Blizzard Entertainment has a long history of creating beloved franchises.
For the first time in 17 years the company has released a new IP in a genre
they've never tackled before.
It's a team-based first-person shooter called Overwatch.
The game is filled with deep tactical strategy
that gets more enthralling over time.
Blizzard takes a bunch of smart ideas and combines them into something great.
Overwatch is a six vs six multiplayer shooter with 21 heroes and 12 maps.
The cast is divided up into four roles: Offense, Defense, Tank and Support.
Each character has unique skills, weapons
and ultimates that charge up throughout a match.
It's a blast to dash around as Tracer and nearly avoid death with a quick rewind,
or ride on the walls as Lucio and use your ultimate to save the team.
Characters within the same role aren't simply interchangeable.
They all play very differently from one another.
Genji, a highly mobile cyborg-ninja, feels much more agile
than the gun-slinging McCree.
Meanwhile, Roadhog, a pudgy tank, is sluggish compared to the nimble D.Va.
The variation keeps team line-ups fresh.
Although it takes a while to really understand each hero's strenghts
and when to pick the right one in a particular situation.
Overwatch impresses in many ways,
but the game's diverse cast of characters is easily its strongest asset.
Each hero shows so much personality through even a simple pose.
Junkrat uses his bear trap as a puppet, Winston dines on peanut butter
and every character has endearing ways of expressing who they are.
It's easy to see that Overwatch is supported by a strong backstory,
but not much of it is featured within the game itself.
Besides an opening cinematic and some banter between characters,
very little of the world is fleshed out.
With such a varied cast
it'd be nice to have a better understanding of who they are.
Instead Blizzard has decided to largely tell the story of Overwatch
through other forms of media like comics and animated shorts.
It's a fine approach,
but being able to read up on locations, characters and past events
would have added some appreciated context.
Matches revolve around three main game types
and will feel familiar to any Team Fortress 2 player.
Capture the point, king of the hill and payload,
where players escort a cart to a destination.
While none of the modes are particularly inventive,
they're fun and each of them requires a different strategy.
Overwatch features a decent amount of additional game types
such as players vs AI, custom games
and brawl, which has random rules that change every week.
It is a bit disappointing that ranked play is not available at the moment,
but Blizzard has stated it will be implemented as soon as it's ready.
Teams can be made up of any combination of characters
including two of the same character
allowing for some welcome flexibility.
Overwatch conviently points out the weakness in your team's composition
at the hero select screen.
It will let you know if you're missing a healer, tank
or any other character that could be helpful.
One of the game's best features
is the ability to change heroes at any time within your team's spawn point.
For instance, if you're facing of against a Bastion,
who's ripping everyone to shreds, a quick switch to Widowmaker or Genji
can turn the tide in your favor.
There are little touches that give each of the twelve available maps
a life of its own.
Hollywood begins in a movie theater, where posters are hung up
and popcorn litters the ground.
While Hanamura has a tightly packed shopping district
with arcades and a ramen stand.
You'll often find yourself picking certain heroes,
just because they're more suited to a particular map's layout.
For example, you might choose Junkrat for the early choke point in Hanamura,
since you can lob grenades from high ground
while everyone of the other team is trying to fit through a tight doorway.
Like many other shooters
a leveling system is in place to provide a sense of progression.
Each time you level up you're rewarded with a loot box.
These boxes can include skins, voicelines, player icons and other rewards like gold,
that can be used to purchase other unlocks.
The loot you get is random,
which is frustrating if you receive a duplicate of an item you already possess.
Loot boxes can also be purchased with real money,
if you feel the need to open more.
Which is a bit dissapointing for a fully priced game,
but thankfully it never affects gameplay
It's also worth noting that all future maps and heroes will be free.
Though the game may seem sparse on maps and modes,
the exquisite art direction, over-the-top action and emphasis on teamwork
all blend together to provide endless hours of exhilaration.
Most significant is the large cast of characters.
With recognizable heroes that play as differently as they look,
Blizzard has set a new standard for shooters.
Overwatch is a triumph.