Well, it took four fucking years, but thanks to Switch Online Game Trials, I finally got to play the phenomenon known as Overwatch! Let's talk about it. BACKGROUND:
Overwatch was the talk of the town throughout 2016, so of course I've heard of it. I was enamored by the setting and characters, but as I did not own a good PC or console that can run the game, the most I could do to get in on the experience was watch gameplay on YouTube. The closest I've gotten to playing something like Overwatch is playing Paladins on Switch, which I enjoyed a lot, but eventually fell out of playing. In addition to that, I have been reading the Overwatch comics digitally periodically, and they've done a lot in terms of endearing me to the characters. Here's a Comixology link for that; they are free to download. PLOT: Overwatch is set in a sci-fi world inhabited by both humans and robotic beings with advanced AI known as Omnics. The game tells of an event called the Omnic Crisis, a large-scale conflict that saw hostile robots wage war on humanity. In response, countries across the world by putting together legions of fighters, including the eponymous Overwatch, an international team tasked to help restore order. Though Overwatch successfully ended the conflict, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. The Omnic Crisis sowed fear into many humans, causing Omnics to face unwarranted persecution, and Overwatch itself slowly but surely came apart, eventually being outlawed by the UN. The game is set years after Overwatch disbanded, and crises around the world have been popping up in vast quantities in their absence (including terrorist attacks from groups like Talon, and rumblings of another Omnic Crisis). Winston, a former member of Overwatch, has taken it upon himself to reform the group despite the legal ramifications in hopes of once again saving the world. I think this story is super interesting in many different ways, but the strongest point against it is the fact that I know all this without having played the game. A lot of the story is actually told outside of the game, through promotional animated shorts, tie-in comics, and other alternate media (and it is told quite well, to be fair). This game doesn't have a single player campaign where you can learn about the story, and the most you get is short blurbs about each character on the roster. It's a real shame that there's no way to experience the story in the game itself, because they've built such a complex world with a lot of story opportunities and a cast of incredibly interesting characters. Speaking of characters, the game's roster is a master class of diversity, bringing in all manner of race, ethnicity, gender, background, and personality to the table. Even without knowing their full story, each character feels super interesting just by looking at them, which is another reason why I'm disappointed in the lack of a story mode. I would have loved individual campaigns for each character where you learn more about their backstories as you play. PRESENTATION: In contrast to most shooters, which lean towards a grittier, more realistic style, Overwatch opts to be more vibrant, colorful, futuristic, and somewhat cartoony. It's obviously not the first shooter to do this, but I enjoy the change in scenery nonetheless (again, I have nothing against the likes of Call of Duty in terms of art style; I just like to have variety, that's all). As I am playing the Switch version, the game doesn't look as good here as you may have seen in videos. There is quite the noticeable downgrade in terms of texture and model quality, but it runs well enough, so I don't really mind. If you're a stickler for visual fidelity, it is probably best to play this on another console or on PC. The character designs are excellent, and I daresay they're among the most inspired designs I've seen in recent memory. Every single one of them has a completely unique, memorable look that succinctly and effectively conveys who they are and what they do even without a text description. There are cosmetic skins with which you can alter each character's looks (some make significant changes and have cool themes to them), but I felt that the original designs were so well done that I questioned the need for anything outside of palette swaps. The stages share the international flavor of the roster, as many are based on real-life locations across the world, but with slight alterations that make the area fit into Overwatch's futuristic setting. There's a lot of diversity in aesthetic as well; one minute you're duking it out in ancient Egyptian ruins, and then you're fighting in a bustling metropolis in the next. There's not a whole lot of music during gameplay, but the few tracks there are (including the now-iconic Play of the Game music) sound like something from a superhero movie, which feels rather appropriate given the cast of larger-than-life characters. The voice acting is fantastic, as each character has a voice that exudes just as much personality as their visual designs. The roster's already respectable diversity is shown off well in this department, too. As the characters encompass a wide array of nationalities, a vast majority of them have lines in their native language in addition to English lines. I really loved this aspect of the game; they could have just had everybody speak English and call it a day, but they went the extra mile and recorded lines in various languages. GAMEPLAY: Overwatch is a team-based first-person shooter. The basics are the same; shoot the enemy, don't get shot, do the objective with your team. If you've played anything remotely similar, you'll be fine. The Switch version is rather unique in that it has motion aiming, in the same vein as Splatoon. As I play a lot of Splatoon and am quite accustomed to motion aiming, this is a great addition for me. This can be turned off or adjusted to your liking. The most important thing about Overwatch is the characters. Unlike other shooters, where you simply pick out weapons that suit you, you're selecting full characters when going into a match. Gameplay-wise, each character is just as unique as they are in terms of design and representation, each with their own sets of weapons, stats, and abilities. Each character's weapon is unique in many aspects, but it's the abilities that really change the game. Everyone has a set of abilities apart from their primary weapon, ranging from alternate attacks, defensive options, mobility, healing, and so much more. Some even have unique passives, like how Pharah naturally has a jetpack. On top of all that, everyone has an Ultimate ability that charges over