In a just world, Splatoon 3 would be the biggest multiplayer game of the year. That’s a level of success it would certainly deserve, as Nintendo has created the best iteration of its wildly inventive ink-shooter series yet. It does that without microtransactions, compulsory log-in bonuses, or pop culture references. Not only that, but it’s been packaged into the kind of content-loaded release that feels all but extinct in today’s competitive multiplayer landscape. That’s largely due to free-to-play, a business model that gives developers a lot of slack upfront. Free games like Rumbleverse or MultiVersus don’t need to be fully formed on day one — hell, they don’t need to be good at all. They just need to be fun enough to hook players who were curious or bored enough to download them. A full-priced multiplayer game doesn’t have the same luxury. It needs to be a full experience at launch, not just one fun mode if it’s going to convince players to buy in. Splatoon 3’s best trait is that it...
Strong online play; Fun new weapons; Lengthy single-player content; Salmon Run gets tense; Excellent world construction;
Still no voice chat; Tableturf battles feel isolated;