Overwatch BETA Review: Heroes Never Die!

DISCLAIMER: This is going to be a really long post, since I'll be explaining the game's mechanics, artwork, and lore in depth. I consider Overwatch one of the most anticipated video games of 2016 and I hardcore jumped on the hype train, so I think the amount of attention I give to this review is appropriate. In other words, I'm obsessed and I want nothing more than to talk about this game. Please keep in mind that all points made are based on opinion and personal experience.

Moreover, this is a review on the BETA, not on the finished product. As a result, this review may no longer apply to Overwatch when it comes out on the 24th.

All videos and media featured in my post are owned by Blizzard and were pulled from their website, unless otherwise stated. Therefore, I do not intend to infringe on copyright laws, and will give credit to Blizzard Entertainment for providing all these beautiful screenshots and videos.

Introduction:

In order to explain my own opinions on Overwatch, I think it's necessary for me to talk about what I tend to expect from first-person-shooter games. I grew up on some of the most popular FPS' of our day and age: Halo, Call of Duty, Bioshock, etc. My goodness, you cannot believe how much of my life went into Halo. When it comes to Blizzard games, I wouldn't say I'm a hardcore fan, but I definitely admire their work, having played World of Warcraft, Hearthstone (very minimal), and Diablo. To see Blizzard make their very first FPS ever, I had certain expectations for Overwatch both as a contribution to the FPS genre and as a Blizzard game.

I've played the beta three times now: once during one wave of invites, another time during open beta weekend, and again in May during open beta. Although each time was slightly different than the next, I generally felt the same way every single time -- Overwatch has the fast-paced fun of any FPS, while doing well to avoid the pitfalls most FPS' have, but it still has its flaws.

Although I can literally talk about Overwatch for HOURS, I will just go over the general mechanics, artwork, and lore of Overwatch. During this review, I might also cite thoughts from other players who experienced this game as well.

So now that's done, let's move onto the guts of my review!

What is Overwatch?

Overwatch is a team-based, hero-based, first-person-shooter developed by Blizzard Entertainment. All those fancy words mean that this game involves a lot of guns from a first-person perspective, is based around completing objectives as a team, and contains a diverse cast of characters that the player can control.

Overwatch is set to release on May 24th, but millions of players already experienced Blizzard's newest creation through its open beta. As of the beta, Overwatch has a large cast of twenty-one different characters, four different game modes, and twelve maps.

Gameplay and Mechanics:

I remember hearing somewhere that Blizzard will not continue a project if they feel they could not deliver the best game they could make. Whether this is factually true or not, it's clear that Blizzard puts a lot of care and attention into all their games so that it's not just a game, it's also an experience.

Overwatch is no exception to this. As pointed out in this video by ingeniousclown Gaming, at around the 17:35 mark, many of Blizzard's employees are actually shooting genre fans, despite what the studio is known for. By pairing up their love for the FPS genre with their experience with other game genres, Blizzard knows what to hone in on to make Overwatch an exciting experience for FPS and non-FPS fans alike.

I Blinked and It's Already Over...ok...JUST ONE MORE GAME

The one thing that I absolutely LOVE about Overwatch is how fast-paced it is. What makes FPS such an addicting genre is the visceral aspect of it: utilizing weapons towards an end goal really gets our hearts pumping. It's kind of like experiencing an adrenaline high without having to leave the comfort of your bedroom. Overwatch nails this addictive characteristic perfectly, having characters that are exciting to use in their own way and having games that don't last more than five to ten minutes on average.

Honestly, the slowest part of Overwatch is just trying to get into a match, especially if you went in with a party. Quick tip: do not believe the "Estimated Time" line at the top of your screen! Even then, you probably don't have to wait more than five minutes to get into a match. If you do have to wait longer, Blizzard gives you the option to browse your profile or hero gallery. Sometimes, instead of giving you the option to browse, the game will place you in a Skirmish game, where you enter a half-filled game lobby and shoot at each other while you wait for other players to drop in. As a result, Overwatch can hold your attention through those slow moments. Since this is just a beta, I'm sure waiting times will shorten drastically, but regardless if it does, Overwatch is still a fast-paced, entertaining game.

Where's My Team? Is Anyone Else Shootin' Here???