time, and they all have unique effects that help tip the scales in your team's favor (if you use them right). There is a lot to take in, so it's probably beneficial to take the time to learn what each character does and see who works with your play style. Although each character's loadouts are drastically different from one another, they all fall into one of three roles: tank (absorb damage), damage (hurt enemies), and support (healing, buffs). Even with these archetypes, each character accomplishes their role in wildly distinct ways; for example, Reaper and Widowmaker are both damage-based characters, but one is better at flanking and killing up-close, while the other is a sniper who excels in the back lines. I really enjoy the diversity of play styles the roster has to offer. Though I naturally gravitated towards a specific set of characters for each role, I had a lot of fun trying them all out and learning what their weapons do and how their abilities work. I like being able to go full support with Mercy in one match, then becoming a complete unga bunga, hammer-swinging lunatic as Reinhardt in another. Overwatch's roster is already a triumph in terms of representation, and it's a cherry on top that they all have something distinct and fun to offer in gameplay. The stages are varied as well, featuring all sorts of layouts with open spaces, closed rooms and corridors, and a surprising amount of verticality. Unfortunately, most of the game's rulesets tend to funnel you into specific spots, so there's little opportunity to get creative with how you move around apart from modes like Deathmatch. Speaking of rulesets, the standard objectives (which you play in Quick Play or Competitive) tend to be something along the lines of "control this area for x amount of time" or "keep enemy out of area for x amount of time". Some are just straightforward, having you focus on one area of the map, while others have you fight over a "payload", which is essentially just a base that moves around a set path. I'm no stranger to modes like these having played a good amount of shooters, and while I enjoy these modes just fine, I do get tired of them eventually. Thankfully, the game has a remedy to that in the Arcade mode, which has a selection of game modes that have alternate rulesets. Some of them rotate daily, so it's actually worthwhile to check in everyday to see what's different. This is also where you access limited-time event modes (the Halloween event is ongoing as I write this, and you can play the Junkenstein modes on here). Unfortunately, it seems to take longer to find matches here; it seems people greatly prefer Quick Play or Competitive. In Quick Play, you're asked to select one of the three roles when queueing up, locking you to that role once you get in. This is great if you really want to play a certain character or favor a certain role, but the drawback is that it may take you longer to find matches. If you just wanna get into a match as quickly as possible, you can select more than one role, and the game will lock you into with whatever role is available. As much as I appreciate the approach for helping maintain team balance, I am kinda bummed that I don't get a lot of opportunities to play damage characters (as they seem to be who most people want to play). Don't get me wrong; I enjoy playing tank or healer a lot, but sometimes I just want to play as Pharah again, you know? I suppose that's what the arcade modes are for (there is something called "Quick Play Classic" where you can ignore role restrictions). Competitive gives you the option to queue up for matches with or without role restrictions, so it's a little more open than Quick Play. Unfortunately, it'll take quite a bit of playing before you even unlock Competitive, because you have to reach Level 25 to access the mode. If neither Quick Play, Competitive, nor Arcade strike your fancy, you can create and join custom game modes via the Game Browser. I didn't really mess around with this one, but I imagine it's a good way to mix things up after several rounds of the standard modes. It's probably also how you set up private games. If you're a newbie to shooters, Overwatch has a decent tutorial that shows you the basics (and introduces you to Soldier 76, who is the most straightforward character on the roster). There's also a practice range where you can freely play around with any characfer, as well as a vs. AI mode that allows you to get a feel for the actual game in a low-stakes match. The last mode is weird, as it makes you queue up with real people who are also looking to practice against AI. Why not just populate my team with AI? I don't wanna wait five minutes for five other people to show up just so I can mess around in a casual match. This game has the dreaded wombo combo of microtransactions and loot boxes. These are how you get all sorts of cosmetic items, from skins, emotes, sprays, and more. Some can be purchased with the in-game currency straight up, while others are exclusively found in loot boxes. None of these affect gameplay, so you can freely ignore them, but loot boxes still don't sit well with me as a concept. You also earn both the in-game currency and loot boxes periodically just by playing (usually when you win or level up), so there's that, I guess. There are a few extra things you can do outside of all this. You can earn achievements, which net you special cosmetics, watch replays and highlights of past games (which you weirdly can't upload on social media, at least not from what I can tell), and view your stats. Nothing big, but still worth pointing out. VERDICT: Despite a massive missed opportunity in not having single-player modes that flesh out and explore its otherwise fascinating story and impressive roster of characters, I still thought Overwatch was a really fun experience. Though playing through the same few game modes can wear thin after a while, the variety of play styles each character has to offer more than makes up for it in my view, and there are ways to change things up in terms of rulesets (albeit with the drawback of not finding matches as quickly). I had a blast with my limited time with the game, and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys shooters, or if you found one of the characters cute or cool-looking. While I think the Switch version is adequate, I wager the player base on PC is much larger, so you may be better served playing on there if you want to play as many people as possible. And as mentioned before, it looks nicer there than on Switch. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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