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Nov 10, 2015There’s nothing else quite like it, nor the cathartic dopamine jolt to be had when you squid-skim up a paint-smeared quarter pipe, an Inkzooka at the ready, leap over the edge, take aim with your weapon, and reduce a startled opponent to goo.
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Aug 24, 2015From a block of tofu to squid kids, Nintendo put their best foot forward in developing their new franchise.
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Nintendo Force MagazineMay 27, 2015I think I'm addicted to ink. [Issue #15; May/June 2015, p.68]
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Pelit (Finland)Sep 1, 2015Splatoon combines area controlling and shooting in equal measure. You don't have to splat a lot of opponents to be good at it, which is nice. A colourful and intense experience. [Aug 2015]
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Edge MagazineJul 17, 2015It bears all the hallmarks of its maker. The future, it seems, is in safe hands. [Aug 2015, p.110]
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Jul 16, 2015Splatoon is Nintendo's best game in years.
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Jun 12, 2015The virtue of shooters has always been how a simple set of parameters create an array of interesting decisions, and the game's greatness is how it expands that matrix.
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Jun 8, 2015The Mario Kart of shooters is born.
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Jun 4, 2015Splatoon just screams Nintendo. Everything about it from the bright, colourful world, to the addictive gameplay make this a great online shooter.
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Jun 3, 2015For a new IP, Nintendo has done everything right in Splatoon. It has forged a game that has an identity that is uniquely its own in a market and genre that is absolutely saturated in me-too nonsense, and has shown us all that there's no reason that a shooter should stick to template: it's okay to be different.
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Jun 1, 2015Splatoon isn’t perfect, but despite the faults it’s a wonderful game, both online and offline.
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Jun 1, 2015Overall, Splatoon makes for an amazing online game, likely the most engaging online experience Nintendo has ever made.
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Jun 1, 2015Splatoon is easily the freshest shooter in years and delivers superbly on all fronts; we have an inkling you'll love this.
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May 29, 2015There's still a lot to discover about this game, but as usual Nintendo delivers another great first-party game and a new intellectual property that starts right-footed. A short campaign is the only thing that could be criticized from this otherwise excellent third-person shooter.
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May 28, 2015Nintendo splatters the TPS genre with its fresher, smoother and most addictive online experience since Mario Kart, hampered by its lack of content at its launch date. An "inkcuestionable" reason to have a Wii U that proves why shooters needed a coat of paint.
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May 27, 2015Not only does Splatoon add a much-needed touch of color to TPS, but the inspired use of ink redraws the genre's lines altogether, transforming the GamePad into an fantastic tool to brush the different layers of the gameplay so that everyone will always feel like applying another coat of paint.
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May 27, 2015There are a few drawbacks and limitations, but Splatoon’s frantic and addicting gameplay is a blast. This is Nintendo’s best new IP in years.
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May 27, 2015The game's single player is surprisingly in-depth for a title that has been marketed as a multiplayer game, combining elements of platforming and shooting in a style of game that reminds me of Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter.
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May 27, 2015We were skeptical, at first, considering the strong multiplayer component of the game, and the limited amount of content. But boy, we were wrong. Splatoon is a coloured, hectic, engaging, raving, well-balanced and incredibly fun shooter that every Wii U owner should have in his library.
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May 27, 2015The biggest star though is just the overall style of the game, with characters that will quickly endear themselves to every player. Splatoon is easily one of the most unique games of this generation, and one of the best as well.
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May 27, 2015Not only Splatoon is fun, colorful and addictive, but is one of the best games available for Wii U and a good reason to buy Nintendo's console.
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May 27, 2015This is easily one of the most purely enjoyable titles available on the Wii U and given that’s exactly what a Nintendo game should be, it’s impossible not to recommend it through giddy superlatives. Get thy ass out there and purchase thee a copy post-haste, fellow Nintendo ninnies.
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Games Master UKAug 5, 2015The shooter transformed, but with enough initial problems to stop it short of classic status. [Aug 2015, p.60]
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May 27, 2015An explosion of color and personality, Splatoon is brilliant as a light shooter that innovates in its genre. Having said that, Splatoon is also ridden by a chronic and surprising lack of content.
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Oct 23, 2015We waited a bit before giving a vote to Splatoon, but after three months, the game is full of new weapons, has some awesome new modes, and it's still really, really fun. It's a WiiU killer app, one of those games that are not only extremely original, but so well made they utterly deserve a big and supporting community. If you have a WiiU and want an atypical shooter, this is the game for you.
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Jul 31, 2015It's a frantic game, full of surprises, that keeps getting better and better with each online battle. It's what the Wii U lacked and now has it, times ten.
