With Overwatch, we can soon expect Blizzard’s first shooter. Will Overwatch revolutionize the shooter genre? Read here my thoughts on the upcoming multiplayer action game.
Disillusionment at the start: Can Blizzard make shooters?
When the first cinematic for Overwatch was shown just over a year ago, I was hyped from the very first moment. Blizzard is developing a new world, a new story, and thus also a new universe. The hype lasted about as long as the cinematic, because shortly after came the revelation: Overwatch will be a shooter. I was really skeptical. Why not a new MMO? Can Blizzard even make shooters? Isn’t everything too cute for a shooter?
The rest of BlizzCon only reinforced my doubts: There will be no campaign, and story will be outsourced and told through websites, books, and potential videos. Since a captivating story is one of the main arguments for a new game for me, my anticipation reached a low point – there could hardly be talk of joy anymore. More of a: “Maybe it will be better than feared.”
The dismantling of doubt …
At the beginning, there were only two aspects that spoke for Overwatch. The first was the fan reactions from those who could try the game at BlizzCon – they were all enthusiastic. There were hardly any skeptical voices, and almost every statement contained at its core a sentence like “I didn’t expect it to be so much fun.”
The second point was simply the fact that Overwatch comes from Blizzard. Blizzard is still a guarantee for a good game for me, I will not debate that much. A game studio that cancels games they themselves don’t believe in or that don’t meet their own standards (Thralls Adventure, StarCraft: Ghost, Project Titan) I trust to develop a good game.
Would those alone have been reasons for me to be excited about the game? No. It only lessened the doubt that Overwatch would flop and be quite boring.
… and the build-up of anticipation
My interest in the game was gradually increased because I – just for the site – naturally had to stay informed about what was happening in Overwatch.
The developers were also very clever in regularly releasing new information about the characters and gameplay videos, so there was never a long break where you heard nothing about the game. Each video pulled me in more.
The highlight was this year’s Gamescom because a roommate thought it was a great idea to completely fill our apartment with friends who all wanted to play Overwatch at Gamescom. And absolutely everyone was enthusiastic. And what motivates more than the opinion of people from your immediate surroundings? No article, preview video, or developer promise can compare to that. I can hardly wait to finally get my hands on the game and will exert every earthly effort to somehow sneak into the beta.
A colorful shooter – Can this work?
Again and again, you read comments like “The comic style puts me off” or “It’s way too cute for a shooter“. For me, the graphic style triggered the exact opposite. I have played enough serious and brutal shooters, like Left 4 Dead 2, Evolve, or Call of Duty. A relaxed, light approach to a shooter is very appealing to me.
Of course, there are already comparable games that also have a more comic-like graphic (like Team Fortress or Borderlands 2), but these still rely on a high degree of violence and a lot of dark humor. That has its justification, and I certainly don’t want to portray it negatively – especially I liked the Borderlands series a lot.
But since Blizzard is aiming for a large target audience again, the violence is largely omitted, at least in terms of the depiction of atrocities. Does that bother me? No. I like the relaxed approach.
I like the consistently positive basic atmosphere that resonates in the design of the characters and the whole game. Although some characters have quite dramatic backstories, the game remains heartfelt, almost loving. The characters just radiate joy and are the idealized idols of heroes that one wishes around the world. And that is relatively new for a shooter – even if someone can surely name a counterexample now.
Overwatch – Easy to learn, hard to master
Blizzard has set itself the motto “Easy to learn and hard to master” for all its games, and Overwatch will be no exception. For those who have little experience – or simply no talent – for first-person shooters, Overwatch can still be a lot of fun, as some characters do not require pixel-perfect aiming and function more as supporters or tanks who protect the team with portable shields
It is precisely this fact that makes Overwatch a game for the entire friend circle. While shooter veterans grab precision-focused heroes like Widowmaker and McCree, inexperienced players can access characters where timing and positioning are at the forefront, such as Torbjörn or Mercy.
The crucial point
And that’s the crucial point that makes Overwatch already great for me. It brings together groups that have spread over the years to other MMORPGs or MOBAs. At least in my case, the game will stronger reunite old friend circles, as it is a game for everyone and likely the only one in this genre that can really achieve that for a while.
