Dang69

@ohithere The bottom of their official page lists it. I think I heard them first say it in the Direct. Can't remember.

@HeadPirate
"Some people played a pre-release, limited version... you have somehow gleamed enough information to write several essays about your impressions of virtually every aspect of this game?"

No. For one I stated this has been my perception of what was been shown to me. Not fact. And really that perception has been informed Nintendo updates, the recent Direct in particular. This NL video is just supplementary.

" just step back a second and think about that."
Fair enough. But I'm not a troll and love Splatoon 2. It is absolutely my favorite art direction of any game. The vibe is legit cool, unlike something like Fortnite. I care about it and thats why I'm critical by my perceptions. It'd be different if, say it's a Piokemon game. I'm a casual fan there. Whereas with Splatoon 2, I am the audience, am a huge fan of 2, it MADE me get into online competitive games, I didnt do that before this game like at all. My complaints here arent about the game needing to be different than the DNA that was established in 2, my observational criticisms are that there doesnt seem to be enough new here after I played the heck out of the last game. That's all.

"From an esport perspective, this game is a complete revolution based on everything I'm reading from pro players and the Japanese media that have played it, and I can already see how the changes they've talked about are going to have radical impact at the higher levels of play. I mentioned some of these changes as well as others, and you dismissed them because it's not important to you."

I didnt dismiss you, I just dont think they'll impact it THAT greatly. I watched some pro Splatoon player on Twitch break down the Direct for a few hours...he repeatedly would say dont be negative...but this is what I'm seeing and to what extent the tweaks will have, based on his perception. I tended to agree with it, and playing that little intro section in the Testfire, the movement so far feels nice, but I dunno. They coulda leaned even more into it. Japan also tends to be more polite online so...

"upset that Off The Hook are gone and think it was a horrible decision given their CDs still make the charts and their live performances are so popular you have to win a lottery to have the privilege of buying tickets." Well it looks like we agree on something. I personally like the new idols but that doesnt effect gameplay and someone out there seems to like it but I didnt bring it up. I'll especially miss Pearl. They'll be back in the DLC, their silhouettes are on it.

"So without a limitless budget and all the time in the world..." I really just wanted a new mode, like Salmon run, and have the Ranked modes have new stuff in them. I would have been happy with that. Like one new thing.

"Either way, what you're doing here isn't going to have any positive impact, for you or anyone else." True but I have no friends in real life that play this stuff lol. Not many of my friends are gamers. My gf's kid is the only Splatoon player I know and I got her into the game when she was like 6 or 7. Shes 9 now and pumped about the game. I'm not talking poop about the game with her tho. Just asking her opinions. After the direct I called after sending her mom the Nintendo Direct and asked her opinions and she goes "I know you're gonna be mad because Pearl is gone and that you will like that card game mode a lot because it looks like Tetris."

So I don't mean to be toxic, sorry.

@Rainz Thanks for the nice response to me and understanding where I've been coming from. Also I hate that the preview vid used the word "revolutionary" - makes it sound SO drastic. I just wanted an evolution - but unlike Alex in the video, these changes feel like updates not evolutions.

@ohithere dont worry they absolutely announced cloud saves for 3

Denuvo is awful. It causes the games to chug hard on PC. RE8 on launch on PC, look it up.

@ohithere they do have cloudsaves in 3

@Rainz haha, i'm not that invested I'd cry over any of this - when I was responding to you I guess i was more or less responding in general to a bunch of similar posts like yours, because you sounded like a million other people saying exaggerated things in response to worries about the game. I mean at the end of day, there isn't anything much new here, gameplay-wise. No "wow" moment in any of trailers or presentation. A few tweaks are made, a nice new coat of paint, but that's it, and that's kind of surprising to me. Sure I'm not alone in that. There is little reason why there couldnt be something more new here, a new mode or whatever. But speaking of being upset...just sad to see this cult mind set from people like you, where you get reallllly defensive when someone proposes something a bit critical about a Nintendo game and someone isnt blindly consuming product from the giant billion dollar corporation that you have your identity so strongly associated with, lol. That said, maybe the game will surprise and feel really fresh. Who knows until it comes out.

"If u know best , being such a Splatoon 3 expert..why not take all your gaming development expertise and design your perfect Splatoon 3 game."

