The game from Blizzard that changed my mind.
Overwatch is Blizzards most recent venture into the landscape of gaming.
It is a brilliant mix of MOBA, FPS, and objective based game play. Incredibly polished and under constant polishing. The game has already received a plethora of positive reviews and has an ever growing fan base. Blizzard is deliberately building up Overwatch into a potent eSport to the same degree of games like DotA, League of Legends, or Counter-Strike.
I was unexcited for Blizzard’s newest IP.
As someone who grew up killing Zerg in Starcraft: Brood War, fighting demons in Diablo 2, and traveling Azeroth in World of Warcraft I was unexcited for Overwatch. Seeing that Blizzard was creating an FPS game had me immediately accusing the company of creating a money grab. At the size of their company why would they not step into one of the most popular game genres? I was also disappointed to see a new IP instead of a utilization of existing IPs. For example, Overwatch could have easily been a Starcraft FPS game (RIP Starcraft Ghosts), or like Heroes of the Storm, a amalgam of their existing IPs.
How can I call myself a Blizzard fan holding these doubts in my head?
As a big company Blizzard is obviously going to make some decisions that will appease the masses while disappointing many of the more niche players. As a student of business I can usually recognize this and avoid too harsh of judgement. But due to my love for the Starcraft universe in particular I felt disappointed in Blizzards choice of a new IP. Especially a new IP which seems so incredibly similar to already popular IPs. Team Fortress 2, League of Legends, DotA, etc.
While I’ve always enjoyed aspects of the MOBA genre, playing hundreds of hours of DotA2 around the time of Beta and early release, FPS games have always been my true calling. Not too many years ago I was playing Call of Duty and Counter Strike competitively. And it was through playing Counter Strike recently that I discovered what makes Overwatch great.
In a game of competitive Counter Strike, it takes far more than good aim to succeed.
An individual, and the team, must have great map awareness. You are not only playing your character, you are also playing the map and locations of all teammates and enemies. Because of this and other nuances there are certain positions that various teammates must take in order to succeed. At times a team must play each of their players based on individual strengths.
The downfall of this comes from the matchmaking system, whereby 5 random players are thrown together onto a team. Now these 5 people must learn to communicate and fill the required positions on the map whilst also having map awareness between each other. Most times the people playing are only playing for themselves, not seeking out true communication or teamwork.
A fix for this issue?
Team Fortress tried, and succeeded to a degree, in fixing this issue by creating a number of classes to choose from. In this way players are forced into picking a certain play style at least temporarily. MOBA games such as League of Legends or DotA go a step further by categorizing each hero as DPS, Support, Tank, etc. Further enhancing the meta game by creating roles to be filled. Note that the players are not forced to fill certain roles, but at a certain level of skill it is somewhat of a requirement.
Overwatch has taken these concepts and molded them into one very polished experience. At the beginning of each round when players are deciding their heroes the game suggests what types of heroes your team may be lacking. More support needed? No snipers yet? Not enough damage heroes? Overwatch tosses its suggestions without forcing players to play in a way they would dislike. But naturally many players see this queue and over time the player base learns how to form well rounded teams.
I commend Blizzard for creating such a polished game.
Nearly every action you can take in the game feels rewarding on some level. The pacing is surprisingly fluid. It’s not as fast and hectic as some shooters, but it is no where near painfully slow. Each hero truly feels unique, even down to the height of the player’s view.
I never thought I would enjoy an FPS game mixed with a MOBA game, but I can honestly say it is one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had in the last few years. It was ignorant of me to doubt Blizzard’s ability to put out a great game. Blizzard’s leadership would never allow them to put a game out in public that was not incredibly polished.
While I will always be a little bit disappointed in the choice to create a new IP, I am still falling in love with the characters Blizzard has created. I have my hopes that a Starcraft Ghosts game will one day come into fruition, VR being a great place for such a venture, I am also happy to see Blizzard taking chances.
Overwatch will be a potent eSport, and Blizzard is making sure of that.
They have their fingers in many eSport related opportunities and are only ever extending their reach. I am excited to take part in what will likely be one of the first major eSports out there. The way has been paved by FPS, MOBA, Cards, and RTS genre’s before and now Overwatch is poised to take position as a major eSport itself.
Overwatch is one of the last great games before VR takes root.
While there are many other great games out and coming out, the experiences are very much rehashed from existing games and mods that have been around for over a decade. I am excited to see where gaming goes from here, but for now I will be enjoying my gaming time with Overwatch.
