How Overwatch Ruined Multiplayer Shooters for Me
Emma Quinian recently wrote a super dope piece for Vice about why, even after Battlefield 1’s impressive beta, Overwatch is the only shooter she needs and I can relate to that so much. A large part of that has to do with elements that don’t involve gameplay at all. The way the colors pop in each level, the gorgeous yet simple art style, and above all else: the diverse cast of lovable characters. It makes all of the other shooters on my radar less interesting the more I spend time in this world. And that’s not to mention the countless fan art drawings and incredible cosplay I see all over Instagram and Reddit. For a game that has no single player? That’s pretty impressive if you ask me. So how does it all work?
For starters, Blizzard has given players a wide selection of characters that not only fit their play style but those characters have personalities that are fun to jump into. Even the characters that are, in my opinion, the corniest ones never really feel hollow. Soldier 76, for example, is the character that the game starts you off with because he controls like most traditional shooters. But his voice lines, his different skins, and the accompanying animated short film help flesh his character out more. So every time I see him, I feel like I know him a bit more. And the game takes it even further by having these avatars speak to each other before matches. These are subtle but do so much to let these characters shine.
New characters like Ana get into tiny conversations right before the start of a match with other characters and the game further creates this illusion that you all know each other. Pharah, Ana’s daughter, even has a conversation with Reinhardt about the poster she had of him on her wall as a child. He laughs and jokes that he remembers the poster she’s referring to. That kind of world-building is something I can’t remember in a recent multiplayer game, not to mention a first-person shooter. Compared to the shit you hear in Battlefield games, for example, it’s nice to have a shooter exist in a world that isn’t so dark and full of testosterone oozing through the speakers.
Even colorful games like Nintendo’s Splatoon didn’t have this much character exploration despite the infinite amount of style provided by the cool Shibuya-inspired Inkopolis shops. The only game I can think of that comes close is probably Street Fighter except with very little charm and an abundance of cringe-worthy fan service. In fact, the women of Overwatch include different races and even different body types. Sure some of them still look super sexy but hey, at least some of their primary attacks aren’t outright flying ass attacks.
So thank you, Blizzard for making a game with a cast of characters that I actually care about. You’ve stumbled upon a winning formula in the shooter genre and I seriously cannot wait to see these characters in potential sequels, upcoming animated shorts or even make cameos in other Blizzard titles. Keep on fighting the good fight because you’ve got a tough road ahead of you but the world you’ve created is definitely worth fighting for.
Paul Tamayo is a photographer/videographer from Brooklyn, New York who runs The Optional, a gaming blog and podcast. Follow him on twitter @polimayo
