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The Destiny / Halo Killer You Can Play Right Now

The Destiny / Halo Killer You Can Play Right Now

What if I told you that the best shooter of the year didn’t come from Bungie? What if I said that there’s a game you can pick up right now with much tighter controls and more competitive online action than I’ve experienced in any Call of Duty ? What if I told you the game was a Wii U exclusive? That’s right, people: I’m talking about Splatoon . This is one of the best games I’ve played in years, and Nintendo really knocked it out of the park with its new IP. Here’s why:

The Content:

Things started slow in May, but I can say with confidence that the very gradual rolling out of new stages and gear was absolutely deliberate. There’s no deathmatch or free-for-all here, if you’re going to succeed in Splatoon you have to know each and every map like the back of your hand, and there are now twelve maps in regular rotation that demand your mastery. As far as load outs and customizations go, the combinations are seemingly limitless. There are brand designers within the game world that are constantly releasing new apparel. Each and every piece of clothing has a main ability upgrade with up to three sub upgrades that can be re-rolled to fit your play style. Creating your ideal setup can take weeks or even months, but it makes you realize that every single opponent you face is completely unique.

The Culture:

It took no time at all for players to get totally sucked into this world. Usually it takes a while to warm up to a new IP – a few expansions before we get to feel at home in the world, a little DLC before we care about the characters. Splatoon charmed the pants off of us right out of the gate. Weeks after launch Miiverse was full of amazing fan art depicting squids and kids decked out in gear. Heated debates over whether Callie or Marie is the better waifu rage across forums. Judd the cat is the best mascot I’ve seen since Persona 4 ’s Teddie. It is brilliantly clear how obsessed the creative team behind Splatoon became with their world before sharing it with us. It’s all so bizarrely believable and alluring.

The Groove:

When it comes to cool music in games, is there anyone more iconic than the Jet Set Radio funk-master Hideki Naganuma? The answer is no, and there’s a good reason Naganuma has expressed interest in producing music for Splatoon in the future: the sound track is freaking awesome. In fact I haven’t bobbed my head this hard while playing a game since Jet Set Radio . Destiny has a beautiful soundtrack, no doubt, but I know for a fact that I’m not the only person who has left Splatoon running with my kid in the shoe store just so I can listen to the music: it makes you wiggle. An anticipated OST called “Splatune” releases in Japan in October; tentacles crossed that we get it in the West.

The Destiny / Halo Killer You Can Play Right Now

The Gameplay:

“Does he seriously think that Splatoon plays better than Halo ?” Is that a real question? Of course I do! Listen, there are two kinds of people that say that they’ve been to France: the person who changed planes at an airport in Paris, and the person who moved in for decades and married a local. All of you who say that you tried Splatoon but didn’t have fun are the first kind of person. It takes at least a couple of weeks to master the motion controls but once you do, there is a level of precision to your aiming and navigating that will make going back to using analog sticks feel very last-gen. It takes weeks to develop your strategies for each game type and to learn which role you play best on a given team. Invest some time, and you’ll be totally hooked.

I’ve made my case and I stand by it. Splatoon is the best shooter that you’re not playing right now, and you don’t know what you’re missing. If you’re at all on the fence, get the game this holiday season and tell me I wasn’t right. For all you kids and squids out there defending your turf: stay fresh, and watch out for those krakens.

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