Review: Overwatch

Much has been made of the rivalry between Blizzard and Gearbox Software, with the former seemingly attempting to hinder the success of the latter at every turn. Overwatch's Open Beta's Early Access period launched at the same time as the full release of Battleborn , making this the second time that version of the two titles have gone head to head with playable builds. There are a ton of similarities between the two titles, as both have over twenty playable heroes that each have a distinct personality and set of skills, but Overwatch and Battleborn are less similar than one might initially imagine. Whereas Battleborn is essentially a MOBA with a campaign (despite Gearbox's complete avoidance of that four letter acronym over the years), Overwatch is an arena shooter in the vein of Team Fortress 2.

While this tweet has become the lowest-hanging fruit when it comes to criticizing Battleborn, it's completely emblematic of a game that doesn't always feel like it knows what it is. Whereas Overwatch maintains its laser-focus on providing the best multiplayer arena shooter experience possible, Battleborn often feels like it wants to be everything at once. While this provides a great deal of content for players to dive into, it also makes it feel like there's far too much present for any given mode to succeed. The campaign, which is widely considered to be the weakest portion of the entire package, is loaded with fairly mundane combat encounters and a story that feels a bit too bare-boned for its own good. Combine this with a standard point-capture mode, a straight up MOBA playlist and a MOBA-like twist mode, and Battleborn begins to lack the focus that Overwatch is priding itself on. Granted, if Overwatch wasn't so damn replayable, one could argue that it's lacking in content, but the sheer dynamism of its combat more than makes up for this.

If there's one constant in video games, it's that rocket launchers are always cool, period. Pharah, Overwatch's resident flying explosive expert, is no exception to this rule, as she has the potential to devastate an entire enemy squad when used properly. Her main weapon, the aforementioned Rocket Launcher, is not only incredibly powerful when it makes direct contact with an enemy, but it also possesses fairly large splash damage, so you don't necessarily need to worry about hitting foes directly. This is a wonderful weapon for taking out enemies that thrive on camping, like Bastion, Hanzo and Widowmaker. In addition to the Rocket Launcher, Pharah also possesses a jet pack mapped to her jump button. Not only does this allow her to reach higher ground for sneaky firing tactics, but it also allows her to hover in mid-air for a limited time when used properly, making all of her abilities all the more surprising.

There is a way to get the content you want: Overwatch Gold. Overwatch once again stumbles over itself, though, as Gold isn't earned from playing well or as a microtransaction, but as a random drop from Loot Boxes or burning duplicates. For a game that relies so much on rewarding players for mastering their favorite characters, it doesn’t really give them many ways to unlock the content for the characters they like.

The support class is also carefully designed for players of all skill levels. While it doesn’t ring true in every situation, there are a few support characters that focus more on aiding the team rather than outright combat, allowing for less skilled players to contribute to the overall success of the team, while more skilled players can pick from certain support characters that demand more strategic use, like Zenyatta.

When you're new to Overwatch, Bastion is the absolute bane of your existence. Inexperienced players far and wide complain that he's overpowered, but thanks to Overwatch's mechanic of enabling in-match hero swaps, savvy players can get some really simple kills off of everyone's favorite bird-loving robot.

Mercy also boasts a slightly passive perk known as Angelic Decent, which allows her to fall slowly when in the air by holding the jump prompt. This not only allows her to hide in plain sight, but it will also allow for moments of healing without being right in the thick of the action (survival is the name of the game with Mercy). Finally, Mercy's ultimate seems simple to use, but it's a wonderful way to frustrate your team if you're careless. Resurrect gives Mercy the power to revive fallen teammates, which is exceptionally useful when trying to take over an objective or win in overtime. However, simply spamming the ultimate button whenever a teammate dies isn't the most effective use of this ability, as it can often mean causing a swift second death. We recommend waiting for either multiple teammates to be down, or timing it for a massive push on an objective. As always, Www.Overwatchtactics.Com remember that Mercy is there to help, so in order to play this character effectively, you need to be committed to the success of others, which might not be your style if you're always seeking your next triple kill.