In the line of woomy in Tower Control [21(2)-5, Tri-slosher]

I think better of trying to sneak past the Tower to hit the green team's flank. It rarely worked in the previous Port Mackerel. The green Roller finds out that it is a bit harder now too. I tidy up a bit, not fully realising that my squidmates are pushing the Tower, but I find an inkling to play with back here.

I move up and find the Roller trying to do the opposite, and am happy to have Ink Armour as he Splashes down, before I mess up another Burst Bomb throw and fall back to sloshing the Sloshing Machine. We lose the Tower, though, and I can't backtrack quickly or safely enough, so hold my turf to look for opportunity. It almost comes, but the green team jump on the Tower anyway.

We tussle over the Tower, and somehow I manage to stay inked but unsplatted, until the Roller exacts some nice revenge from behind. My squidmates recover the Tower, so I hit the flank to try to be sneaky, but the Tower issue isn't quite resolved. I still find trouble further up, and more than I can handle. Even so, I don't think the Roller came out if it fairly.

Flanking the next green push almost results in an excellent tally of splats, but my little bucket can't quite reach or ink the green inklings enough, and I simply find myself out-numbered. But it nearly was amazing, and I get a splat and an assist out of it. I come out of the next encounter much better, losing the Splattershot and not really knowing what's happening, and I can't help but feel lucky again.

My attempts to clear the Tower are temporary, and deciding to clear the inklings supporting the Tower from behind reminds me once more not to run towards a Sting Ray in action. You just don't know how far away they are. Or who's with them. Still, my squidmates are nicely in control, and re-take the Tower back to the green side of the Port for the first time in a while.

Supporting the Tower gets some decent splats, and I even hop on briefly, until a squidmate joins me and I feel superfluous to needs. That lets me hit the flank and get a trio of splats, just missing out on the fourth. It's quite a massacre, and no one is left to stop the Tower trundling back the way it came.

With seconds left in the battle, we only need to defend our modest lead, which just means being sensible and not panicking. I think we do that. And I get a nice pair of headphones out of things. Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on In the line of woomy in Tower Control [21(2)-5, Tri-slosher]
Tags: console, port mackerel, splatoon 2, switch, tower control, tri-slosher

Too orangey for crows in Splat Zones [14(5)-5, Splattershot Jr]

Some early caution pays off for me in Splat Zones, although my Splat Bomb throws are quite pitiful. My squidmates must be doing something right at least, as we capture the Splat Zones and hold on to them for a huge amount of time. We nearly win by knockout, as our Splat Dualies inkling chases inklings, our Splatterscope and Heavy Splatling send ink all over the Splat Zones, and I just loiter inking patches and lobbing Splat Bombs.

An Ink Storm helps the purple team stop our counter and give us a big buffer to work through, which seems to motivate them to push back harder. With the Splat Zones compromised, I take the long route around the flank to see what mischief I can accomplish, which is pretty much none, as no one is behind the Splat Zones. So it goes.

Heading back in to the Splat Zones helps ink them orange again, although I mostly chase splats rather than getting them. I get a couple after a while, but that also means that the purple team's attention is pointing towards me, and the ink finally builds up enough to splat me. The Splat Zones turn purple again.

I support from the back for a bit, not wanting to rush in to unseen trouble, and push forwards when opportunity arises. The inkling heads down the ramp and is going to want to come back up, and I pick the right moment to drop down. My Ink Armour and a lucky Splat Bomb lets me go back up the ramp myself, dodging a Robot Chicken and Curling Bomb, and I inexpertly get two more splats, for a delayed quad. And we've captured the Splat Zones back. Nice!

I push forwards to solidify our position, which looks to be working, but probably only because the purple team aren't there to defend. When they are, it's at just the right time to support their Tenta Missiles launcher from my ill-advised rush. I come back to survive the Carbon Roller, a nearby Splashdown, and the Sploosh-o-matic who made it, before the N-ZAP '85 splats me away. A squidmate gets instant revenge.

