Overwatch is one of the few team-based shooters on the market with a few falling short of popularity and one of the few available on all systems (except the Switch). The game is centered around team comps, but it also gives you the opportunity to change characters whenever you are in your spawn room. This gives Overwatch a uniqueness unlike most other team-based games on the market. Overwatch has a strong competitive scene as well as fun casual gameplay that everyone can enjoy. The main issue though is if Overwatch is worth buying at this point in its life. Let’s find out.
Casual Play
Overwatch offers a quick play which is their version of a casual queue. Quick play follows the formula of different maps that range from a plethora of objectives. Each team is normally the defenders or attackers (this is a bit different from competitive). You must thwart your opponent’s attempts at pushing a payload, capturing the base for points, or keeping your checkpoints.
This gives the game variety and you never really know what to expect. The games in casual are much quicker and the team comps usually are not what you would see in competitive, but that is a good thing. If you do not like quick play then there is the arcade where the game variants rotate often and you have the ability to play Capture the Flag, 1v1s, Free for Alls, Team Death Match, and many more. There are also seasonal events that give limited-time skins and unique maps to play on.
Competitive Play
Are you a hardcore FPS game fan? Overwatch’s competitive scene is like no other that I have ever played on. I’m used to ranking of all sorts of games, but Overwatch is different. While I am used to rotating map and objective variants I am not used to having almost unlimited options in terms of team composition. I am used to everyone picking their role/lane and then that is it, but Overwatch is great.
If you are getting outplayed you can ask your team to switch and they have the ability to do just that. With roles such as main tank, off tank, DPS, and Healing you can truly do whatever you want. My favorite role is healing and it is the first time I feel that a game has truly locked in the support role. I can dish out some damage while keeping my allies up, truly rewarding.
As I said earlier the main difference in comp and casual is the way the games are played. In competitive you have the option to be both the aggressor and defender which means if you lose one round it still isn’t over. This gives you the opportunity to beat your opponent’s next round or at least tie it up for the Draw.
Overwatch’s ranking tier is on a point basis known as “SR” the highest rank is Grandmasters at 4000+ SR and Bronze is the lowest at 1499 and below. Other than that all the tiers are locked in at 500 SR per rank. Climbing in Overwatch is mostly about individual skill up to a certain rank and then it relies mostly on communication.
Game Play
Overwatch has a large stable of heroes and with teams consisting of 6v6 and no cap on mirror matches the chances that you get to play your favorite hero is pretty high. Every character has unique abilities and an ultimate ability that they get every so often. The roles that you can be vary from off heals, main heals, damage with the ability to be a sniper, a ganker, or a backliner, and then you have main tank which calls the shots and absorbs most the damage and the off tank that supports the tank and other players.
HGG Review
Overwatch is an incredibly fun game with a great competitive scene. The main issue is the toxicity of Overwatch. While League of Legends reigns supreme Overwatch is also up there. From teammates flaming you for little to no reason and small errors being put on blast you would be reluctant to play the game even in the casual setting. Player’s tend to complain about lack of communication, but when the issue is getting flamed even if you are playing well is at hand then most players would think “why bother?”.
Overwatch is an incredibly sustainable game and I doubt it will go anywhere soon, but the community needs to change if the game wants to see more growth. One more critique is giving players an individual ranking based on performance. The toxic games are 50/50 and if you do know what you are doing chances are you won’t get flamed, but it is always a possibility. I still love Overwatch and if you have thick skin and the love for team-based shooters then this is the game for you.
