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[Geg]

I didn't actually notice anyone in this thread arguing against OS party chat except for a few people saying they missed having everyone use in-game chat instead (to make new friends).

Even Iwata wants a system party chat (lol):

I'm late on seeing this but lol wow I had no idea the Wii U chat actually worked like that, that's pretty bad.

I guess Iwata acknowledging it means they'll likely have it implemented in their next console. And if it's backwards compatible with the Wii U they can make it work with that. Party chat to come to Splatoon in 2017 :^)

 

[8BitsAtATime]

Parental controls. Default off. Voice chat limited to only between friends. Party chat.

That's on the parents but considering how many young kids play m rated games I don't see the parents go to all that trouble.

 

[RyougaSaotome]

I had a great time in the stress test, but I found myself wishing there was voice chat more than a few time so I could communicate what the other team was doing/other shit.

It's a bummer.

 

[FM3]

Hey there. I wrote the op-ed, so I wanted to chime in, despite the usual guaranteed perils of trying to justify one's own work on the Internet...

I'm really happy this sparked so much discussion, whether in support of it or not. So, a few things I wanted to address:

• I'm not dead nor never left IGN. Been around almost 15 years, mostly running video.
• Splatoon is a lot of fun. So much so that I was compelled to write this article. I don't think the gameplay itself is cheap or lazy.
• Cheap is a strong word. Nothing about game development is cheap. But, by comparison, Splatoon's lack of party or voice chat is cheap for an exclusive, first-party online shooter.
• Lazy is a strong word. Again, I'm using emphasis for effect. But I stand by the thought, and find Nintendo's continued lack of investment in features like team chat lazy from a business standpoint.

This is a company, you must remember, that also resisted features like DLC, DVD movie playback, and an HD chipset for the Wii, for God's sake. That doesn't mean they're not the same company that pioneered many things.

Again, it's mostly so frustrating because Splatoon has a genuine spark to it. Not being able to chat with friends at launch is huge letdown for me now that I'm even more interested to play it.

-Fran
@FranMirabella

 

[DealWithIt]

The reason there is no voice chat is obvious. Everyone knows about Nintendo's paternalism. They did not include voice chat because they can't have kids talking to strangers. That's why it is, I would bet you a significant amount of money.


Edit: thanks to Fran for commenting in the thread.

 

[velvet_nitemare]

They did not include voice chat because they can't have kids talking to strangers

How about letting these kids talk to their friends that they have on their friendlists or are in a party with?

 

[DealWithIt]

How about letting these kids talk to their friends that they have on their friendlists or are in a party with?

I'm not saying it's the right decision I'm just saying it's the Nintendo way. Remember when they stripped online chat features out of the DS?

 

[TI82]

I really do not understand the people doing mental gymnastics to support this. When is lacking a standard feature ever a good thing?

 

[Gator86]

Hey there. I wrote the op-ed, so I wanted to chime in, despite the usual guaranteed perils of trying to justify one's own work on the Internet...

I'm really happy this sparked so much discussion, whether in support of it or not. So, a few things I wanted to address:

• I'm not dead nor never left IGN. Been around almost 15 years, mostly running video.
• Splatoon is a lot of fun. So much so that I was compelled to write this article. I don't think the gameplay itself is cheap or lazy.
• Cheap is a strong word. Nothing about game development is cheap. But, by comparison, Splatoon's lack of party or voice chat is cheap for an exclusive, first-party online shooter.
• Lazy is a strong word. Again, I'm using emphasis for effect. But I stand by the thought, and find Nintendo's continued lack of investment in features like team chat lazy from a business standpoint.

This is a company, you must remember, that also resisted features like DLC, DVD movie playback, and an HD chipset for the Wii, for God's sake. That doesn't mean they're not the same company that pioneered many things.

Again, it's mostly so frustrating because Splatoon has a genuine spark to it. Not being able to chat with friends at launch is huge letdown for me now that I'm even more interested to play it.

-Fran
@FranMirabella

Completely reasonable explanation. Glad you took the time to come in and contribute here too. Hopefully, people keep their responses respectful.

 

[pinkurocket]

How about letting these kids talk to their friends that they have on their friendlists or are in a party with?

Because they can't even get into a server with their friends until August. And we don't even know the details of how these friend lobbies will work.

 

[Diffense]

I still like the part where the online is free. be as cheap as you wanna be, hate listening to other people anyway.