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Jul 5, 2015Nevertheless, a month past its release, it's safe to say that Splatoon functions well enough, has an active community and continues to grow in the right directions, even if some obvious areas of improvement remain.
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Jun 15, 2015A promising new IP where the game is fun and the flaws are quickly forgotten.
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May 28, 2015Nintendo gives the shooter genre its own cool spin. Splatoon is highly accessible for newcomers without making things uninteresting for experiences gamers. The gameplay is quick, balanced and highly addictive, even though there are not a lot of different modes to choose from.
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May 28, 2015Splatoon has a huge amount of potential wrapped in an addictively bizarre visual style. That said both the solo and multiplayer aspects are relatively simple and have a lot of room to grow with DLC and updates. Hopefully Splatoon will get better with age but for now its inky competitive action should keep you busy for a month or two.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon is just straightforward fun. It's true it needs more content, but the core gameplay works extremely well and delivers the charming experience you expect from Nintendo.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon is the Nintendo's successful entry into the multiplayer shooter genre. A license with big potential in the coming years that gives us a first test with an inspired and well designed videogame. It still has to prove some things related to content, but it's definitely a first class launch for Wii U.
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May 27, 2015Those looking for a more advanced shooter experience on Wii U have it now, but it's not so advanced that younger players won't be able to jump in, too. Splatoon is the shooter for everyone, and everyone will have a blast in Inkopolis.
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May 27, 2015As a shooter it's refreshing, and as a 3D platformer it's up there with some of Nintendo's greatest creations. You'll quickly forget about the fact that you're playing Turf War over and over as you squid down an alley, leap across a gap, and shoot enemies in the air as you fall. All Nintendo needs to do is keep supporting Splatoon, because the foundation is fantastic.
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May 27, 2015Nintendo has managed to create a shooter that is both competitive, and that everybody can enjoy. And with that they created one of the most unique games on the Wii U right now. The presentation is amazing and the gameplay is fun; the single player is okay.
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May 27, 2015It could absolutely be a must-have for the system. As it stands, Splatoon is a mechanically solid shooter set in a delightful world, but it just doesn't have enough to it to truly make it exceptional.
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Jun 1, 2015To sum it all up, Nintendo has created a very fun and fresh take on the team based shooter genre, all while making it accessible to just about anyone.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon is, simply, a shooter made by Nintendo. Fresh and original, this is a great multiplayer experience with strong mechanics and a addictive proposal. It's the TPS that Wii U was waiting for.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon is clever, creative, and fun. The multiplayer is a fun twist on the team-based shooter. However, the single-player campaign is surprisingly the best thing in the game. It offers the kind of quality level design you’d expect from a Mario title, but with a healthy dose of shooter mechanics.
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Jun 5, 2015It's another example of that Nintendo Difference that you might've heard of. It rewrites the online shooter ruleset in an original way, and doing so grants tons of full coloured fun.
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May 27, 2015"Splatoon" is everything you could want out of a new Nintendo IP. It somehow manages to be both cute and cool.
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May 27, 2015The reason why I’ve developed such an immense respect for Splatoon it is that it’s a huge risk that scarcely comes off as risky.
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Jul 8, 2015Splatoon is an original title that will delight first of all the players who do not play multiplayer shooters much. Experienced users should consider if the innovative concept is enough to accept insufficient number of maps and a certain imbalance in the game.
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Jun 12, 2015Splatoon is one of the best games for Wii U. It is clear, however, that Nintendo lacks some experience in the online shooter genre. There are a few strange solutions, but the shortcomings quickly fade away during gameplay.
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Jun 10, 2015Splatoon is a colorful and fun addition to the action genre, that managed to entertain both the hardcore and the casual gamer. The online solution may need some work, but in any other way this is one of the best game for the Wii U.
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Jun 2, 2015It's a wonderful game with charm and inventive ideas that work and pave the way for new experiences in an otherwise stale category of games.
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Jun 2, 2015Splatoon is all about staying fresh, and despite its lack of content somehow manages to remain just as appealing after twenty hours as it was in its first.
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Jun 1, 2015Splatoon is simultaneously proof that Nintendo can still deliver tremendously entertaining experiences outside of its usual wheelhouse, and an example of how even the most leaden genres can be twisted to new and delightfully creative ends.
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May 29, 2015In 2015, it’s increasingly rare that a game truly delivers new and intriguing game mechanics...Splatoon does that. Of course, it had to come from Nintendo.