I dunno if I get lucky or unlucky against the Sploosh-o-matic on my return, but I do know that I messed up jumping as celebration of our impending win, and instead opened and closed the map. But no one saw that. Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Too orangey for crows in Splat Zones [14(5)-5, Splattershot Jr]
Tags: console, inkblot art academy, splat zones, splatoon 2, splattershot jr, switch

Splats here and there in Splat Zones [23(8)-5, Tri-slosher]

I try to create and maintain a good foundational inking to start the battle, which would serve us well in any initial tussles, with a bit of close-range support for our Splatterscope. No splats for a while, but with my Ink Armour active and the Splat Zones nice and purple I push forwards to see what I can do. Not much! Only because there's not much to be done.

I like hitting the Splattershot with two Burst Bombs, and still they come to me to be sloshed. That's nice of them. It's still looking quite straightforward too, and it's only until almost a minute of battling that the green team get any kind of influence over the Splat Zones. Unfortunately, despite squidding this way and that, I can't quite stop the Splat Zones turning green, and we get our buffer to work through. But I also start getting splats, which my Respawn Punisher shirt is pleased with.

Our buffer is worked through before the next minute has expired, and our score starts counting down again. I rack up more splats, some luckier than others, until a jumper dodges over a slosh. The green team capture the Splat Zones again, we get another buffer, and I am splatted back to base.

The green team's ink is everywhere now, my foundation inked over! I think about hitting the flank instead, to come from an unexpected angle, but the pressure from the bridge convinces me to focus some attention there. That works out well, but I should have claimed the bridge instead of heading to our ramp to the Splat Zones, which turns out to be well-guarded.

We capture the Splat Zones once more, but they are better contested now. Sloshing around the side and back doesn't help much, and mostly just gets me caught from behind. I have to work through green ink again on my return, and this time hold the bridge. But I can only slosh so much of the Splat Zones from up there, which isn't much, and have to drop down. I get lucky against the Sloshing Machine, surprise the Sploosh-o-matic, and get some revenge on the jumping Splattershot. Naturally, it is the Tri-slosher who proves my undoing.

The Sploosh-o-matic gets her own back on me quickly, with some stray ink finishing me off, but I come back to get some more splats myself, including interrupting a newly started Stingray. Our own Stingray helps clear the Splat Zones, and as time runs out our early lead pays off. And with that tally of splats to my name, I think my choice of jumper worked well. Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Splats here and there in Splat Zones [23(8)-5, Tri-slosher]
Tags: console, splat zones, splatoon 2, switch, the reef, tri-slosher

Not really in control in Splat Zones [14(3)-5, Carbon Roller]

That's an excellent first ambush, even with the disappointing need for a second flick. The Robot Chicken throw is less excellent, but I'm happy with the Ink Storm. Coming around the back of the Tenta Missile inkling highlights the weakness of the Carbon Roller, though. The first flick is aimed as well as it can be, and only damages. The second has all the ink falling short. The sweet spot for the horizontal flick is dreadfully small. I hope Sheldon can do something about it.

Going back around for the E-litre 4K finds him moved, which I don't react to particularly quickly, and although the Octobrush wipes the Ink Armour off me effectively, my Ink Storm has the last laugh. That Jet Squelcher could be dangerous, particularly as he seems content to sit back and ink from afar whilst charging Tenta Missiles, but I'll get to him at some point. At least I can get my vertical flick working occasionally, as the E-litre 4K finds out.

There's a neat little flurry of activity, with ink flying everywhere and Robot Chickens running around, before I get frustrated with the Carbon Roller again. I hit the brush with my vertical flick, but not enough for the splat apparently, and ambush the Hero Replica Splattershot nicely, but still not enough for the splat. He manages to Splashdown as a result, pausing our control of the Splat Zones, before a second flick splats him away.

Green ink flies around me, and I have no idea how I walk out of the Splat Zones in one piece. I make the most of it, and spy a super-jumper waiting to be splatted, but again it takes two attempts, at which point a Robot Chicken is coming from me, and some incidental ink from the Octobrush happens to catch me from somewhere. I think my grip on this battle is slipping.