Despite being an FPS, Overwatch is technically a TEAM-BASED first-person shooter, giving it an element that most FPS games do not have: the necessity of cooperation. I remember talking to several friends about Overwatch and what they love about it is that it isn't a "pure" FPS and feels like it has a MOBA-ish edge (like League of Legends, Dota, and Heroes of the Storm). In other words, it isn't like mainstream FPS games, where sometimes what determines the match is whether you have a faster reaction time than the other players, regardless of what characteristics or guns you may have to assist you. It's this "twitch-and-win" phenomenon that tends to repel non-FPS players from picking up these games; luckily Overwatch avoids this pitfall very easily. As tempting as it is to charge in and rack up kills for your own benefit, in Overwatch multi-kills (eliminating more than one opponent at once) are extremely hard to pull off entirely on your own without using your ultimate ability. If you can do that, good for you, but the average person, in my experience, cannot. Instead, Overwatch ensures that victory can only come from teamwork, and they motivate players to cooperate in a number of ways.

One obvious way is that Blizzard has made it close to impossible for one person to carry the entire team. For example, objectives are captured faster the more people are on the objective. Sometimes it requires 2-3 people to kill a single enemy. Another example is that every hero in Overwatch has a counter, so regardless of what character you play, your enem(ies) can easily switch out their character(s) and kill you. As a result, to counter someone's counter, you need a solid team composition that supports and fights alongside you. The balancing system is by no means perfect in Overwatch and has been reworked a number of times over the course of the beta (a great example is Bastion and McCree, two characters who were nerfed due to complaints of them being overpowered), but it's sufficient for preventing carries and lone-wolves from occurring. Play any other multiplayer FPS and you will find that lone-wolf who blames team losses on everyone else but themselves, which can quickly sour the experience for other players (P.S. I hold no ill will towards these people since I sometimes have my lone-wolf moments as well).

Moreover, with more than one type of hero running around, it's essential for people to fill their respective roles as offensive, defensive, supportive, or tank heroes. It doesn't matter how much damage you dealt if you can't wipe out the Mercy that's clinging onto her teammates. It doesn't matter how fast you run if you don't have a Reinhardt swallowing bullets for you. This ties into the counter-the-counter strategy I talked about; a solid team composition wins you games.

Another way that Overwatch emphasizes teamwork is by rewarding team efforts over solo efforts, even in very discrete ways. For example, the stat that is most heavily emphasized throughout matches are eliminations, which are any kills regardless if they're solo, assist, or trap kills. Basically, you will be rewarded, even if you lodged one measly bullet into an enemy's skull and he dies soon afterwards. It's a small, discrete feature but it displays just how team-oriented Overwatch is.

Moreover, if you play as a Support or Tank character, you may not be racking up kills as quickly, but you are still rewarded for healing and blocking damage; thus showing that Blizzard rewards team players who put the team above their personal K/D-oriented agenda.

Overwatch also has this feature where at the end of each game, you can vote on which players (teammates and opponents alike) performed the best in the match. The player, their hero, and their achievements are displayed on match cards and you can vote for any player you choose (you can also choose to not vote for anyone, if you're feeling especially salty). I thought this was a nice feature that encourages "good sport" and allows you to formally congratulate anyone you thought did well. Once again, Blizzard did this to demonstrate that Overwatch is a community game where everyone wins in their own little way.

Oh Look At That, I'm in the Play of The Game...As a Victim of a Multikill

I'll be honest here, I've never been a fan of replay and Play of The Game footage. It just feels like the enemy is rubbing your death in your face. This is especially true when, after you die, the camera automatically pans up towards your killer. So, replays don't always fulfill the role of giving you information on your enemy; they just feel awfully redundant. I won't go as far as to say that Blizzard should do away with these, since they are sometimes useful and entertaining. However, I would like the option of skipping replay or Play of The Game footage when it suits me. This is a very nit picky critique, so it's nothing to make a huge fuss over.

I Can Live Out My Hero Fantasies...Key Word: FANTASY

I remember when Halo v CoD arguments were a salient thing, one of the main critiques given to Halo is that it's too "unrealistic". While I don't think being fantastical is a strong reason to rag on a game, people do have tastes and they prefer FPS games that immerse them in a realistic situation, hence, why CoD and Battlefield have such a strong following. Some people like games that employ air drag or leading shots, because they get to play a paradoxical, realistic-fantasy with easily understandable physical rules.

Therefore, if you are one of those people, I don't think Overwatch will appeal to that side of you. Overwatch may take place in the near future with many abilities not requiring a suspension of disbelief, but it does have its fantasy elements and it doesn't emphasize hyper-realism. How the hell does Hanzo shoot out these hella slow Kamehameha dragons from this arrows? How can Widowmaker snipe without having to hold her breath (actually her heart beats very slowly but that's besides the point)?

In short, this isn't so much of a critique than a warning for players expecting a game with believable physics. I mean, look at the game, it has so many pretty colors, I'd be really surprised if you expected a Battlefield-esque game. I actually think this is a huge strength for Overwatch: we get to fulfill our greatest hero fantasies ever. You wanna be a cowboy? A cyborg ninja? A gorilla? MY GOODNESS YOU SURE CAN.