Why the hell would I want to work in gaming? Lol. This is a passtime of mine, would never want it to be my job.

@Ralizah FTP Splatoon in the future would be amazing. Create a mobile version too with cross progression. Have stand alone premium story DLC that is only playable on Switch version but your purchases are still under one profile (for both mobile and Switch). Seasonal updates with maps and guns is all free though. But you have paid seasonal battle passes, nothing in the battle passes is pay to win tho. Only cosmetic, for weapon wraps or new styles for gear you earn for free in the shops (lyou earn free in game currency still to purchase clothing just like you do now, but the battle pass has new cosmetic styles for that gear). This keeps all the pay to win out of it. Have a weekly item shop (maybe with brand collabs) with new gear in it BUT attributes of said gear must also be available for "free" in the games shops. Maybe the battle passes and item shops have new music tracks you can use while playing in a match. Stuff like that. Hell I think after the 2 year mark Splatoon 3 could go FTP for the online modes. If you're a new user and dont own the game, you pay a fee for the story content (CoD works like this if you FTP online versus buying a copy of the game).

@Rykdrew Your post was a little confusing tho - it did sound like your point was, have one game in ftp model and update that so that you never split off or fracture your audience like 60 retail releases like Splatoon might do. Crockin was saying it is pointless to expect Nintendo ever going FTP with a game of that size. I agree with both of you lol

@HeadPirate "You're sharing your perception of something you have never seen?" Yes. That's all I'm saying and I hope I'm wrong about all my perceived criticisms and I'll get the game and be overjoyed and not want to play Fortnite as much anymore, since Splatoon2 is what got me into online competitive games. My comments here come from a place of love for the franchise. I want to get back into Splatoon. I think it has the best art direction of ANY Nintendo game and maybe any video game ever. I think the world lore is great. I think the concept of inking, using said ink to splat, cover maps and then using it as mobility device to swim is brilliant. It's a rare game that actually has an authentic vibe of COOL to it. BUT, as much as I have loved it, I can't play the same thing forever without feeling something new is being added that is significant for to not like like I've already had my fill from the last game. I just don't feel like me not seeing new modes, not seeing some kind of "wow" moment in the trailers, is an unrealistic concern to have. Did you ever see the list I posted I something I would have liked to see in the trailers up to now?

@HeadPirate "So ... no examples then? Just a list of complaints with the core structure that makes Splatoon Splatoon?"

I gave you a list of examples of what I wanted! Did you miss that post?

"Might I suggest that ... maybe you just don't like this game and you shouldn't play it?"

Splatoon 2 is my 1st or second favroite game on Switch and I played it for 100s of hours. I'm allowed to share my perceived criticism in what I wanted in a followup.

"You like Splatoon if you like how it revolves around one game mode. You clearly don't."

I love Salmon run even more than pubs. Splatoon 2doesnt revolve aorund one mode, but I DID love what Splatoon 2 revolved around. But, like many, I played this game A LOT. I wouldnt want Splatoon 3 to be completely different (I actually dont like that Alex uses the word "revolutionary" in his video). But since I have played Splatoon 2 SO MUCH, and the fact that 3 is a full priced sequel 5 years later....I just dont get why people get upside when someone like me suggests...hey I'd rather have the Sequel to the Original Super Mario Brothers be NOT like Super Mario Bros 2 Japan, and more like Super Mario Brothers 3. That's what I'm saying with this Splatoon. Wheres my raccoon tail moment?

"Fantastic news is that you don't have to justify not liking it to anyone, and there are a bunch of other games you can play!"

Such a lame way to disagree with someone just trying to have a discussion, esplecially when it's a sequel to a game I love.

"I really don't understand why you're spending your day talking about a game you don't like, but whatever floats your boat, man."

I don't have the game yet, so it's impossible for me to not like it. I'm sharing my perception.

@locky-mavo A tiny BR mode for this could have worked really well. Like it's a 12 minute match. Duos with 8 teams, 16 players, maybe to save on development time they repurpose old maps, mash them together, make them bigger and wider, have tides slowly make the play area smaller, maybe there are checkpoints you ink along the way for extra points, or eggs you save from the water, I dunno, so that being the last person standing is only part of the point calculation at the end. It'll feel fresh in the world of BRs because it's QUICK in and out gameplay compared to a 20 to 25 minute match.

