So yes, the first thing on this year’s list was also on last years list, but that’s just how good Splatoon 2 is! There is no better game from this year or last, to spend anything from 15 minutes or 3 hours with. Splatoon 2 simply feels great, everything from the shooting to swimming through ink has that Nintendo touch of quality. And don’t get me started on the style, it is still as fresh as when it first came out. The graphic design, the squid looks and the weird fish-rock music. This is the world that I want to die in. Nintendo has also done a great job updating Splatoon and managing to keep the community engaged, pushing out new content and game fixes regularly. Splatoon 2 has been allowed to grow and thrive and is still as fun to jump into today as it was in August. Here is what I said about Splatoon 2 last year:
Looking back, the idea that Nintendo couldn’t make an amazing shooter seems absurd. They’ve managed to conquer every other genre, so why would a competitive shooter be the one Nintendo would disappoint on.
Yet that’s exactly what I and many other people thought when hearing about the first Splatoon when it was announced. But Nintendo did what Nintendo does best, proving everyone wrong. And Splatoon 2 is the perfect execution of Nintendo’s competitive shooter vision.
A bright, colourful and just damn cool world. Splatoon is 90s attitude through bright Japanese neon with a side helping of charm. The basic premise is that four teams of squid kids battle it out, not to kill one another, but to paint as much of the map as possible. This simple twist on the genre makes a game that feels like nothing else on the market.
Matches are very quick, limited to 3 minutes only. Which at first seems annoying but slowly you realise how much of a masterstroke this is. If you’re losing badly, it’s over quickly then you’re back in another match and if you’re winning it doesn’t last long enough so you need another match to keep that euphoric feeling going. It creates the perfect ‘just one more game feeling’ and then out of nowhere you realise you’ve been playing for hours. Sure there are plenty of weird Nintendo decisions, like limiting weapon changes and the fact the excellent horde mode is only available at certain times (no seriously, this decision is insane?!). But nothing can change the fact that Splatoon is just joyous fun and a masterclass of the genre. It has so much charm and is so fun you’ll quickly forget that Splatoon wasn’t always part of Nintendo’s pantheon of games.
