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I personally did not get to play ANY of the Global Testfires because I was working for all of them. Go figure. *However* I was privileged to watch some live streams via twitch and later caught up on some famous YouTubers, so I'm basing my opinion off of what I saw during their gameplay footage. (lol, disclaimer much?)

I think the Hype is well deserved and that the game will not be hindered by a lack of voice chat. If anything, I think it will keep people from generalizing the game to be "made for kids," which aggravates me just in typing those words. No voice chat means the audience can focus on what they are doing and to appreciate the great sound tracks that are going to play a big part in the storyline (I'm talking about the singing Squid Sisters).

I am a little upset knowing that Nintendo isn't going to fully release the game to players from the start, but I understand why. Not a lot of people will be playing as level 10 squids by Day 1, so allowing time to pass before presenting the 4x4 multiplayer is smart. I'm just impatient sometimes lol

Overall I am very pleased by what I have seen, the controls seem very intuitive and I'm looking forward to using the *crap* out of the paint brush when that is available. ^_^

This made me laugh! xD

I definitely think it will change and be available for your choosing when all maps are released. *OR* they will have it where it remains random for individual online 4v4 matches, but not for the mode where you can take 3 friends and fight with them against another group of 4. Nintendo has been really good about listening to what the audience wants, so I'm sure they will have options for choosing your own map.

If I had to pick something that I think will hurt the game, I would say it would be the lack of local multiplayer games. My boyfriend and I share a Wii U, and from watching the Nintendo Directs, it looks like the only mode for local multiplayer is a 1v1 course where you focus on popping balloons. While I think that would be fun, I think it will get old very quickly. I hope they release more modes for local multiplayer after its release.