One of the greatest things to come from the Loot Box system: Mercy Skins. Photo from Polygon.com

OH BOY A LOOT BOX!!!

One of the biggest challenges Blizzard faced when making Overwatch is the progression system. Progression systems are extremely important in multiplayer FPS games. Do you emphasize skill, so you only allow progression based on how well you perform? Do you emphasize playtime, by having a universal experience level bar? Do you offer incentives to progress by providing more powerful weapons or a skill tree? These are tough questions to answer and it's no wonder that Blizzard took a long ass time to come up with the system they have: an experience-based progression system that encompasses all the characters and offers you purely cosmetic gear as a reward for your efforts.

I have to say that I think this decision was very, very smart. By making their loot boxes reward you with ONLY cosmetic gear (skin, sprays, voice-lines, poses), they avoid the problem of dividing their fan-base based on some elitist system. If they had offered hero upgrades, more experienced players would end up with unfair advantages while newer players would have a harder time getting to the level of experienced players. By having the loot box system, Blizzard can continually add content to incentivize players to play more. Moreover, since you get items that vary in rarity, you are constantly wishing you get that super awesome Mercy devil skin and get equally as excited whenever you see orange on your screen.

As of right now, I'm not sure if this is the only progression system we're going to see from Blizzard, since they will implement a competitive mode in the future. I'm really excited to see what it will turn out to be, since I was huge fan of Halo 3's skill level system back in the day (as completely broken and fallible as it can be).

TBH, I'd Rather Play With Other People

Overwatch had four different game modes in beta: quick play, custom games, weekly brawl, and player vs AI. Quick Play is your normal, run-of-the-mill game mode, so we don't need to go into that. Custom Games is also run-of-the-mill and I never had enough friends to play with to do that game mode, so I won't go into that. Weekly Brawl was pretty cool, when I played the rules were you would spawn as a random hero and you wouldn't switch until you died; this game mode helped me familiarize myself with all the heroes and it kept the game dynamic. Player vs AI is when you team up with other players to battle against AI players.

It's this last game mode that I will have to critique, although there isn't much that can be done to fix it. When you go into Player vs AI, you are given the option of three difficulty levels. When you are starting out in Overwatch, this is a great feature, but not many people stay newbies for very long. And, in my opinion, the hardest difficulty is not even close to what real matches with real people feel like. Real people strafe, flank, and do sometimes asshole-ish moves on you. These AIs can aim, but that's just about it, and any experienced player can wipe the floor with them. As a result, I'm not too sure how necessary this game mode is, if most people become experienced relatively quickly. Moreover, you can gain more valuable experience by playing with other real players.

You could say this could be resolved by making the AI more realistic and even harder, but there is an upper limit to how smart an AI player can be. Therefore, in my opinion, I don't think it's necessary to have an entire game mode be dedicated to Player vs AI matches. Instead, I think it would be a cool feature to incorporate in custom matches.

The Community

I'm Such An Asshole, But I'm Changing, Because All of You Are So Damn Nice

All multiplayer communities have asshats and Overwatch is not an exception. Playing the beta, most people get really hot-headed (including myself), but there are the special few who just want to ruin it for everyone else by displaying a high-horse, pretentious attitude. However, as a whole, Overwatch's community is actually pretty nice. 9/10 games end with one to three players saying "GG" and most people don't express their frustration in the chat anyway.

Artwork, Visual Design, and Audio

So Puuuuurrtty

Blizzard has always delivered in the artwork department, there's no denying that. Blizzard creates stylistic artwork rather than realistic artwork, in order for the game to hold up over time aesthetically. Overwatch is no exception to this, having attractive, stylistic, cartoon-ish art that I believe will look amazing even several years from now. However, Blizzard doesn't just slap on pretty colors and textures and call it a day. Their style feels heroic and fantastical, thus successfully contributing to the overall tone they're going for.

Moreover, the art style is very welcoming to all ages and demographics, despite being a game focused on killing people and obtaining objectives. It isn't too gory, sexualized (this is arguable), or gritty so children can easily hop on without their parents worrying too much. However, it still has elements that older players can enjoy, such as the gameplay and competitiveness. For some people though, this game feels too childish and if you're sensitive to that, you should just hop on another game.

I also love how Overwatch incorporates many different styles in their artistic direction while still feeling uniform, which is an extremely hard thing to do. For example, most of the game is in 3D, but they do incorporate some 2D artwork that's kind of loose and rough (as seen in the player portraits in the "Choose Your Hero" screen).