Oh yeah. I forgot some people actually paid separately for online features.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

I always feel that voice chat for games like this never mattered much because of how fast the play is, unless it's BF4 in which case me and a friend both use skype because voice chat there was shit anyways.

 

[ducksauce]

The lack of voice chat makes me want to play it even more.

 

[atr0cious]

Nintendo probably saw that report that states kids are more likely to be harmed by people they know lol.

This is a company, you must remember, that also resisted features like DLC, DVD movie playback, and an HD chipset for the Wii, for God's sake. That doesn't mean they're not the same company that pioneered many things.

Again, it's mostly so frustrating because Splatoon has a genuine spark to it. Not being able to chat with friends at launch is huge letdown for me now that I'm even more interested to play it.

-Fran

No voice chat sucks, but calling it cheap and lazy is ridiculous. Naive and short sighted yea, but I'm sure they didn't make this decision lightly, especially with the shit we gave Destiny for claiming to be social when it wasn't. Also, none of the things you listed are necessarily something inherently needed, especially the wii hd and dlc.

 

[DiscoShark]

Splatoon not having voice chat is just another chapter in a long line of Nintendo's "1 step forward 2 steps back" with everything to do with online gaming. It was ridiculous back on the Wii and it's ridiculous now.

I still like the part where the online is free. be as cheap as you wanna be, hate listening to other people anyway.

Oh yeah. I forgot some people actually paid separately for online features.

Some of the most hilarious deflecting I've seen in these threads yet. Absolutely no relevance to the topic at hand.

 

[Vena]

• Cheap is a strong word. Nothing about game development is cheap. But, by comparison, Splatoon's lack of party or voice chat is cheap for an exclusive, first-party online shooter.
• Lazy is a strong word. Again, I'm using emphasis for effect. But I stand by the thought, and find Nintendo's continued lack of investment in features like team chat lazy from a business standpoint.

To be fair, one wouldn't have drawn this conclusion on meanings from your article at all. You clarify for us because these words are highly dubious and are drawing notice but your article hardly paints the picture you seem to intend to paint.

The fact that you have to clarify is telling.

 

[ramparter]

Bravo IGN, I was afraid big media wouldn't bring up the issue and give Nintendo a free pass again. The defenders only make this worst, sometimes we just have to open realize and accept that a missing feature is a missing feature whether we care for it or not.

 

[FM3]

Completely reasonable explanation. Glad you took the time to come in and contribute here too. Hopefully, people keep their responses respectful.

Thanks, Gator. I find that people forget: this is just my opinion, you can have yours. And I totally respect that.

There are people who would HATE to buy this game for their kids and have to think about keeping an eye on them or setting voice chat options.

Meanwhile, there's a kid with no friends that looks for games like this to bring him some company.

Then there's me: I sincerely want to have fluid communication in talking my way through matches with friends. You really do need to call for help or block and tackle areas to be successful. And hanging out is half the fun.

 

[TI82]

Splatoon not having voice chat is just another chapter in a long line of Nintendo's "1 step forward 2 steps back" with everything to do with online gaming. It was ridiculous back on the Wii and it's ridiculous now.





Some of the most hilarious deflecting I've seen in these threads yet. Absolutely no relevance to the topic at hand.

Even worse are the ones saying that it will make them play anymore. Do they not realize that all these games with talking also having a mute function? Lol

 

[Armadilo]

maybe these type of threads should be banned since they are always the same! One side says that they are ok without it and on the other side No of course it should have it, plus the only new thing about it is that it's from IGN

 

[Keasar]

They could at least have voice chat limited to people who you have on your friend list.

I am fine with them skipping it with random people, but comeon, they have even announced a bloody Team vs. Team mode that will be added later, let me at the very least talk with those I WILLINGLY team up with.

 

[cloudstrife]

Playing Splatoon reminded me of the raw joy of playing TF2 over the years. A game with voice chat.

And this game bursts at the seams with community. Just look at the year's worth of fanart.

So the fact that there is no voice chat is almost criminal and a stifling setback to the Splatoon community.

 

[Forkball]

People who say this game benefits from not having voice chat have clearly never played an online cooperative game. Voice chat enhances the experience exponentially, both in terms of success in the game and creating a community. Nintendo should have included it, while also given the options to mute everyone if they don't want to use it. Hell, keep mute on by default so a lot of the kiddies won't even know about it.

