#also if your wifi is on it tries to phone home to nintendo every time you change game mode but i have ninty servers blocked so--

[sf-brodyjackson-blog]

The exile begins.

Day 1 After a very short and sentimental goodbye with Harlow at the Lowry residency, Brody vanished from San Francisco on July 6 under the guise to never return. The man felt that it was necessary in order to keep the petite girl safe. This zeal and determination which brought about his decision was not only to keep her safe but also the others from the home in which she was delivered to after her horrendous ordeal with the Cruz siblings.

Five hundred miles. Nearly five hundred miles and an eight hour journey later, Brody was checking into the Delos-Reyes Motel in Palm Springs at nearly 9PM on Thursday. He was exhausted. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. The first two Brody was very familiar with, it was the last that he was having difficulty wrapping his head around. And his heart. He spent the eight hour drive trying to deal with the amount of emotion that seemed to plague his heart. All the different emotions wanting to collide at once; all the thoughts swarming his mind simultaneously. The man had made so many mistakes in his life and had so much to regret, but he had never felt grief such as this. And he didn’t even know how to make it right.

As soon as he let himself into his second floor room - always a second floor room -- the man left. It was after dark. Concealment. Perfect time to stock up. Brody’s go to when on the run. He didn’t like to be out in the daylight in case he was being followed. Just like in Santa Monica. He just had to have those fucking curly fries… Just had to… And there she was. Reyna. She spotted him. Brody wouldn’t be caught out in the daylight again. Never again. Palm Springs would be temporary. Eventually, he would move on. Leave for good. Head north, south, east. Wherever. He wasn’t ready to leave California just yet.

Brody headed for the nearest 24-hour supermarket to stock up on imperishable items. Never did trust a motel’s mini-fridge after that one kicked the bucket with him and he had food poisoning for a week while being closely chased by two scary thugs with tattoos covering their faces. It was a horrible week for the fugitive. He barely made it out of Oregon, but somehow he managed. And he swore off anything that would spoil. After filling his basket with Ramen noodles, canned goods, soda, and junk food that would leave him feeling sluggish, the man checked out and headed back to the motel to finally rest. He kept his head down and made sure to avoid any of the other tenants that may be late owls like himself, or those coming in from work who use the motel as a permanent residency.

After filling his gut with Ramen noodles and snack cakes accompanied with soda, the man unplugged his hot plate that he always carried with him from city to city. He never left it plugged in. Not after almost catching that one motel room in Wichita on fire due to a faulty outlet. He set his alarm to wake him early for the complimentary breakfast that the motel served. After all it was the one hot meal the man was always guaranteed that wouldn’t be fast food in the middle of the night if he did get restless and face the night streets of Palm Springs.

Day 2 Brody headed down to breakfast, hiding away in the corner of the small dining area the motel staff had designated for mealtime. He had his hood up over his head, hiding himself from view, though he was still the only one in the main building. Brody always attended breakfast first. He was never hungry when he first woke, but he knew he’d regret missing out on a meal, so he forced himself to eat. He chose oatmeal, toast, and eggs. It wasn’t very good. It was almost warm though and the orange wasn’t half bad. The young man’s phone was laying on the table. He had turned it off the moment he had left the Lowry house and hadn’t turned it back on since. The temptation was finally chilling the back of his neck, prickling at the man’s fingertips, and causing his stomach to ache with curiosity. He flipped the phone over so the screen was face down as if this would silence its call to him and he focused on his thick oatmeal. He looked up and noticed that someone had joined him in the quaint dining room and had seemed to take an interest in him.

Immediately, this put Brody on edge. Brody chewed at the spongy mesh of oatmeal in his mouth and averted his gaze down from the man on the other side of the room. Discreetly, he pulled his hood down over his eyes a bit more, shielding him. Brody had to cut his eyes just right to get a view of the man. The other guy had gone back to his own meal and seemed to be reading the newspaper now. Hurriedly, Brody consumed the remainder of his meal in less than a minute and gulped his OJ before sliding off his chair and headed from the area.

Out of the door, the bell signaled his leave and he was on the walkway, his heart pounding in his chest. The aftertaste of stale eggs and pasty oatmeal coated his mouth. He was reminding himself to stay clear of the two when a sudden voice quickly interrupted his inner monologue.

