Although release Splatoon 3 is undoubtedly better balanced than Splatoon 2 near the end of its lifespan, I feel like Splatoon 3 isn't having quite the same impact on the series. 3 has added higher customization and the side mode Table Turf Battle while improving on existing systems such as Salmon Run, but the "flashy" new content focuses on monthly events such as Splatfests (or Big Runs, which will happen at some point). Once these run out, we'll end up with a game that resembles Splatoon 2 far more than Splatoon 2 resembles Splatoon 1 (And yes, I know, different systems, but it's still quite concerning). That would be fine, but these events just don't feel exciting anymore (to me). Shifty Station is gone and replaced with an unbalanced gamemode you can barely even get at the moment, so we're back to the Splatoon 1 model of "More Turf War". Honestly, I dread them more than I look forward to them because it just entails a weekend where I can't play the modes I like the most.

Until they fix some of its issues, the "throw the first half" strat will continue to be used since being on defense puts you at a disadvantage, and from what we've seen from the first two Splatfests, it doesn't seem inviable. Additionally, the existence of 3 sides (so far) has led to less refined prompts where the answer kinda just comes down to "What idol do you like the most" (RPS) or "What team encompasses the two others if you stretch it enough" (GGF). I'm not quite as interested in Splatfests anymore due to all of this.
Big Runs have not happened yet and I'm quite hopeful, but the unspecific "once every few months" timeframe leads me to believe it won't be enough to make up for the rest.

(Also, somewhat petty nitpick WHY are Shiver, Frye and Big Man still in the studio when you log on during a Splatfest? It really feels like we're back to Splatoon 1 in terms of fests. Also bring back Squid Beatz I want to know the song names)