Splatoon

In short, this game is fun. The multiplayer has a wide variety of weapons and while it might look a bit chaotic, there's actually plenty of strategy and skill involved in figuring out the best way to cover the most ground without letting the other team get too far ahead. The balance isn't perfect, but it's about as good as you could possibly get it. The gameplay is unique and puts a completely new spin on the whole shooter formula; if you do what you do in every other shooter and focus on trying to attack the enemy, you'll probably end up losing. The goal here is to coat the arena in as much of your team's in as possible, and it's a completely different feeling from games that are more combat based. The whole "swim in your own team's ink" thing also adds an additional level of strategy and mobility.The single-player mode is also surprisingly well-thought out. Again, it isn't combat-oriented so much as something of a puzzle-based platformer. You have to use your ink to manipulate the environment and create paths for yourself to proceed, taking out a few enemies along the way. It's a bit on the short side, but pretty much all of it is tons of fun and really forces you to get inventive with the game mechanics.The game's aesthetic is also fun. It harkens back to 90's era Nickelodeon style where everything is bright, colorful, and goofy. The whole thing is pretty ridiculous at times, but it's entirely intentional and against all odds, it really works. It doesn't look or feel like any other game out there.That said, the game isn't perfect, there are a few minor issues.- The single-player, while fun, is on the short side. For as long as it lasts, it's awesome, but it only takes a few hours to play through.- On launch, the variety of stages was a bit small; only five stages and one game mode. The variety in weapons helps make up for it, but it's still a tiny selection. That said, Nintendo has stated that they intend to add more content throughout the summer. Four days after launch, they already added another stage and a new game mode (splat zone), and the existing content stands pretty well on its own in any case. It's definitely not a case of an incomplete or broken game being fixed after launch. There's definitely more content on the way though.- The amiibos are currently rather difficult to find and are often expensive. They add a decent amount of bonus content to the game which is a bit of a bummer if you can't find them, especially the squid amiibo. If you can get them for a decent price, they're awesome, but it's kind of a pain to do that.Also, a final note on the voice chat: A lot of people complain about the lack of it in the game, but honestly, I don't think it's a big problem. There are arguments to make for and against it. It would be nice to be able to coordinate more (especially with friends), but I can understand why they left it out if they wanted a family-friendly experience. My personal take on it is that it really isn't necessary: the matches are so short and the gameplay shifts so quickly that you don't lose a whole lot not having voice chat. In the time it would take to communicate a plan to your teammates they situation would have changed enough to make the plan useless. The map on the game pad tells you all you need to know about where you should go and what areas of the map need attention.Anyway, yeah, final verdict, this game is a TON of fun. Not perfect, but I found any issues to be minor enough that the good parts really outweigh them.

Splatoon is the newest IP released by Nintendo of this ear towards the end of May. It is the very first true shooter that they ever made, and boy did they do good on exploring new territory with gaming.Splatoon follows the Inklings; a race of humanoid, squid like people who can transform into a squid-blooper like creature that swims through ink. 100 years ago, the Octavions (the inkling's enemies), attacked them, resulting in a war. The Octavions lost the war. But now they have reemerged. It's up to you as the next agent for the former hero of the Inklings to go into the fray and stop DJ Octavio.The game has both single player support and multiplayer support. It's multiplayer is what you would expect from a Call of Duty, Battlefield, like game, though with an entirely new objective. Rather than focusing on killing as much as possible, you have to cover the most territory than your opposing team using your weapons. While obviously reducing the active members of the opposing team helps, it is not the sole objective. It's multiplayer does alot of things right; especially for the first attempt at this for Nintendo. The matches are short and quick, which lets you actively get into new games. It does a good job at keeping a balance among the players, though I have been in those "Team Skrub vs Camping w****" games on occasions. They do this by limiting you to players around your skill bracket, and should you fall into a new bracket, they will reassign you to players who are within your skill. Nintendo also has made various updates for free which has increased your ability to play with your friends, and they will continue to be updating it for free throughout the rest of the year.Single Player is much different than Multiplayer. Rather than fast paced combat, single player focuses on slow, puzzle game like elements. When you play that, it's more of "Here's point A, and there's point B. Get there." The game gives you info in the beginning levels, but those quickly disappear, leaving you to solve the rest; only reappearing when new elements are added. So you get a bit of hand holding in the beginning, and then it leaves you to solve the rest. Bosses in the game appear, which are notoriously easy; until the final boss...who is a considerable challenge.The game has amiibo support, but it's limited; and the amiibos are expensive. You can only use the Inkling amiibos, and the squid form amiibo. These let you replay single player missions you have completed, with adding new objectives. Complete 3 levels, and then finish the boss with those differences to earn a piece of unique clothing that cannot be obtained normally. After 15 missions, you can then earn a new minigame you can play on your gamepad while you wait for games in the lobby. Complete them all to gain a weapon. Inkling boy lets you try the missions with a roller, inkling girl the same but with a sniper, and the squid one; while I do not own it, I have heard on Mii verse it is rumored to let you do everything but with limited time. What it gives I cannot say, but it probably follows the consistency of the other two.Splatoon is a great game. It's new, fresh, and a definite good add to the Wii U's library. Recommend it entirely to any big Nintendo fan.