Video: Our Guide to the Splatoon Global Testfire Demo and an Awesome Japanese Trailer

Happy Mother's Day weekend. You'll all have to survive the next 36-48 hours without. That should at least make Damo happy.

Played last night and it was more fun than expected, hard to go to sleep w/ all that andrelanive pumping, though probably not for por overworked TW as it was 4AM for him.

Watched my kids play it this morning, the youngest took right to it, he's a natural platformer. The older one took a while to get acclimated, but by the end he was getting into it.

Starting to look like a Day 1 purchase after all. Well if we can find the amibo in stock.

I am going to turn off motion controls on next session because I messed up lots of times earlier this morning. I hope they make it possible to play with the Pro Controller (with gamepad still for jumping of course). Really good stuff!

Great game, very fun! Only thought I had was that it would be nice to be able to change weapons on respawn. If they all have rollers, and you go with the charge blast your kinda screwed.

Good to hear that the early impressions are mostly positive.

I missed the 1st session but played the 2nd session, loved every minute. No connection issues for me. didn't know you could turn motion off, too busy playing the 8-bit game to look at options. Will try again in the 3rd. This game is a lot better than I expected, lots of fun. Hoping we get another demo next week

I had actually canceled my preorder because of lack of 2 player online, but, after the demo last night, I might need to go preorder it again. Never had so much FUN online (except maybe 2-player online MK8)

SPLATOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!

Damn, this trailer is pretty awesome! Spot-on, colorful, and stylish! Take notes, NoA - that's how you do good advertisement for Splatoon!

BEST COMMERCIAL EVER!

I haven't had a chance to play it yet I heard mixed reactions on Facebook so far, but here people seem more positive so thats good.

I played the second session. Had connection issues twice. Loved the game, tried all the weapons. My least favorite being the squirter (sniper type) rifle, just couldn't get the hang of it and was quickly splatted by those with the other two pistoles. The roller was fun but you need a body guard to defend you.
This is where the lack of team talk is a big missed opportunity, as looking out for each other on the team is disorganised. Several times I was shouting at the screen warning my team mates that I've seen an opposition squid swim behind them to watch them be splatted.
I also found it hard to view the map and play the game at once, which would be the only way you are able to know where everyone is.
Overal impressions is I think it's going to be a big splat of a hit for Nintendo, if they get the variety, maps and team players levels balanced when making a team.

I played last night and was up again at 5:00 a.m. this morning for round 2. I tried all the weapons but ended up sticking with the Splattershot. it was so incredibly fun and I can't wait for round 3!

Got to play the 2nd session... Having read the comments following the first session, I wondered what to expect with the handling but after years of having got used to Wii motion controls in games such as Resi 4, I found the targeting such a breeze it made the game so enjoyable... Graphics and audio are top notch and all you've gotta worry about is shooting your opponents without getting splatted yourself
So glad I've got this pre-ordered

Fingers crossed I can get connected for the final session.....I really want to get involved but I'm trying not to get excited to avoid a let down if my poor internet fails. I've just had a terrible day all round.....could really do with something working for me today, fingers crossed!!!

Looks like so much fun, i'm going to try to get in on the last session.

SPRATOON

WEE OOOOO

Gotta say, those one hour sessions go by FAST. I played in the first one and had a lot of fun. Definitely getting this.

I thought the most surprising thing about the demo was that I had no lag and almost no connection issues for the entire session. Their servers seem to be handling the demand fine. I'm looking forward to the final hour.

Yeah, me and the kids are loving it. So fun. First session had very spotty connection problems. Second session was smooth with just a few quick hiccups (reconnecting was fast). The second session worked pretty well taking turns playing the short matches. So couch play isn't completely out of the picture... just mostly.

Rollers are not as OP as some may think. People aren't used to aiming and the distance their guns can fire yet, while steamrolling is easier to get the hang of right away. Once I started getting the hang of things my favorite type of player to pop was the roller people. Huge easy to see targets that generally aren't very aware.

@ULTRA-64 good luck, hope you get to enjoy the third session!

@MJKOP thanks man, means allot after a terrible day!

Alright I finally get to test one. I have been trying to play this last night and slept through the morning one. I am not missing this one.The party is over. I am a little hungover but I have been in and out of sleep untill now. I'm wide awake. I have a date with general Tso chicken, Shrimp egg rolls, crab ragoon, steam dumplings, and of course Splatoon. It starts at 3 pm for me. There is no shame in my game.

I loved playing the demo. I usually don't play online, but this game has not disappointed. I was on the fence about getting it, now I want to get it day one. Hopefully like @rjejr said, I'll be able to find the amiibos.

