Splatoon 3 and Spending Six Quid on the Nintendo Store

"Daddy, I'm killing people!"

My daughter is getting into Splatoon 3, bless her. And she has zero reservations about playing online. No hesitation or nerves, despite this being her first online-multiplayer experience.

That level of confidence and comfort must be a generational thing. I feel quite unwell the first few times I play anything competitive online. What if I'm the worst player who ever lived? What if someone says something unsavory about my mother? What if they realize that I'm shit at computer games?

Anyway, we didn't initially have Nintendo Online, a subscription service that is required for online play. While Splatoon 3 does have some offline modes, the majority of it is online-only. So I created a Nintendo Network ID for my daughter and started the 7-day Nintendo Online trial on her new account; I semi-promised to upgrade to a full membership if she enjoyed Splatoon, did her homework, and stopped leaving the light on in the bathroom. 

Watching her play has inspired me to join in. I fancy some Splatoon 3, and had been looking for an excuse to use my Switch. I figure I'll get the Nintendo Online family plan, to cover us both, with the expansion pass. That'll get us the full retro catalogue, but more importantly it'll give us access to the Splatoon 3 DLC, Animal Crossing's Happy Home Paradise expansion - AC is her first gaming love - and all the extra Mario Kart 8 tracks and characters, which is something that we'll all enjoy. Even the wife.

While I'm adding subscriptions, I've decided to do something that I've been putting off for a while: change my Nintendo account region from the UK to Japan. Goodbye GBP, hello JPY. 

It's high time I did it, given we've been back in Japan now for almost seven years. I made the change on my Xbox account a long time ago. It was a piece of piss, as simple as changing a few settings on my account and agreeing to some T&Cs. Sony, however, simply will not allow region switching. I can open a Japanese account, but I can't use it in conjunction with my UK one, which spans 15 years of records, trophies, purchases and friend lists. I don't want to lose that, and I don't want to open new accounts. I already have enough to last me a lifetime. I want less online IDs, not more. Very frustrating.

Much like with Microsoft, it looks like switching my Nintendo account region is fairly simple. The only inconvenience is that I will lose any remaining GBP funds on my account when I make the shift. To clear my balance, I must spend 5.69 GBP (roughly $7 or ¥1000) and I must do it before this weekend, which is when I promised my daughter I'd start the full NO subscription.

As long as she tidies her room, eats her vegetables, stops lying about her homework etc.

So how should I spend my 5.69? A small amount, but not so insignificant that I would allow it to go to waste.

My initial thought was to scour the sales for something cheap, namely one of the Sega Ages titles. Having looked through the range, however, I realized that I've already purchased those that I really want: Outrun, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 2. Those aside, I have a further half-dozen 3D Sega classics on my 3DS, so there's not much I don't have in some form or another. Virtua Racing kinda tickled my fancy, but I bought an original copy last year to enjoy on my Mega Sg, and have barely touched it. Moving away from my beloved Sega, Blasphemous is only 4.99 GBP, though I think the price might be more attractive than the game itself.

It feels like something I'd play if it were on Game Pass, but I probably wouldn't pay for it otherwise.

A different thought was to pick up another copy of a well-loved game, but on a new platform. Burnout Paradise and Shatter Remastered would both require me to add a couple of quid to my balance, but I adore both of them and have no issue buying my fifth and third versions respectively. Perfect games for the next time I'm sat on a long flight to the UK, whenever that might be. I really do love Burnout Paradise, and I really do love Shatter.

Still, I'm not convinced. Despite my recent decision to not buy any new games before June, I wondered if I might put my measly balance towards a new release. So I downloaded the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line demo, and yeah it's really good, but I swear I've played it twice before on 3DS, and my balance barely makes a dent on the 50 GBP asking price. The Metroid Prime remake is of interest, but physical copies seem to be budget-priced here in Japan, so I'll buy it that way if I buy it at all. Far more likely is Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, which is priced at a far more palatable 15.00 GBP. I imported a copy back in the olden days at great expense, back when Europe got scant few JRPGs, but didn't get very far. A failing I'd like to address.

Yeah, I'll probably do that.

Regardless of what I choose to do with my not-quite-six-quid, I'm rather looking forward to getting through some games on my Switch. My Series X and, to a lesser extent my PS5, have dominated the last year or two, so it'll be nice to mix things up a little. I'm excited to share an experience, albeit indirectly, with my daughter and compare Splatoon 3 tips and war stories. Also, I have a mini-backlog of Switch games to get through, headlined by Live A Live. Once I've finished with God of War Ragnarok on PS5, which I'm enjoying far more than the first game, I'll move over to my Switch. 

Hopefully no one says anything unsavory about my mother.