Splatoon - Timeline
Thursday23rd Jun 2016
News Splatoon VR Hack Involves A GamePad On Your Back And A Customised Water Pistol
Just like being there
Ever wonder what Splatoon would play like if it used VR? Well ponder no more, as Japanese researchers have created their own version using custom parts, a little imagination and a cheap plastic water gun. The setup uses a Sony HMZ-T1 head-mounted display for immersion, while the aforementioned water gun has been modded for...
Tuesday7th Jun 2016
Gallery Check Out All the New Weapons Coming to Splatoon with Sheldon's Picks Vol. 2
Locked and loaded
Though the regular weekly updates of last summer are long gone, Nintendo isn't finished supporting Splatoon yet. Along with the two new amiibo of the Squid Sisters, we're receiving remixed versions of weapons through the new line of Sheldon's Picks. This retooled line of weapons with new sub and special weapons have changed up the...
Monday6th Jun 2016
Say hello to the "Make Believe Digital Event"
Those of you with long memories will recall that we covered the first episode of The BitBlock's "Make Believe" series a while back. Focused on the idea of the Wii U Animal Crossing game we all really wanted (rather than the one we actually got), it boasted lavish production values rarely witnessed on...
Friday3rd Jun 2016
News Upcoming Splatoon Update to Include Stage and Weapon Tweaks Along With Sheldon's Picks
Nine new weapons for splatting foes
Just recently the Japanese social media Splatoon accounts confirmed that Sheldon's Picks Volume 2 will come on 7th / 8th June, depending on time zones. That'll also arrive as part of an update to version 2.8.0, which will make some more adjustments to the game while also bringing new weapons and gear. Nintendo's...
Wednesday1st Jun 2016
News Splatoon's Squid Sisters Confirmed for Live Concert in Paris
So fresh!
We know that Splatoon has been a big hit for Nintendo and the Wii U, with impressive sales and a notable impact on popular culture in Japan, especially. The game is everywhere in Nintendo's homeland, with a substantial range of merchandise and even live concerts. Nintendo's been slow to roll out merchandise to the rest of the world, but...
Saturday28th May 2016
News Nintendo Celebrates Splatoon's One Year Anniversary in Japan With a Whole Load of Announcements
Sheldon's Picks! Music CD! Hats! More!
Splatoon is one year old in Japan - a landmark that'll pass on 29th May in the West - and the game's official Twitter account has gone announcement crazy. Some of the details are certainly applicable to the West, and no doubt localised announcements will come in good time. First of all Sheldon's Picks Volume 2...
Thursday26th May 2016
News New Splatoon amiibo Now Available For Pre-Order On Nintendo's UK Store
Staying fresh
Remember those amazing new Splatoon amiibo? Well they're up for pre-order on Nintendo UK's online store as we speak. The new figures include a purple Inkling boy, a lime green Inkling girl and an
Wednesday25th May 2016
News Nintendo Introduces Two New Splatoon-Themed amiibo Dioramas
Still Japan-only, sadly
Though some data-miners had leaked the information a few months early, it was nonetheless a rather pleasant surprise when Nintendo unveiled that there would be two new Splatoon amiibo joining the previous three, this time based off of the two pop idols, Callie and Marie. Naturally, if you've made the decision to pick these up...
Friday13th May 2016
News These Splatoon Playing Cards Are A Deal You Cannot Afford To Miss
Show us your hand
We hope you're not too attached to your cash, because Nintendo is releasing a series of Splatoon playing cards in Japan and if you're anything like us, you'll want them. All of them. The cards will be released in three different sets and are expected to launch in July. Just to loosen your resolve, Play-Asia has them up for...
Friday6th May 2016
News Splatoon's Next Splatfest is All About How You Like to Party
The first simultaneous worldwide Splatfest
It's getting to be that time once again for the monthly Splatfest in Splatoon. After last month's epic battle between Spongebob and Patrick in the first Splatfest where both North America and Europe could compete, Nintendo is stepping it up and increasing the scope even more. The Splatfest taking place next...