@AlexanderDaniels "Why can't NintendoAttackers like you set your aim on series in need of it like Pokemon. People are far more forgiving on that than Splatoon should be."

I am critical of Pokemon, lol! And I do agree people are wayyyyy too forgiving on those franchise releases. I mean even Arceus, for all the new the game brought to the table (cribbing from Monster Hunter)...it looked worse than an upscaled Gamecube (compare it to Wind Waker, not even the HD one), and the area design was super flat and boring. But the way people talked about it, it was like...crazy.

@HeadPirate "So ... what's didn't you get? That sounds like what you said you wanted. Like I'm not attacking you or defending this game, I just legitimately want an example."

I wanted Salmon Run to feel different. They tweaked stuff, and I dont hate the tweaks but it's not enough. Even the setting could be confused with the last game for that mode. I have suggestions for Salmon Run, have posted them before and could again if you like.

I wanted a brand new mode, something that had a bit of a wow factor for me. Like how they added Salmon Run to Splatoon 2. Bare minimum I feel like it's weird they didnt do this. Could there have a new solos mode, maybe it's like an obstacle course, inking stuff or fighting mini bosses and tiny salmonoids along the way while racing against others to reach a goal?

Also in unranked pubs, could there have been variation? I mean, could there be a new duos mode? Could it have a bunch of duo teams on specially designed, bigger maps for a ton of players? Like a tiny Battle Royale? I think a tiny BR map could have been a really unique experience since BRs TAKE SO LONG to play a match out. Not saying they should do this, just wanting SOMETHING different in addition to what we had before.

I also think it would have been really smart to either change up, add and or subtract from the Ranked Modes. Just Tower Control, Rain Maker, Clam Blitz and Splat Zones again? Could something have been added here? Something removed. Something changed more than checkpoints in Tower Control? It feels like the same experience again.

The story mode is Splatoon 2i snt that great. Not bad, just "fine." Octo-expansion was dope. Glad it seems like they are referencing that DLC more...still I've kind of done all of this already. Was there a way to do storymode where some of the gameplay took place on maps that felt more open? Like we thought we were seeing in the trailer, Alex mentioned. Like explore a bit?

Don't need all of what I said above...but SOMETHING from my comments I feel would have landed this better with me. Looking forward to the catalogs if they are implemented well and feel like battlepasses.

@HeadPirate I'm not attacking you personally, I mean you got a Pearl profile pic and I fought for her in every Splatfest and am DEFINETLY part of the reason chaos won, so I'm not gonna be too mean lol. My criticism with your comment was you were assigning value to units of change, were creates a bias for "calling out their math." One big change isnt necessarily equal to a bunch of small units. Or maybe a few medium changes + a bunch of small ones > one big change, is even better.

@HeadPirate
"The single player is expanded quite a bit when compared to 1 or 2". Can you prove this? That's not what any of the trailers, fottage or Direct has set ths up as. Nor is it what Alex said in the video from the bit of it he played.

"There are a bunch of new modes, included a completely new "invasion" mode, a new way to play ranked matches, and a completely new collectable side game. "

I am excited by the invasion mode BUT they said, "every few months". There are new ways to play ranked matches, by what oyu are queing into, but the modes themselves arent different. Same clam blitzs and tower defenses and stuff. SO I dont really agree with it being a new gameplay mode.

"On the esprot side, you can explore maps solo, you can watch imported ghosts, you have much more control over what maps you can play when, and the spectator interface is completely reworked and on par was a game like DOTA."

The QoL changes in the game were needed, but this is little more than updates that should have been there in the last game. Once again it doesnt per se change how you actually PLAY the game inside of the modes. BUt could you explain to me how you have more control over maps you play on? Maybe I missed how exactly that works.

"Plus there is a 2 v 1 team mode as part of splatfest." Yes but thats just in Splatfests, and besides there being 3 different team options, doesnt change all that much, tho it is welcome.

@HeadPirate "You say that at every level, you found a bunch of changes that added up to more then the sum of it's parts and a vastly improved experience. So ... if your problem math?

Instead of a single change that made the game better by 5 units, we got 5 changes that each made the game better by 1 unit. Isn't the end result the same?"

No there their problem isnt math. You're making a biased response by assigning your own value set to the changes and assumptions on what a "big change" has in value to "amount of units of change."