“Excuse me, sir?” came another from behind, fast approaching. Brody ignored -- quickening his own pace. “Hey, boy,” the man said again, his voice louder this time. Boy. Brody always detested being referred to by this. He found it disrespectful. He wasn’t a fucking boy. He was a man. He immediately stopped and turned around to face the pursuer. It was the other diner. The man was waving his phone. “You forgot your phone,” he said in a pleasant voice; signaling that he didn’t mean anything by his use of “boy.” He smiled at Brody, who honestly tried to feign a smile but gave the man a grimace instead. “It’s nice to see young folk forgetting phones, really. All you seen nowadays is kids with their phones glued to their hands. You have a good day now,” he said and headed back the way he came.

“You do the same,” Brody managed to get out, his hand still outstretched where the man had slipped his phone against his open palm. He tightened his grip around it and then exhaled a breath. “Fuck,” he whispered and then laughed, shaking his head in foolish humor. He felt so silly over the fear that had gripped him in that moment.

Shook up over his own foolish fears, Brody locked himself in his motel room for the remainder of the day. He entertained himself with his old Super Nintendo gaming system. Another trinket he always traveled with. He played Super Mario World, his favorite. And slowly, he calmed himself down. He didn’t bother going out when night swallowed the city.

Day 3 Brody didn’t see the man at breakfast. He was glad. He ate toast and fruit and headed back to his room in five minutes flat. He was slowly getting restless. He was missing her. Something out of the norm for him. Through the day his phone was beginning to taunt him. He tried his best to ignore it. Spent as much of his time reading, exercising in the room, cleaning the damn room since he refused maid services. But it almost seemed like his phone was following him. Every time he looked, it was there. It was the first thing he saw.

After his shower, Brody decided a quick check in text wouldn’t hurt. Just to make sure that she was okay. What harm would that do? As soon as his phone had connected to WiFi, Brody had clicked on social media out of habit. And Harlow’s feed was the first to pop up. The man was immediately succumbed to a new emotion. Jealousy. He quickly turned his phone off and stormed out of the motel room. Glad that it was after dark. He hit up the near liquor store and drowned in his self pity.

Day 4 Brody missed breakfast. In fact, he missed half the day. He woke up with a splitting headache and he was pissed beyond belief and needed someone to bitch at. Harlow would do. He grabbed his phone again and turned it back on only to find out that she was in another city with the same guy. “Are you fucking serious?” he shouted too loud, causing his head to ache horribly.

He fought too long with the girl. His jealousy and possessive side desperate to make an appearance. He should have let the conversation only be a minute. Maybe two. No longer than five. But it was too long. Too fucking long. After his hangover was gone, once the man could actually think clearly, he knew how badly he had fucked up. He never should have turned his phone on the first time, and especially the second.

“You fucking idiot,” he growled at himself, slamming his hand into the wall, it easily going through the drywall. He slumped against the edge of the bed and let out an exasperated sigh. “Stop pulling this shit.”

This was exactly why Brody didn’t stay in one place too long. This was why Brody like to leave before making attachments.

Day 5 Brody stopped leaving his room. Even for breakfast. His supplies were running low, but he didn’t care. He was wallowing in all his fucking mistakes. Letting them slowly consume him. Letting his fucking life finally set in. This was his life. He didn’t move, or sleep, or eat, or play his game, or watch TV, or read. He just sat on the floor and stared at the wall. Listening to the sound of silence or the stirring of life coming from outside his room. Sometimes, he’d hear the sounds of his neighbors bumping on the other sides of the walls.

Four sentences were on a loop in his head. The same four he had tried to live by. The four that he had failed to do. “Don’t slow down. Don’t let your guard down. Don’t get comfortable. Don’t let them in.”

And for the first time in a very long time, Brody honestly felt alone. He honestly felt like he was on the run, entirely cut off from everyone and everything. He felt detached and lost. And honestly? It was all his fucking fault and he knew it. 

Day 6 Brody didn’t even manage to get up from the floor the night before. He hadn’t slept, hadn’t ate. He hadn’t even spoken a word aloud in nearly a day. What was the point really? He was all alone. There was no one there to listen to him. No one there to answer back or disagree with him or tell him he was being an idiot or hiding who he truly was because he was afraid for whatever reason.

A sudden knock at the door caused Brody to pull himself out of his head and immediately turn his head in the direction of the barrier that kept intruders from entering his temporary home. He pushed his hand up under the mattress and pulled his gun out before standing up. His legs ached from being curled up for so long. It took him a few moments to find his balance but then he was able to walk properly. He tucked his gun in his jeans and looked through the peephole to find the office manager. He let out a breath and slowly opened the door a few inches.

“May I help you?” he said, his voice was strained from lack of use.

“I just wanted to check in,” the clerk said, seeming genuine. “No one has seen you in a couple of days. Neighbors said you were heard moving around your room the first few days and then you suddenly went quiet.