Tuesday3rd May 2016
Soapbox Game Reviews Always Need a Final Score
Alex explains why it's all a numbers game
The traditional notion of giving a game a score out of five, ten, or any amount is falling out of fashion with many outlets rapidly adopting more arbitrary systems for one reason or another. Personally I feel this is a step in the wrong direction, and a score based on a finite scale is paramount in promoting...
Sunday1st May 2016
Nintendo Life Weekly New Splatoon amiibo Burst Forth, 3DS Games in HD, and More
Hold on to your wallets
It feels like we've been bombarded with little more than rumours for the past few weeks, but now that Nintendo has finally blessed us with some substantial new happenings we wouldn't be at all surprised if you'd not kept track of all that's happened. Luckily for you we've once more been hard at work bringing what is quite...
Saturday30th Apr 2016
News Callie and Marie Join a New Splatoon amiibo Range on 8th July
So fresh!
Splatoon has been a major hit for Nintendo since it launched in May 2015, not just in sales numbers but also in terms of the IP's impact on popular culture. In Japan, particularly, Callie and Marie (the sisters who 'host' the game) have emerged as popular characters for their music and quirky characters. Nintendo's keen to celebrate that...
Monday25th Apr 2016
News Team Patrick Triumphs in the SpongeBob SquarePants Splatoon Splatfest
Pink power
Splatoon has had some high profile tie-ins in nearly a year since launch, but arguably few have been bigger than this weekend's bonanza for fans of alliteration - the SpongeBob SquarePants Splatoon Splatfest. It was the first time that North American and European Splatfests aligned and even had players from both regions competing against...
Thursday21st Apr 2016
Some extra clothes for the in-app store, too
Miitomo has now been available in the West for around three weeks, and Nintendo has made the first move in linking the smart device app with a current day hit. It's launching a range of Splatoon-related promotions and content with the app, while also encouraging fans to retweet key messages. First of...
Thursday14th Apr 2016
News SpongeBob SquarePants is the Theme for the Next Splatoon Splatfest
SpongeBob vs Patrick
Almost a year after its launch Splatoon is still a go-to game for many Wii U owners, especially those looking for some online gaming. The colourful shooter has proven to be a significant hit and new IP for Nintendo. It's attracted the occasional big-name partnership, too, and it's now been announced that the next Splatfest will...
Wednesday13th Apr 2016
News Splatoon's New Update Just Went Live
Time to try out these remixed weapons
In the latest Nintendo Direct, it was revealed that Splatoon would be receiving some more free DLC, albeit in a slightly different form than before. Some existent weapons – dubbed "Sheldon's Picks" – have been retooled with new secondaries and specials, giving them an entirely different feel. While this may...
Friday8th Apr 2016
News Splatoon Update to 2.7.0 Will Bring Us The First Volume of Sheldon's Picks Next Week
Eight remixed and new weapons
During the March Nintendo Direct it was confirmed that the Splatoon updates weren't finished yet, with confirmation that there'd be two 'waves' of Sheldon's Picks, new weapons that'll provide abilities and secondary attacks a little different from their contemporaries. We now have a date for the first of these updates,...
Friday1st Apr 2016
News Splatoon to Arrive on 3DS Under the Name "Splatoon Legends"
April Fools'
Update: Yep, as most of you guessed this was our contribution to the tradition of ludicrous and fabricated news stories on the first of April. We made it all up, all of what you see below is complete and utter nonsense as far as we know, we hope you got a laugh out of it! Massive thanks to Andy Carolan (@AndyCarolan) for the Inkle...
Monday21st Mar 2016
Random An Official Splatoon Lint Roller is a Thing You Can Own
Keep your threads fresh!
The world of Splatoon is populated almost entirely with cephalopods as far as we know. Although Judd may be the only furred creature left on the planet, any cat-owner knows he'll still find a way to get his hair over everything every squid in a 10-km radius owns. Do they even have, like, bones and stuff under all that fluff?...
