I Wish Overwatch Was Fun Again
The History and Uncertain Future of Overwatch
Reflecting on Overwatch'due south growth and shortfalls over the years
O verwatch is a game that means a lot to me. It's how I met some of my best friends, with whom I'm still friends today. I wouldn't merchandise coming together them for anything, and I have Overwatch to thank for that. During the game's prime in 2016, I connected with them to stack upwardly for competitive mode and it was a blast.
From the beginning, Overwatch was a game based primarily on having fun. When 2016 came around, I considered myself a single-role player gamer. I had long since given upwards on the Telephone call of Duty or Battleground experiences of the world. I just felt unsatisfied with multiplayer games. Overwatch'south beta released on consoles and PC and I was absolutely hooked.
My outset character was Pharah, who I after searched online after my first match to see if she was overpowered. Information technology shocked me I was decent at a game of this caliber after beingness burned out for so long. Of course, I barely knew how to use her appropriately. Eventually, I stopped playing her entirely, focusing on the fast-paced Support in Lucio instead. Lucio has been my main ever since.
Hey, someone has to play healer, and he was the about interesting 1 to me.
As wonderful as it was to have this game to play with others, the game had lilliputian content at the time.
Comparing the Old to the New
See the menu above? Information technology'due south different from what it looks like today. Overwatch in 2016 featured the standard Quick Play, the near played way where players could spring into a game in a timely manner. It was the main way to play the game in the initial launch window.
The Play Vs. AI mode doesn't exactly exist anymore. Although bots can be turned on in Custom Games, a defended style for playing against bots isn't available anymore. That said, bots weren't exactly difficult, and were like shooting fish in a barrel to plow through. While the PvE modes from the Archives yearly event exist, they give usa a gustation of the PvE that will be bachelor in Overwatch ii.
Custom Games were nowadays, but not nearly to the extent that they are at present.
Nowadays there are plenty of sliders and adjustments you can make to fine-tune the game and create the type of game modes yous want. Nosotros now take a server browser feature that lets you scan through the variety of game modes other people have put together themselves. The electric current version features full-on scripting, allowing people to code game modes in their own manner.
Finally, there is Brawl mode, which is now nonexistent. Brawls were a precursor to what the community would later on create via the tools given in Custom Games.
When the Arcade style was first introduced, players cycled the game modes that were most popular nether Ball in the Arcade's rotation. Modes like Total Mayhem became standard staples for the more fun, stress-relieving side of Overwatch. The competitive mode was the feature that quickly sucked me in. Although I had dabbled with League Play in Telephone call of Duty: Black Ops 2 years prior, this was my first existent foray into a ranked way. It was quickly addicting to run into my SR go up and down based on the results of my matches. Stacking with five other people as well? Those were some of the most genuinely fun and intense times I've had in this game.
At first, Competitive Play did not accept the Bronze to Grandmaster ranking system it has today. For Season i, it had a mere number ranking. The original Season of Competitive Play felt like a no-holds-barred mess as well, since there were no limits on hero selections, and people could use multiple of the same hero. Flavor two had some more than normalcy by introducing the ranking organization we know today.
They made improvements, afterward on, to promote forced roles as well to help provide more quality matches. Every match now has two Tanks, two Supports, and 2 Damage heroes. Thus came the introduction of Role Queue, where players are ranked individually based on the office they queue for. For example, your Support rank is at present different from your Tank rank.
Of grade, Open Queue exists for those who desire to play with fewer restrictions — with no forced 2–2–ii splits of heroes. In fact, GOATS (three Tanks and three Supports) was a popular playstyle for an extensive corporeality of time and was impossible to replicate over again once they introduced Role Queue. In Open Queue, that'due south yet possible, admitting not the standard way to play Competitive Overwatch anymore.
Overwatch has indeed had its fair share of costless updates — including new heroes, maps, and the above changes nosotros mentioned. Seasonal events brought along with the new game modes. Summer Games 2016 was the beginning case of a seasonal event for Overwatch and came non long after Support Sniper Ana was first introduced to the game.
