Recently had word from my Uncle Ray (who works at Nintendo), and apparently the big news is that finally Splatoon 3 is just around the corner, with a release date of 09-09-2022.

And I need a good excuse to post a few Splatoon 1&2 samples on the main page.

If you are unaware of the game or are new to the franchise, Splatoon is basically a 4 vs 4 game of paintball. Just a “cartoon kids shooter game“. If only. In a nutshell, its a game where you paint the ground and shoot each other with “ink” & other painty projectiles. In the most basic mode, paint more than half the arena after 3 mins = you win. Then there`s the Competitive modes where it simply gets brutal.

In reality, Splatoon is probably the best team shooter game (with motion controls) ever made. Not a joke. Easy to pick up and play. Very hard to master.

Oh. almost forgot. Reading there`s a new bunch of Splat streamers and You Tubers on the way. If that sounds like you, the pack below will come in handy. If thats not you, do still check out some of these samples and sounds. Pretty nuts stuff.

Splatoon 1&2 Samples Pack Mega here Nitro here

Added to the Samples page (Mega) here

Stay Fresh.

Nintendo – Splatoon 3 Direct

“A Kids Game – Live in Concert”. OK then.

[UPDATE-MID DECEMBER 2022]

So Splat 3 just won best multiplayer game 2022. Congrats to Nogami & the team. This really upset certain non Nintendo gamers in a big way. The upshot is the “Variety Streamers” are now interested in the game even more than they were just on the release date, from what I`m seeing, which is good, and hopefully will introduce more people to this “colourful” game.

For context, before I go any further, as it wont make sense otherwise.. I must confess I played in an over 30`s Splatoon 1 team way back in 2015 when the game was on the WiiU. I wasnt the oldest. I also streamed the game for 2 years, and have well over a 1000 hours on each of SP1&2. I play support mainly but thats irrelevant. I now just lark about with the Bloblobber. Which is just as irrelevant, but I like it.

All I really wanna do with this little edit here is pass on a bit of knowledge to new streamers of the game which in turn may impact new players too, so if thats you please read on. There`s no hype here just “observations” and maybe a few tips and a warning or two to pass on.

Splatoon is such an easy to pick up and play game it will surprise you. And as I have seen recently, many new streamers (basically all of them) do really well to start with, and get all enthused, and then all of a sudden as they progress they really start to get beaten up “in game” and get disenchanted with things.

Invariably, chat then comes to the rescue with tips and tricks on which weapon to use and ALWAYS the next suggestion is to “switch motion controls ON”. This is where the fun starts. If this scenario occurs when you are watching your favourite streamer get splatted by a “bunch of teenagers” (or a 50 y.o + veteran 😉 ) do not turn off. Everytime Ive watched this play out its pure internet gold. Also, if your streamer is NOT using motion controls, it is your DUTY to tell them to switch them on.

And I reckon its the motion controls thing that has got the PS & XBoX crowd so vocal lately. And this is why “your boy” is losing all of a sudden playing against folk with motion controls switched on. From what Ive seen over several years it always seems to boil down to this. So things have to be finally said. I hope people see this lol.

If you didnt already know, Splatoon does not have an “auto-aim” or “aim-bot” help. You have to use skill to aim. This catches quite a lot of new players out I think its fair to say, if they are coming from basically any other shooter.

Now if you are using stick controls like maybe in COD or something, great.. you are used to them because its all youve known. Well, motion controls are all Ive known. If a 50+ bloke can learn them on a WiiU, you can too. No excuse.

Reason being, if you dont get used to motion controls you will get nowhere fast in the Splatlands. EVERYBODY (99%) uses motion. You wanna get good at the game, you have no choice. Learn Motion.