As the Splat Zones are blue and looking to stay that way, I aim to head around the flank to catch the E-litre 4K. He's not there, but the Jet Squelcher is, and I wish I could say I splatted her, but even at close range I only helped. At least I walk away from the encounter. As I also do after wandering in to the aftermath of Tenta Missiles, not that I know how, and manage to splat the E-litre 4K before succumbing to my inkjuries.

Our lead is threatened now, so I do what I can to take the pressure off, and head right around the back to come from behind, which does the trick, but not before we lose the lead. We have precious few seconds left to retain the Splat Zones, which we manage, and a precarious session of extra time where it looks like we'll just about take the lead, but the green team wrest control away from us with less than a second to spare.

Can we throw enough blue ink back in to the Splat Zones to steal the victory? Maybe if I hadn't thrown that Robot Chicken and hadn't run out of ink as a result. Or maybe the green team just had more ink available at the right moment. So it goes. Good battle, everyone!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Not really in control in Splat Zones [14(3)-5, Carbon Roller]
Tags: carbon roller, console, humpback pump track, splat zones, splatoon 2, switch

he charger likes that perch in Splat Zones [10(6)-4, Carbon Roller]

There's some nice to-and-fro for the Splat Zones, and I manage to keep myself inking for a decent amount of time. The E-litre 4K sets himself up on the obvious perch, overlooking the Splat Zones and without an easy route to him, and although an occasional Robot Chicken moves him a little, he's not going to be easy to splat. Before I worry more about that, though, I am reminded that my aim even with a Carbon Roller is as weak as the flick. I should have pointed down the slope more.

I win the battle of the Robot Chickens on my return, mostly because my opponent is in the Splat Zones and has more to worry about. I next try to counter a blue Ink Storm with a green one, but running in to the rain gets me splatted. At least a squidmate deals with the E-litre 4K responsible.

Our brief control of the Splat Zones is lost, and the blue team look to dominate us. I think we need to move that E-litre 4K, or at least get him looking around occasionally. I don't think I have the right weapon to get close without being spotted, but that's rarely stopped me from rushing aggressively forwards before.

My first rush on the E-litre 4K is excellent, even with setting off a tactical Ink Mine. Of course, the E-litre 4K goes right back to his perch, and when I see that I go back for seconds. My Robot Chicken beats me to it, though. I should pay more attention to names. I also need more practice at the jump-flick, or maybe just staying out of the Inkjet's exhaust.

I go back for the E-litre 4K, who will rue leaving those blotches of green ink untouched. A couple of splats later and we have captured the Splat Zones again and are looking to be in a good position. A minor Robot Chicken skirmish has my retreating, which is as good an opportunity as any to poke the E-litre 4K again, and even though I sit on the Ink Mine it's my flick that lets me down. Or the Carbon Roller's redesign, making the flick so weak. So it goes.

I sensibly don't hang around, but leave a Robot Chicken in my wake. I circle back and look to help out with inking the Splat Zones, but again the lack of ink in the Carbon Roller's flick is felt, as three flicks can't even splat the Aerospray. To cheer myself up, I go back for the E-litre 4K, and get the splat, but it needs two flicks again. Even though I'm frustrating a charger, this is almost as disappointing as the lack of UK localisation.

Another attempt to help out in the Splat Zones has my hitting an inkling solidly, but failing to get a splat. So it goes. I get another one eventually, maybe indicating I need to be much more careful with my aim, but I am soon overwhelmed by ink, as the blue team coasts to victory.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on he charger likes that perch in Splat Zones [10(6)-4, Carbon Roller]
Tags: carbon roller, console, humpback pump track, splat zones, splatoon 2, switch

Keeping Flight grounded in Invisibility Splatfest [2041p, 8(2)-2, Splattershot Jr]

A good bit of inking to start, aiming off the ramp for maximum ink distribution, and dropping down to meet the Flight team coming our way. One Splat Bomb pushes back the Squiffer and splats his squidmate, and activating my Ink Armour replenishes my tank for another Splat Bomb as the Squiffer advances again. Nice!

