In video games, it’s hard to talk about last year (2016 in case you are reading this late) without talking about Overwatch Blizzard’s team shooter. The game is filled to the brim with Blizzard’s Style ( and hidden lore that people are still working out) not to mention plenty of references from the other Blizzard games (in fact you can see the guard playing Hearthstone during the original reveal cinematic)

The game involves 2 teams of 6 players in player vs player (or the odd player vs computer controlled stuff).  The characters fit into one of 4 different roles, attack, tank, defense and support. Attack are usually high mobility and as said focus on the assault. Defense tend to be very good at holding areas, be that from freezing people to transforming into a turret and filling them with lead from your mini gun. Tank are good at protecting the others and taking damage, while Support tend to aid the others usually by healing (though giving attack boosts or making teleporters also occurs). And each character is filled with Blizzard goodness and plays differently than the others, Mei (my favourite) plays very different than Tracer (the cover girl)

Torbjorn (BagoGames)

When you go into a game you get to choose which of the characters you play as (though you can change in set areas or when you are dead) and the team of 6 then faces the opposing team of 6 in a task that depends on which stage you are on. The task could be merely holding an objective, transporting the payload and more (well more like a fusion of those two).  This isn’t a ‘just kill all the enemies’ and thus the focus is on working together, say have a tank put a shield up allowing your bastion to go into turret mode, then have mercy buff it and MELT YOUR OPPONENTS FACES.

It must be remembered this is an online game and its main focus is player vs player, so it’s not a game you play by yourself (you can but it’s not really built for that), as you play you will level up, it doesn’t increase your size and is just for bragging rights.  Each level will give you a box you can open, these boxes contain cosmetic items such as new emotes, victory animations and skins (there’s more but everything else feels more like an insult when you get them instead of what you want) but since its random, chances are you won’t get the stuff you want. As much as you want that adorable outfit for Mei in a fire fighter get up, you will probably get a slight change in widowmakers clothes or less.

I find it’s a good game to burn some time, a game or two when I have a few free minutes though much like Total War Warhammer it’s one you can get lost in how much your playing – go on just another game –  hoping to level up in hopes of getting that seasonal Mei skin.

Rating:    

Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)