“Yes, well,” Brody said, attempting to think of a ruse, “I haven’t been feeling well. I think I have a virus or something, so I’ve been sleeping quite a lot.”

This answer seemed to satisfy the attendant. He nodded and was on his way. Brody let out a tight breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. After locking the door, the man made him some noodles and ate. He was starving. After dinner, he took a hot shower to try and scrub away the troubling mood he seemed to be weighed down with before heading to bed early in desperate need of sleep.

Day 7 The Cruz siblings found him.

[workrockin]

Return of wireless ad hoc multiplayer

Multiplayer gaming has always been popular. Every gaming platform ever made, whether its the arcades/PC home consoles has tried to incorporate some form of multiplayer gaming. Technology has been a limiting factor sometimes. Computer networks were not as robust in the 90’s as they are now. Good for sending a couple of emails maybe but not good for playing games.

Local networks were still in their formative years. LAN parties became popular towards the end of 90’s and continue to draw crowds even today.

Multiplayer itself has taken many forms. From the two player cooperative side scrolling gameplay of Contra to one on one matches of streefighter. From the humongous 256 simultaneous players online multiplayer of MAG, to the incredibly popular mobile multiplayer shooter PUBG people love their multiplayer games in all of its forms.

While shooters and real time strategy have dominated the muliplayer scene alternatives have existed for people who have wanted to try something new.

We are here to talk about a very different kind of multiplayer experience. One that works on individual machines yet it does not require an active internet connection. These experiences were made possible because of handheld consoles.

As far as video game consoles go handhelds themselves were a novelty. No longer you needed to hook your machine to a TV. No longer you need to sit down in front of the monitor to play a game. You could take it to your school. Play a game on your flight. With an inbuilt screen, a couple of buttons on the gamepad, and a slot for batteries, handhelds were a technological marvel. Earliest form of digital multimedia devices. Long before mobile could send emails. Long before they could display images.

Handhelds appealed to a mass market. They were cheap to buy. Cheap to develop games on. Playing on handhelds was like reading a book. Just you and your gameboy. A handheld RPG was like a fairytale you could play before going to bed.

Handhelds were also one of the first console devices that did machine to machine multiplayer right.

When Nintendo released the original gameboy it came with a game link cable. The link cable let you connect two gameboy devices together to support multiplayer games. Further enhancement to the game linking technology allowed you play with upto 4 people together. This technology was most well utilized by legend of zelda adventure of the 4 swords. Although by the time the Zelda came out wireless technologies were becoming quite popular. Zelda could be played either with a game link cable or with the help of a special wireless adapter.

While in those early days the implementation was crude, game link cables were only a few feet long and could pop out quite easily if either one of the player got excited while playing the game, this was the first time that the world saw mobility and multiplyaer combined. Yes there were flaws. But the promise was big.

With new handhelds wireless multiplayer got adopted rather quickly. Both psp and ds supported adhoc wifi multiplayer games that could work offline. Think game link cable without the wires. As long as two people had the same game on their machines and it supported multiplayer in some way they could play together without an internet connection.

Multiplayer gaming on handhelds took a different path than multiplayer gaming on the consoles. While on consoles the big selling point was the ability to play with gamers on the other side of the world. Handheld multiplayer gaming was about playing games with friends in your real life. People whom you knew. Classmates. Family members. Two very different multiplayer experiences. Both very fun.

Multiplayer gaming on home consoles and PC has been competitive. Even if it is in a team based shooter the goal is generally to defeat the players in the opposing camp.

Handheld multiplayer explored co-operative multiplayer games. Sure there were wipeouts and tekkens that allowed Player Vs Player kind of matches but co-operative games stole the show. The most famous example of this kind of game is Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

Monster hunter: The definitive portable cooperative multiplayer game

On consoles local offline multiplayer has always had half hearted support. For example take a look at XBOX 360’s local multiplayer guide using ethernet cables to create an Xbox LAN network. While it works setting things up quite a headache. It almost seems like a regression into the days of Game link cable.

Generally speaking any console that has an ethernet port can be added to a LAN network. Also if your console has an ethernet port you can reasonably expect its OS to give you networking support. However to actually play games on that network you must have software support. If the game does not allow you to play offline multiplayer there’s little you can do.

XBOX 360 was not the only console to support LAN gaming. Both playstation 3 and nintedo wii had support for offline multiplayer games.

