Overwatch might have been born from the ashes of Titan but it’s instantly on my most wanted list. While you can expect a back and forth argument between my colleague David and I on its similarities with Team Fortress 2 in the coming days, I’m here to lay out my five reasons as to why Overwatch is going to kick ass. Lets get started.

It Looks Awesome

I’m not just talking about the pew-pew but more the art style and aesthetics. Overwatch is visually stunning and like most products Blizzard throws out of its doors, it looks solid. A fair few people have compared the Overwatch cinematic to something that Pixar might produce and while there are similarities the biggest positive to be drawn from that is the fact Overwatch is crisp, sharp and its in-game graphics are just as fantastic as those of the cinematic. It’s rare that I see a new video game where I’m impressed with the visuals and art direction (the last being Dishonored). I think Blizzard have it spot on here and much like Hearthstone, it’s going to appeal to a large amount of players. It still reminds me heavily of Dirty Bomb with its clean lines and curved architecture, but that’s not a bad thing.

More Heroes Means More Variety

What makes MOBA’s so much fun is the fact that you never quite know what classes you’re going to be going up against when a match starts. When the rosters are locked in, the meta of an encounter can shift massively in an instant. Although Overwatch only has twelve Heroes at present with 6 versus 6 compositions, as the roster expands I suspect we’ll see the meta evolve rapidly. There’s already going to be clear group compositions with tanks, support and offensive classes working together. How players choose to pull them together however is going to be incredibly important. Mercy and Winston already look an excellent pairing while Torbjorn and Widowmaker will be exceptional when bunkered in. What I think differentiates Overwatch from Team Fortress 2 is the fact there are several of each class type, providing significantly more scope for compositions and variety: do you stack multiple healers? do you go tank heavy with only one support class or are you a turtle team?   

The Genre Needs Competition

It’s fair to say that the team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video genre is in pretty dire straits. The king of the hill is Team Fortress 2 and every other product on the market, including Team Fortress 2, emphasises Deathmatch too much. Unless you’re playing at the highest level (competition standard) even Team Fortress 2 descends into an ‘every man for themselves’ game mode. That has to change if the ‘team’ aspect is going to become a reality. The fact Overwatch has no Deathmatch mode and has clearly defined action sets and multiple class types suggests it’s really pushing for team coordination. All the other games that have attempted to topple Team Fortress 2 have failed miserably despite some of them, notably Brink, being better team games. We need more competition in this genre and if that means it requires the clout of Blizzard to bring it, that’s definitely a good thing. The likes of League of Legends or DOTA 2 have far too much traction as far as I’m concerned and I hope that Overwatch, like Hearthstone has done for card games, will bring much more awareness to the genre.

It’s Blizzard

It doesn’t matter what Blizzard make, it’s always a polished and slick product. Whether it’s Hearthstone, StarCraft or World of Warcraft, they’ve always taken the genre of their choosing by storm. Most importantly the products they make are incredibly popular, providing long term shelf life to the games that they make. Unlike other team shooters that have died within a year or have plateaued, it’s highly probable - especially if Overwatch is free to play - that it’ll be a huge commercial success with a guaranteed future. Blizzard aren’t one to simply release a game and abandon it and instead they’ll lavish Overwatch with plenty of updates, tweaks and expansion packs.

The Skill Sets

I’m a sucker for a Limited Action Set and playable characters that not only look good, but offer a depth of learning potential. With 12 Heroes available on launch all with 4 skills and a different role to play, there’s going to be a lot to remember when it comes to fighting your opponents. Best of all and because each Hero has an ultimate, it’s going to be a real test of nerve to bait your opponents so they use theirs up. Lastly, there’s going to be a healthy learning curve as to when to use your main abilities during and before a fight. Like any MOBA, if you blow all your cooldowns too soon you’ll be vulnerable and if over the course of a fight you aim poorly or use a skill in error, you’ll be punished for it. This level of strategy comes on top of your movement, understanding of the maps and your ability to aim. Awesome.

What are your thoughts on Overwatch? Are you excited for Blizzards new IP? Let me know!