#Maybe I should make a Wii U retrospective

[averagefungus]

My first experience in realizing *what* Splatoon was happened back when PeanutButterGamer released his review on the game, when Splatoon was “Nintendos Answer to Call of Duty” was how everyone described it because it’s 2016. My actual first experience, just seeing Splatoon, was a ****ing Profasia Gaming all bosses YouTube video, where I was enraptured by what I thought was some forgotten Xbox game I never heard about. Ironic, huh? Then I got the game for my birthday, and I was there for the very first Cats Vs. Dogs Splatfest. I don’t remember the team I chose, but I remember the splatposts, the inbox, the inside jokes, and when Splat Tim was a fresh new meme.

Splatoon was my exposure to the concept of OCs. I remember seeing fan agents, and the green giant squid girl, and other characters people had made not realizing I could make my own character in an already established universe. I thought for a short while that the official names for the “two main characters” the Orange and Blue inklings were ink and some other squid related noun. But then I learned that these were characters people made for themselves, and that I could make characters for myself too. Once I did, I created nigh a dozen characters with their clothings and weapons in my head. I wish I wrote those inklings (and Octolings that were undercover) down.

The fan content was at an all time high, where I could read entire comics just by looking at google images since I didn’t have any social medias yet. YouTube had GMOD animations by LizzieRattcicle, Pooole, Spider, Mister Prawn, and so on. Comic Dubs, Creepy Pastas, anything I could find that I’d watch well into the morning, and sleep all day on a bean bag chair. I’d dream of being at Inkopolis, the raised balcony and massive open area being home to the hundreds angsty fanfictions I read on my phone on long car rides, listening to a single Siivagunner track on repeat for 6 hours all the while. The Living Tombstones song held a tragic chord to me at that time, thinking about what it must’ve been like to live in Inkopolis while watching the stylized music video with the limited cast of characters we had.

While I’ll likely never be as into the series as I was back then, even when Octo Expansion redefined the fandom as we know it, it’s one of the few times I look back on with complete satisfaction for. The Wii U was such an amazing console to be young on, unaware of the constant disappointments people had about the thing while I played Nintendo Land, Tank!Tank!Tank!, Pikmin 3, Sm4sh, Yoshis Wooly World, Mario Maker, Scribblenauts, Windwaker, New Super Mario Brothers U, and of course;

Splatoon.

I’ll likely not get the chance to play it one last time, but I’ll remember it fondly and nostalgically, as the first fandom I found that taught me to make art. Thank you Splatoon

Soon we'll say goodbye to Splatoon 1 online! (officially at least) Thanks for all the fun! Stay Fresh!

What were some of your favorite memories of playing it back then? ᔦꙬᔨ

[mrawkweird]

Sometimes I still can't comprehend I live in a world where Sonic has a film franchise. Hell, just doing good in general.

I'm not kidding it is so hard to comprehend cause when I was growing up Sonic was "big" but still super niche compared to mr Jumpman, early youtube the only people really talking about Sonic were people who already liked him and poked fun lovingly when they weren't making something just inspired by him.

Then the 2010's happened, all of a sudden youtuber's all collectively came together to the consensus that "Sonic was never good" or "you're all just nostalgia blind" while claiming anyone who considers themselves a Sonic fan to be hyper weird creeps.

Not helping was the flip flopping in quality, the disaster that was the launch of the Sonic Boom brand (The Wii U game especially), and the brand essentially doing it's best to please both a more casual audience. Truly dark times for fans.

Then THIS happened

THIS. This legit in retrospect feels like it could have killed Sonic. Some mid to bad games? He could live through that shit like it's nothing. The only people that affects are the people who play games. But a movie? Especially when they do the bad movie thing of changing the iconic look and removing anything likable about it? That feels like a death sentence. And there he was

With his fucked up lips and everything. And everyone trashed on it, not just fans, not just haters, everybody thought it was bad, sensationally bad.

It could have all been over right then and there, but they got themselves a second chance and locked in immediately.

And after that everything's just fallen into place. It's just been W after W after W. Even something like IOS game is considered to be a dub now.

And he's everywhere. Back in my day I would have to leave my small ass town and find the nearest form of moderately big mall or town that had Toy's R Us for some Sonic merch but these days you can just find it at damn Walmart. And he's getting shit like music tours.

Eating establishments

And official crossover with DC Comics

Not to mention the fan content that's better than ever both because of the ease of access to better tech and the ever growing amount of inspired artist.

We got fan games

Fan music

And of course fan art and animation, many of which get's spotlighted on twitter. Hell to promote the last game they basically sponsored one themselves.

Really couldnt be a better time to be a sonic fan.

There's a moment where it really feels as if fate had to be on Sonic's side and it's that the first movie came out and managed to make enough of an impact financially right before shit went all the way south in 2020. Imagine if the pandemic just instantly destroyed its theater release and left the studio unable to see the success they had on their hands. It would have almost been Sonic's luck too but they made it. To be here right now in this time where Sonic has reached these newfound heights almost feels like it should have been impossible but maybe it was always meant to be.

Also, funny you bring up Toys "R" Us because I had to go to one outside of my city as well to get this Sonic game watch.

I loved the hell out of this thing.