My favorite weapon was the Splattershot Jr. Shorter range but very fast. Also loved the shield it had. I was able to go a few rounds without dying.

The charger had a bigger learning curve. I started out with it, and promptly died. A lot. The roller was easier to pick up, but after fighting against them, they're not too overpowered.

SO far I have had much fun with the game. I really went in thinking "it just couldn't be that great" but I've been playing with my kids as well and it's been a blast.
1. Ok Motion can be turned off, I think because I'm almost 40 I just don't have the brain power to be quick anymore lol, my kids are breezing through with the aiming but I just felt off... Now that I know we can shut that down I will betraying motionless for final session.

2. Voice chat.... Yes we do need it, as someone mentioned earlier I run around and in some levels you can see clearly how things can unfold, well at least unfold for me to say that dude is getting shot, and sure enough bam!!! I don't use chat 100% of the time in other games but when I do (and when the team is cooperating) it just works!!!! Just played battlefield a while ago and I can see how this is faster paced, but still give me the option to chat and control it, enough said.... By no means a deal breaker but geese I keep screaming watch your back but no one is there to listen, speaking of which, I'm sure someone could have warned me many times

3. It's a day 1 purchase with all the guns/subs we are not able to play with. I mean I just know there will be that one gun, with good medium/long range that I enjoy. Hats/shoes/accessories that you have to play around with it to get your balance right, I can't wait........

4. Okay, Nintendo thanks for this but..... 1 hour!!!!!! Come on how about 2 So far not much issue with me, I did get kicked out of two games in the middle of a match (but after bf4 I'm use to it lol). During one game I was shooting everything but no color change until about 5-8 secs later, so I kept wasting time, knowing the color would show, going back to reshoot what I couldn't see, but it was fun nonetheless.

All in all I am loving this game, and so are my kids so, yeah it's what a game should be fun.... Can't wait to try motionless and see if I can bring out my inner CoD

So no motion controller, any other advice besides JR shooter

Well now round 3 is complete. Do we delete the demo or are there more tests planned?
Guys at Nintendolife any ideas?
I'm guessing these rounds are to test the servers and probably stream live play data to the developers so they can make tweaks to improve the play experience.
It would be better still if we the players had somewhere to post feedback to the developers following this test day.
My feedback would definitely be about the missing voice chat. For me this is a travesty that it's not included. This game is all about teamwork and not being able to communicate with my fellow teammates, especially the warnings "he's behind you" or "get out of there" is an opportunity lost.
I live in hope that maybe this will come as a patch update.

I was into the motion controls but I did enjoy them a little better when I turned the sensitivity down. Thanks to those who mentioned the control options! I'd have never noticed.

When I imagine that those games I played could have added up my score as a currency to start customizing my player and how they play. Then, how different all the weapons already feel and all the additional variations. Then, there's the single player that stretches the already fun movement and shooting style of the game. This is one solid game and with 3 hours logged I can say I've only scratched the surface.

It has that universal appeal, too. Yeah, for adults it's a little weird but it also has that FPS edge to it. It's intense but the world isn't kiddie, it's just out there.

That Japanese ad is the kind of thing we need in US. We need some ads that appeal to the older gamers now.

You know what I'd really like to see? An ad that starts and looks like the new Call of Duty or Battlefield and then these splatters occur and the soldiers start freaking out about the squids as if they are a threatening alien. Then the inklings jump out and the soldiers are all in the middle of a turf war covered in the two colors completely confused. By the end, there's a soldier high-fiving an inkling when his team wins. Respect.

SPRATOON!!

It beat the **** out of NoA's commercial!
That's for sure!

Really enjoyed the video Alex!

This games a bit special isn't it? it has reaffirmed my faith in Nintendo

Just finished the 3rd Session, Getting more used to the weapons, Absolutely love this game, so much fun, I played for the full hour, no problems with connecting, no problems with waiting for people to join matches. Love leap function, you can get right back to where you died. Lots of fun, very much looking forward to 29th. But hoping for another demo before then.

Not sure this game needs Voice Chat. Perhaps if you are really competitive and maybe take it too seriously, you need it. But I think it would detract from the chaos and mayhem (for me that makes it more fun) - each to their own I s'pose

now that's a good commercial for splatoon!

@Laxeybobby
I actually think I agree. Before I didn't think voice chat was really needed, at all, but now I can see where strategy can come into play. Of course, it would ruin the strategy of having beacons to warn team mates.

Anyways, game seems to be amazing. I'm really excited for Splatoon now.

@aaronsullivan
NoA needs to hire you as marketing lead, ASAP!

@JaxonH
Sweet. I'm currently looking for work so that would be great!

