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Scott McLendon

Splatoon offers fresh take on third person shooter genre

The video game “Splatoon,” a third-person shooter produced by Nintendo, has taken the Wii U online community by storm since its release this spring.


This popular shooter’s featured weaponry uses pigmented ink as ammunition to cover the ground.


The game’s focus is on strong team dynamics rather than one-on-one situations. Each team, represented by a different ink color, is composed of four members.


“Splatoon’s” ink-based weaponry is in many cases used to take out opponents. The main use of these weapons, however, is to cover the ground with your ink.


As teams cover the ground with ink, they can gain many special advantages, and these advantages can range from stealth perks to increases in speed.


These gameplay mechanics are just some of what makes this game so unique and popular among players.


The main game mode throws two teams into an arena for an all-out turf war. Characters can morph into squids to glide swiftly through territory gained with the ink of their team.


Ranked matches start as “Splat Zones,” where players capture and attempt to hold an area. This game mode is for more experienced players or for those who want a challenge.


Reloading in this game doesn’t involve the typical shooter system of magazine clips; the guns are refilled using the ink territory of the character’s team.


Matchmaking takes under a minute, and if the process does take a while, players are offered a minigame while they wait.


Players in “Splatoon” are encouraged to “Stay fresh!” and the best way to do that is to get the best gear. Whether players have gear with great abilities, or it just looks cool, new gear is unlockable as players rise through the ranks.


Players start at level one and can rise to level 50, thanks to a recent update. A lot of content was released on Aug. 5, including new stages, new battle modes and new gear.


Nintendo’s huge update adds new game modes such as “Squad Battle,” which allows players to play ranked matches with their friends. Private battles are also available, and this mode is fully customizable by the players.


Ranked battles now include “Tower Control,” where both teams fight to control a central tower.


This update raised the level cap from 20 to 50, extended the highest rank from A+ to S+ and even added new gear.


Nintendo has been updating “Splatoon” since its release, dropping new stages consistently and bringing the number of playable maps up to 10. Two more stages are slated for release soon.


Another part of the game’s updates are new weapons. Players can find new ways to play all the time with different kinds of weapons. These weapons range from an ink brush to a “splatling” gun.


There were three amiibos released along with “Splatoon,” which feature the Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy, and Squid characters from the game. They each have special items that players can get upon completing challenges.


The Inkling Girl amiibo gives players a schoolgirl outfit, the Inkling Boy has a full samurai suit and the Squid gives players a mech suit.


“Splatoon” is not only popular among everyday gamers, but it has also been well-received and critically acclaimed. The game received a score of 81/100 from Metacritic and a 7.9/10 from IGN.


This game boasts many coveted qualities a consumer looks for. “Splatoon” is not completely void of downfalls, however. The art style is cartoonish and almost childlike.


Many team-based online games feature a messaging system. “Splatoon” offers no way to communicate with other players.


This is seen as both positive and negative depending on the gamer. Some see these shortcomings as simply part of the game’s charm.


This quirky shooter is being updated regularly to sort out what gamers see as problems. The updates are also used to add content such as weapons and character customization options. Many of these updates include the suggestions of gamers.


Nintendo has always been known for its vivid, colorful ingenuity, and “Splatoon” is evidence that Nintendo has still got it.

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