kept firing. It would stay that way for a few seconds, and then suddenly appear all at once, everywhere I'd sprayed it. It only happened twice, thankfully, but it could have had a major impact on the game had an enemy shown up while I was waiting on my ink to appear.

Besides that, though, I was impressed at how well the game performed. The gameplay was silky-smooth. This was especially impressive considering that my current setup won't play Smash without lag.

The online matches went smoothly without many disconnects, but we hope they'll put a permanent ink level gauge on the HUD... it's rather annoying and inconvenient to have to dive into the ink to see your current ink level.

I'm with the minority: I didn't hate it, but it wasn't a wowzer. I've voiced my issue already: when I'm able to communicate with my teammates, I think I'll enjoy the game better. I'm still going to get it on Day One due to my preorder, but I am not extremely drawn to it. Maybe when you custom your weapons and gear, that will be more appealing, as well. But right now, there is little that makes me want to play more and more.

Busy weekend for me, downloaded it but never had the chance to play it.

I loved the tutorial! Because i didnt come any further xD I alway have connection problem but only with games on wii and wii u.everything else works perfectly... so i never got access to a match with splatoon and only got errors <,<
But the tutorial... this was epic It was really a lot of fun and i cant wait to play the full game O I loved the controls. It worked perfect and the aiming worked like automatic thanks to the moving controls <:

I only got to play the Saturday morning session. That hour went by way too fast. It was great though. I'm glad I'm no longer in the military with a nice newspaper job and have my weekends guaranteed off. Otherwise I would've truly felt left out.

We need it again next weekend, with more reasonable play times for the Eastern Timezone

I gave it a good college try but after getting disconnected 10+ times I just resigned myself to the fact that my internet is simply too slow for this game, which is no surprise considering even Mario Kart 8, a game which most will claim runs perfectly, did the same thing for me. All in all the demo pretty much sealed the game's fate for me and I will not be purchasing it unless there is local co-op against bots added in at some point in the future. It is a shame but there isn't much I can do about it.

@shani Actually in America its 60$

Im glad people like it and hope it does good. But this game isn't for me, I gave it a shot and didn't care for it, was really hoping I enjoyed it since the last game I bought for Wii U was Smash last November.

The demo is now useless and I believe it should still be on

@Operative in Canada it is $70 although when converted to US it is under $60. Canadian prices have gone up in the past year, it used to be the same as the U.S. for all game prices.

I had almost no problems, the last session it took me a couple tries to connect, but other than full rooms I had no problems. I think i ran into a laggy match maybe twice out of all of them, but they weren't even that bad.

This was awesome! I am totally buying the game. I only got to try out one of the sessions though. DX Nintendo should put up more until release for a chance for EVERYONE to try. I'm tired of waiting for release, I just can't!

It was truly fun. But this game is so dependent of online play. When/If they close the servers, this game will become useless.

It was great and got me hyped for the game enough to pre order the game and the amiibo 3 pack! I had a couple disconnections, but going back in I found matches really fast, and had zero lag in the matches, very impressive for a free online service! I am very impressed overall, but I think they should do one or two more sessions this weekend for the people who didn't get a chance to try it.

@R-Moss it does have a single player mode, but you do make a very good point, when the servers are gone, most of the game is too. Too many games (especially on ps4 and x1) have this problem lately.

@all those that feel hard done by the brief window - obviously the "demo" really wasn't for you(!), it was for Nintendo! If you want to play the game, wait and buy it. After this dress rehearsal you should be confident the servers will serve to make it a wonderful experience.

It was everything I was hoping for, amazing. I need a lot of practice on those guns tho, I'm not a natural at fps's.

Played all 3 sessions and had a blast. From the 3 hours I played (minus wait time) I only had one disconnection and no lags. Most fun I had playing an online game for a long time. The demo felt like a drug push, give you a good taste for free that leave you yearning for more. I was fine waiting for it before the demo, now I can't wait for the 29th to come sooner.

