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Overwatch – Should you still buy it?

Blizzard had been teasing the release of Overwatch for quite some time and considering just how badly they had to update their servers after each bi-monthly stress test; it’s safe to say Blizzard had managed to hit another niche. Since the game’s been out since May, the game has finally pushed past any server issues, bugs, and balancing problems and it has left the game in a state that’s both fun and stable; so it’s about time to see what all the fuss is about with this one.

If for some reason you’re not quite sure on what Overwatch is, allow me to indulge you and mention that the game is a multiplayer, objective-focused, team-based first person shooter. The game was designed to be similar to the popular FPS game known as Team Fortress 2, except with a few differences here and there – the main one being the wide variety in characters. You see, the main draw to the game is the diversity in every character, as every single one has their own unique weapons and abilities that no other character has access to – with their very own feel to all of them.

With the main draw being the characters; it should come as no surprise that the gameplay is easily the strongest element of the entire game. By taking a quick glance at the characters, you’ll be introduced to each of their roles: tank, offensive, defensive, and support. A successful team (at the moment) will be compromised of 2 tanks, 2 healers, and 2 damage dealers; regardless of the area they may be placed. Just because a character is considered a defensive hero doesn’t mean you can’t pull off headshot after headshot; it all depends on how good you are. Having both skill and knowledge about your hero can prove to be advantageous to your team and their future win and is part of the reason after every game you’ll find yourself thinking about playing one more before heading off.

 

Gameplay

From the gameplay side of things, it’s next to impossible to say that it couldn’t get any better – thanks to the fast, fluid, and skill-based gameplay that providing your PC can keep up, it will easily become the game’s main selling point for you.

Graphically and aesthetically the game looks pretty darn incredible on the max settings and even when you’re not playing on the best possible settings, the game still has plenty of color and detail to go along with everything. Obviously from a graphical perspective it isn’t nearly as important, but it would be hard to ignore the graphical fidelity of it all if it didn’t look so damn good. There are plenty of vibrant colors and charm that goes into both the characters and the maps that you’ll be playing on; after a couple of games you’ll be recognizing the characters the instant you see them!

 

Pros?

There are numerous positives when it comes to Overwatch, but as with any game in existence there is always going to be some negatives here and there, with the main one being down to the nature of competitive online multiplayer games. This one issue is less the game and more a small minority of players; players who could be considered as a form of “toxic.” Games with this competitive nature tends to have this problem and unfortunately there’s very little that can be done about it, but you do have to be aware that going into this game you should expect to come across some aggressive and nasty players. Most of the time this tends to be few and far between, but you’ll come across people shouting expletives in caps on the odd occasion.

Currently there are over 20 characters for players to choose from for your 6-man team, but in the just over 6 months that Overwatch has been released Blizzard have implemented 2 new characters; both completely different from one another. Throughout the next year, Blizzard have plans to create and add even more heroes for players to enjoy, meaning that you’re never going to be strapped for choice when it comes to locating your favorite.

 

Cons?

One small downside to the game at the time of writing is the lack of game modes in the main game. You see, currently there are only 2 different objectives for players to tackle: one of them being escorting a payload if you’re attacking and keeping it away from the end-zone if you’re on the defense. The only other one is both teams on the offensive are to attack a point for their team and to hold it against the other team until the point is considered theirs for the round; best 2 out of 3 wins. While these modes are fun, it’s a shame there’s only 2 at the moment, so hopefully Blizzard acknowledge the fact they could do with a few extra game modes, just to keep things exciting and intriguing for the player-base.

 

Conclusion

Overall, Overwatch is still technically in its infancy, but considering it’s one of the most played FPS games currently out there, even after the 4th quarter rush of video games getting released between October and December. The game has a couple of issues here and there, with toxic members of the community not ever really going to be solved, but even with these in-mind; Overwatch is a great FPS title that any fans of the genre should well and truly consider getting a hold of the game if they haven’t already – providing your PC is up to the task.