"Should I buy 'Overwatch?'"
The answer is yes. Why haven't you already gotten this game?
Blizzard's newest IP in almost 20 years brings a fresh take on the FPS genre and adds so much more to take it to the next level. Everything in this game from the characters to the dynamic of the maps is put together so masterfully that it's hard to find a way to put down the controller while playing the game. In my time of playing "Overwatch," I have reached level 20 (at the time of this article) and was able to get a firm grasp on all the characters and maps to truly test out the game's experience. While so much of the game was near perfect, I still found a few things that held back this game from being the perfect FPS, but apart from those minor things "Overwatch," in my opinion, stands as one of the best multiplayer shooters out right now.
Pros:
"Overwatch" does an excellent job of giving a dynamic set of heroes to play (21 to be exact), with each one having a very diverse personality that sets them apart from every other character. In my many games, I never found one character to have the advantage at all times during the game. Everything to me seemed balanced no matter which character I was playing. As I said some characters will have a small advantage at certain points, but that's only for a small portion of the game. Every hero has their moments to shine and with the team style shooter Blizzard is promoting, each hero fits into any team composition easily. No one composition is the better one. The accessibility of each hero is very prevalent because from the start, you have every hero. Blizzard also went to say that every new hero and map release will be available to everyone, no purchase required.
Blizzard also does a great job with the skill curve. They make it so no matter which hero you choose, you still feel like a vital member of the team. That doesn't mean you can excel past that. For very skilled players, they can make any hero a force to be reckoned with. I found many games where I was an offensive hero getting beat out by someone playing a support hero. So everyone can be good with any hero, but some can go past that and really be the backbone of the game.
The maps themselves, while very linear with the objectives, have a whole dynamic to themselves. They allow for every hero to have their advantage, whether it be tight spots for massive aoe (area of effect) damage, or sniper posts for the to pick off your enemies, the maps cater to every hero. They also provide different avenues of approach for each objective so players aren't getting stuck in one spot because the enemies are defending the objective too well. Some heroes at the same time are able to traverse these maps and use the structures to their advantage which makes for crazy dynamics in team fights. Placement is key and "Overwatch" allows you to play with it masterfully.
The overall feel of the game is great and every match is very fluid in that from start to finish everything just works. It's so much fun to mess around and continuously try out new heroes to see what works for you the most. "Overwatch" promotes players to act as a team to win the game. While certain people will shine, they can't win without their teammates.
Cons:
While "Overwatch" is a titan of a game, there are still some flaws that I found while playing it.
The reward system for the game is a loot box that you earn after each level, while this is OK, I feel that, for games, where I do exceptionally well, I am not being rewarded as much as I should. Everyone is on the same reward field as it seems and it makes playing at your best sometimes seem useless. You can purchase loot boxes with real money though, if you so desire.
There are 12 maps within the game and each map serves as it's own game type. While this is fun and as I said above how the maps are very dynamic, the game types seem sparse. They are all pretty much hold an objective or hold a moving objective. This to me just seems like there can be so much more to the game. I understand with the character dynamics and how the game is team oriented, it is difficult to create multiple game types, but it would be nice to see something other than holding an objective every single game.
Verdict:
"Overwatch" is a video game masterpiece. Even with a few flaws, it still finds its way to make every other aspect go beyond whats expected from a FPS. I would give this game a 9.5/10 due to the shear fun and dynamic gameplay that it provides to the player.