I'm no expert in animation in 3D modeling and animation, but I believe this guy is. Although the video focuses on the Tracer Victory Pose controversy, he makes some points about Overwatch's animation and artistic direction quality and notes on how superb it is. After all, Blizzard puts a lot of care and thought into every aspect of their games and that really shines through in their artistic direction. For example, all of the characters' designs are unique, but of pretty equal quality. They easily convey character and use on the battle field (Tracer looks like a squishy, fast-moving character, which is exactly what she is), while still being comprehensible in the hectic environment of the battlefield (you can easily identify who is who by their silhouette and shape). In short, these designs not only serve an aesthetic purpose, but also utility purposes.

Psstt, If You Shoot the Bells in Dorado You Can Play the Futurama Theme Song

You can totally tell how polished a game is by looking at their level design. At first glance, Overwatch's levels are aesthetically diverse and eye-catching, with all twelve maps taking place in a different part of the world. However, it's not as if the levels were designed with just the location in mind. In fact the maps are lush with detail, giving it ground in Overwatch's universe. For example, all of Hanamura and its little details actually reflect Hanzo's and Genji's lore.

Another thing, I'm one of those people that loves the little things in games; things that developers put into a game to enrich the experience, although it isn't necessary, is something I will always give extra points for. Overwatch is one of those games, having destructible props and tons of Easter Eggs in their levels. Most of these Easter Eggs refer to other Blizzard games, but there are some that reference other media works as well. For example, if you're spawn on the Attack side of Dorado, you're placed into a courtyard with bells hanging overhead. If you shoot these bells, they play the Futurama theme song. The reason why I value extra-gameplay content in level design is because of the point I made before -- Blizzard doesn't just create games, they create experiences. Destructible props and details, but focused level design, enriches that experience and shows how much Blizzard cares about the games they make.

Is There Anywhere I Can Go Without Being Cornered By a Bastion???

Although Overwatch's level design aesthetic is amazing, I would have to say some of the few frustrating issues I have with Overwatch have to do with the maps.

Overwatch focuses on choke-points that players have to pass through to fulfill their objectives. Aside from these chokepoints, many of their maps have only 1 or 2 alternative routes players can take. Many of these routes are urban, closed hallways that can easily be blocked off by the opposing team. These kind of maps benefit Symmetra, Torbjorn, and Bastion players, because they can create kill rooms, but pretty much screw everyone else over and provides very little dynamism in terms of movement. As a result, I find quality varying between different maps (I like the openness of Dorado or Ilios, but dislike the linear structure of Route 66).

Maybe the size of the maps are meant to speed games up, providing very strict boundaries so that players are forced to be objective-oriented. At least these boundaries don't stick out like a sore thumb, instead they blend really well into the map as a whole. In that case, the technicalities of their level design are well-thought out, but they're not really my fancy.

In Blizzard Games, Orange Isn't Just a Color

Blizzard has always had intuitive, attractive user-interface direction. As always they incorporated their rarity system with their loot boxes and used their typical visual cues (white is common, blue is less common, purple is rare, orange is legendary). Although we've seen this so many times across not just Blizzard games, but across many other games, it's a system that works and reflects Blizzard's excellent UI direction as a whole.

Aesthetically, their UI is so sleek, polished, and understandable, fitting into the near-future, cartoonish style of the entire game. Technically, the UI is also easy to navigate, even with the huge cast of characters and their differing abilities. Blizzard did a great job staying within PC-shooter standards of keyboard inputs (WASD to walk, space to jump, etc.) while still diversifying it among heroes (eg. controls for Reinhardt will differ from Soldier: 76's controls). Take this with a grain of salt, because I don't know much about UI design at all LOL.

Why Getting Good Headphones For Overwatch Is A GREAT Idea

A big round of applause to whoever put together Overwatch's soundtrack, because it is absolutely epic. For a game that's brand spankin' new, its music leaves an impression on you. You truly feel heroic and admirable when listening to those bellowing brasses and beating drums, which is exactly how Overwatch appeals to you: they want to make you feel like a hero, capable of saving the world from destruction (after all, the world could use more heroes...as a marketing intern I can see right through Blizzard's brilliant marketing strategy). Hence why you get so pumped by just being on the home screen and why you feel so satisfied when your team wins (or better yet, when you get Play of the Game).

Outside of its theme song, Overwatch has plenty of individual tracks for loading screens and maps. I thought it was pretty clever to make the loading screen track sound vaguely like a ticking clock, as if signaling you to join the fight already. For the maps, I love how when the narrator announces what level you'll be playing on next, the soundtrack in the background matches the maps (Numbani's music has this tribal, African feel; Hanamura has this clearly Asian-influenced soundtrack), which signifies Overwatch's (and Blizzard's) global reach and its message on how no matter where you come from you are capable of great things.

