Overwatch 2 is about to start, the “successor” of Blizzard’s great hero shooter. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus was able to play the release version in advance and is enthusiastic – albeit with some reservations.
When Overwatch was released in 2016, I spent dozens of hours playing it. I have always been fond of shooters, but Overwatch struck a nerve like no other game before. Not even Team Fortress 2, which it is often compared to, was as much fun for me.
Then the years went by and Overwatch somehow became… slower. I don’t want to say boring. Even though we and other sites reported less on it, the game was still thriving.
Nevertheless, the hype faded over time. For me, as well as for others. The best players remained, and it became more stressful to adapt. Annoying combos like the infamous GOATS meta, Dive comps, and tanks in general became more popular.
It was no longer the game I had fallen in love with. No longer the fast-paced shooter where you could turn any situation into an opportunity. It became a positional war with short spikes of action. Not what I love in a shooter.
Then Overwatch 2 was announced, the sequel that was supposed to feature a cooperative mode as its unique selling point. Cool, I was happy about it, but not yet excited. Especially since everyone expected it to be a full-price title. Perhaps a bit lean.
Over time it became clear that Overwatch 2 was more of an update. Improved graphics, new maps and mechanics, and above all: Free2Play, at least the multiplayer part. Is this the salvation for the sequel? A clear “yes!” from my side, at least after the tests.
My play session together with Marylin Marx from GameStar and Jan Stahnke from the hardware team has been recorded. Check out our first round along with impressions:
I never want to go back to Overwatch 1
I loved the beta. Overwatch finally felt as fun as I remembered. Sitting in voice chat with friends in the evening, winning or losing – it doesn’t matter, we have fun. Real, unadulterated fun, sprinkled with heated tryhard moments and deep frustration phases, which make the joy all the sweeter.
One – at least for me – inconspicuous change makes this possible: only 5 players play per team now. And more importantly: there is only one tank. Tanks were the big problem with Overwatch 1.
It’s not fun to shoot at shields made of energy, armor plates, and flesh that absorb all bullets while protecting the hardly hittable healers behind them with broad shoulders. Do you know the meme with the Heavy from Team Fortress 2 and the Medic? That’s exactly how it felt. Immortal muscle-bound brutes that you just can’t kill.
This is what it felt like to play against a Mercy or Ana with a tank:
Overwatch 2 halves the number of tanks per team. This means DPS heroes have the chance to take out an opponent if they are positioned poorly or playing riskily. Snipers are a real danger, just as they should be.
And as support, you really have to watch where you stand. I have to know this because I mainly play healers like Brigitte and Mercy. Accordingly, I’m often the target for opponents. But it’s fun, I have to think again about how I play and I’m not just holding down the healing beam behind Reinhardt while sipping a latte with the other hand.
Overwatch 2 brings more of what made Overwatch 1 great
Exactly this action and strategic considerations existed back in Overwatch when no one knew that playing with 3 tanks and 3 healers was the best (and dullest) way to get through the game.
At its core, Overwatch 2 remains the same game I’ve known and played for 6 years. I don’t have to learn anything new, I know the characters, know what they do. I know most of the maps, the objectives, and strategies for victory.
In the preview test for journalists, I played intensively with colleagues for 2 hours and rediscovered why I love Overwatch. No matter which role, I was immediately into the game and had especially more action due to the reduced number of players.
It’s hard to put my finger on the things that make Overwatch 2 so much fun. Many details come together to form a cohesive whole and, as silly as it sounds, you discover them best when playing yourself. Watching or reading about it loses a lot.
“The poison that beautifully ‘t prickled in your belly button”
One thing has stuck in my mind that I want to record here as an anecdote. The humor, for which Blizzard has been known for more than 20 years, also livens up Overwatch 2.
Even in the first part, there are one or two funny lines. But the sequel has actually received new voice lines that just put you in a good mood. Fully voiced in German, as I prefer to play Overwatch in my native language.
The perhaps best example is Widowmaker, one of my “mains”. At one point she said out of nowhere: “The poison that beautifully ‘t prickled in your belly button.” The moment caught me so off guard that I didn’t pay attention and died from laughter. And to be honest, our opponent was really good:
Other characters have also received some new lines and dialogues. I will recite a conversation between the cyber-ninja Genji and his mentor Zenyatta:
Genshi: “Master, how do you maintain inner peace amidst all the battles?”
Zenyatta: “I focus on my breathing.”
Genji: “But… you don’t breathe, do you?”
Zenyatta: “Exactly.”
It is these details that I love about Overwatch and Blizzard, and I hope to discover more of them when Overwatch 2 is released on October 4.
Not just roses and rainbows
However, this opinion should not be an exaltation for the new shooter, but rather an initial impression. This also includes listing things I did not like. Admittedly, they were few, but still clear.
On the one hand, there is the new battle pass. Blizzard is relying on a Free2Play system with battle passes that contain new heroes, skins, and more. I have nothing against battle passes in principle. However, I rarely complete them.
In the old system, I could unlock everything whenever I had enough time. Now setting time limits is not to my liking. My colleague Marylin Marx from GameStar calculated that it roughly takes 40 hours to complete a battle pass.
You can find Mary’s opinion at GameStar.
This is still reasonable. I would still wish for alternative paths. Simply buying all levels would cost around 140 to 160 euros (16,000 coins), depending on the premium bundles, if we haven’t miscalculated.
The battle pass is currently the biggest controversy in the community and I can understand why. As a casual player, I find the system rather annoying. Fortunately, I already have the best skins for myself.
The second thing that still bothers me is hero balance. Some heroes received reworks or are new. Orisa and the new Junker Queen feel somewhat unbalanced at times. The community-predicted “too strong” Kiriko, on the other hand, seems somewhat too weak.
In the gameplay trailer, Junker Queen looks really cool – In the game, her anti-heal is incredibly annoying:
Of course, we played only in a small circle and almost only against the same opponents. Accordingly, little can be said about balance, and we will see more after the release. Nevertheless, I had some major frustration moments.
I should mention that I played a preview version. Theoretically, everything can still change, but in practice, that usually never happens. If Overwatch 2 is released as I played it, I will be satisfied, even if I will occasionally get annoyed. For at least 40 hours of fun, it will definitely suffice – and I don’t have to pay anything for it. For now.
How the development will proceed in general remains to be seen. Because after Jeff Kaplan, another important employee has disappeared:
Another one leaves Blizzard: Overwatch 2 loses its lead hero designer
