Game reviews ranked Nintendo Co.'s "Splatoon" almost on par with best-seller "Call of Duty," giving an early indication of success for the company's first-ever foray into the online shooter genre on its console.

"Splatoon," a family friendly action game where players spray ink instead of bullets, sports a score of 81 on the review aggregator Metacritic after its release last week. That compares with 83 for the PlayStation version of Activision Blizzard Inc.'s "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare," the industry's top-selling console title in 2014.

Without the draw of last year's hits like "Super Smash Bros." and "Mario Kart 8," Nintendo is looking to "Splatoon" to revive flagging demand for its Wii U player. The game has sold out in stores across Japan since its May 28 debut, prompting an apology from the Kyoto-based company on Twitter.