@rjejr
You're welcome

Inkling Girl
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Inkling-Girl-Splatoon-Series-Amiibo-Nintendo-WiiU-or-Nintendo-3DS/44606830

Inkling Boy
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Inkling-Boy-Splatoon-Series-Amiibo-Nintendo-WiiU-or-Nintendo-3DS/44606829

I LOVED the demo. Only got to play the last one, but I had so much fun! Hype revved from 7 to 9.5! Cannot wait for the 29th!

@JaxonH - my 2 sons are begging for this game after the demo and I was thinking about getting the 3 pack.....NewEgg and Best Buy seem like they have a stock they havent started selling yet....both say coming soon but maybe I'll order the boy and girl and return them if I can find the 3 pack

Darn Nintendo and their amazing knowledge of what me and my boys like.

I played the 1st and 3rd rounds, and I was hooked just after the first round! The first night it was hard to go to sleep right after playing it (11-12pm) cause I was hyped and wanted to play more! I'll be pre-ordering it for sure, along side with the 3 amiibo pack. May 29th can't come quick enough now!

Nintendo really needs to do more demos likes this more often to get ppl hyped, this was an excellent way to get us ppl that weren't sure of the game on board and excited!

@Gerbwmu
Ya Best Buy sold out of the 3 pack a month ago- I know cause I ordered 2 from them. Newegg hasn't gone live that I'm aware of but they're notorious for canceling pre orders and taking too many.

Amazon has yet to go live with the 3 pack, same for GameStop website. That's where I'd put my stock if I were you. Have to be quick- these things usually sell out in just minutes, though the Splatoon figures have been in stock quite a bit (as you can see by the links I posted, they just went live again on WM site today and have been up for hours now). So you may be able to snag the 3 pack if you're fast enough.

Ah, you guys are making me jelly! Oh well, I'll still be able to play it May 29th.

Despite my initial negativity, the beta left me hungry for more so yeah mission accomplished!

That's a much better commercial than NA's

SHPRAT TOON - !!!!!!

Love that Japanese pronunciation.

For Prats that Splat. (tm)

NOA, you paying attention?

@ULTRA-64 hey, well did you get third time lucky with the demo...? I hope so!

@aaronsullivan that sounds fantastic!

@MJKOP yeah I finally got to try the game out, just! My dodgy internet meant I never actually finished a game, however I did get to run through the tutorials(twice over) and get the set up vibe and 'feel' of the game in general. It wasn't ideal tbh but it cheered me up rather than pissing me off and blew away a few dark clouds bothering me overall fun game that has an energy about it lacking from my other Wii u purchases so far....bet its even better if you can complete a match and get that 'winning feeling'!
You got your copy pre ordered like a smooth criminal?

I only managed to get to the last session. For someone who hates to play online (specially shooters) this was incredibly fun and exciting.

Nice commercial. Kind of builds excitement I think. The US used to have some good one.years ago, but now all we get is commercials with a bunch of kids sitting around, and a very kiddie sounding narrator. One thing ive always liked about Nintendo is being quite appealing to everyone, and not just kids. The commercials here kind of make me think it's no wonder some other people say Nintendo is for kids.

@ULTRA-64 nice one, sounds like you needed that, glad you got in on the action!

@Captain_Gonru - "Did you stick with the motion controls?

Yeah, I have a feeling it would be easier w/o them, but I like the fun of it. I also have only played MK Wii and MK8 w/ motion controls for the same reasons, doesn't get me the best scores, but it is the most fun doing it.

My youngest son who likes platformers did take some time to get used to the aiming but he was fine after that. We never play FPS games in our house so nobody is used to aiming and shooting at anything. My oldest who is the stratgy kid really never seemed to get comfortable w/ the aiming, he had to stand right in front of the tv. If. though more like when, we get it and we have time to figure it out I imagine he may turn off the gyro.

@aaronsullivan - "The second session worked pretty well taking turns playing the short matches. So couch play isn't completely out of the picture... just mostly. "

I played Friday night after the kids went to sleep and I watched them play Sat morning taking turns. While the kids were good about it, my kids are good boys in general, this was a test of "gameplay" and not the game so I'm a little worried about the addictive nature of this thing causing some problems. ie every battle I'm assuming you get to keep your points towards leveling up your character, and I'm not sure how fast or slow that will be. My kids leveled up their SSBU amiibo to level 50 in 2 days, 2 hours each day, so 4 hours for 50 levels, or about 12 levels per hour. I'm 30 hours into Xenoblade and my characters are at level 39 so 1 level every 45 minutes. If you level up fast like SSBU then it will be easy for my kids to take turns to get to the all important level 10 for ranked play in an hour. If its going to take 8 hours like X then there may be more fighting. Plus all the time spent shopping for clothes and weapons and doing the single player campaign and the amiibo challenges (I'm probably not buying the game w/o the 3-pack).

