Splatoon 2 Global Testfire Impressions
I went into Splatoon 2 full of excitement and hope. I hadn't played Splatoon in a long time, and so it was nice getting my feet wet with ink once again.
I picked the Splat Charger as my first weapon because I figured that players would be rusty and it would be easier to use it earlier rather than later on during later Global Testfire sessions. I did very well, often topping the charts, and getting a few splats in as well. I couldn't figure out how to store a charge during the games. I think I didn't keep holding ZR down when I went into my ink. The Sting Ray was interesting. It takes multiple hits to splat someone, and it moves slowly, but I managed to get a few splats with it.
From there, I picked weapons with gradually decreasing range, so the Splattershot was next. Its accuracy and range were disappointing; I constantly found myself out of range and not hitting my opponents. I have a lot to get used to. The Tenta Missiles were difficult to get splats with because they are very easy to dodge. When I was on the receiving-end of them, they were just an annoyance - having to swim away constantly during a match.
I was looking forward to using the Splat Dualies, but I found that they were not as easy to use as the videos made them out to be. You can only do two rolls in a row, and after you do a roll, you are stuck in that position for a long time - a long time being a fraction of a second, but the post-roll lag is noticeable, and detracts from the fun and potential efficacy of the move. I also found myself rolling off platforms when I intended to jump onto them. I will have to get used to them. I found the Splat Dualies easier to hit targets with than the Splattershot because of its double-barreled nature. The Ink Jet looked cool in videos, but it's very difficult to get splats with because of the trajectory of the ink you shoot. I will also have to practice with this.
I had a lot of trouble using the Splat Roller. Back during the original Global Testfire on Wii U, everyone was complaining about this weapon because everyone was new to the game and couldn't aim or react in time. This time, however, everyone seemed like they had played Splatoon before. It was much harder to roll over people. The point-blank, ink-flick's damage has been reduced; you need two flicks to kill someone. The jumping ink-flick was interesting to test for the first time, but it quickly proved not as effective as using Suction Bombs to test enemy-ink for hiding Inklings. The Splashdown was useful as a defensive measure when surprised by a foe. I did manage to use it during a Super Jump once and get some splats that way.
Having the jump mapped to B was jarring at first, but I got used to it. Not being to look at the map by glancing down, and instead having to press X was annoying, but I got used to that as well. Super Jumping was awkward when trying to use the d-pad to select targets. Using motion to select a target was much easier.
The two maps: The Reef and Musselforge Fitness felt the same to me. There were a lot of peaks and valleys on the map. Mobility was greatly hampered because there were unclimbable walls everywhere, and so the maps looked big, but felt small. I have a terrible feeling that they're designing Splatoon 2 to be eSports-friendly and are abandoning the creative and fun-loving feel of Splatoon 1.
Overall, I was disappointed with Splatoon 2 because Splatoon 1 is objectively a better game. Subjectively, it is better as well. I prefer Splatoon's colors, fonts, music, and stages. Granted, we have only seen two stages, but I fear the worst.
This is an example of what I mean by not having to like sequels. Right now, I prefer Splatoon 1, and that's okay.
Update: I have figured out how to deal with Splatoon 2. It's an expansion-pack. It's not supposed to replace Splatoon 1. I returned to playing Splatoon 1 and was reminded of the joy it brought me. When Splatoon 2 comes out, I will play Splatoon 1 in conjunction with Splatoon 2.
I picked the Splat Charger as my first weapon because I figured that players would be rusty and it would be easier to use it earlier rather than later on during later Global Testfire sessions. I did very well, often topping the charts, and getting a few splats in as well. I couldn't figure out how to store a charge during the games. I think I didn't keep holding ZR down when I went into my ink. The Sting Ray was interesting. It takes multiple hits to splat someone, and it moves slowly, but I managed to get a few splats with it.
From there, I picked weapons with gradually decreasing range, so the Splattershot was next. Its accuracy and range were disappointing; I constantly found myself out of range and not hitting my opponents. I have a lot to get used to. The Tenta Missiles were difficult to get splats with because they are very easy to dodge. When I was on the receiving-end of them, they were just an annoyance - having to swim away constantly during a match.
I was looking forward to using the Splat Dualies, but I found that they were not as easy to use as the videos made them out to be. You can only do two rolls in a row, and after you do a roll, you are stuck in that position for a long time - a long time being a fraction of a second, but the post-roll lag is noticeable, and detracts from the fun and potential efficacy of the move. I also found myself rolling off platforms when I intended to jump onto them. I will have to get used to them. I found the Splat Dualies easier to hit targets with than the Splattershot because of its double-barreled nature. The Ink Jet looked cool in videos, but it's very difficult to get splats with because of the trajectory of the ink you shoot. I will also have to practice with this.
I had a lot of trouble using the Splat Roller. Back during the original Global Testfire on Wii U, everyone was complaining about this weapon because everyone was new to the game and couldn't aim or react in time. This time, however, everyone seemed like they had played Splatoon before. It was much harder to roll over people. The point-blank, ink-flick's damage has been reduced; you need two flicks to kill someone. The jumping ink-flick was interesting to test for the first time, but it quickly proved not as effective as using Suction Bombs to test enemy-ink for hiding Inklings. The Splashdown was useful as a defensive measure when surprised by a foe. I did manage to use it during a Super Jump once and get some splats that way.
Having the jump mapped to B was jarring at first, but I got used to it. Not being to look at the map by glancing down, and instead having to press X was annoying, but I got used to that as well. Super Jumping was awkward when trying to use the d-pad to select targets. Using motion to select a target was much easier.
The two maps: The Reef and Musselforge Fitness felt the same to me. There were a lot of peaks and valleys on the map. Mobility was greatly hampered because there were unclimbable walls everywhere, and so the maps looked big, but felt small. I have a terrible feeling that they're designing Splatoon 2 to be eSports-friendly and are abandoning the creative and fun-loving feel of Splatoon 1.
Overall, I was disappointed with Splatoon 2 because Splatoon 1 is objectively a better game. Subjectively, it is better as well. I prefer Splatoon's colors, fonts, music, and stages. Granted, we have only seen two stages, but I fear the worst.
This is an example of what I mean by not having to like sequels. Right now, I prefer Splatoon 1, and that's okay.
Update: I have figured out how to deal with Splatoon 2. It's an expansion-pack. It's not supposed to replace Splatoon 1. I returned to playing Splatoon 1 and was reminded of the joy it brought me. When Splatoon 2 comes out, I will play Splatoon 1 in conjunction with Splatoon 2.
Comments
Post a Comment