It was great, but I think 2 hour sessions would have been better, although having it open for an entire day would have been the best. I nearly missed the first session due to dinner plans, and wasn't able to make either session on Saturday.

There were a few minor hiccups matching but was otherwise the game performed perfectly. I was a little apprehensive about the motion controls initially but they quickly became second nature. The window of opportunity to use the demo was a little inconvenient but still managed to make it for one of the sessions. Overall I'm definitely counting down the days to launch.

I took some time off to play the game, and I couldn't be more impressed. No lag except for the occasional ink hiccups, but otherwise minimun lag. It's just plain ink silliness!
Oh, how I wish the sessions were a bit longer... or better yet, how I wish the Testfire wasn't over.... X( 19 days of wait is gonna be torture... kinda.

@Kevlar44 Some people got good with the sniper option, because they were lighting me up in my one play session. Personally, my memories of Metroid Prime: Hunters have soured me on too many snipers having too much power, and the game losing its frantic nature because everyone is just hiding and waiting to snipe.

I came away from my one play session thinking it was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see more customization and weapon options.

i was very glad to play, it was a blast! i quite enjoy it
however they should have done more,

I enjoyed it, once I got used to the controls. The only concern I have is that the maps are quite tiny, and we only get 5 at launch. Sometimes the action got so chaotic I completely lost sight of my crosshair so I would use the old pray & spray method (literally!)
Still, it has been on my mind since I played it & am definitely hungry for more

Awesome game, and even tho some people say it would be better with voice chat, I DISAGREE big time, all the games that I play with voice chat makes me disgusted. People use the chats to troll and be dweebs more then for the game. Example: GTA:V.+ Everything else.

I liked the demo though the times weren't great. Only disconnected three times in the matchmaking, never in game. I didn't notice any lag either and my internet connection is only 768K up. Not to mention we had two Wii U systems playing the demo at the same time in our house. As for the game it played great. I love the roller but could never get the hang of the long range gun. It would stink when you were on a team where most had the same weapon.

@DracioKoi Solid doesn't equal great. It means you consistently had fun with it and there were no elements you particularly despised. So if you enjoyed it but didn't think it was great, that was the obvious pick to go with.

@Dandalfa00 the same here. disconnected always after 30 seconds...i´m a really wanting to play this game :´(

My connection isn't great but during the first play session I only had one issue when I tried logging in at the start it said the server was too busy, second try right away I got in and no more problems at all.

Had a couple of disconnects in the lobby when I switched weapons. Never had a single problem in-match. No lag whatsoever, no framerate problems, I was really impressed.

And I enjoyed the little 8-bit squid jumping minigame on the gamepad during session set-up. It was like playing Ice Climbers as a Blooper.

@copeland4 I thought the same as you until someone pointed out in the live chat that you can see your ink level on the little cannister on your back.It's actually better this way than having it on the HUD as you don't need to take your eyes off the action.

Nintendo! I need more Splatoon Global Testfires!

I didn't have disconnects but lots of error codes trying to connect initially for each session or any time I changed my weapon. I'd like a few more chances to demo the game.

I would love to play more sessions.

@Captain_Gonru people would be to agressive with one another ...maybe voice chat only with friends

Had fun minus getting run over by rollers. With more time I'll get better.

A two day splatoon test fire was definitely better. A lot of people missed their chances to play it or played just one of the three opportunities but this game is great, always wanted something like this in a Nintendo console and it brings something new to the table unlike other companies that sells the same thing with better graphics just to play I safe. That's why Nintendo is number 1.

i had fun. I thought it was well done serving both Nintendo and consumers appetites for more of the game

I don't know. The game felt very "Alright". It was good, but it certainly didn't live up to the hype. It had its moments and was a good time, but I don't know if it will be worth 60$ at launch. I might pick it up after the free updates roll out. Maybe PC gaming has spoiled me, but not being able to select a server or create a game for just me and my friends seems... not fun at all, to be honest.

The tutorial needs to be offline. My kids will play that over and over and over.