 

[Shinjica]

inb4 "you can just use skype"

Spoiler

and you can just fuck the right off

Give this man a medal

 

[yiepekaiyei]

Has there been other titles on the WiiU that have online multiplayer and chat?

monster hunter

 

[velvet_nitemare]

Because they can't even get into a server with their friends until August. And we don't even know the details of how these friend lobbies will work.

After the comments about it being a design decision and going by the history Nintendo have with their first party games on Wii U, forgive me for not giving them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[bounchfx]

Who chats on a console anymore? Serious question. I never do with randoms, and I don't play with friends a ton and even when I do we don't really chat.

This too.

On Xbox 360 and even some ps2 console chat was the bomb. It seems dead now which is honestly kind of shitty. I feel like it should be an option for any team based game but I understand why Nintendo opted out

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

This would be less of an issue if Nintendo actually had a party system. But they don't. And most of their games either 1) don't have voice chat or 2) limit it menus only, which is just nuts in a day when, for the impossibly-large-numberth time it's a standard feature. Between all that, the inability to quickly and easily send direct messages (both text and voice), and numerous other bizarre decisions over the years Nintendo has created a system that is completely asocial. And for whatever reason, people defend it ad nauseam with tired excuse after tired excuse.

"I don't want to here 12 year olds!" - Mute them.
"What about the children?" - Parental controls and actual parenting.
"I don't need those features!" - Don't use them.
"You can use ____ external software/hardware!" - Shouldn't be necessary, it's standard.

etc. etc.

There is no reason why in this day and age I should be unable to communicate with people, especially my friends when playing online, and honestly, I don't see the point if it's not an option. Lets say you're playing Smash Bros. with a group of friends on your couch. Are you dead fucking silent? No, you're yelling, cheering, cussing, joking, etc. - whatever it is, you're fucking talking. Because multiplayer games are social experiences. It's the entire fucking point. So why is it acceptable, when it is both technologically possible AND has long been the standard to support voice chat, when Nintendo refuses to allow you to communicate while playing a game?

I don't give a flying fuck if you're friendless and are scared of these mythical legions twelve year olds yelling at you. You can turn it off if you're so worried, so why the fuck shouldn't I be able to talk with my damn friends during a damn social situation without having to start up a Skype session or (what I personally resort to) starting a party on my damn Xbox?

 

[nordique]

Not a big deal for me but i can see now some people may be turned off by it

 

[Solid Samus]

This would be less of an issue if Nintendo actually had a party system. But they don't. And most of their games either 1) don't have voice chat or 2) limit it menus only, which is just nuts in a day when, for the impossibly-large-numberth time it's a standard feature. Between all that, the inability to quickly and easily send direct messages (both text and voice), and numerous other bizarre decisions over the years Nintendo has created a system that is completely asocial. And for whatever reason, people defend it ad nauseam with tired excuse after tired excuse.

"I don't want to here 12 year olds!" - Mute them.
"What about the children?" - Parental controls and actual parenting.
"I don't need those features!" - Don't use them.
"You can use ____ external software/hardware!" - Shouldn't be necessary, it's standard.

etc. etc.

There is no reason why in this day and age I should be unable to communicate with people, especially my friends when playing online, and honestly, I don't see the point if it's not an option. Lets say you're playing Smash Bros. with a group of friends on your couch. Are you dead fucking silent? No, you're yelling, cheering, cussing, joking, etc. - whatever it is, you're fucking talking. Because multiplayer games are social experiences. It's the entire fucking point. So why is it acceptable, when it is both technologically possible AND has long been the standard to support voice chat, when Nintendo refuses to allow you to communicate while playing a game?

I don't give a flying fuck if you're friendless and are scared of these mythical legions twelve year olds yelling at you. You can turn it off if you're so worried, so why the fuck shouldn't I be able to talk with my damn friends during a damn social situation without having to start up a Skype session or (what I personally resort to) starting a party on my damn Xbox?

Why even bother, when the juniors populating 'two pages from now' are just going to handwave away your entire post and act like all you've said was 'its 2015', so that they can present this debate like both sides of the argument have been equally unreasonable and equally dodgy with non-responses...

 

[Neff]

Definitely feels like the Splatoon critics have turned up the heat after the unexpectedly enthusiastic reception it got yesterday.