Offline multiplayer gaming on consoles have some serious shortcomings. The consoles lack mobility. To make offline games work you need to have the full setup ready. Console, controllers as well as monitors. Only the most dedicated gamers will go through the trouble of arranging all that.

Despite this fact due to the widespread adoption of video game consoles its LAN gaming scene is growing. LAN parties are no longer a PC only affair. They’ve grown to include home consoles as well.

Handhelds on the other hand are portable. You can carry them with you. You can set up local multiplayer matches wirelessly. Wireless signals can be extended to increase the range to enable you to play even from remotest places in house. Unlike in link cables you don’t have to sit right next to each other to play. On the PSP fan made multiplayer systems transformed adhoc wireless into fully featured online multiplayer games.

Still wireless adhoc games are fundamentally different from online multiplayer games. You can’t just log into a server play a few rounds of capture the flag and then switch your machine off. Even though you can play without wires you need to arrange the game. You need to invite your friends over to your house/cafe. You need to schedule the game play. That alone makes it a very different experience.

But the big question is do wireless adhoc games have a future?

Today internet is common. The limitations that held back online multiplayer gaming in the early 90’s are all gone. Hardware is cheap. Internet is cheap. Multiplayer games are as cheap as they can be (free). Why would any one bother with wireless ad-hoc?

Well there are many many reasons.

Multiplayer games are becoming an essential component of gaming. Every shooter has a multiplayer aspect in it. Single player only games are a rarity.

Online multiplayer requires a huge investment in servers. Not only in building them but also in maintaining them. Multiplayer heavy games loose their appeal when the servers go down.

Lets suppose that you buy a copy of a game, you beat it and then forget about it. Years later you feel like revisiting certain portions of the game but you can’t because the game won’t work unless it connected to a serve. Not something that you’d want.

Consider another scenario of a co-operative multiplayer game that is designed to be played with at least 2 people. If the game is dependent on a server and the server goes down you can no longer play it even if you have the copy of the game and a friend who is willing to play with you.

Switch, Nintendo’s latest console has once more put the focus back on wireless ad hoc play. A game like mario kart for example can be played with upto 8 people. Sure you can also play it online. But nothing beats seeing the look on your friends face when you blast him with a blue shell to win the tournament. LAN parties are way more fun. Wireless LAN parties make it much better.

wireless adhoc makes multiplayer games timeless. As long as you have a copy you can play it any time you want. Even if a server is down.

With Google’s stadia game streaming might become the new standard. Who knows you may no longer even buy games. You can play them on any device you want. You can play any game you want. The promise is big. But the question remains the same. What happens when the server goes down?

Maybe wirelss adhoc multiplayer will also reinvent itself. Maybe we will see a different kind of game streaming. Maybe there will be an wirelss adhoc game streaming service. Turn on the game stream. Get your friends together and play the game using your phone.

Maybe the next generation of video game machine will not be a pc or a console or a handheld for that matter. Not your phone, not your tablet, not your smart watch. It would be a networking device.

Who knows?

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[ineversleep26]

Best Games Without WiFi

Competition In the end, users who want the extra info can trust the programs supplied directly from their carriers rather than needing to be worried about their carriers charging overages and additional charges that end in a costly invoice at the close of the month. But while we value the further data programs supplied from the country's top mobile carriers, they still retain two big problems: first, they're rather pricey and carry throttling that may, sadly, limit your internet usage rates should you cross over a particular percentile of information utilized state wide. Secondly, and possibly more importantly, each of the data on the world can not prevent dead zones or areas with no mobile system or WiFi.

So while our Need for mobile data is enormous and growing all the time, not everyone has the luxury of an unlimited data plan or a WiFi network available to play on. Whether you are on a very long flight, taking the subway to work, or just can't access your network from your current location, you may wish to be watching out for some superb mobile games you can play while on the long run. Whether you're on your life, travelling into a far off place for holiday, or bored while waiting in the line at Starbucks, these matches for the two iOS and Android offer something a little special for players looking to squander their time away.

Whether or Each of them comes fully examined and vetted to ensure great gameplay, promising you hours upon hours of offline play no matter what kind of gamer you're.

Angry Birds 2

We're all The sport was popular enough to establish an whole set of merchandise, spin-off games, television shorts, and an animated feature film (along with the upcoming movie in 2019). Strangely, despite the licensed spin-offs and complete scale console starts of the first match, Angry Birds did not see a comprehensive sequel printed until 2015, with Angry Birds two be a direct continuation of the original game. Even though the game works quite similarly to the original Angry Birds game in the last decade, the series has been revitalized here with new mechanics and reworked controls that produce the game feel better than ever.