@BlueNitrous Friend only matches are coming later, so maybe wait until then? Prices will be lower as well.

played the first session and I had a blast... very interesting concept for a shooter. The paint roller does need to be nerfed slightly.. maybe make it run out of ink quicker...
The gameplay mechanics were fun and quirky, The only 2 major gripes I had are... I had problems getting back into a match when I changed weapons and 2 when I was in a match someone backed out just before the game started and we had to play 3 on 4... not fun
as far as no in game chat... I'm all for that... who wants a bunch of foul mouth juveniles cursing at each other while you're trying to enjoy a game

I didn't play it

I played the demo. It was fun, but I predict Splatoon will have the same problem that Titanfall had. I like many people, will not pay full price for a game that has strong multiplayer focus with weak or nonexistent single player. Hopefully it will be $20 within a year after launch, like Titanfall.

I was busy this weekend, I didn't have time to play. Looks like I missed that one.

@shani Everwhere I have looked it's been $60. I don't think that's how the exchange rate works.

@Sir_JBizzle Agreed. Lobby chat or the ability to switch your load out before a match starts up would be great. I also think some sort of ping system similar to League of Legends would be good, and might be more effective in Splatoon's frantic, fast-paced gameplay than regular voice chat. Splatoon already has a ping system of sorts, but they are default messages of "C'mon" and "Booyah". Regular voice chat I feel would be ineffective in most cases because the situation changes so fast. A ping system allows you to just press a button and keep going.

By the time I found out about the trial, the second session had already ended and the third would be too early in the morning for me to play, so I was a little disappointed. Unfortunately unless I have a friend who lets me try the game, I don't know if I'll be buying this at full price at launch. Like a few of you have said, I am not one to buy into a game with such strong multiplayer focus for two reasons. 1, I don't tend to enjoy playing online with strangers due to elitists and griefers, and 2, this game will have a limited life span as servers do not last forever, and the options for single player and local play are slim (at this time, but that could be fixed in a later update.)

Also i still feel that the control scheme could be a deal-breaker for me, so it's unfortunate I didn't get to try the demo. I have been burned more than a few times by games everyone loved and I couldn't get comfortable with the 'revolutionary' game control. For a shooter, this is important to feel confident with. I will wait for a sale unless one of my friends decides to beat me to it.

@Operative

I'll quote you:
"The gameplay/maps got boring after a couple of rounds and the sniper was very disappointing"

Those were you're criticisms in the comment i responded to, those complaints seem to be largely due to the limited content of the Demo.

It was obviously more of a server/online test rather than a typical demo so I have to give Nintendo credit for putting a beta of sorts rather than putting out a game with broken online(like certain publishers did last year, lol).

They should do it again, but this time, make it span an entire day or split it up however. Like Friday, Saturday Sunday from 10am-2pm and then again the same day from like 4pm-8pm or something like that.

@AshFoxX there's a variety of control options, I didn't enjoy the gyro controls myself either, I used both analogue sticks. There's also a single player campaign, it's hard to say how 'slim' it, and the rest of the single player content, will be until we've played it, or seen reviews. As for 'elitists and griefers,' I honestly think this is one shooter that won't be ruined by anything like that. It is just pure fun. I hope you get an opportunity to try it out.

I wonder if they aren't looking the Destiny beta and thinking that Splatoon, as a multiplayer online shooter, will get old and hurt sales if the demo windows are too long.

Destiny certainly got old for me and I've heard others say the same thing, for example.

A lot of people complain about no voice chat. There is a big reason for no voice chat, though, that I think gets overlooked. I believe Nintendo wants there to be groups composed of people from all over the globe. Voice chats alienates people whose native language isn't English, though. The only easy ways to get around that is to limit the groups to people from all the same country or not allow it.

I love the demo and about all this chat issue, I personally don't need it, but did you notice during the demos that you were playing with people all around the world?, I saw nicknames in japanese, spanish, english and one or two french. When you ask for chat with strangers you are assuming that everyone will speak a perfect english, I believe that it is a bit of a narrowed mind.

