Overwatch

With Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment adds yet another addictive classic to its collection. Even in the over-saturated genre of online multiplayer shooters, Overwatch emerges clearly at the top of pile. The beauty of this game is in its simplicity: it’s what allows for the game to be fun, competitive, and accessible all at the same time. As long as Blizzard continues to drive newness into this game while maintaining that simplicity, it’s not hard to imagine that this game will be highly played and greatly enjoyed for years to come.

It doesn’t really get any more complex than that, but for the four different game modes you can try out. Practice mode allows you to test out each of the heroes and maps without the distraction of other players. There is a Human vs. AI Mode, which pits you and other players against a team of computer-controlled heroes, which is an excellent learning environment for beginners. There is also a “Weekly Brawl” mode, terminology that will be familiar to Hearthstone players, which adds a different set of crazy rules each week to the standard gameplay.

Precise and enjoyable gameplay is what is going to sell this game, but there are so many other little features that provide the polish that makes Overwatch top-tier. The ability to enter the fray as a pre-made group is something that I had taken for granted until otherwise respectable multiplayer shooters, such as Dirty Bomb, removed that functionality. Thankfully, playing with friends is made nice and easy in Overwatch: all you need is their Battle.net ID and away you go. Similarly, in-game tutorials and tips are something that these games tend to do consistently poorly for reasons I simply can’t understand. Overwatch on the other hand has a nice simple tutorial, and tips that are relevant to the hero you are playing, or the situation you find yourself in. For example, if you’ve had a hole put through your head by Widowmaker for the third time, the game will gently remind you to make your approach through areas with more cover, or to move erratically when this isn’t an option.

It’s this commitment to making the game simple in the first instance, while educating players on ways they can improve, that sets Overwatch apart from similar games. New players can actually pick this up and play without feeling disheartened in the first five minutes. Of course there will be those frustrating moments where you feel like you’re getting picked on by experienced players. Unfortunately that’s the reality of the genre, but this game at least attempts to foster a culture of learning and improvement, which is far better than most. Pressure on newer players is also likely to be alleviated through the release of Competitive mode, currently penciled in for June.

If there was one real criticism of Overwatch, it would have to be that Blizzard hasn’t invested very strongly in narrative during gameplay. You’re told to take an objective and then deliver the payload to the finish: you aren’t told why it matters. This means that the goal is simply to win, but winning doesn’t seem to serve a broader aim. Perhaps hearing the same story for the 20th time you’ve played a particular map would get old for players, but it feels like they could have added a skipping function rather than omitting a narrative altogether. If you’re someone who likes a good storyline, one saving grace is the collection of  cinematics Blizzard has created especially for Overwatch. They add a bit of feeling to a game that does fall a little flat in that department: hopefully an area Blizzard will strive to add to in future.