Much like The first Angry Birds and most of its assorted spin-offs, you play the game by starting small birds in your goal, a set of platforms constructed holding pigs up that you will need to demolish. Employing a slingshot, you take your critters --each with their own unique powers--in the base, letting you crush the pigs in as few turns as you can without losing lives. Angry Birds 2 affects a couple of things about this specific strategy. Rather than each bird being supplied at a very specific order on every single level, you acquire a deck of the birds, permitting you to take the birds in whatever sequence you want to crush your enemy dinosaurs. You can increase your score and meet your "Destruct-O-Meter" to obtain access to new exceptional cards within the degree and perform supreme harm to your competitors.

Asphalt 8: Airborne

We will not Lie for you: Gameloft's Asphalt show, dating back to 2004 with an entrance to the first Nintendo DS, is mostly a replica of Burnout, the preferred 2000s high-speed racing game. Since Asphalt 4, the matches have made the transfer to Android and iOS, and mostly have found themselves to be seriously and commercially profitable. The most-recent principal entry in the show, Asphalt 8, is nearly four decades old, but it's also among the very best racing games we have observed on either cellular platform, and if you're in to Burnout-styled games, then it is definitely worth checking out.

Like most Portable racing games on phones and tablets, Asphalt 8 includes many different driving schemes and methods you can use to drive your vehicle through races and classes, completing missions and other achievables. Tilt to move (the default mode for many racing games, which entails utilizing your device's accelerometer), tilt with icons, onscreen controls, and tap to maneuver are all options, though we found the on-screen controls alongside the tap to direct choices are the most dependable for steering quickly and accurately. You can collect nitro to enhance your vehicle, and you're able to utilize that nitro to burst through other automobiles, destroying the contest in the process.

As a Free-to-play game, it must come as no surprise to readers familiar with this type of pricing arrangement that purchasing cars in Asphalt 8 might get fairly expensive. The game has in-app purchases around $99.99 on both Android and iOS, both for automobiles and charge packs for purchasing accessories and other optional stuff. In-game money can be obtained through racing, but as the game gets higher with respect to levels and difficulty, you will end up earning less and less cash for quicker and more powerful cars. The grinding for cars can get pretty intense, but there is no car that can not be accessed through some in-game devotion--even if the machine itself is marginally too grindy due to our tastings. However, Asphalt 8 seems fantastic, even after four decades of aging, and we can not help but urge the sport to other customers that may be interested in certain offline racing.

Shadow Fight Two

Action fans Here, the game is for you. Bear in mind these kung-fu movies with all of the acrobatic moves and cries; well here you've got the opportunity to try them on real enemies but with an addition of lethal weapons. Shadow Fight is a 2D game based on a character "Shadow "who lost his physical body when he unleashed several strong demons because he tried to save his home. He exists as a proficient shadow warrior who needs to fight the demons and their various bodyguards in his quest to get back what he lost. The sport has numerous stages to make sure you'll always have an enemy to battle. The game has some in-app buys but isn't impossible to play without.

Despicable me

The minions Are here, and they've brought with them loads of pleasure and bananas. Despicable me is a 3D runner game where you race with all the minions collecting bananas as you leap, roll, dodge or just scramble against others in fast-paced assignments. In the game, you have to run through amazing locations inspired by the true film as you update to awesomely outfits as you use hilarious weapons and power ups. In addition you get to combat villains like Vector is amazing 3D graphics. Banana!

Six firearms: Gang showdown

Created by Gameloft, six firearms provides you with the authentic sense of the west, and you better be strapped. You have to complete 40 missions, as you race horses, take outside robbers and complete off waves of enemies on the way. It's possible to unlock unique weapons clothes and weapons that will help you off in your action filled experience. The game is free to download and play Google play shop. Just the bandits and witches cover it.

Plants vs Zombies two

Everyone Adored plants versus zombies and two is here. The match was once on PCs before it arrived to mobile stage in 2013. The crops have many capacities such as launching corn or soy missiles from the zombies. Plants vs Zombies 2 includes funny and stimulating new levels to keep you amused all through. The game is free to install on Google play shop.

Fruit Ninja

Fruit Ninja Is an arcade that has gained great popularity on tablet computers and shortly on computers. The notion of the game is simple; you need to cut the fruit and berries (apples, oranges, kiwi, peaches, strawberries, watermelons, coconuts, bananas, pineapples) with the sword, and at the specific same time try to not cut on the beans, which can also fly in the screen inadvertently.

