Nintendo Announces a Splatoon 2 Direct This Thursday, the Hype Is Building

Nintendo just announced a Splatoon 2 Nintendo Direct for this Thursday, July 6, at 7AM PT / 10AM ET. The presentation will serve as a "re-FRESH-er" on some of the new features, weapons, and styles that we can all look forward to when Splatoon 2 launches on the Nintendo Switch on July 21. You'll be able to watch it live straight from Nintendo's Direct page, or on Twitch and YouTube.

So here's the deal. The Wii U didn't do so hot, and the Nintendo Switch is selling like no one could have predicted. Since you could only play Splatoon on the Wii U, many of you might find yourselves wondering, "What the heck is up with Splatoon 2, and why should I care about this kiddie shooter anyway?" Oh my friends, you have no idea what you're in for!

Splatoon is a team-based shooter that's all about covering the ground with your color ink. The main purpose in Splatoon is shooting your surroundings, not necessarily the other players, though taking out opposing players does benefit you since they'll obviously be unable to ink any turf while they're waiting to respawn. In the flagship game mode, Turf War, you and your team will have a couple of minutes to cover as much of the stage with your color ink using all manner of ink-spraying weaponry, while trying to avoid getting splatted by the enemy team who will be frantically attempting to cover their own turf and paint over anything you might have already sprayed.

Every single match of Splatoon is a glowing, explosive, neon-colorful game of tag, and the pacing and matchmaking is such that matches very often come down to the closing seconds, with the winning team gaining maybe 3-10% more coverage than the losing team. You will find yourself shouting in agony when you get splatted; maddeningly signaling to your teammates in the closing seconds to rally them on; forming bitter rivalries with players all over the world; jumping out of your seat and raising your hands in victory as you manage to clutch the win with a final, desperate sticky grenade in some mutually claimed turf.

Splatoon is a game that you can't truly understand until you play it. It's beautiful, it's fast, it's charming, and it controls like a dream. Hopefully this Thursday you'll get a good idea of what you can expect later this month when Splatoon 2 launches. Don't miss out on this one, guys. This is going to be the multiplayer smash hit of the summer, and I can't wait to meet you guys on the battlefield.

Until then, stay fresh.