@Operative You are aware, that the demo only offered a small part of what's in the game, right?

@mjc0961 Don't like motion controls? Turn it off. Also, colorblind people can in fact lock the colors used within the game. Stop spreading poopoop!

*"I think it was brilliant - built hype and did the job!
... but think there should be more sessions."*

I loved it! I only played for one hour, but it was really easy to get into and it worked very well. There was a couple of times it didn't connect, and one time I lost my entire team, but still, I managed quite well against the other team, which lost one guy.

The gameplay was really intense and there is a lot of things to like. The variety of actions during a match is great. The turf war painting is addictive, movement options which the ink provides are interesting and the other knacks, like the ability to jump to a team mate, provide fast action.

I liked the controls as well. There was only a couple of times I found my GamePad in an awkward position after intense turning to one direction, and I wish I could've turned the camera up/down with the stick as well. The combined turning using both the stick and gyro worked extremely well. It was easy to do a full turn. The controls were the best when you forgot to think about them.

I wish there were more sessions, but it sure did the trick and left a hunger for more!

@drewb0203
@AmericanCrusade

I posted a link above where you can buy download codes for ~ 43 dollars.

@MadAdam81 "The tutorial needs to be offline. My kids will play that over and over and over."

I agree! There should've been an offline mode, even if it was just the tutorial park.

The dual analogue stick option worked perfectly for me, I thought that particular control scheme played beautifully. What did you think was worong with it? Perhaps you just need a bit more practice.

edit: @mjc0961

Played the last hour, it was fun.

Still not entirely my kind of game though, but I can see why people are excited.

Very accessible, very welcoming.

I tried the game out, but I had loads of connection issue so I won't be getting the game until I get better internet. I have no idea when that will be though.

I loved the game. I don't have the 'best' internet possible in the UK. I download about 1-2GB an hour, maybe more on a good day through Steam.

Splatoon was just so much fun and the servers were incredibly stable. I was highly impressed by the game.

I downloaded it, but I was busy during all of the very short windows. #muchdisappoint

Was a lot of fun. I only got disconnected once during the second play session. I think this game is better without voice chat, I hope it stays that way.

I could only take part in the first half of the last round, but I had an absolute blast. Even the waiting times are fun. I did horrible with the roller, but the splattershot and aiming controls quickly allowed for many consecutive 'kills', so much so that the 'enemy' was literally stuck in their spawning area multiple games.

Voice chat should be allowed later in tactical competitive teams. So teamwork and planning can make the difference. Not in random matches though, or only so that friends can talk to each other. To keep away insults to one's mother and/or supposed sexual orientation. It may not look the game for profanity spitting cry-babies, but competition brings out the worst in people to prove themselves the 'best'...

I was gone all weekend. I didn't get to play it. D:

Played all three sessions, although only got on half way through on the 3rd (had an appointment that could not be avoided).
Very enjoyable. While I did have a couple of disconnects during actual games, the fact that every game was virtually lag free was just amazing. Don't know if network code for paint splatter is inherently wrong than bullets (cough BF4) but it was an amazing online experience.

Didn't know we could turn off motion until I got into 3rd session (that's just impatience though knowing you have 1 hour to play so didn't bother to read screens and options). So before turning it off I really wanted to, my kids were doing great but it just really felt off for me. I really wanted a first person experience and the added motion, I guess, did not do it for me.

Well surprise, I turned it off in one game and immediately turned it back on for the rest. I will definitely keep motion on. I put sensitivity all the way up but the look on right stick was not responsive whatsoever. Oh ,well funny that as soon as I went back to motion I fell in love

I think as far as testing out their servers, it did its job. But the demo itself wasn't very user friendly. It should have included a small single player sample mode for people who were unable to participate in the timed live demos.

I didn't even bother downloading that game's demo. Also, I was out stylin' and profilin' during those pre-set game times, WOOOOOO~

I also decided to not download the demo. I had no shot at any of the three time slots. I'm pumped to see that most of the posters liked the demo though.