Pushing up with my squidmates meets blue resistance, but I seem to do alright, maybe because a squidmate or two takes the splat instead of me. I get a bit lucky with the Squiffer again, where a rolled Splat Bomb may have increased my chances, and again after that, as I serendipitously duck under his shot.

I turn back towards base, and see a blue inkling boldly inking up the ramps, but I leave him to it. My time is probably better spent holding turf closer to the middle. Or I could get splatted and cover the intruder's ink, as if that was part of my plan all along.

I am cautious coming down the final ramp, as my view is blocked, and I'm right to be. Almost the entire blue team is there! I clear a path with Splat Bombs, and work my way out, getting back to reclaim turf as the battle enters its last minute. A bit of jinking here and there keeps me out of the sights of one inkling, but I can't quite avoid the second whilst still a bit blue.

One last romp down the side, after a squidmate deals with the Aerospray, and two of us ink a nice patch of turf. I get to meet the Squiffer one last time, and activate my Ink Armour so I can pop out a final Splat Bomb. As the Judds inspect from on high, we've done enough. Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Keeping Flight grounded in Invisibility Splatfest [2041p, 8(2)-2, Splattershot Jr]
Tags: console, shift station, splatfest, splatoon 2, splattershot jr, switch, turf war

Keeping a green ship in Invisibility Splatfest [2105p, 11(5)-1, Splattershot Jr]

Keeping the high ground seems like a good idea on the Manta Maria, at least to start with. It's also a bit tricky to do that and advance, as going around the mast without dropping down gets you away from recovering ink, being on a grating. You can be sneaky and shinny up the mast for a bit, but it's all about making a claim on the turf early on.

All goes well as I stay above the deck, and only when I drop down do things get a bit hairy. It's not helped by running out of ink, but I spy a safe port and head towards a squidmate, where I regain my composure. My squidmate is splatted away, and I notice in time where the attacker is coming from, even if my escape manoeuvres take me towards another inkling.

That inkling runs from me, looking to hit us high, but I still have one on my tail. I drop a measured Splat Bomb to help with that, and turn back to make things green again. I stick to the middle of the ship, holding our turf, and pounce on an inkling when my Ink Armour protects me. I need it, as the Armour is shed and I am nearly a goner when one last shot splats my target.

The blue team start to come back with a minute to go, and I dance around the mast with a squidmate as neither of us quite knows where one of the Flight team went. Further back, it seems, to pull out a Curling Bomb Launcher. We weather that, before I give chase to an inkling neatly running to get behind us.

I am chased as I chase, but another well-timed Splat Bomb splats me chaser, as I catch my prey. But I catch him mid-Curling Bomb Rush, and there is exploding ink all around me. At least I get my splat too. With half a minute to go, we still hold the central turf and most of the blue team are splatted, letting us tidy up the blue mess near our base on our way back to the mast.

Another Curling Bomb Rush, in the dying seconds, could pose us problems, and my Splat Bomb doesn't stop it. I decide my best option is just to cover up the blue explosions as best I can and hope it will be enough. It is. Another victory!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Keeping a green ship in Invisibility Splatfest [2105p, 11(5)-1, Splattershot Jr]
Tags: console, manta maria, splatfest, splatoon 2, splattershot jr, switch, turf war

Shifty rolling in Invisibility Splatfest [1726p, 8(2)-2, Carbon Roller]

Time for some fun with the Carbon Roller, for varying definitions of 'fun'. The Carbon Roller can be great to roll with, but it really does require either a blank canvas, like at the start of a battle, or a good amount of your ink to squid around in for surprise splats. And those surprise splats come less frequently with the weakened flick, but that's a separate matter.

For Turf War, where you need to constantly reclaim inked turf, the Carbon Roller is a little weak, with its lack of projection. But that is mitigated somewhat by the improved vertical flick, the Ink Storm is a nice Special weapon to frustrate the opponents, and the robot chicken is just fun wherever.