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May 29, 2015Despite its shortcomings, Splatoon is one of the best Wii U titles and is exactly the kind of game Nintendo needs to release right – a game that’s different, unique and, most importantly, features the charm people have come to expect from the company’s titles.
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May 28, 2015Nintendo have taken a risk with a new and original concept, particularly within a difficult market to crack. Effortlessly charming, compelling and a solid start to what may well become one of the company's regular franchises.
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May 28, 2015Splatoon is a breath of fresh air – or more accurately “splodge of fresh ink” – for those who like to shoot stuff, but have grown tired of the endless bloody churn of gritty, realistic shooters. It is the coolest game on the market.
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May 28, 2015Splatoon blows third-person shooting wide open with its wildly unique mechanics and uninhibited sense of fun. Approachable for newcomers and enjoyable for old hands, it's an impressive Wii U exclusive, though we'll have to take Nintendo's promises of free DLC and updates on trust.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon is a beautiful new twist on the shooting genre, but lacks team chat and other modern norms.
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May 27, 2015The thrill I found in the game’s core gameplay — and in watching all that viscous, neon-bright liquid fill the screen — never dissipated. On an aesthetic level, Splatoon brilliantly conveys the childlike potential of paint as something full of beautiful, transforming energy...Although it may sound like an oxymoron, Splatoon is a ‘family shooter’ done right.
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May 27, 2015While Splatoon isn't quite the revelation some were hoping for, it's stupidly fun. The only concern is longevity, with the brief single-player and only two main modes to play online.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon looks and feels wonderful; it’s a satisfying, immediate, hugely entertaining and almost entirely original brand of shooter. Some players might hanker after more substantial nourishment, but the snack-sized morsels of action that Splatoon offers are absolutely bursting with flavour.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon brings fresh and fast-paced online multiplayer action on the Wii U, but the game is restrained by some issues that prevent it from being an instant classic.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon isn't a perfect game, but it's fun. Really, really fun. It's the start of a promising IP for Nintendo, and it's something unique for Wii U as an action-packed shooter that's also still capable of retaining its family-friendly image. It's the '90s paintball craze meets Call of Duty and it's totally da bomb and funky fresh.
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May 27, 2015Nintendo takes a chance with this odd, risky rethink of the arena shooter. Splatoon moves away from guns and grit, offering a shooter anyone of any age can enjoy. The game's single-player is an absolutely amazing puzzle platformer that deserves some expansion. Multiplayer is a bit light on content at launch, but Nintendo is already promising more this summer.
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May 27, 2015Nintendo’s newest cast of characters leaves their mark on the third-person shooter genre in Splatoon, one of the freshest and most exciting competitive multiplayer experiences so far this year. It’s just a shame that we’ll need to wait a few more months for some of the game’s basic functions to be fully implemented.
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May 27, 2015Despite a simple idea and a handful of maps, this eccentric shooter does – as the game’s irritating in-universe TV hosts declare – “stay fresh.” It balances strategy with anarchy in a riveting way, and nails the balance between instant gratification and heartbreak as players obsessively cover their world with color and have to watch as their hard work is consistently overwritten in a way that only makes one more desperate to hit back.
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May 27, 2015A few design decisions aside, Splatoon stands not only as an excellent addition to the Wii U library, but one of the best online experiences of recent memory.
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May 27, 2015It’s an online game which is incredibly fun to play, and one which runs really smoothly despite tracking a lot of endlessly changing information. It’s backed up by a really enjoyable single player portion, and from here you can see how people can pour countless hours into this game. It’s all about covering the environment in coloured ink, and yet it’s also so much more than that.
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May 29, 2015Nintendo’s take on the third-person shooter is refreshingly original, but it needs more modes and content.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon is a vibrant, colourful and innovative competitive multiplayer shooter that's beautiful, addictive and undoubtedly fun - but a lack of maps and modes could hurts its lasting appeal.
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Power UnlimitedJul 24, 2015The core gameplay is refreshing and enjoyable but limited in weird ways. [Jul 2015, p.065]
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May 29, 2015Splatoon has all the trappings of something fans have wanted from Nintendo for a long time: a unique IP that shows Nintendo can still dream up new experiences. As entertaining as it is fast-paced, Splatoon is a strong addition to the Wii U lineup. My enjoyment of what Splatoon has to offer is only offset by Nintendo’s scant offering out of the gate.
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May 27, 2015Never before has a shooter been taken a direction that puts just as much emphasis on the environment as the people that are in it. Each match feels like a fresh new experience, and it’s all done with a sort of “makes too much sense” grace that I’m legitimately surprised we haven’t seen done before.