I liked what I played, but I'm still waiting for the reviews before I make a definitive decision due to all the DLC and the Amiibo paywall.

@ThomasBW84 Considering that more content is on the way, will Nintendo Life use the usual 1-10 rating scale when this game comes out? I was thinking you guys would use a scale of adjectives... like "Excellent!" or "Very Good!"

@Clipo I noticed that too! At one point, I even played with Japanese players ONLY!
I wouldn't use VC if it was implemented, but I'd like for friends VC.

I only made it into the first session. I enjoyed the game but my biggest gripe was the forced motion controls for aiming. I really hope that they offer right stick up and down aiming along with look.

@Darknyht You could actually disable the motion controls. The weapon select screen had an options menu. They only forced the motion controls in the tutorial.

I didn't like the concept of the demo at all. I couldn't be around, nor did I want to be around, for the small windows the game worked. Probably a great idea to test server stability really, but didn't fit into my lifestyle/schedule at all.

@Haiassai There's no reason NOT to have voice chat, but I was pleased with how well the game played without it. I do think there's something to this idea of Nintendo's that the game doesn't really need it. The ability to see the whole map at all times, and to warp beside your teammates, plus the fact that the teams are small, helps to mitigate the absence of voice chat.

@Dr_Corndog - the primary reason not to have voicechat would be to keep the game fun for players even if they are not competitive-minded. I hear from some players who game FPS with voicechat, that voicechat with random people tends to rarely be used for strategy, and more often you'll hear some of the most racist/rancid/putdown kinds of comments instead. From a parent's perspective, it would not be pleasant to have say, your kid playing the game and some random adult or even kid cussing him out for not "painting the area or playing the game 'properly' " or not "following a popular/meta strategy". From that POV, it makes more sense not to freely have voicechat, especially considering that Nintendo likes to keep the games enjoyable for all audiences (a plus in my book).

Granted, it would be nice if you could send a beacon onto the map (by touching a specific point) to alert all of your teammates to be 'be cautious of or go to' a certain area. Either way (having ability to voicechat or not), it's all different ways of playing a game and strategizing. A good player should be able to do well regardless of the amount of communication available. If there's not a lot and you get inexperienced teammates, then that's just an extra challenge for you to overcome as the 'veteran' of the team. Maybe instead of forging your own path (and anticipating your teammates to do the same), you can make the round a personal 'challenge round' and try to instead play the support/backup role, making the goal to keep a less experienced teammate alive (via charger/sniping or sneak/back attacks, or even a dodgy decoy ).

Also, Nintendo announced in the Direct that they plan on having a mode where you can invite Friends from your wiiU list to duke it out. In that case, you could always Skype with them if you really want to play some rounds with the VC aspect of it.

Important thing is to not take it too too seriously, and have fun / try to make it fun for everyone.

The game overall seems fun, and has good 'quick competitive battle' games like Smash Bros.

The main draw and replayability for this game is the online multiplayer. Inability to really play great local co-op hinders some of the value/replayability of the game, as it becomes more a solo game experience as opposed to Smash Bros, which can be excellent single or multiplayer experience (online and local).

That said though, I feel like the game 'feels' a bit sparse in terms of content/value versus price. They will have a single player campaign, which is nice, but the core gameplay mechanics' focus (of painting an area in your color and which differentiates this shooter from others) is really on the online component of the game [and hence the online content is especially important]. I played all 3 demos, had fun, and would've liked to play more, but the two stages on offer began to get repetitive. Granted, it's a demo and I played the same maps for ~3hrs, so that's not bad, and I know they'll have customizable equipment, more stages and game modes later (and that they're working on more stages).