Before going further a warning. Dont learn motion controls. If you ever intend to go back to other shooters after you have learnt motion & Splatoon, you are in for a rude awakening. As your new “motion” muscle memory becomes entwined with your whole nervous system, making new and possibly permanent pathways, you will slowly become one with your Pro Controller & your weapon of choice. Trust me, its great when you get there. But guess what happens when you go back to playing COD? Your muscle memory will work remarkably well on your PS5 or Xbox too, just the same as on the Switch. Unfortunately, the game youre now playing wont (probably) have motion controls and you putting those extra micromovements you accidentally learned recently enjoying Splatoon 3 into your current gameplay with your PS/XB controller will have no effect whatsoever. Your muscle memory knows your aim was off and automatically compensates. shame you`re playing a different game uh ? See the problem ? There`s a few if you think it through.

In a nutshell, thats a big part of the reason I only play Splat. Luckily, like a Super Duper Lucky Duck, its the motion side of things that are a big part of the attraction. Or should be ! OK, theyre not perfect (the WiiU`s motion was a good as it ever got. the Switch`s is a bit meh in comparison) and yes, it may take a week or two of getting used to, but its worth the investment. If there`s anything I could want to get over more to anybody reading this.. its this. Motion is worth the investment.. in time, stress, learning curves and all that good stuff.

Then it gets worse. After you master motion, you will need to get your Switch hardwired to the internet. You see, WiFi doesnt cut it with Splatoon. You will get more frequent disconnects amongst other things. So either a LAN adapter or Ethernet connection is heavily advised. Reason being, if you are investing in motion, with no auto-aim dont forget, you might as well have the optimal way to transfer inky data quickly between peers.. and hopefully win more, register shots quicker than the other guy, and have less lag. Than the other guy. It all adds up.

Then, because youve mastered motion and now have a perfect connection to the net, you are going to need a gaming monitor to cut response times down even further. Just sayin.

Then you will need the Nintendo Pro Controller which is the best controller for Splatoon.

And thats before you learn the maps and weapons.

For instance, lets just go back to our “new to Splatoon” Variety Streamer using sticks for a mo. How well do you think they will do in game not knowing the above, compared to those that play using motion? its no contest. Ive seen it. They quit. Even worse they blame motion controls usually when its actually because dual sticks are just generally slower and worse* than M/C. You just simply cant lock on to a target manually with sticks as fast as you can with motion. Motion is kinda “Keyboard & Mouse” in a controller. VS sticks, its a win all day long. Especially in close quarters.

Check out this old Dude video that explains the differences. And do Google and try and locate a few more Motion Control videos on You Tube too.

HOW TO USE MOTION CONTROLS FOR BEGINNERS & STICK PLAYERS

As you can see there`s a lot to learn “under the hood” with Splatoon, before you can expect any sort of consistency. It will frustrate the life out of you, sometimes before youve even started a round of Turf Wars if you dont know its little “quirks.”

So here`s a few tips and tricks that really dont get talked about too much which may help when it comes down to the “Im quitting this shit 60 dollar kids game”. Before you do.

1, Its been agreed by the Splatoon community for years that the single player campaign (the story mode) is the best way to learn motion. Switch motion on and play through and complete. Keep fine tuning your motion sensitivity as you play. Minus figures for more precise aiming, plus figures for quicker movements to the “precise aiming”. Kinda. Start a 0 on both settings. (my sensitivity is +2 & +1). Right stick is camera movement speed, which also is part of the “Motion Thing”. Sounds weird initially especially if you know your X-Y axises and stuff, but youll get used to it. When you get “comfortable” leave the settings be for a week. Fine tune with experience.
2, Practice in Turf War before “Ranked”. Also, if you find a lobby with frequent disconnects, it could be you. Make sure your all Ethernetted up. If you get frequent disconnects in a row even before the map loads sometimes, jump out of the lobby and into the square for a minute or two.
3, If you are in a group and there are no disconnects.. stay in that group. Learn to work around the other weapons.
4, Reboot the game and your Switch occasionally.
5, Get gud.

to be continued…

PS.. I only play Friday Nights UK time in Turf these days cos website. If you see me squidbag me.

or shoot me an add: clubremixr