Previous battles in this Splatfest have shown that being aggressively forwards with the Carbon Roller only gets me splatted, with little turf gain, so I deliberately hold back this time, with the intention of preventing blue ingression, and keeping what turf I can inked. I get bold occasionally too, rolling around the blue side after a nice splat on the Squiffer.

In general, though, getting close to blue inklings where there is an unhealthy amount of blue ink is too dangerous for me, as I can't escape quickly. My Autobombs do well to push inklings in one direction or another, which often drops their concentration from where they want to go, and the vertical flick can ink a path to move at a decent speed if I need to, which looks like it may be necessary as the blue team encroach on our turf with few seconds remaining.

I head away from the blue team, as my squidmates go towards them, and start rolling when it looks safe. From the map, it looks like my squidmates did a good job of pushing the blue team back, and I managed to roll a decent path on our side. In the end, it's a comfortable victory for us. Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Shifty rolling in Invisibility Splatfest [1726p, 8(2)-2, Carbon Roller]
Tags: carbon roller, console, shifty station, splatfest, splatoon 2, switch, turf war

It's all about inking in Invisibility Splatfest [2053p, 6(3)-4, Splattershot Jr]

Okay, shooters are for Splatfests, it seems, so I pick up my trusty Splattershot Jr, if only because I don't want to seem too trendy by equipping the Forge Splattershot Pro just yet. Maybe I should find Marie and get the Hero Shot Replica, though. It seems pretty nifty. Or maybe that other inkling is a better shot than me. But so it goes, and I get back to inking.

Splat Bombs are my friends, as is the ink efficiency of the Splattershot Jr. I can pretty much just keep on shooting, which it looks like we'll need to against the Flight team. And I do last quite a while on my second outing, only getting in to trouble when somewhat swarmed. My third outing is less successful, mostly from running headlong in to a Sploosh-o-matic. That's on me.

With a minute to go, our fresh green Track is starting to look a bit too blue. I take my strategy back to basics, and ink and move, ink and move. It's not about removing all traces of blue, it's about spreading green ink. it goes well until I run in to the middle, and two blue inklings. But our coverage looks healthy again, and there's still twenty seconds to go.

A last ink-and-move run around the bottom of the track, and a nice use of my ink tank to lob a final-second Splat Bomb, and victory is ours! I get a healthy individual score too, which is also good. Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on It's all about inking in Invisibility Splatfest [2053p, 6(3)-4, Splattershot Jr]
Tags: console, humpback pump track, splatfest, splatoon 2, splattershot jr, switch, turf war

Inking the Academy in Invisibility Splatfest [1833p, 11(3)-1, Tri-slosher]

Sticking with the bucket for now, and we're back in the Academy. Early inking in a safe zone is a straightforward start, and I use my Burst Bombs as minor threats when moving in to the more contested area. My sloshing the wall of the central structure is meant to get me up to the top, but I change my mind in case I've been seen, and jink to the side instead. Maybe it works, it's hard to say.

I provide moral support for a squidmate's splat before activating Ink Armour, which gets me a couple of assists as I try to work my way back up the ramp. Caution pays off, as I stay unsplatted, although a squidmate suffers from a bubble. The blue ink catches up with me eventually, but I've put in a good stint so far.

I pause as Tenta Missiles fly in, taking cover from some, inking over the mess one makes, before heading down our flank. I drop down on the far side, so as not to be spotted, and spy some ink flying as I come around the side. My appearance is well-timed, splatting the inkling there, and one super-jumping in. And, despite yet another poorly thrown Burst Bomb, I avoid attention from a third inkling, and splat him instead.

Things are looking pretty blue, though, so it's time to get some height and spread some invisible ink. Both Tri-slosher and Burst Bombs do this, and get me splats too. The only drawback to my enthusiastic inking is that my tank runs out. But that can always be refilled, and my squidmates are around for support when I need it.

A few bubbles are wafted over the Flight side of the Academy as the clock ticks down, and with good central coverage too, our victory is assured. Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Inking the Academy in Invisibility Splatfest [1833p, 11(3)-1, Tri-slosher]
Tags: console, inkblot art academy, splatfest, splatoon 2, switch, tri-slosher, turf war