Since the main draw is online multiplayer, and since matches are 4v4 (8 players as opposed to Smash brothers which can work 1v1, 1v1v1, or 4 players), I have some concern that online games will be later hard to matchup (worked well on the free demo bc it was worldwide and limited to certain time spots). It really depends on the number of people who will own the game, and how regularly they play it. People will be more drawn to the game and to play longer if there is a lot of content available (maps and game modes, and hence my desire for many more of them; and customizable/collectible equipment should help), and more people will get the game and play it the cheaper that it is sold. That said, there are similar online computer games (MOBA) that are similar head-to-head competitive play, and some online FPS, which are free-to-play (and make money through other means, advertisements and DLC via expansions, costumes, or in-game items) and hence they have a lot of players on it. That said, I think $60 is a little too high for the content offered (and in consideration that one may want to buy the amiibo [+$13-35] to also get content), which may prevent online matches from being easy to start (the core gameplay content in the long run). I am grateful and prefer that content / equipment be unlockable as opposed to DLC, but the cost is high compared to similar games online, and this 'barrier to entry' may prevent the core online experience from getting the exposure and play time that is should have (as it is a solid game). The map content also feels sparse at the moment, hopefully to change when the full game is released and with the upcoming (free?) DLC stages. I think the ideal price to draw people in would be closer to $40-50 for the core game.

In summary:
-(potential problem) Splatoon requires a fairly large number of players per online game (always 8, as opposed to Smash bros which standarly uses 2-4), so may be hard to regularly find matches. Game is expensive (yes it's on par for console games [which are already arguably expensive compared to computer games], but it will not gather the same kind of attention and number of players to it as similar online battle games which are free-to-play. The higher the cost difference, the larger the barrier to entry), which may prevent more people from buying and playing the game. (potential solution) Reduce game price to $40-50 range. Should bring more players online also.
-(potential problem) Game longetivity/replayability would benefit from more maps and map diversity. It's a solid game, but need diversity to keep players coming back for more. (potential solution) create more maps that offer different situations in battle, even if they are not '100% balanced' or have a lot of depth.

Ideas / recommendations:
I know they want to design good levels that are very high quality, but since the gameplay mechanics are all there and solid, I would like to see more stages even if not all of them are 'as good or balanced' say as they could be (preferring some more quantity for replayability and diversity's sake over strictly high quality stages). An example would be having a large, flat room that is square or rectangular. It's simple, and some may argue that it's not as good due to lack of depth, but at the same time the gameplay for such a stage would be quite different and interesting. It would be a lot easier to tell where an opponent is going (if looking at a map), and one can't really hide except in the ink (though each team should roughly control their half of the stage, which is a lot or space where one could be, if hiding). The focus would be either on battling, or being far enough away to try and paint more area (because there is less hiding in a flat land). Most players' attention would be focused toward the other half of the field, which leads to intense action and good sneak attacks. Anyway, I think a map like that would be fun.

My opinions. The gameplay itself is fun and pretty solid. I share my thoughts in hopes that Nintendo makes something really great from this game, as it looks like it's off to a good start.

@Yorumi True, but a competitive player can also lose every match and still have a good time and fun (I had fun with occasional losses throughout the demo, even when I got stomped and some other players contributed like 100-0 points to the match, in part also because I am taking a more casual approach to the game), taking each game as an opportunity to improve their own game/strategy. It may not feel good to lose, but that's normal.

Personally, I don't mind losing as long as I feel it's fair. What tends to annoy me is when people win via a spammy or cheap tactic (thinking, some players in Smash bros).

I do agree that some players have fun by being competitive, I am one of them, but in terms of local play (in Smash Bros.) I find I'm the best player of my group by a fair deal. It actually has a downside as people don't like to play me as often as I would like to play, and I get less enjoyment as I feel I am not challenged. I can find people online who can stomp me, which is nice from the competitive sense, but I lose something in not being able to play it as often with friends locally. The solution? When playing locally, I use custom characters/movesets or characters I am less familiar with when I battle my friends, to even things out, and in return I still get better at the game (but in different ways/ different characters, even if I lose bc of it). That's just a personal example of how I can still have fun with it with others who play more casually, by being 'less' competitive, in ways. Just a rabbit trail of something to consider.