@RainbowGazelle I think you sum up us critical peeps comments personally. It's not that we want a completely different game from Splatoon2 or to change how the game totally plays. We just wanted a more expanded single player and a couple new modes. That's really it. I'd trade lockers for that!

@Crockin "New movement options and new specials weapons and stages completely change the meta and how strategies are formed."

Well, for one, at launch, out of the 12 maps there are only 4 new stages, and since they are still doing the 2 map rotations, a lot of the time, that part will feel the same while playing. Alex only played on 2 new maps, not sure if they are adjusting the old returning 8 maps (I think someone did spot a difference on an old map screenshot) to feel like what he was describing here with the new ones and how they felt.

"change the meta"
I mean, that's the least to expect from a new game, or a new "season" from online game. You know what I mean, the meta for sure should be different. The weapons and adjustments shown off, cool with this, I don't think they needed to reinvent what they had at all. So much variety already, that rebalancing is all you need for it to feel new in that regard. I MEAN I would have actually loved LESS weapons but you could buy attachments for said weapons that allowed for different subs or trade offs in distance versus damage etc. Think this would have been a cleaner way to buy and store (fewer )weapons, then customize them with attachments, so you'd still net on the same number of variations you had in the previous game. But this isn't criticism. Just thought itd be cool.

And I dont know yet how much the movement will change the meta or the game feel. Much like the new checkpoints in Tower Defense, seems like it may make it feel a bit different but not super significantly change anything. He even said as much when he broke down how the movement worked. Seen others echo this sentiment and kind of break it down. I was hoping the that Greninja looking ink grapple would be a part of the base character moveset but unfortunately that looks like a special or move specific to certain weapons. I think they could have more done with this, for a 5-year-later-sequel.

"Doesn't look the same graphically." I think 2 looks really pretty so I'm not like critical of the art direction or fidelity even if it is all mostly the same from before. If it's improved, that's great. My criticism comes more in things like, Salmon visually looks like Salmon Run in Splatoon 2. The colors the setting etc. Or that glimpses of the story look kind of familiar. Which, yeah, wait and see on the storymode, but I'd assume if they had some really different looking stuff in it theyd show us a snippet.

@BadTango same - I responded to their comment earlier listing what made it so fresh to the 3D Mario formula, then couple that with the fact it's the first 3D sandbox Mario game in 15 years (Sunshine was 2002)...that the comparison is weak. Nintendo fan community has changed so much since 2017, btw. Back then, when Splatoon 2 came out, their was healthy discourse about "is there enough new here for the few us that played on WiiU." Nowadays I see "what were you expecting GTA6?" types of comments. Truly cult like.

@dew12333 "Sounds like all good news to me, if they changed too much then I may not have bought it."

These sort of responses feel so "cult" like to me. Not trying to personal attack, enjoy what you enjoy, but I see so much of this comment and feels so unnecessarily limiting to your own experience. Because, what if, they kept eveything you like from before, BUT added more to it? It's like...imagine people in the 80s defending the Japanese Super Mario Bros 2 (lost levels)...and saying that type of comment? You may never have gotten Super Mario World, if they kept it that iterative. These comments just make me feel weird.

@Crockin Yeah but the same looks to play the same, minus the nice new coat of paint and QoL. I want this to stick with me for awhile. But I feel Ive sucked Splatoon 2 dry. Thats cool if you're happy, but I dont think the criticism me or commenters or articles have with the game are unreasonable. No one wants the game reinvented, just for it not to feel ONLY mostly the same. ONLY is the keyword. Keep in everything from before...just...whats the "NEW" Salmon Run? What new creative mode could that look like? Or, on Salmon Run, what sort of FRESH experiences could be thrown in the map rotation? Maybe one map rotation is collecting eggs in an abandoned underwater, sealed off oil rig? To control the level of the "tide" leaking into the underwater oil rig, you gotta ink up cracks in the glass or the metal seams of the play area to slow the water coming in, all while fighting salmonoid and collecting eggs? What if it's an oil right (again) out in the water, but is high above the water, and pieces of the playfield break off and fall into the water far below? Salmonoids could shoot up to the platform from geysers, I dunno. I mean at least find ways to change up the backdrop.

@Rainz "I guess ppl were expecting Splatoon 3 to be GTA 6?"