I'm not really fussed one way or another on the subject of chat. It both adds and takes away from this type of game imo.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

Definitely feels like the Splatoon critics have turned up the heat after the unexpectedly enthusiastic reception it got yesterday.

Right. That's why.

 

[Conan-san]

~

If you're that incensed about it, why don't you just leave the game on the shelves and buy something with voice chat?

 

[cheesekao]

Definitely feels like the Splatoon critics have turned up the heat after the unexpectedly enthusiastic reception it got yesterday.

People have been complaining about the lack of voice chat for months now and the recently revealed details about the the content of the game is concerning considering the price of the game.

 

[Brandon F]

Has there been other titles on the WiiU that have online multiplayer and chat?

Probably been mentioned, but monster hunter 3u certainly does. Co-op focused game though, but it works surprisingly well through even the gamepad mic and speakers.

 

[Hatchtag]

Definitely feels like the Splatoon critics have turned up the heat after the unexpectedly enthusiastic reception it got yesterday.

I'm not really fussed one way or another on the subject of chat. It both adds and takes away from this type of game imo.

I think the critics turned up the heat on Thursday when we learned about the game having unexpectedly low features at launch. I think most people expected about a dozen maps, ~5 multiplayer modes, and some sort of team/friend/party/lobby whatever you wanna call it feature come May 29th. Instead, there's only going to be 5 maps and one multiplayer mode on May 29th (possibly two if enough people hit rank 10 quick enough). So people are a bit bummed and a lot of the increased criticism is because of that.

 

[cloudstrife]

Since taking down Club Nintendo, there is no direct line of communication where the Nintendo decision makers are willing to hear my feedback and concern about wanting Voice Chat to get patched into this multiplayer game that I want to experience socially with my friends while also making new friends in the online Splatoon community.

How else do I make my position known except to not buy the game?

 

[Sojiro]

Actually playing it, yeah, it can be said once again, the lack of voice chat really sucks. We've all said this, and man, it'd be nice if were included, but at this point I really don't think it will be. That said the game is fucking amazing, and I personally imagine I will be playing it for a long time even without the ability talk to people on a mic.

Since taking down Club Nintendo, there is no direct line of communication where the Nintendo decision makers are willing to hear my feedback and concern about wanting Voice Chat to get patched into this multiplayer game that I want to experience socially with my friends while also making new friends in the online Splatoon community.

How else do I make my position known except to not buy the game?

Twitter, Facebook, and Miiverse I am assuming are the only ways for it. Yeah voting with your money is always an option if voice chat is a deal breaker for you.

 

[Forkball]

After reading more the article and some replies here, here my though : people like you make me glad there's no voice chat.

Boo hoo. You don't know what you are talking about in regards to voice chat. Serious question: have you EVER played a game with voice chat? Like one time? Yes, some people do express their negativity via chat, but it really depends on the genre or heck even the individual game itself. MOBAs are famous for their steep learning curve and therefore have a less-forgiving community. But shooters are completely different. While CoD has become the poster child for "13 year olds using the N-word" that is not typical among all shooters. I have played an obscene amount of TF2, a cartoonish game that focuses on teamwork over killing players (remind you of another title?), and I don't think I have EVER encountered a random who spewed hatred. The TF2 community is really laid back and I met a lot of friends I still talk to today thanks to the GAF server. Some of which I will play Splatoon with.

The lack of voice chat severely limits the connection you can make between players and thus is harmful to the growth of the community. Thinking in broader terms, it even hurts sales among other games. Let's say you meet someone on Splatoon and become friends. You might want to play a different game with him one day, and thus buy it just to play with this person. There are a lot of titles I've checked out solely because people on my friends list were playing them. This can't happen if your teammates are mute yet fashionable avatars with no soul.

 

[Neff]

Right. That's why.

I'm not singling anyone out, but some are shouting louder and more persistently today and yesterday than they were before the Test went live. And most of those don't even seem to have played it.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

If you're that incensed about it, why don't you just leave the game on the shelves and buy something with voice chat?

AAA response.

 

[Rappy]

Some of the most hilarious deflecting I've seen in these threads yet. Absolutely no relevance to the topic at hand.

It is somewhat relevant. Nintendo isn't getting paid directly from keeping their online infrastructure to work so they probably have less of an incentive to work on its features. Do they kinda suck for this? Yes. Would I pay a sub fee for an Xbox Live experience? Probably not, because I will just VOIP options that have way more chat features. People should be complaining about the other multiplayer features or lack thereof instead of this, because those should have a higher priority of getting changed/delivered faster.