But anyway, I do understand the thrill of being in heavy competitive play though. For those people who do like that, can always play on the mode which allows you to invite Friends (I edited my last post with this info, if you want to check it out). That will likely become the more competitive mode (similar to playing Smash on For Glory, Teams, 2 players per wiiU).

The main point I wish to make is, there isn't [absolutely no good reason] to [not include voicechat], and that competitive players should be able to still have fun even without it (it shouldn't in my mind be a deal breaker or prevent you from being able to have fun or try the game out, because even with inexperienced players, or maybe especially with them on your team, you can take it as a challenge to improve your game or try new strategies. You may not Win the game, but it could still be a win in your own book if you challenge yourself and do well, in spite of not technically Winning.)

@DeltaPeng I recognize that argument, but it has nothing to do with voice chat among friends, which is also absent. The game is certainly still fun without VC, but any online game involving teams can benefit from it. Thankfully, I don't think its absence hurts Splatoon as much as it would, say, Halo or TF2.

I played during the last session, Splatoon was just as fun as I expected but the lack of voice chat is still bizarre. Nevertheless, Splatoon is still a day one buy for me.

I played a few rounds and had fun. I only had problems a few times when trying to get into a room. Once I was in a room, the connection was solid with no problems afterward. Wasn't interested in the game before, but I'll look in to it.

@Dr_Corndog
I hear ya, among Friends, having the option of VC would be nice. I know some consider it to be a dealbreaker, so I'm providing some thoughts/discussion/considerations against that. But like you said, the gamepad map and quick rounds, and fairly straightforward gameplay allow the game to be played well in spite of no VC.

@Yorumi
True, though it is important to understand that Nintendo does often want to cater to All Age audience (and that many choose and support Nintendo for their Family Friendliness), which makes sense from a business and practical standpoint (the casual gamers far outnumber the competitive and super competitive/hard_core gamers). All types of gamers are needed, though, for Nintendo to keep up business/profit and continue making good console game entertainment, particularly with heavy competition from mobile and computer games against the traditional/dedicated gaming market. That said, their primary audience being family friendly, from a design perspective it makes a lot of sense not to allow VC, at least on random matches, for the purposes and history of online competitive game VC containing a lot of crude/angry/hateful speech.

I feel like Nintendo in general has been slow to implement Online functionality in their games, so it's also possible that it's not just a design decision, but also Development-wise, they are still familiarizing themselves in how to handle Online games well (an example is Smash Brawl online vs Smash 4 online, with the latter running much smoother). Yes MK8 and SSB4 has voicechat, but it's not during the game, it's in the waiting room (and, among Friends). Perhaps it's harder to implement in game (potential for more lag)? Perhaps a similar example is their adaptation to HD games being slow, primarily bc they weren't used to the development efforts/costs needed for HD gaming. If that's the case, they will hopefully improve as time goes on, as it does seem like their Online experiences are already gradually improving.

Per Smash, I do think Stock is better over Time matches (from competitive since), but For Glory 1v1 is a Stock round (which is quite nice). I enjoy playing Smash on For Glory, Team (and 2 per WiiU, when possible) quite a bit, but I agree that if more options were available and I could make it a Stock round (and maybe add Team Atk On), that would add a lot of replayability and value to the game (take notes, Nintendo! ).

They are getting better at allowing customization options Online, Mario Kart 8 has online rooms with some adjustable rules (and I think items?). And if you play with Friends in Smash, you can then use Custom fighters, stages, and set rules how you want. The overall Online experience is Smash is amazing, not perfect, but considering their past with little to few games with Online, it's a big step in the right direction. Hopefully, other developers and Nintendo will continue to follow suit, and it will gradually keep taking steps in that way

I suppose this was a decent idea to get fans tuned into Nintendo to check it out.... But it doesn't look like they have done much else besides a few promotions in california with some b rate teen disney movie stars (If read correctly).....

I was already getting this game, but after the demo I am looking forward to this so much. I haven't been this excited about getting a game since Skyward Sword.

