E3 2014: Splatoon (Hands-on)

Nintendo delivered a variety of surprises at this year's E3, but not many were expecting the reveal of a new intellectual property with Splatoon for the Wii U. The game has players taking the roles of Inklings which can transform between human and squid forms.

The premise sounds simple at first, spatter the map's surfaces with your team's colored ink. However, the gameplay quickly becomes challenging when juggling between trying to avoid enemy ink fire and ultimately having the most map surfaces covered with your team's ink. In addition, players must continually replenish their ink supply by transforming to squid mode which in turns allows for speedy travel around the map.

The Wii U gamepad is fully utilized with the ability to quick travel across the map by simply tapping on various points as well as gyroscopic controls for aiming the ink. Matches consist of eight players in four-versus-four heated battles that last three minutes each. During my time at the Nintendo booth, I was able to play a few rounds that left me wanting to continue splattering ink across both the map and enemy players.

If the early gameplay hands-on is any indication Wii U owners are in for a lot of fun when Splatoon launches next year.