Every bit a Lucio actor, this update was actually exciting for me. Not only did my favorite graphic symbol get some cool skins, but there was a whole game mode centered around him equally well. Non to mention that it was released on my altogether as well. I was ecstatic!
However, a problem loomed over Blizzard'south first seasonal event for Overwatch, and that was the limited-time skins. While people were fine with seasonal skins existence only available during the event, there was no method of purchasing them outright. Yous had to get lucky with the loot boxes. Have bad luck? Too bad.
Thankfully, Blizzard corrected this by making skins purchasable with in-game currency ( currency that is earned by getting duplicates of items in loot boxes). For players that play the game oft, this stacks upward fairly quickly. To this twenty-four hour period, though, Overwatch hasn't added in any other methods to gain this in-game currency. Compared to other FPS games such as Telephone call of Duty: Warzone or Valorant, or even a very like foray into the aforementioned genre in Paladins, this is extremely disappointing.
A daily challenge system would be something that would exist much appreciated in Overwatch. Since 2016, we accept seen nothing quite similar that. The extent of things of that nature comes downward to a weekly method to gain a minuscule 3 loot boxes total by gaining nine wins in the Arcade. Seasonal events now offering non-legendary skins as rewards for victories during the event. Beyond that, Overwatch does not have the pull to complete something daily that fifty-fifty gacha games similar Genshin Bear on have.
From Then to Now: The Lore
The lore is worth talking about and how information technology has grown throughout Overwatch's development over the years.
Blizzard introduced an enormous amount of lore alongside each grapheme prior to launch. Hero launches, later on, were accompanied past their own $.25 of lore to innovate them to the universe.
To this mean solar day, my favorite bits are the anime-styled Doomfist cinematic, alongside the cryptic and virtually creepy Sigma introduction.
The lore of Overwatch and the backstories of its diverse cast of characters proceed to pull people into the game. They're all unique in their ain right — and although I find some more interesting than others, I think Overwatch has 1 of the more interesting casts for an FPS title.
I will give Overwatch credit for releasing brusque stories every so oft that they go fine additions to the lore of the Overwatch universe. An in-game pare usually accompanies the curt stories. It tin be earned by accruing victories in a set time span later on the story is published.
Withal, Overwatch'southward lore feels like it'south a stand-even so. While information technology feels similar it'southward moving forward at times, it's very often notably stagnant. The last cinematic we received was at Blizzcon in 2019, which was an introduction to Overwatch ii.
Shooting star, released on August 22, 2018, was a brusque feature effectually the pop D.Va, who desperately deserves more lore. Followed past that was Reunion on November 2, 2018 — a cinematic featuring McCree fighting off his erstwhile gangmate Ashe in order to retrieve Echo, a character that was introduced after on. They introduced Ashe as a character get-go, while Repeat was released much later. In fact, they confirmed Echo to exist the last character that volition be added to Overwatch earlier the release of the sequel.
2018 with D.Va was the last time they made a cinematic, and the final time a cinematic was made purely to add together to the universe (and not to promote a new character).
Unfortunately, the development of lore in Overwatch is lopsided. While I believe Michael Chu did a fine job with the writing of Overwatch, I'chiliad confused why it feels like Blizzard is baste-feeding content to us. There are characters who accept some fantastic development — such as Soldier: 76, Ana, and Genji. While there are plenty that have little to no development in terms of lore — Zenyatta being the master culprit — that could benefit extra attention from creators.
From Then to Now: The Hype
While the lore is stagnant, the game is stagnant too. Overwatch still maintains a large number of casual fans who play and savor the game for what it is. There is also the Competitive Play side of Overwatch as well that keeps people coming back. Placing every season volition net you a sum of Competitive Points based upon your rank, which can be used to purchase a golden weapon for a character of your choice.