Yes...the best way to make a point is to use such an extreme fake view point in your comment. No one was expecting this...or an RPG or the game to be completely different. I dont get the Nintendefenders saying stuff like this. When Splatoon 2 came there was healthy discourse around the game asking if there was "enough new there." But nowadays, with the Switch Cult, you can't be critical or even question something about a Nintendo game without all the blind faithers just posting comments like this. No, no one expected GTA 6. We maybe expected something new like how Salmon Run feels supplemental to the game modes. Or maybe ranked mode getting new stuff in addition to clam blitz and tower defense again. Or maybe we expected if the online stayed the exact same, maybe the story mode would be changed up. There's just not a lot new here in the ways that matter most. Just freshening up the way you play the game. It's totally cool if you are satisfied with the small changes made, but it's really weird to be critical of articles and commenters asking if "is there enough new here to keep me invested in the online thrust of the game?"

@eaglebob345 "Complaining about the sequel to a shooting game that came out 5 years ago being too similar to its predecessor feels disingenuous when we live in a world where CoD exists."

So you're saying because someone else, COD, does something wrong, it's then not ok to be critical of Splatoon 3? Because COD releases similar feeling games annually with similar feeling multiplayer modes? You say this like people don't complain about COD. You say it like that community isnt criticial. It's gotten to the point that they are now holding off on it being annual, because sales were way down for Vanguard.

@Ragdoll72 "
"It's like no one knows what a shootee sequel is. I mean COD and Battlefield don't change drastically year to year." Yes but they come out year to year (COD does). It's not 5 years between the exact same game. And people complain about the multiplayer in those too - that they dont do enough new, and still between those multiplayer modes, they do more new than we are seeing. But COD does also have a persistent BR and the multiplayers in COD games (like Vanguard or Cold War) now more or less also exist just add to the BR in new guns and themes and assets. Not defending COD tho, that stuff is a mess.

@Sonos "Mario Odyssey did not do anything revolutionary but they did everything in the game very well. And everyone fell over themselves to worship it. Blogs are funny about multiplayer games."

Did you think about that comment at all before typing it?
1) Mario Odyessy was the first sandbox 3D Mario game of its kind in 15 years (since Sunshine).
2) It added new mechanics they made the formula feel FRESH. The way you used your hat as a platforming mechanic and possessed enemies felt completely new to the series. The way coins were utilized and not using a life counter also improved and modernized the game nicely.
3) Mario Odyssey is platformer meant to sink in like 30 hours (more or less) based how much you collect. It's a tight single player experience. With online based multiplayers (even the storymode for Splatoon 3 was treated as something secondary like narrative based tutorial for the online mode) you arent intended to just play this for a bit and jump off. The experiences are so different that, lets say SM Odessy 2 comes out next month - after only putting like 60 hours in the previous game, I could very happy with just some new levels TBH. But with an multipler game...after 100s of hours of Splatoon 2 (which isnt a lot compared to many), I want Splatoon 3 to feel different enough that I'm not feeling like I'm replaying the same game again. It's something I want to stick around with. The online gaming community has evolved so much in the 5 years since Splatoon 2 came out...the changes the game here feel like a mid season update in something like Fortnite.

I find how some of the Nintedefending going on here is structures is a little disturbing. It's cool if you're fine with the new coat of paint put on the game...but how can you pretend that criticisms of wanting a new mode, a new addition (like how Salmon Run was added to 2) or something to shake up or evolve the format is a bad thing? You don'd get Super Mario World by just making Lost Level style iterations to the original Super Mario Brothers. This is a game that asks you to invest a lot of time in, to create a healthy online community, and quite honestly I sucked SPlatoon 2 dry by how much I played and I just don't see enough new happening here to make the experience feel like one I'll stick with for any lengthy period of time. I mean, even down to, only have 2 map rotations in pubs or the ranked modes JUST being the same. Not even a new one. Or Salmon Run maps looking super super familiar - so many creative ways Salmon Run could have cool new SETTINGS in the rotation.

Kit and Krysta of all people had one of my fav comments after the Splatoon 3 Direct, to paraphrase "lockers are cool but I wish they had put some of that creative energy into the gameplay/modes."

Just to comment on the game itself and not the port footage...game isn't very good. Very boring, very easy, very bland, shockingly shallow battle mechanics. Was incredibly disappointed when playing this on the Ps4.

