Splatoon 2, mah bois. F*ck yeah. [img]http://i.imgur.com/lSOJfZe.jpg[/img] I'm glad they didn't go with the obvious silly pun. While I could've appreciated it, it's better to go with a clear name so newcomers can understand it too. Anywho, that said, the game looks absolutely amazing. The new weapons, hairstyles, maps, etc. From what I can tell, three new maps were shown - The Reef which was playable, a concert stage and a climbing hall stage. Moray Towers also returns with inkrails this time round - about time those made a multiplayer appearance! The song that played during gameplay was pretty catchy too, though I'm not too fond of that One Minute Remaining! remix. So far I still prefer Splatoon 1 music, but we didn't hear a lot so far yet. I'm really glad the special weapons are all new - because all of the new ones shown so far look amazingly fun to use. I'm really digging that huge dual rocket launcher and the inkjet. My only gripe... I will have to pay to play this online. The more I think about that, the more I hate it, as I only play online casually. But I really want to give this game a shot. Splatoon's my favorite game of all time, so I'm really hype for this. May I just add that I think the logo looks a little odd? I also don't really love the color scheme of the cover art, but that's top-level nitpicking :D EDIT: Also, chargers don't have to recharge anyone after turning into a squid, so they can store their charge. I'm not sure whether that makes sense, but I already know I will hate chargers a lot more in this game. Especially the E-Liter, assuming it still exists. Also, a quick dodge move was added which seems like a smart move to enhance gameplay. However, internet will have to be a lot less laggy to have any chance at hitting people using the quick dodge, but given it's paid now that shouldn't be a problem (hopefully).

I was expecting them to just port Splatoon over to the Switch, but it's great that they're going to make a straight-up sequel! I really like the new special abilities, especially the Ink Jet. 'Cause, you know, jet packs can make any game that little bit better. And the ability to dodge should really come in handy in tough situations. Summer can't come quick enough.

Very glad it's not a straight up port with a few added bits and bobs. I wonder if we'll see playable Octolings this time around? They did up the character models a bit in the original but I feel like they held things like that and hairstyles off for the sequel. I'm probably one of the few people hoping for a decently fleshed out campaign. I actually quite enjoyed the challenge of the single player mode. I also hope for a decent local split screen mode this time around as well, the Wii U local multiplayer was awful. I think I heard Nintendo won't be using the Miiverse with the Switch, it'll be a shame not to see custom graffiti and stuff all over the place as well.

Didn't the first one come out, like, a half-year ago? Has it really dated [i]that[/i] quickly since Overwatch came out?

...no, it came out about 19 months ago.

By the time Splatoon 2 comes out (it's slated for release in the summer, so probably May or June), the original game will be about 2 years old. Hm, makes sense to me.

[quote="Kritter"]I think I heard Nintendo won't be using the Miiverse with the Switch, it'll be a shame not to see custom graffiti and stuff all over the place as well.[/quote] Yeah, neither Streetpass or Miiverse will be utilized for the Switch.

Hmm, the custom graffiti isn't a huge loss to me. It was neat, but Miiverse as a whole was pretty meh, so I don't really mind too much. And while it was neat, seeing "Bush did 9/11" and posts of similar quality sprayed on walls also doesn't sound like something I'd miss much.

It's not a big loss no, I just thought it was a novel use of a short lived feature of the Wii U.

I'm really hyped for this game and can't wait to see more in future Nintendo directs. I'm really curious about the specific layouts of the two maps shown that weren't playable and can't wait to see what other novelties this game brings to the table. I wonder if there'll be any new ranked modes, too. I hope the old ones still exist (mainly Rainmaker). Meanwhile, I got bored and made a sketch of how I think the three existing ranked modes from the first game could play out on the new The Reef map (Splat Zones in red, Tower Control in blue and Rainmaker in green) [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/iDjWOGA.png[/img][/spoiler]

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GxP5E5B7Y0]New Splatoon 2 footage![/url] So hype! All ranked modes from the first game are returning with small tweaks made to them. I have a feeling I'm not gonna be a big fan of the checkpoint system in tower control, lol. But boy, am I glad Rainmaker is back! Also Starfish Mainstage looks so goddamn good, no surprise it's featured on the box art.

Neat. I dunno what to think of the checkpoint system, though. I thought Tower Control was fun because it constantly kept you moving.

I'm surprised the whole headset debacle hasn't come up here yet. (It's more of a general Switch issue but since Splatoon 2's the most immediate application of it and what the solution is themed around, I think it's relevant here.) Should you wish to use a headset instead of just your phone/Nintendo app for voicechat, well... the proposed solution isn't pretty: [spoiler][img]http://images.eurogamer.net/2017/articles/1/9/0/4/0/8/5/149633105347.png/EG11/resize/600x-1/quality/80/format/jpg[/img][/spoiler] What. The [i]f**k[/i]. Were they [i]thinking[/i]? Basically: you have a splitter that takes in a headset and splits it out to two 3.5mm cords, one for mic (the phone) and the other for game sound (Switch). That is, at minimum, FOUR devices and THREE cables in play. And this doesn't even account for cases like the iPhone 7 which require an adapter to use a standard 3.5mm plug.

i think you've got it a little mixed up. the mic IS the headset (which is why it... has a mic on it), and it's splitting the audio output from both the phone AND the switch. the voice chat is coming from the phone, the game is coming from the switch. it's just layering the two on top of eachother into the headset. still stupid. it's just not as stupid as how you described.

[quote="Mit"]i think you've got it a little mixed up. the mic IS the headset (which is why it... has a mic on it), and it's splitting the audio output from both the phone AND the switch. the voice chat is coming from the phone, the game is coming from the switch. it's just layering the two on top of eachother into the headset. still stupid. it's just not as stupid as how you described.[/quote] I don't have anything mixed up. I know the headset has a mic, my issue is how pointless and overly complex this is. This all begs the question of why the Switch doesn't have Bluetooth support in the first place when it's been standard for consoles for over a decade. I almost think that this all is a result of Nintendo being overly Japan-centric in their conceptualization of anything involving interactions with other players, but I think this will be way too annoying even for Japanese gamers.

it does, the joy-con and i think all the controllers are running bluetooth connections. it's just that they didn't bother having the voice chat integration be on the console OS itself for some baffling reason.