First, I will say that I want this game to be good so badly, but it has been the absolute worst online gaming experience I've ever had. The mechanics, visuals, etc. are great, and it is the most creative shooter I can think of, but the online experience just ruins it. Matchmaking is abysmal at best. In fact, after hundreds of hours playing all modes, including X Battles, I'm not convinced there was even a good-faith attempt at creating a robust matchmaking system on Nintendo's part. As an example, I can literally go from having a 26-2 splat game, to like a 4-6 game consecutively. You cannot convince me that I am that inconsistent of a player. Additionally, many games only last 30 seconds because one team will simply wipe the other continuously, The P2P system for hosting matches illustrates in full living color just how lazy, cheap, and greedy Nintendo is. Someone disconnects during around 25% of my matches, thus ruining the match. Often, I will lose a teammate while we are about to win, and then ultimately lose the match due to that. Furthermore, sometimes a player will drop, followed by a precipitous exodus by the rest of the players from the match. Either way, the game basically punishes you for the poor internet connection of others. Instead, Nintendo should join us in the 21st century and have dedicated game servers. Oh, and did I mention the incredibly slow tick rate? Lag is another serious issue, especially when the game requires so much precision at a high level. They haven't even fixed the lag when you first enter the lobby area. That just screams sloppy and incomplete. Overall, the game was clearly rushed, and feels to me like it was more of a cash grab than anything else. I will not be buying a Switch 2 or Splatoon 4 due to my overwhelming frustration with this game. The only way Nintendo will ever learn anything is if sales drop. However, I doubt that since the game is so popular, especially in Japan. Anyway, thanks for an awful experience, Nintendo.