One of those Advantages of this game is the aid of the purpose "multitouch", in other words, the capacity to operate at once several points of the display (by way of instance, with two fingers or playing with a friend). It is very convenient when many fruits fly on the display and you may cut all of them at one time.

The sport is Recommended for those who want to have fun before the screen of this smartphone. Fruit look almost like real ones, and by the sounds of pulp and juice pouring out of them, appetite stems.

Starving

The game has Stunning 3D graphics and fascinating special effects. In Hungry Shark Evolution, you need to become a bloodthirsty shark that'll grow and grow right before your eyes.

As you pass The sport, new, more massive and strong species of these animals will become accessible. Maintain the entire underwater world in check! By the way, a shark shark may easily terrorize and horrify the whole coast, such as land! Hungry Shark Evolution includes seven distinct sorts of sharks in the arsenal; the first can be obtained from the start, each of the others open whilst passing the amounts.

The Hungry Shark Evolution sport is unique. All things considered, you can fully experience other people of submerged depths.

Townsmen

This match is An economic system in the middle Ages. In the game, you'll have a remarkably tough task -- to turn this gloomy settlement into a enormous populated city with a developed infrastructure. The construction method can be found in many variants: you can start in the previously prepared scenario, and you are able to begin everything from scratch.

Pictures, Drawing, and animation at the game causes only favorable feelings -- the atmosphere of the time is delivered in the very best way. Remember about the environment -- the trees go, along with the hares are galloping about and butterflies are flying. The musical accompaniment goes well with the gameplay.

Dragon Mania

Dragon Mania Is a sport in which you may cultivate and enlarge dragons of all kinds and breeds until you accumulate all.

The sport Each breed has individual skills and more than a dozen basic qualities which highlight their

uniqueness. So as to cultivate a dragon, then you will have to take decent care of the dragon and habitat food. That's how you can increase their level and attract new dragons into the island.

Additionally, Participation in conflicts also allows you to increase the degree of the dragon. Thus, getting a monster master in Dragon Mania You Have To collect and grow in your own island as many dragons as Possible, giving them a dwelling in excellent harmony.

PUZZLES

This match is Quite straightforward and has a very clear port, trendy design, in addition to a huge number of degrees. The primary job would be to start the procedure for the red cube, which has to be obtained from this match grid.

Do not Forget that you have the chance to pick the appropriate amount of difficulty on your own. Obviously, initially, it is well worth practicing and choosing the simplest in the beginning. The toughest one is another degree.

Special Attention warrants the amount of amounts from the match Unblock Me. Right now There are roughly 1200 of them. The approximate phase of all these Is a half an hour. Therefore, this game is going to be a excellent Way to unwind.

[game-refraction]

Game Review: Splatoon 2 (Switch)

I struggled to enjoy the first Splatoon on the Nintendo WiiU, and it’s mostly for the way the game encouraged motion controls by making it quite front and center and limited to what other control methods were available for the title. You could turn the gyro motion controls off and use the Gamepad’s analog sticks, but I was never a fan of how large and awkward the peripheral actually was. I found it rather puzzling that the original Pro Controller could only be used in a split-screen mode, and not in any of the other modes available. It was a franchise that I assumed I was just not destined to enjoy. That is until Splatoon 2 came along.

Splatoon 2 is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, and that is mostly because the WiiU has been put to pasture and Nintendo is keen on keeping its shiny new toy available for those who have the latest and newest Nintendo console. The pick-up and play nature of the Nintendo Switch works well with Splatoon 2 via its single player or local network multiplayer battles, and should you be able to track down some Wifi, then you are all set for the real meat of the title; Online Multiplayer. Of course, you can always just put the Switch into its dock and enjoy the game on whatever sized TV you have.

Splatoon was Nintendo’s effort towards joining in on the popularity of the online shooter. Call of Duty, Halo, and a few other brand names that almost single handily sell consoles were titles that either were exempt from appearing on a Nintendo console or just lacked the popularity of being something big on the platform, as Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 did make an appearance on the WiiU but didn’t pull in near the online numbers of its competition. It wasn’t even close.

Rather than create something visually similar to what was dominating the market, Nintendo chose to do what it did best, create something that fit the Nintendo brand. In the place of run and gun gruff soldiers, Nintendo bet the bank on cartoony squid children that were outfitted with paintball rifles and set out to splatter that paint everywhere they could. Sure, you could splatter your competition into paint oblivion, but violence was – is – not the point of Splatoon in the slightest.