It's not just the melodies that are important to listen to, but the little sound cues are also extremely important, especially in gameplay. Playing without audio in Overwatch is noticeably more difficult, because these audio cues help you out as a player. For example, the loudest weapons and footsteps indicate your most dangerous enemies. All of the characters' ultimates come with audio signals (which actually change language depending on if you are on the same or opposing team as the player unleashing their ultimate), making it easier for you to know what's happening in the fight. For Blizzard to do this is smart, allowing players to not only rely on their eyes, but also their ears, to play the game. Moreover, it encourages complete immersion into the game, explaining why Overwatch can sometimes be the best time-waster on the planet.

So turn up the beat and really indulge in the musical artistry of Overwatch!

The Universe of Overwatch

All the World's a Stage, And All The Men and Women Merely Players

I can ramble on and on about the characters, because I just love them so much. All of them serve a purpose in Overwatch depending on factors such as maps, game mode, and team composition. The characters are incredibly diverse in their abilities with neither of them overlapping skill-wise. However, four to five characters at a time are still similar enough to fill one of the four team roles, making it easier for players to know who should they play and when. As a result, all of the characters are fun to play in their own way, despite their varying difficulties.

However, the characters of Overwatch aren't just vehicles for gameplay, they are also characters within a larger story. This is part of the reason why so many people are invested into Overwatch, not just as a game, but as a universe. All of these characters occupy different positions of the moral spectrum, which are further complicated by the morally-gray universe they're placed in. For example, although many of the characters are part of the actual Overwatch organization, many of them are also on the opposing side or are part of organizations that have little to do with Overwatch's shenanigans. On one hand, Tracer is the irrepressible symbol of good (as well as the poster girl) as shown by her participation in an organization meant to keep the peace and her cooperation with Winston to revive the fallen Overwatch. On the other hand, you have Widowmaker, who feels little to no emotion when she snipes your head off, which is perfect for her affiliation with terrorist organization, Talon. Then, you have Symmetra, who believes she is doing good, but is going about it the wrong way, as shown by her illegal work with the business-minded, Vishkar Corporation. All of these juicy little details not only reveal personal stuff about the heroes, but also grander notions of what the Overwatch universe is like. As consumers, we can relate to these characters and wish to know about them, which further supports how well Blizzard creates experiences and stories.

Just Make a Single Player Story Mode Already!

If you are following Overwatch at all these past several months, you know that Blizzard is cranking out (free!) comics, cinematic trailers, and animated shorts, all for the sake of hyping the hell out of you. But, if you played the beta, you know that there isn't a story mode in the game.

Why the hell do they not have a story mode??? There is a huge difference between reading or watching characters interact with the world and getting to play the characters and interacting with the world with them. In my opinion, I strongly prefer the latter; after all, that's what makes the video game medium unique among other art forms. With such rich lore and a fantastic animation team, Blizzard can make an engaging story. Even though making an FPS story mode is a different beast from making MMORPG's, I think Blizzard is more than capable enough to make such a game mode. They should at least attempt it if they are really seeking to break into a new genre.

This is by far the biggest critique I (and many others) have to give to Overwatch and I'm really hoping they're just waiting to surprise us come the 24th.

TLDR;

Overwatch is a fantastic game with a lot of heart. There's no doubt in my mind that it will be extremely successful, which is an easy conclusion to come to when you realize how much effort and love was put into every aspect.

Below, these are my main points:

Strengths:

- Fun, fast-paced gameplay that emphasizes teamwork

- Great hero fantasy fulfillment

- Smart progression system

- Gorgeous artistic direction

- Detailed, polished, thoughtful level designs

- Comprehensible, clean user interface

- Epic, diverse soundtrack that clearly reflects its global appeal

- Smart audio cues

- Diverse, very rarely overlapping cast

- An appealing universe we want to discover more about

- Generally friendly community

Negligible Stuff:

- Needs faster loading times

- Not meant for players who want hyper-realism

- Not meant for platers who want more "adult" games

- Cannot skip replay or Play of The Game footage

Weaknesses:

- Balancing system needs some tweaking

- Unnecessary game mode Player vs AI

- Choke-points emphasized too much in level design

- NO STORY MODE???

- Minority of toxic individuals

Thank you all so much for sticking this post out until the end. See you on the battlefield, heroes. Stay tuned for next review: Slime Rancher!

#review #blog #videogames #critique #overwatch