The Overwatch beta has just been made open for everyone, meaning that even if you haven’t preordered Blizzard’s upcoming shooter, you can hop right in and see what all the fuss is about. I’ve piled hours into it, and have come out the other end with the distinct impression that this is going to be one of the biggest online multiplayer games in quite some time, along with this year’s must-have FPS.
With the beta boasting the full game’s complete roster of character, maps and modes, it serves as a great indication of what we should see in the final product, aside from the obvious tweaks and additions that’ll make their way to the game when it officially retails. With that being said, here are 5 reasons why Overwatch should be at the very top of your wish list for 2016:
1. Heroes for every situation
There are 21 playable characters in Overwatch‘s beta and each one has their own advantages and disadvantages, both inherent and contextual. Control mode, for instance, is a great opportunity to plonk Bastion in the corner of the objective your team has been tasked with defending/capturing, given that the robotic defense character can transform himself into a stationary turret. However, he isn’t so helpful when you’re playing in a mode that requires a great deal of movement, such as defending the mobile payload in the Escort game type.
After a couple of hours of playtime, I began to consider that the infrequency in which certain characters are used must have meant that there was some kind of imbalance and that they must simply not be as useful as their more commonly encountered peers. However, it only takes one game against a player well-versed in controlling the likes of the underutilized Genji or Zenyatta to learn that they can be the most effective Heroes on the playing field if used correctly.
Considering the wealth of different abilities across the roster of characters, it’s impressive that none feel like an afterthought on Blizzard’s behalf. While there will undoubtedly be tiers outlining the best/worst characters come the game’s full release, for the average player each Hero has his/her own strengths to warrant sinking a lot of time into each of them.
2. High level of replayability
The most important facet of a modern day shooter is how likely it is that players will return to it following its launch month. While most FPS games would consider a solid 12 months of high player counts before their numbers dwindled a success, you’d have to believe that World of Warcraft and Hearthstone developers Blizzard are gambling on their shooter boasting much more consistent numbers for a lengthier period of time.
Also See: Battleborn vs. Overwatch: Which is the Game for You?
While it’s impossible to predict whether or not this will be the case before the release of the full game, right now it has all the tools to ensure that players will keep returning to it. Its similarities with Team Fortress 2 will undoubtedly entice the PC crowd, who are also far more accustomed to Blizzard’s output and therefore an easier demographic to appeal to, but even for console gamers, Overwatch is threatening to become the first breakthrough online phenomenon of this current console generation outside of Rocket League. Its addictive gameplay coupled with a huge amount of unlockables could see it become the starting point of the next huge FPS franchise.
3. A new era for the console FPS
The biggest console FPS series have relied on new yearly installments to keep the money rolling in. Each year, Call of Duty and Battlefield ensure that their newest game will become outdated within the next 365 days, with DICE and CoD‘s trio of development studios having to think of a new hook to pique players’ interest all over again. If you would have told Call of Duty players back in 2007 that in under ten years the series would be set in space, they probably would have punched you in the mouth and called you a liar, but such is the necessity to try to make CoD exciting again that each year it’s thrust into a new setting with a brand new roster of gimmicks. Overwatch is the first step towards changing that.
As evidenced by Team Fortress 2 on PC, an FPS can thrive without yearly sequels – or, for that matter, any sequels at all. Though that game’s reliance upon cosmetic features to turn a profit may not be as big of a draw with console gamers right now, the news that Overwatch will receive new patched-in Heroes, maps and modes throughout the duration of the year for free, with players being given the option to use real money to buy loot boxes that unlock Hero skins, player icons, and other such superfluous items, shows that Blizzard is going in a completely new and welcome direction.
While paid DLC is a thoroughly understandable business practice considering how much work typically goes into these slices of extra content (even if they’re often overpriced), Blizzard is clearly banking on Overwatch being interesting enough that the game will simply keep on selling, with extra purchasable content not being pushed as being as important as the base game. In an era of games that launch with their season pass already pushed to the front of their marketing, this is a very welcome change.
4. A shooter with a personality
Despite their best efforts, modern day shooters struggle to carve out their own distinct personality. Strapping a jet pack to a soldier’s back does not immediately make for an interesting game, and by now the annualized one-two punch of a new Battlefield and then a new Call of Duty has taken its toll. People want something a little different, and that something a little different is Overwatch.
The Team Fortress 2 comparisons are most appropriate when leveled in the direction of Overwatch‘s sense of fun, with the game’s cast of Heroes each possessing their own individual traits and mannerisms that make them stand out from the rest of the roster. If Overwatch is going to become as big as I think it is, these characters are going to become embedded in popular culture before long, with Heroes such as Tracer having already made an impact before the game has even received its full release.
For console gamers, Overwatch will be a breath of fresh air in terms of triple-A shooters, breaking up the routine of Activision and EA’s with a shooter that is vastly different mechanically and aesthetically.
5. It’s made by Blizzard
Good developers can make bad games, but Blizzard has earned our trust a thousand times over given the studio’s pedigree. If you were going to entrust any developer to build a game from the ground up that would remain in the public consciousness long after its initial launch, Blizzard would be at the very top of the list given the unfathomable success they’ve had with the likes of World of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Hearthstone.
With Overwatch ticking all of the boxes in its beta in terms of its gameplay, one of few remaining questions is whether Blizzard will be able to provide the continued support required in order to keep the game’s popularity growing long after it hits store shelves/Battle.net. If the company’s history is anything to go by, which it absolutely is, then we should have nothing to worry about. Personally, I can’t wait.
