GOTY 2021 & '22 - NUMBER 4
(Video version available here)
Splatoon 3 irritates me. In 2017, when Nintendo were backed into a corner and pulling out all the stops, we got Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey - two of the best games they've ever made. On top of that, we got Splatoon 2 - A bit of a compromised retread of the previous game, but that was fine, because this was the Switch now, and it was more exciting for the established fanbase to receive a sequel than an expanded port. Octo Expansion showed the fantastic directions the team were pushing out towards, and the next sequel would surely develop on that potential. Well, no, not quite.
Now Splatoon's at the top of the charts, what we've been presented with is largely a Quality of Life refresh. Getting everything presented nicely for the active community, but doing little to shake things up. The big takeaway from Octo Expansion's positive response seems to have been that people liked it, so let's do it again. Upon launch, Splatoon 3 became the fastest selling game in Japan ever, but it's one that I can't really recommend to those who bought the previous game, unless they were really, really into it. How many people have to buy Splatoon before Nintendo will let it get as good as their Marios and Zeldas?
Despite this, I love Splatoon 3. It feels a lot like buying into the Mario Kart 9 buzz at the announcement of each new Nintendo Direct for the last few years, and being met with retro track DLC for 8, but this is the best place to play Splatoon. The team have taken their experience from Animal Crossing: New Horizons and ensured that if you want to play Splatoon, there will always be a reason to. Beyond the Turf Wars and Ranked matches, there's now a permanently available Salmon Run, a Turf Wars-based card game, customisable lockers, season-long item catalogues and a whole bunch of cosmetic nonsense to tool about with. The gaps between online matches, which were given diverting little minigames in the first title, and basically nothing in the second, now allow you to practice your techniques and loadouts in a controlled environment. They're taking the idea of playing Splatoon well as seriously as Capcom do for Street Fighter.
This doesn't feel so much like The New Splatoon as our old friend, Splatoon, has moved to a new house. They haven't totally settled in yet, but there's clear advantages to living here, and a few of those things they had to give up in their last place are back. It's not as immediately impressive as Splatoon 2, but there's new potential here. That's part of the frustration of putting Splatoon games on these lists. They never rank as highly as my love for the games would suggest, but they're not all the way there in their first year. At the time of writing this, we've only had two new maps and a Big Run, and I can't judge it on the potential of nebulous upcoming content.
Have the developers become too complacent? That's the risk. I was happy to give Splatoon 2 a pass as a hasty emigration to a more promising platform, but I'm not sure 3 even has as much of a sense of identity as that game. Is this the fate of Splatoon fans? Making excuses for missed potential and abandoned initiatives? Are we the new Pokémon fans?
No - that's an absurd suggestion. I can only be this critical of Splatoon because I love it so dearly. And I believe in the potential. Splatoon 2 didn't launch with Octo Expansion. Splatoon 1 didn't launch with Camp Triggerfish. Hell, look at what this team launched the last couple of Animal Crossing games with, and what they turned into years later. Time and again, the mantra of 'the best is yet to come' has been proven correct. I only hope they want it as much as I do.
(Video version available here)
Splatoon 3 irritates me. In 2017, when Nintendo were backed into a corner and pulling out all the stops, we got Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey - two of the best games they've ever made. On top of that, we got Splatoon 2 - A bit of a compromised retread of the previous game, but that was fine, because this was the Switch now, and it was more exciting for the established fanbase to receive a sequel than an expanded port. Octo Expansion showed the fantastic directions the team were pushing out towards, and the next sequel would surely develop on that potential. Well, no, not quite.
Now Splatoon's at the top of the charts, what we've been presented with is largely a Quality of Life refresh. Getting everything presented nicely for the active community, but doing little to shake things up. The big takeaway from Octo Expansion's positive response seems to have been that people liked it, so let's do it again. Upon launch, Splatoon 3 became the fastest selling game in Japan ever, but it's one that I can't really recommend to those who bought the previous game, unless they were really, really into it. How many people have to buy Splatoon before Nintendo will let it get as good as their Marios and Zeldas?
Despite this, I love Splatoon 3. It feels a lot like buying into the Mario Kart 9 buzz at the announcement of each new Nintendo Direct for the last few years, and being met with retro track DLC for 8, but this is the best place to play Splatoon. The team have taken their experience from Animal Crossing: New Horizons and ensured that if you want to play Splatoon, there will always be a reason to. Beyond the Turf Wars and Ranked matches, there's now a permanently available Salmon Run, a Turf Wars-based card game, customisable lockers, season-long item catalogues and a whole bunch of cosmetic nonsense to tool about with. The gaps between online matches, which were given diverting little minigames in the first title, and basically nothing in the second, now allow you to practice your techniques and loadouts in a controlled environment. They're taking the idea of playing Splatoon well as seriously as Capcom do for Street Fighter.
This doesn't feel so much like The New Splatoon as our old friend, Splatoon, has moved to a new house. They haven't totally settled in yet, but there's clear advantages to living here, and a few of those things they had to give up in their last place are back. It's not as immediately impressive as Splatoon 2, but there's new potential here. That's part of the frustration of putting Splatoon games on these lists. They never rank as highly as my love for the games would suggest, but they're not all the way there in their first year. At the time of writing this, we've only had two new maps and a Big Run, and I can't judge it on the potential of nebulous upcoming content.
Have the developers become too complacent? That's the risk. I was happy to give Splatoon 2 a pass as a hasty emigration to a more promising platform, but I'm not sure 3 even has as much of a sense of identity as that game. Is this the fate of Splatoon fans? Making excuses for missed potential and abandoned initiatives? Are we the new Pokémon fans?
No - that's an absurd suggestion. I can only be this critical of Splatoon because I love it so dearly. And I believe in the potential. Splatoon 2 didn't launch with Octo Expansion. Splatoon 1 didn't launch with Camp Triggerfish. Hell, look at what this team launched the last couple of Animal Crossing games with, and what they turned into years later. Time and again, the mantra of 'the best is yet to come' has been proven correct. I only hope they want it as much as I do.
ProudLittleSeal
1 year ago