Just wondering if anyone else has had problems with lag in SSB4, but only in "for fun" mode. I almost always have a smooth experience in "For Glory" mode, but in "For fun" I find it lags frequently (but not always). I don't know if that's because there is more going on in those matches (with items showing up and stages morphing) or if it's because the "for fun" folks tend to have worse connections because they're not as "serious" about gaming.

I don't care about online stats at all (except hunter rank in MH4U!), so I don't mind getting beaten up in "For Glory" when I switch off my main characters, but I would rather play "for fun" because I think the crazy stages are half the fun of the game (items are okay, sometimes annoying, but I can take or leave them). I stay out of "for fun" because of the frequent lag problems. Just wondering if others have experienced this, or have any ideas about the reason for the issue.

Anyway, all that is relevant to Splatoon, because I hope that having more dynamic stuff going on, along with more weapons, items, customizations, etc. does not harm the game speed. The global testfire was smooth as silk for me, but it was limited to a small part of the game.

The only issues I had were the times, which were terrible.
I also didn't think having only an hour to play was a smart plan. When they held the Mario Kart 8 demos, at best buy, they went on for hours!
It's like giving someone a penny, and saying then telling them they have to wait.
Speaking of money, It's over $70? I could buy two games, at that price.

@Operative I wasn't that impressed by it either. In fact, I got bored of it pretty quickly. I will probably still buy it though but I definitely think it's being over praised, it wasn't THAT great.

@earthboundlink Smash Bros lags so much because it uses a peer-to-peer model rather than a client-server model. With the peer-to-peer model, if anyone has a bad connection, it affects everyone. That's why For Fun matches lag so badly

@IceClimbers Interesting. I just wonder why I don't have the same problem in For Glory mode, which presumably uses the same model. Am I right that For Glory players just tend to have better connections?

@Lizuka Funny, I tried the Splat Roller and couldn't do anything with it. When I used the handguns I was much more successful in painting things and getting kills. I thought the weapons were pretty well balanced. With more time people will get better at them and start finding exploits that will be patched (see SSB4), but it's pretty great balance as a starting point. Most of my matches were pretty close (I only played on Saturday for the mid-day PT hour, which was the afternoon for me on the U.S. East Coast).

I really liked how getting kills is not the main point of the game, but it still benefits you to get them when you can because it sets back the other team's painters. It also feels awesome to travel by paint into the middle of a fray and pop out unexpectedly to turn the tide of a firefight (inkfight?), especially if you can pop out and flank the enemy. Then you just plaster the whole area with paint and move on. The objective keeps people from lingering too long in one place and just defending a single corner or location for cheap kills. You still have to get painting! I also like how you get scores compared to your teammates at the end, so it encourages you to actually participate rather than ride your teammates' skills to victory.

I thought it was really fun, but felt the matches were a bit too short after a few of them. And there better eventually be a "FLUDD" weapon. That would be a sweet easter egg for us Mario Sunshine fans!

@Lukaz2009 I only DC'd once while waiting on a match.

@yokokazuo I noticed that too! Our economy is being run by people who like inflated prices. Madness. I pre-ordered the game as part of an E3 package last year, so I dodged the bullit bill this time!

Based on the polls, the test fire was a success.They should do this for other online games!

Love Splatoon...loved the test fire...why not turn down the lights and turn up the ink, BABY? Glow in the dark ink on completely dark maps...the glow illumines your way and it might just illumine your doom...as a neon orange glow in the dark tracer catches you out of the dark. Why not Nintendo? Why not? Not now...but next year sometime. Oh the inky goodness! Love Splatoon.

@Grafeaux Ooo, hadn't thought of that (glow-in-the-dark paint), but I like that idea!

Funny, cause I literally bought myself some glow-in-the-dark paint yesterday (to try in painting figures)

@DeltaPeng Haha...must be meant to be! I think it might just be a mod for them to relatively easily put more life into the game after it has been out for a while. It might provide extra challenges without changing up style or substance. Plus I just want to see some orange neon glow in the dark ink tracer fire off in the distance that I need to attack with my blue neon glow in the dark ink!