Most of the prominence that Overwatch held during its initial launch years has since faded away, yet. Although it has its steady fans mentioned above — largely kept alive via mediums like the Overwatch League and seasonal events — a bulk of players have moved on from Overwatch. There are far more enthralling games on the market, and Overwatch's loot box organization is outdated. A Battle Pass type of system would've done wonders for Overwatch in the current landscape of shooters. We've seen how successful information technology is in games similar Fortnite or Telephone call of Duty.
Why is the Boxing Pass model successful? It keeps people coming back to the game, and it keeps them playing. Overwatch in 2021 has nothing that really keeps people coming dorsum daily.
Seasonal events bring people back to check out the new skins at the least, but these events take long since dried up because of their lack of content across those cosmetics. The former game modes such as Lucio Ball, Insurgence, and Junkenstein's Revenge were fantastic when they outset released. Years after they were introduced, they've since become mundane with little to no changes or new game modes to supplement them.
Personally, I would only revisit Overwatch in 2019 to view the new skins briefly before I dumped the game for something more interesting. Fifty-fifty in 2020, a pandemic year where people were stuck at home, I didn't even feel the need to log on anymore to run into those cosmetics. I couldn't tell you what cosmetics Blizzard added to the game at all that year.
It's disappointing, and with Overwatch 2 on the horizon, I'm nervous about what the future holds for this game I one time loved.
Overwatch Today
We have no clue when Overwatch 2 is coming, but it probably won't exist in 2021. The digital Blizzcon in early on 2021 revealed some promising details for Overwatch 2's PvE way.
Overwatch 2'southward chief appeal is the many PvE missions involved that will advance the story further.
I love the addition of skill trees for people to customize their characters to their liking within the mode. I too like the idea that we'll be seeing characters in cutscenes as well, depending on who we take in the missions.
I'm glad that some actions are beingness washed to brand these missions replayable because I argue that'southward the major result with Overwatch's Archives PvE missions. Uprising, Retribution, and Storm Rising are all splendid missions and are fun to play. The problem with them is that they're all relatively short and can get boring quickly. That "hundreds" of these missions will be in Overwatch 2 is encouraging.
Why is Overwatch 1 continuing to be left out to dry out, though?
Beyond the casual fanbase that Overwatch notwithstanding holds, forth with the fans of the Overwatch League and Competitive Play, there is nothing interesting well-nigh Overwatch anymore across the gameplay.
It is a fun game at its core, and I bought into it initially just because of that fun. While there was a time where I logged in every season to exercise my placement matches at the very least, I realize that at that place's no point anymore. I just take no desire to play it. Perhaps I'g burned out on Overwatch, but at that place's been a content drought for then long that has left me disappointed with the franchise.
Seasonal events drag me back, merely only briefly. Sure, some of the new skins are cool, merely that doesn't really continue me playing long enough. Overwatch needs consistent content that other shooters on the market execute then well. A steady menstruation of updates, combined with a Boxing Pass arrangement, keeps players engaged throughout the season of a game. Overwatch doesn't have that. It feels like Blizzard has just left Overwatch in the sunday to die while they hard-focus on producing the sequel.
With the lovable Jeff Kaplan parting from Blizzard, I think we should all exist nervous almost the future. Sure, Overwatch 2 has some cool features lined up, but will these promises get reality, and is it enough?
I'm sure Aaron Keller will do a fine job, only we want more than from the Overwatch team. There have been no dev updates in a long while. Blizzcon was the beginning instance of Overwatch ii news we received in a long while. The artistic minds behind Overwatch need to communicate to the fans more and be more transparent with Overwatch ii's progress. And frankly, saving all of your content for the sequel feels misguided. If you're leaving Overwatch 1 out to dry out, how interested volition people actually be in your sequel?
I don't think information technology's unreasonable to feel nervous, anxious, or even apprehensive most Overwatch 2 in the wake of Kaplan leaving. In fact, I think you should be. A Creative Director leaving during a sequel's development is very concerning.
I wish the all-time for Overwatch and Overwatch 2, but as it stands now, I hope things go better in this franchise's uncertain futurity.
Source: https://superjumpmagazine.com/the-history-and-uncertain-future-of-overwatch-8fcc85b1f328
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