Game Review 016 Overwatch

Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment) 
[052416] 4.5/5

"Instead of trying to be a jack of all trades and risking spreading itself too thin, the developer made the less profitable but undeniably smart decision to focus on finessing the overall multiplayer game with swift lobby and fast waiting line as the stylish yet efficient style make it the most accessible and easiest playing experience currently."

  

"An unavoidable comparison has to be made with another high profile triple-A game from a big, established developer, Star Wars Battlefront by EA Dice, a multiplayer focused FPS with a decent number of maps, a handful of modes and limited tutorials and single-player challenges but its limited, stripped down state could be revealed after an intense weekend playthrough that unlocks most of weapons, items & customization options

"Its by-the-book formula with the admirably authentic skin of the Star Wars universe on top of the Battlefront mold and unavoidably influenced by Call of Duty with its steady weapons-unlocking and perks-equipping that was revolutionary in its inception but routinely rote and stale while its extensive DLC plan being revealed well before its intended release foreshadowed their intention to hold back content for extra revenue later in its run which culminated in its slew of unpopular modes few wanted to play in because of the repetitive layout of the maps despite spreading them across four planets.

"The decision to take away player's choice regarding the map selection was counter-intuitive if compared to the current FPS culture but it works in its favour with every mode and map would be equally populated while keeping the maps feeling fresh, rich and varied. This is tremendously boosted by its surprisingly diverse cast of characters, all are realized beautifully with their own colourful appearances matched by their different play styles, with an array of abilities ranging from melee to range attacks and supporting roles that are par for the course but how they are represented and played in the game are second to none in its quality graphics and smooth handling.

- wiki - wikia - official -

~ about ~

Overwatch puts players into two teams of six, with each player selecting one of several pre-defined hero characters with unique movement, attributes, and skills; these heroes are divided into four classes: Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support. Players on a team work together to secure and defend control points on a map and/or escort a payload across the map in a limited amount of time. Players gain cosmetic rewards that do not affect gameplay, such as character skins and victory poses, as they continue to play in matches. The game was launched with casual play, while Blizzard added competitive ranked play about a month after launch. Blizzard states that all Overwatch updates will remain free, with the only additional cost to players is through microtransactions to earn additional cosmetic rewards.

(Developer Blizzard Entertainment, Platform PC, PS4, Xbox One,  Duration 7 hours + {20 minutes for each character}, Rating 12 Genre - Action, Multiplayer First Person Shooter, Overwatch Universe)

+ Highlights: 

 ~ an excellent core game with a finely-tuned and fun to play team-based multiplayer as the sole playing experience
 ~ refreshing equality among the maps and modes of the game with the forced grouping forced the players to cooperate and play along nicely for each team

 ~ the bizarre character rosters with their abilities matching their wacky appearances, providing a huge number of choices for the players to play with regarding personal preferred play style or the team's requirement for each round

 ~ inspired directly from Team Fortress 2, the four groups the heroes are under give more clearer guidance for the players to play in each team with slight but important differences between their abilities allow more specific and vital roles 

 ~ triple-A grade game with the highest of quality in terms of graphics and designs to match with the smooth and engaging first person shooter experience is surprising but understandably top notch with no prior experience with this specific genre but an unprecedented and impressive resume
 ~ supreme matchmaking speed with just a small number of drops and disconnect and effective moderators to ensure fair play
 ~ competitive matches with the ranking system and purely cosmetic rewards give the more serious players to cooperate for mutual goals with the needed restrictive of one hero only per team and random maps making the experiences as varied as possible
 ~ skill-based matchmaking to ensure them playing at the same level with motivation to play with more experienced and skilled players 

- Lowlights: 

 ~ the first realization of the inability to pick the matches yourself but the players gain the most out of a minor restriction

 ~ a rather weird mismatch at first glance of the diverse characters from all walk of life at the same place with no justification of them being in the same universe together with a number of racial stereotypes and objectification of women
 ~ the rather huge amount of play styles to choose from that could be daunting at first with a select few of them really overpowering the others

 ~ there is no better cast of well established and fully realised characters that is ripe for single-player campaigns or even co-op as some of them are tied to each other's stories while they are also unique and varied on their own to warrant such campaigns
 ~ the limited amount of maps and modes could be repetitive in the end for hardcore players with the simple objectives and far respawn points adding to its detriments
 ~ skill-based matchmaking to ensure them playing at the same level with high intensity and highly competitive rounds that would be a nightmare for those who just want to relax and have fun sometimes 

"I'm watching your back out there, Fareeha." "Then I have nothing to worry about."
"Molten Core!" "Die! Die! Die!" "Natural selection!" "It's high noon."
"Cheers, mate! The cavalry's here!"  "That's my line" 
"No one can hide from my sight." "Helden sterben nicht!" "Hook, line, and sinker!"
"Teleporter online. We move swiftly." "*Beep!*" "I've got you in my sights." "Nerf this!" 
"Ryūjin no ken wo kurae!" "Hammer DOWN!" "Oh, let's break it down!" "Ryū ga waga teki wo kurau!"
"Dòng zhù! Bùxǔ zǒu!" "Experience tranquility." "Ogon’ po gotovnosti!"

Source: USGamer - Paste