Overwatch’s “Halloween Terror” event kept video game players entranced in its almost month-long run last October. It was only reasonable that players were excited about Overwatch’s next seasonal event--Winter Wonderland--but, to many, it proved disappointing. Between Winter Wonderland’s new brawl, appropriately featuring Mei, and many lack-luster skins, there are certain attributes from the Halloween event that proved its superiority over “Winter Wonderland.”
The Brawl
It was going to be hard to beat “Junkenstein’s Revenge” because there were so many fantastic aspects it had going for it. With only four character options, players were forced to either select fast or tolerate the last and only option. This brawl made players work together and create a strategy to defeat Dr. Junkenstein and his creations, while simultaneously protecting the castle door. Between killing the zomnics, zombardiers, occasional shock-tire, and Dr. Junkenstein and his creations (The Monster, The Reaper, and The Witch), players had to prioritize their kills to successfully win the game. This co-operative, player versus environment brawl definitely kept many players coming back for more.
It’s unfortunate that “Mei’s Snowball Offensive” doesn’t seem to carry the same impact with Overwatch players. This player versus player brawl leaves everyone playing Mei on Ecopoint: Antarctica, a map already featured in Overwatch’s “3 vs. 3 Elimination” arcade mode. The two previous brawls, “Lucioball” and “Junkenstein’s Revenge,” both featured maps that were not already introduced to the game. “Mei’s Snowball Offensive” starts each player with one snowball to eliminate a member of the enemy team.
To reload, players need to search the map for a glistening snow pile and wait what seems like years to pick up another snowball. Players only need to be hit once to be eliminated, and respawn when the next round starts. Unlike “Junkenstein’s Revenge,” there is only one objective: Eliminate the enemy team. Not to mention, if you are the first to be eliminated, you are forced to watch your team either fail or succeed, which can sometimes be long and even boring. The one-shot eliminations, slow game play, and slow reload times, make the winter brawl fall short.
The Skins
“Halloween Terror” had featured some pretty amazing skins. Junkrat’s “Dr. Junkenstein,” Mercy’s “Witch,” and Roadhog’s “Junkenstein’s Monster” were probably among the most popular, but each legendary skin didn’t disappoint. They offer a whole new look to the character, as well as different commentary. Mercy’s “Witch” skin prompts her to say “My servants never die!” when reviving teammates, instead of the usual “My heroes never die!” Again, the Winter Wonderland failed to live up to the hype set forth by the Halloween event. Many have been talking about the controversy of Mei’s “Mei-rry” skin.
Her abilities, that are ice and snow based, made her the perfect character to center this event around, and it was about time considering she wasn’t given a skin in the last two events. Ultimately, her new skin execution was highly anticipated but failed to thrill players. Her legendary winter skin seems to be a recolored version of her other skins, with an addition of a Santa hat and snowman cyro-freeze. Blizzard has since apologized for her rather boring skin, claiming that their “cool meter was off” this time around. Blizzard has also stated that they will be launching a new and improved Mei skin early next year.
Zarya was among those to receive a winter skin, but, like Mei, it appears to be a recolored version of her other skins. Unlike Mei, Zarya’s skin isn’t legendary, which is probably why it hasn’t caused the same stir. Still, the skin seems to showcase some sort of laziness from Blizzard’s end.
This event might be a step up from the summer games event, but overall, it doesn’t compare much to “Halloween Terror.” Hopefully, Overwatch’s next event will bring something new to the table, but also carry similar aspects from the Halloween event that made it so popular.