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CD-ActionSep 18, 2015Please don’t just look at the score and “meh” Splatoon, because this online shooter is the best thing that happened to Wii U in a long time. It just needs some major updates, because on arrival it’s just 75% of The Game of the Year. [09/2015, p.46]
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Jun 3, 2015Splatoon has arrived and very nearly delivered on every bit of the potential it showed at E3 2014.
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Jun 1, 2015Looking simple, Splatoon is actually a quite hard game to master with all its small things to know before you can actually do some damage. But the very limited content and the need of 7 other players to really have fun shaves some appeal away from Nintendo's latest TPS.
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IGN SpainMay 29, 2015Quotation forthcoming.
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May 28, 2015Splatoon is a multiplayer shooter that only Nintendo can make. The basics and gameplay are very strong and addictive, but the game does feel limited in modes and there are a few design choices that can ruin the fun.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon is to shooters what Mario Kart was to racers: it emphasizes pick up and play fun. It’s a fun and lighthearted game with some great mechanics and focus on elements of the shooting genre that have never been looked at the same way before... While the initial amount of maps and modes may be deterring, the sheer fun of the game manages to outshine any strong negative feelings I had. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s fun: plain and simple.
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Jun 8, 2015A whole new way to play online shooters- instead of shooting people, shoot the ground!
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May 29, 2015For its merit, it has that simple, pure, fun factor that keeps me coming back, even after memorizing every nuance of each board. Yet with a sparse selection of maps, a single match type for each mode, and what feels like a dousing of turpentine on character customization and choice, in the end Splatoon feels like purchasing an expensive gallon of paint, only to crack open the lid and find just a quart of paint within.
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Jun 26, 2015Splatoon is an intelligent shooter, but it tries too hard to be hip with its “fresh” lingo and focus on superficial style.
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Jun 23, 2015The five maps are great now, but they’ll grate if you’re playing them over and over again for weeks on end while waiting for new content. What’s here is undoubtedly clever and thoroughly entertaining, but it’s also limited and given Nintendo’s history with new IPs, be prepared for the possibility that its online community may have dwindled by the time the promised DLC makes up the fuller package envisioned.
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Jun 5, 2015While it might be a bit short on the content side of things, Splatoon is still a fun an engaging third person shooter. The pace is fast and frenetic without being too chaotic, and both a defensive and offensive play style is not only encouraged but welcomed among players. Unfortunately, it needs more content, and badly so.
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Jun 4, 2015Splatoon can be intensely tactical, and its end-of-battle results screen after a close match is genuinely tense. But these moments can't overcome the thinness of Splatoon's package.
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May 27, 2015The most original and enjoyable online shooter of the generation, but the lack of content at launch means it may be months before it reaches its true potential.
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May 27, 2015I want it to catch on, but with the paltry Wii U user base, and a quirky new IP at the helm, my fears are that no one will care about Splatoon in a month’s time.
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May 27, 2015Splatoon is a brilliant and unique shooter sorely lacking in maps and modes, and it desperately needs a refill.
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May 27, 2015There are certainly short-comings that veteran shooter aficionados will pick up on right away, but the game’s willingness to march to the beat of its own drum is admirable and often enjoyable – if not occasionally frustrating.
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May 27, 2015A strong emphasis on its online mechanics means that most of Splatoon is to be experienced on a multiplayer basis, which would be at a higher level if all future options and contents were already available. Given the importance of cooperative online play and team work, it's also difficult to understand why there's no voice chat but despite this shortcoming, Splatoon has all conditions to become a must have classic, once all the contents are made available.
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LEVEL (Czech Republic)Jul 21, 2015This is an entertaining and graphically stunning game where you shoot color instead of lead. Despite the poor visuals the game is quite challenging from time to time ... and focused primarily on multiplayer.
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May 27, 2015The lack of a chat feature just ends up making Splatoon a game that rewards smart teamwork but doesn’t give players tools to communicate.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Dec 9, 2015There is absolutely fun to be had in a good Splatoon battle, but the catch here is the future tense. Splatoon reveals more than a few signs of immaturity in the online gaming space, but its worse offense sees Nintendo catching up, unfortunately, with another big gaming trend of late. This is yet another retail launch of an unfinished game. The version of Splatoon we'd like to play—different from the one people are about to spend $60 on—evidently hasn't been made yet.
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Dec 8, 2015It’s the sort of no-brainer we should have been playing for a long time now, and just like getting those hard and soft taco shells in the same box, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 1,235 out of 1429
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Mixed: 104 out of 1429
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Negative: 90 out of 1429
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May 29, 2015
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May 29, 2015
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May 29, 2015