Splatoon’s main characters; the Inklings, are comprised of either the Squid Boy or the Squid Girl. You can change their squid-hair and a few other squid-features to make them their own, but they’ll each transform into a visually similar Squid-form to dive into the paint or through thin grating and fences. By diving into the paint you will refill the ink that you’ll use in the variety of weaponry at your disposal. Each weapon is set to shoot out ink in very different ways, as well as how effective it is with taking down your Inkling opposition.

There are several different weapon types that work well here with a few that I just wasn’t a fan of. The standard blasters and dual pistols are incredibly fun, and even the umbrella gun has its charm. The big paint rollers, the charger, and the mini-gun are weapons that I really didn’t enjoy and tried my best to not use them unless they were forced upon me at times, which they are. During the single player campaign you can upgrade your weapons and make them far more effective, but sadly this is not translated to the multiplayer at all. While this is mostly Nintendo wanting to make the playing field somewhat more level, it lessens the appeal of the progression, at least to me.

There are some items that do add in a perk or two to make you slightly better in moving, painting and earning your special moves a bit faster, and that is in the form of clothing items. Each item has a few slots that upon leveling them up will unlock random stats that make you faster, hold more ink, or improve sub-weapon proficiency. Clothing is offered for shoes, shirts, and a head item; glasses, hats or face masks. Stores will refresh their stock at midnight and you can also buy items from the mobile Nintendo Switch App via Splatnet which refreshes more frequently.

Multiplayer is separated into three tiers of competitive play; Regular, Ranked, and League Battles. Regular matches consist solely of one mode; Turf War. This mode has you playing four on four in a timed race to cover more of the map than your opponents can. Ranked Matches offer a bit more variety in Splatzone, Tower Control, and Rainmaker, with victories increasing a grading scale rank from C- to A+ and even further to S rank. Splatzone is your basic zone control where Tower Control and Rainmaker both work like variations of reverse capture the flag where you are meant to take something into the enemy base. League Battles require your rank to be at least B- and these 2-hour battles let players show off some serious skills without the fear of ranking down.

The majority of my time was spent in Turf War as it really is my favorite of the modes. The back and forth nature of capturing as much real estate as you can is rather engaging when you claim a few sections of your own, only to have them taken back and the chase begins anew. Maps and modes rotate every two hours, but Regular Matches will always be comprised of Turf War as this is the only mode available to those under level 10. Upon the rotation, you will be made aware of which maps are available to each mode via the hosts: Pearl and Marina, who fill in for the Squid Sisters from the previous game.

Apart from the four on four PvP modes that have carried over from the first title, Splatoon 2 brings with it a new PvE mode called, Salmon Run. This four player mode sees you and three other players team up to take down waves of Salmon hordes and a selection of random bosses that look to wreck your whole team. Each boss will drop Power eggs upon defeating them. These eggs need to be returned to your home base to count towards your quota. There are three waves that you’ll need to survive to claim the rewards for victory. As you level up your rank within Salmon Run, you can unlock new gear and more coins to put towards the newest and freshest items in the shops.

Each time you jump into Salmon Run, you will be fitted with certain weapons and forced to use them during that single round. I’m not a fan of how this is implemented as there are weapons that I really don’t enjoy using in the game. The bosses you’ll encounter each have different weaknesses that must be exploited to take them down. The Stinger sits atop a collection of pots and each pot must be taken out to bring him down to your level. The Steelhead forms a giant ink bomb on its forehead and it must be destroyed before it launches it at your team. There are eight bosses in total and each round will see many of them make an appearance. Maps will also take place during the day, night and during a nasty fog that limits visibility to a large degree. The most bizarre thing about Salmon Run is that it is only available for online play at certain times in the day, but fully available at all times should you and three other friends just want to play together.

Matchmaking is by far the biggest misstep in the game and is so painfully bad that I am surprised that the game released like it is. Say you want to join a match with a friend to then play online with a bunch of random people to fill up the eight player lobby. One person will need to join the lobby and then the other player (and this is assuming it’s just one other player joining..) will click on the friend’s tab and then join the match. If, however; there is no room, that initial player then needs to play a whole round to go back into the lobby and hopefully a space has freed up. Now, imagine if there were two or three other friends that wanted to play too. Sure, you can make your own lobby to play by yourselves, but if you are wanting a full four on four match, you’ll need to do the above method, or have 7 other friends.