Friday18th Mar 2016
News Stretchy And Sticky Splatoon Squid Toys Are Coming To Japan, Thanks To Taito
Easy squeezy
Video game veteran Taito is producing a series of stretchy, goo-filled Splatoon squid toys. Now there's a sentence we didn't think we'd be typing when we woke up this morning. Due for release in Japan (where else?) on April 5th, the toys can be seen in action in the teaser video below. You can squeeze 'em, splat 'em and throw 'em in a...
Wednesday16th Mar 2016
Video Splatoon Head Honcho Tsubasa Sakaguchi Joins In With an amiibo Impersonation
A balanced approach...
Just recently we shared a video of Shigeru Miyamoto impersonating an amiibo, sort of, which certainly demonstrated his awesomeness rather nicely. It evidently wasn't a one-off, as Nintendo of Europe has released another neat video with a different development star. This time around it's the public face of Splatoon's...
News Admit It, You Want This Splatoon Splattershot Water Pistol
Available for pre-order "soon"
The guns in Splatoon take a lot of inspiration from real-world water pistols, so it's perhaps a little surprising that Nintendo hasn't taken more advantage of this fact - an entire range of themed water shooters should have been available at launch; it would have been a licence to print money. Thankfully, the company...
Tuesday15th Mar 2016
News North America's Next Splatfest Will Take Place This Friday
Do you want to build a snowman?
Following hot on the heels of the announcement of Europe's next Splatfest, Nintendo of America has recently confirmed a Splatfest to be taking place this weekend at the same time. While it may be that this latest topic still isn't as awesome as its Pokémon predecessor, it nonetheless seems to be an appropriate topic...
Sunday13th Mar 2016
News The Next Splatfest Topic for Europe Has Been Announced
How would you like to get around?
Earlier this week, a fairly substantial update for Splatoon went out, making numerous changes to several different aspects of the game. One of the things that was overhauled with this update was how Splatfests will be conducted; basically, 'Splatfest Power' will now more closely tie in with the rank of individual...
Wednesday9th Mar 2016
Video Splatoon Co-Director Tsubasa Sakaguchi Has Some Top Tips For Budding Inklings
Newcomers, take note
Splatoon is getting new content this year and has recently passed one million units shipped in Europe. That means there's a lot of new players flocking to the game, and these individuals may well be wondering how they can improve their tactics and get on a level playing field with those who have mastered the title over the past...
News Splatoon Has Now Shipped One Million Copies In Europe
Staying fresher for longer
Nintendo has confirmed that Splatoon has shipped over one million copies in Europe. The Wii U shooter was one of Nintendo's most robust titles throughout 2015 in terms of sales, and will continue to get new downloadable content in 2016. As well as being a commercial success it has earned considerable critical acclaim,...
Tuesday8th Mar 2016
Video Here's All the Changes in Splatoon's Latest Update to Version 2.6
Oh the Tenacity
Splatoon's had more than its fair share of free content updates, and since last week's Nintendo Direct we now know that they haven't finished fiddling with the game just yet. In in effort, we assume, to try and make the game more varied, several changes have been brought into effect for version 2.6. Most notable are the changes to...
Thursday3rd Mar 2016
News Splatoon Updates to Continue Into 2016
Contains balancing, tweaks, and weapon sets
The hit multiplayer title Splatoon will be receiving some new updates throughout 2016. Beginning on March 8th, an update will address balancing issues regarding specific gear abilities. Some will recieve a buff making them stronger on the battlefield, while others a small nerf. Additionally, tweaks to...
Tuesday1st Mar 2016
News Enjoy the Madness of the CoroCoro Splatoon Manga For Free
Admire the artwork online
CoroCoro Magazine often has some handsome exclusives and details in Japan, the latest of which is a Splatoon manga series. The inky shooter has gone from strength to strength in less than a year on the market, rapidly becoming a popular franchise - with all the licensing and merchandise that can entail - for Nintendo...
