The original Splatoon is a game that was widely popular among those who picked it up, but had a limited player base because the Wii U was not really flying off the shelf, to say the least. Splatoon launched on the Wii U, which only shipped 13.56 million units, but the sales for the game were formidable, with the game shipping 4.80 million units on a system that had sub par sales and multiple issues, so a sequel was inevitable. Considering how well the Switch is doing as of late, Splatoon 2 is set up to become a massive hit for Nintendo.
When Nintendo first showed Splatoon 2 I assumed it was a port of the first with some new maps and new weapons, which would not bother me because I never played the first, but that assessment was wrong. Not only is Splatoon 2 getting it’s own single player campaign, it is also adding a new mode called Salmon Run, which seems a lot like Horde mode if you are familiar with the Gears of War series. This game mode is essentially where 2-4 players battle hordes of AI in waves while your objective is to kill specific enemies that drop eggs. You will attempt to meet the egg requirement before the wave is over, or you lose. Nintendo also announced that they will support Splatoon 2 for one year after launch with free updates, which is what every multiplayer game should do if I am being honest but that is a conversation for another day. But, it really seems like Nintendo put a lot of effort into this game and they want to offer an even more varied and fun experience than the first.
Now its time to get skeptical. Nintendo will be offering a new online service that will cost $19.99 a year, which is very reasonably priced and will be free until next year. The service will run on a smartphone app for android and IOS, which is very odd. The idea of using the app for the service is intriguing because it goes with the portability of the console, but where the issue lies is instead of having players just connect there headset to the Switch, it must be connected to the Switch and the phone simultaneously to be able to use the microphone while playing the game. This really makes no sense if you think about it. Why not just have the service run through the Switch and connect the headset to the Switch, something Sony and Microsoft mastered years ago. There has to be a reason for Nintendo to involve the phone that isn’t obvious at face value. I guess we will find out when the service launches alongside Splatoon 2, and only time will tell if this move will pay off for Nintendo.