@Bentendo1609 That would have been a Lego Capadli right?

It looks like straight poo poo. Has there ever been a good Dr. Who game?

If you can't do it right, why even do it?

This...just doesn't look appealing to me, like the first one did. Art direction, character designs, environments all look really flat and uninspired. Like a big step back. I love the 1st game, but something here is just putting me off. Wish there was a demo.

@WallyWest I don't think they are stingy with content. I just find the character ticket purchases unnecessary, weird and greedy.

@PigDan20 I hounded everything from twitter to youtube to kickstarter and eventually I got an unannounced to me refund about a year ago. I did this for a quite awhile. I literally think they recognized my name on youtube complaining, because I got a refund after that. I do check the page once and awhile to see what's up.

@WallyWest Yes, but, still having to pay for tickets to edit more aspects of your character is really greedy.

@Kennosuke I got farther in the game - the snow level not surprisingly runs at a much better frame rate. I made it to a big city type area and even it runs a ton better than Rutoh village. Still, hoping they patch these problems.

Looking really bad, wish it was delayed. I hope they release a demo to prove me wrong.

It's weird to me more people don't complain about of the icky thing this game and Rise both does, like no one calls it out...the fact that Capcom SELLS you "character edit" tickets to change your character after you start the game. There's no reason for it, sort of like Metal Gear Survive selling you the options for more save slots.

@WallyWest Nah the framerate is bad in the game. Rutoh Village feels like the Lost Woods right next to the master sword. The rest of the game, it isn't so much that there is slow down...but there are no moments of consistent framerate unless you are in a battle or in the waiting area for an online quest. Traversing the world, Ive watched the FPS to drop a bit below 30 then go back to 30 then to around 40, then 60. It feels awful to look at. Ive found a lot of reviews excuse this by saying "well it's fine because it isnt an action game, so it doesnt effect the gameplay or the game." I hate this opinion because it does effect how the game feels that there are near zero spans of time you get a consistent frame rate. It hurts my eyes and my brain a lot. I have to spend a lot of time concentrating on NOT concentrating on how awful feeling the uncapped frame rate f***s with my eyes.

@RupeeClock There were a bunch of popular streamers playing it too. MY gf's kid asked me to buy it for her last summer even. Coupled with how often the digital goes on sale and all the platforms it's on as well as having east and west popularity....totally possible.

@link3710 because Pokemon wasn't featured and these gae have already had announcements, with preorder spaces put up on retailer sites awhile back.

Why them? Panzer was awful.

There's a new but not currently damning problem I've encountered. Every time I go to play a downloaded game, it says "checking to see if software can be played". This typically happens when you either move games previously downloaded onto a new card or you have preordered a digital download, and your internet connection verifies it. But now it's asking me every time I go to play a game I downloaded, even if I've already played it since the update. End of the world? No because I always have my Switch connected to the internet, But this is bull crap if I didn't or don't have wifi and want to play a digital game. Nintendo frustrates me to no end.

Just updated mine, didn't do it previously and for the first time I had to resign into everything....didn't really work until I logged in to the Nintendo website and changed my password, then it gave me a password sign in option.

Technically it's been 2 years since the game was announced, since everything pre-Jan 2019 was scrapped. I think this is a 2024 game. 5 years, because who knows how fast they even got a team together at Retro to start on it.

@Aqueous There's very very very little chance of you getting a Collector's Edition. If you see one tho, do not hesitate and preorder it. Same with the amiibo, it's been hell today.

@Realness Here's a bright side to it all, with all crap that went down with the Metroid Dread CE and amiibo....maybe it's a good thing orders for a Pro didn't go live. None of us would have EVEN been able to buy one.

@Realness You never would have seen a Pro at this event...remember the Switch Lite got an announcement about a month AFTER e3 2019. So I'm thinking this...we will see a reveal next month late for this year or a reveal in the fall for next year (like they did with the original Switch).

I'm wondering if they only started production on it around the time Astral Chain was finishing up.

@Pally356 I was even "pre searching" the Metroid Dread amiibo on sites during and after the Direct, Bestbuy, Target, Gamestop, Amazon and still missed them. Pretty bummed this is the first thing in awhile Nintendo has announced I've been really excited for.