 

[Chindogg]

People who say this game benefits from not having voice chat have clearly never played an online cooperative game. Voice chat enhances the experience exponentially, both in terms of success in the game and creating a community. Nintendo should have included it, while also given the options to mute everyone if they don't want to use it. Hell, keep mute on by default so a lot of the kiddies won't even know about it.

Nah voice chat sucks. Just my opinion but I personally don't need randos screaming about how much they fuck my mom or how gay I am or that I'm an autist etc. It's not a sense of community when 90% of chatters are fuckboys who only want to ruin a fun experience with the shit that spews out of their mouths.

Lack of party chat sucks, but I have other options for that. I don't care much about it at all but it's cool if you do. It's just not a thing for me and doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the game.

It doesn't make Nintendo cheap or lazy for not including it. They made a conscious decision to not put it in. To ignore that fact and use those words "for emphasis" really doesn't strike me as an opinion but as a clickbait title that really detracts from the point of the article. Now here we are arguing the same points that come up in every online game for Wii U and nothing will change. I'm sure if Starfox has online we'll have this conversation all over again.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

I really don't get the upset about no voice chat, I don't think I've used voice chat on a console game in about five years. Barely anyone else nowadays seems to care either, go into a 64 player match of Battlefield 4 on PS4, you know how many people are on voice chat? None. I think I could count every person I've heard using voice chat on PS4 since launch on my fingers. Where are these legions of game chat zealots coming from?

I'm usually one of the first people to hop on the Nintendo hate train, but I just can not see what the big to do about this is.

 

[Hatchtag]

If you're that incensed about it, why don't you just leave the game on the shelves and buy something with voice chat?

Because this game looks god damn amazing but is missing one major feature that not only could really damage the game in its absence but is so standard in its genre that it feels like a glaring omission.

It'd be like if a pizza place opened up and the cheese pizza was amazing, but they sold no toppings. You'd be bummed when they closed in a month, but you'd also be pissed because it's so damn obvious to sell toppings with pizza.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

I really don't get the upset about no voice chat, I don't think I've used voice chat on a console game in about five years. Barely anyone else nowadays seems to care either, go into a 64 player match of Battlefield 4 on PS4, you know how many people are on voice chat? None. I think I could count every person I've heard using voice chat on PS4 since launch on my fingers. Where are these legions of game chat zealots coming from?

I'm usually one of the first people to hop on the Nintendo hate train, but I just can not see what the big to do about this is.

Because people on other platforms are using private party chats. A feature that doesn't exist on Wii U. Hence, issue.

 

[CountAntonius]

I mean it can be and I was ready to agree but my favorite games at the moment (Smite, dark Souls 2) all lack voice chat.

 

[Conan-san]

AAA response.

No, I'm genuine. Go buy something with voice chat instead of Splatoon if that is really how hurt you feel about the situation.

 

[Forkball]

Nah voice chat sucks. Just my opinion but I personally don't need randos screaming about how much they fuck my mom or how gay I am or that I'm an autist etc. It's not a sense of community when 90% of chatters are fuckboys who only want to ruin a fun experience with the shit that spews out of their mouths.

Lack of party chat sucks, but I have other options for that. I don't care much about it at all but it's cool if you do. It's just not a thing for me and doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the game.

It doesn't make Nintendo cheap or lazy for not including it. They made a conscious decision to not put it in. To ignore that fact and use those words "for emphasis" really doesn't strike me as an opinion but as a clickbait title that really detracts from the point of the article. Now here we are arguing the same points that come up in every online game for Wii U and nothing will change. I'm sure if Starfox has online we'll have this conversation all over again.

What online multiplayer games have you played where people have said this? And what makes you think Splatoon is going to naturally attract that type of community? People think all online communities are like some sort of Mad Max post apocalyptic wasteland when that is simply not the case. I have played literally hundreds of hours of Dota, a wretched hive of scum and villainy, and honestly the majority of the time I didn't encounter people outwardly harassing me or calling me names.

Nintendo isn't lazy, but they made a decision that wasn't consumer-friendly and only hurt themselves in the long run.

 

[cheesekao]

I mean it can be and I was ready to agree but my favorite games at the moment (Smite, dark Souls 2) all lack voice chat.

This is false. There's a ring that lets you do that.