Topic: Splatoon 2 (Switch) Hands-On Preview.

[Daan]

More Splat, more furious.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/hands-on-preview/43980/splatoon-2-switch-hands-on-preview

Splatoon is easily in my top three Wii U game of all time. The style of the game is unparalleled by anything on the market and it continues to amuse me to this day. It is one of those rare games I got really competitive in and have the drive to win matches. With that attitude in mind, I got to try ''The Reef'' level as well as some new weapons. Overall, I wasn't disappointed with what I've played.

The first thing that you need to know about Splatoon 2 is that the charm is still there. That might sound corny to say, but that doesn't make it less true. The Reef shows this in droves as it is a multi-leveled play environment that continues to amaze. You start up high from your spawn point and drop further down in an open place where only the fiercest kids meet. Just like the original Splatoon, the map is two sides of the same coin. It’s familiar Turf Wars gameplay, which has always been fun.

At first glance, you might be thinking to yourself: ''So what is actually new in Splatoon 2?'' You will obviously notice the Squids enjoying a brand new look. There are new sets of stylish clothing as well as new hair styles. The sharpness doesn't end there, however. There is a cleaner interface plus more varied text if you defeat an opponent in a certain way. Next to that, it looks incredibly sharp on the big television screen as well as the tablet screen.

The bigger changes are brand new weapons that make up the roster. The one that you will notice immediately is the Splat Dualies. The Inkling will hold a weapon in each hand and spray a nice array of ink in front of him or her. This is effective to spray areas quickly or have some distance between you and your opponents. Its special attack  is, however, the real deal. The weapon, named the Inkjet, allows you to dominate the air and shoot at your opponents from above. You’ll feel incredibly powerful, though if you turn your back, you can still be defeated with the right weapon.

The last big chance can be found in the controls. The original Splatoon was made with the Wii U GamePad in mind and they had to adjust some stuff to make it work here. The map is on the Xbutton, which is how you will be able to check your surroundings. From this menu, you can quickly decide which team member to join with the D-Pad plus the A-button. The jump button has been moved to the B-button, which took getting used to initially but works flawlessly. What helps the controls is that all the control methods support gyro controls, which makes controlling Splatoon 2 more of a breeze than on Wii U.

So yes, I am pretty excited about Splatoon 2. All the flair is still present and it just felt quite nice to play. The highlight was those new Splat Dualies weapons, which I will totally use and abuse. I can't wait to see how the game will develop in the coming weeks and months, as it is the game I want to play truly the most on my new shiny Nintendo home console.

[Stratos]

Does the gyro functionality replicate how Wii FPS games controlled (Conduit, COD, Red Steel)? Hoping I can play Splatoon in this fashion.

[Evan_B]

I'm guessing you haven't played the original, Stratos, so let me clarify: the Gyro adds a little bit of extra precision to your aiming, mostly in terms of vertical focus. You can still swivel the camera left and right using the joystick or the gyro, but the gyro would require you to turn the whole controller to do so. For honing in vertically on opponents, a simple tilt of the controller is all you need.

[Stratos]

I've played the original, but that did not support the wiimote. I am hoping that the joy-cons will allow for a simulation of the Wii FPS style. Just like it over typical dual stick controls (probably because it simulates a mouse). The gyro features in Splatoon have helped me out a bit in adapting back to dual stick, but it does not replace what is the best way for me to play an FPS.

[Evan_B]

Oh.

Well, you might be able to simulate that with the Joy Cons free-floating, but I highly doubt it.