When I first heard about Overwatch I will admit I was immediately turned off by the lack of in game story line, the fact that there is absolutely no way to play this game offline and lastly it appeared to be a blatant rip of Team Fortress 2. Then everything changed one day when I was tackled, taped to a chair, handed a control with Overwatch blaring on the screen and told to “Nerf this”. Now that I have seen the light, upon playing Overwatch I have found that I am absolutely right about all my concerns and …. I DONT CARE, I NEED TO PLAY MOAR!!
Gameplay: Overwatch is like any other sci-fi goofy shooter with multiple characters each with their own special abilities and weapons, plus anybody who is reading this blog most likely knows what Overwatch is. Shoot, in its few short months since release, Overwatch has become one of the most popular competitive FPS games out there, and its for good reason too, the game is fucking tight. From its buttery smooth HUD to crazy accurate controls you can honestly easily jump in and start dying like the pros in no time. Overwatch, however, isn’t the ultimate all around FPS experience as it doesn’t offer much in the world of variation, especially in-game modes. There are only really 4 modes to play all set by Blizzard:
- Quick Play – places you in random matches with similar leveled players.
- Play VS AI – generic practice against idiot mobs (this is also online for some reason)
- Competitive mode – Relatively new and only unlocks after level 25, can be a crapshoot if you get stuck with non-team based or super salty players.
- Weekly Brawl – special matches set with themes by Blizzard, same as quick play but with a limited roster.
While you can start your own private match this is more for you to use as a test environment than a means to play the game, in other words no private servers and no searching for game types. Speaking of types there are only about 4 different types of games that you will be playing. Assault (aka Capture), Escort (aka Payload), Control (aka King of the Hill), and Hybrid (mix of Assault and Escort. Each play mode has 3 maps that will rotate through as you play in quick play or competitive. So, as you can imagine if you hate a certain game play type or really hate repetitive environments this will wear on you quickly, the silver lining being that since you are always playing other people the maps rarely get boring as no two games are exactly the same.
Graphics: Graphically, much like Team Fortress 2, Overwatch doesn’t focus on making everything photo realistic but follows a cartoony/anime/goofy sci-fi feel, so don’t expect to see anything jaw dropping. That being said the world is absolutely beautiful and plays quickly while maintaining an artistic beauty. Its just like Blizzard to make a beautiful game without forgetting lower level graphics cards, plus in a competitive FPS what really matters is the….well….FPS, heh. Anyway the bright characters and wide spectrum of colors from attacks/ultimates keeps the action alive and crazy looking (especially to local spectators). “What the hell is going on? How can you tell what you are doing” – My Wife.
Sound: Guns rattle, boom, drop, and explode as you would expect for each weapon type. Characters sound like they are actually moving in their environment, sound as heavy or light as they should, but the real winner here is the fantastic Soundtrack. While music isn’t a huge part of the game while you are actually playing it, the music in menus, character selection, and POTG (play of the game) are spectacular and really make you feel as if you are an epic hero in this never ending war of …of… wait why are we fighting again?….
What do you mean, I have to look that up online?……
Fuck that, what is this Destiny?…
Sure, comics are better than walls of text, I get that, but why aren’t they in the actual GAME?….
ugh whatever… anyway the Music is great.
Gripes: Lack of custom servers, or at the very least, the option to pick your game type, I am not a huge fan of Escort maps and sometimes would like to only play Control maps, but there is no way to select this as an option, you can only be dropped in the random bucket with everybody else.
Lack of customization period, sure you can unlock different skins or other taunts but I would like something a little more, skins are great but there are only so many, Why not the ability to customize the guns or get something else? Functionality doesn’t have to change but a different look would be fun to have. How great would it be to have a POTG with Reinhardt bashing people in the face with a fish or giant dick-butt…. I donno…. something that would set your play or character apart from the millions of others…. maybe even… Hats *runs and hides*
At the end of the day if all you care about is solid multiplayer and you have a few buds who can game with you, Overwatch is a ton of fun. With the matches usually landing in that perfect zone of not to short and not too long you can easily spend as little or as much time as you want in game and still have a good time. Of course if you want any kind of single player or story line you probably didn’t even read this far.
I BEAT IT FIRST!
Ahem (one doesn’t simply beat Overwatch as there really isn’t an endgame)
Fine….
I BEAT MOST OF WHAT THERE WAS TO DO IN THE GAME TO WARRANT ME FEELING LIKE I COMPLETED IT FIRST!(.com)