So yes, while playing the online matches my kids should be ok taking turns, but its all the rest of the game that worries me. And the addictive nature of leveling up may mean we hardly play offline balloon pop vs if it isn't adding anything to our leveling. The faster the leveling, the better the sharing, the slower the leveling, the worse it will be. At least I can just play at night after they go to bed.

@rjejr
Here's where nice integrated apps and a more universal online account could be useful. A mobile app to manage your upgrades/clothing for your Inkling would be great for taking turns on the game proper. That was more what I had in mind when Nintendo first started talking about mobile apps. I hope they don't drop all of that in favor of new games only.

@aaronsullivan - "A mobile app"

Do you know where they should put that app - 3DS.

50 million 2/3DS in the world and 9.5mil Wii U makes me think there's a lot of Wii U owners who own a 3DS. An app like the MK Channel on Wii on the 3DS would work wonders. It's also more promotion for people who own a 3DS but still don't own a Wii U. They could even call it "Splatoon Channel".

Good thing about putting it on the 3DS, the account system is already in place.

I'm not opposed to a smart device app, heck I'm all for it, just think a 3DS Channel is more likely. Maybe an E3 reveal.

@rjejr It makes sense that there should be more of this type of thing on 3DS but I prefer crystal clarity of a mobile phone or tablet myself.

@aaronsullivan - In retrospect - and I'm sure you've already realized this long ago - the entire game should have been on 3DS since the couch play is limited to balloon popping. I can easily imagine kids running around playgrounds w/ their 2/3DS playing this. Or sitting at lunch tables.

It really should be a simple formula for Ntinedo -

couch co-op and grandiose adventures - MK8, SSBU, XCX, Zelda - on Wii U
single player platforming - Luigi's Mansion 2, Kirby's Rainbow Curse, Yarn Yoshi - 3DS
Though I've always thought Kid Icarus should be on Wii U b/c it's one of the very few Nintendo games that has a fully voiced story, so it isn't a hard and fast rule.

But looking at all that Disney/Nick/Cartoon Network type advertising really makes me think this game has evolved into a 3DS game. No voice chat kind of leans that way for me as well.

I'm still glad it's on Wii U, perhaps the only way I would play it, but the marketing and game style looks more 3DS oriented to me. Dual Gamepad support would have changed that view.

Sometimes I think Nintendo does it the opposite way on purpose just b/c they can.

@rjejr
Splatoon would be great for ad hoc multiplayer with 3DS — but only if it could work at all. I know when I was playing I was relying on seeing a lot of small details and movement to stay aware of the other team and the charm and tactile visuals don't translate well to the 3DS screens and GPU when I imagine it.

I mean, it would be nice if it was as easy as you were outlining, but even then, I'd want all the good games on Wii U (Kid Icarus, Project STEAM, Luigi's Mansion 2, Fire Emblem, etc.) I mean if you like sitting on a couch with a big screen playing games...

Maybe the Splatoon sequel will be on both handheld and console — if they aren't the same thing, of course — and the handheld will be able to handle it.

@rjejr @Captain_Gonru
Oh, and on the second GamePad thing. It's all about performance. Plus, if you can't get people to buy ONE GamePad I can see why you might abandon trying to support two.

I'm pretty sure Nintendo had an official comment that it was a technical possibility.

@Captain_Gonru - homina, homina, homina

@aaronsullivan - "I'm pretty sure Nintendo had an official comment that it was a technical possibility."

It was more than a technical possibility, they made it sound like they already had games in development that supported it.

Nintendo's very own Treehouse guru Bill Trinen said dual Gamepad support would come in the Wii U's second year.

""None of the launch-window titles support dual GamePad play," Trinen said. "As a result we won't be selling the GamePad as a separate accessory. It will be released once the content is there to support it. Our anticipation is that there will be (games that support it) some time next year.""

http://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012/9/13/3328510/second-wii-u-gamepad-wont-be-supported-or-priced-at-launch-in-u-s

As for Splatoon on the 3DS, it may not play exactly the same way but if 3DS can handle Kid Icarus w/ it's fast paced online multiplayer, and the graphic prowess of Codebane STEAM, the all the glory that is Xenoblade Chronicles (new only, I know), I think it could handle a paintgun game, though I suspect the paint would be flat, not shiny metallic.

For the love of ink, why didn't they just port that commercial over here?

Nobody wants "YOU'REAKIDYOU'REASQUIDYOU'REAKIDYOU'REASQUID".