To make matters worse, in order to back out of a lobby you must go through a whole round to exit the lobby at the end of said round, you cannot exit out while waiting for a game to start and leaving in the middle of a match can lead to a soft ban. This is one example of how Nintendo just doesn’t understand or pay attention to what works elsewhere. The voice chat options are also a mess as it requires making a special room in the Lounge in-game and then downloading the Switch App on your phone. You then need to have your friends join that special room and then plug your headset into your phone and invite everyone from there. It’s a convoluted mess and should you use other aspects of your phone like accepting a call, checking e-mail or looking up a Splatoon 2 help guide, it will shut off the voice chat and you’ll need to start it up all over again. If you want further proof that Nintendo has no idea how voice chat should work, Google the instructions for using their squid-shaped adapter with their Splatoon 2 headset.

Splatoon 2, much like its predecessor, has a single player campaign that will see you as the chosen squid, meant to save the day. Turns out that the Great Zapfish has gone missing, and Callie, one of the Squid Sisters, has disappeared as well. While the story itself is fairly bare, the narrative points that do pop up from time to time are quite fun, ending in a final confrontation that is one of the best boss battles I’ve ever played. The campaign levels are tiny little hub worlds that require a bit of exploring to discover the stages themselves. Many of these are actually more fun to play around in that some of the stages themselves, especially the final zone.

The controls for Splatoon 2 are worlds better than what Nintendo gave us the first time around and this is mostly due to the fact of having more control methods opened up via the Joycons and most importantly, the Pro Controller. I’m still not a fan of the motion controls the game starts with by default and upon turning them off, the game was far more enjoyable. I do however wish that you could press a button to turn them back on for some small tiny adjustments while aiming. Based on the current setup, the top L button is not used and it’s one of the few buttons that doesn’t seem to have any commands attached to it. If Nintendo was to patch in support to swap from motion control to standard controls at the touch of a button, this could have a huge impact to finesse some of your aiming.

Splatoon 2 shows that you can’t spell frustration without f-u-n and several of the levels can lead to some pretty cheap deaths. While the level design for the better part of the game is quite good, and some levels border on great to fantastic, there are a few gameplay mechanics that really got on my nerves. Some of the platforming can be frustrating due to the responsiveness of your jumps, or how easy it is to accidentally slide off the map. The camera can be a bit of an annoyance, even if it is better than most games, it still requires you to manually move it around consistently.

My biggest issue with the game is the requirement to use certain weapons on certain stages. As I wasn’t a fan of a few key guns, the requirement to have to use them really made me dislike many of the stages I really wanted to enjoy. I could never aim the charger rifle well enough or fast enough, the chaingun felt too slow, and I just couldn’t get to like the large paint roller. The levels that included the paint bucket, brush, single and dual pistols were really enjoyable and just downright fun. It was rare in any of those stages that a jump wouldn’t connect or that I was annoyed by something in the game, and this is due to the levels being built around how the guns worked themselves. There are stages where it’s your choice what to use, and if you think I picked anything but the dual pistols, you’re dead wrong.

Splatoon 2 is a gorgeous title that fully takes advantage of the Nintendo Switch. It’s not leagues better than the WiiU original, but there are far better animations found all over the game. The bright colors and overall designs are unlike really anything else on the market, let alone for a 3rd person online shooter. The menus are just as bright and colorful and frankly, the game is just visually solid all around. The music is really catchy and I dare you to not hum it during a match after immediately hearing it. The voices in the game are your standard Nintendo gibberish, and that’s unfortunate as many of these characters could really benefit from full on voice acting. which is a strong case for many games in Nintendo’s library.

While Splatoon 2 doesn’t feel like a full sequel to its predecessor, it’s been refined to the point where Nintendo has a steady vision for what they want from this franchise. It still suffers from many of the issues the first game had with its matchmaking, and the voice chat system that Nintendo has implemented for the Switch is frankly, bonkers. The game has some incredible ideas that for the most part work extremely well, and apart from certain weapons being forced on you during the campaign, it is still a blast to play through. There is an unfortunate difficulty spike with certain levels that can be a nightmare to complete without raging out and throwing your controller or yelling at the screen after a dozen cheap deaths, which can result in your whole level progress restarting.

While the frustration is minimal in the grand scheme of things, Splatoon 2 is a very engaging and fun game that has a remarkable charm to it. The inklings are well animated, and the vast array of clothing can make for some very interesting combinations. The addition of Salmon Run is what really sold this new version for me as it can be a truly fun experience even if you are failing miserably at it. I’ve had matches where my whole team would get wrecked within a minute of starting up a round and we’ll shrug it off and continue on, ready to take on the next wave.

Splatoon 2 was played and reviewed with a purchased retail copy for the Nintendo Switch. All screenshots were captured on the device and formatted to fit this review.

  Game Review: Splatoon 2 (Switch) was originally published on Game-Refraction