The 2016 Game of the Year, Overwatch, is a team-based action game that brings high-paced gameplay combined with strategic components that creates a game experience that no other game can compare to. Its unique art style combined with the unique idea and execution of the gameplay makes it an experience that you can only find by playing Overwatch. No other game has come close in execution and popularity than this Blizzard title. Its deep lore provides players a connection to the 32 unique heroes that everyone can find a spot in. It truly is a game that can suck you in and provide a great gaming experience.
Overwatch is a six versus six team-based shooter that’s core is built around working with your teammates to accomplish a task ranging from capturing a point, escorting a payload, or defending an objective. Its diverse selection of maps and game modes keep the game refreshing and provide a new scene to battle in every game. The main attraction of the game is the depth of the wide cast of heroes available to the player. Each hero brings its own unique abilities to the battlefield to help their team win. A key component that many other games alike do not have is your ability, as the player, to swap heroes at any point during the game. This adds a whole new depth of strategy that makes no two games unique. Within each hero is a kit that can be fun at all levels of play. Whether you are just getting started learning new things your hero can do or spend thousands of hours perfecting a single ability to crush your opponents, you are bound to find something that grasps your attention.
Just like any other game on the market, Overwatch does have its own shortcomings. Every game has problems with balancing the different aspects, and it is a player versus player game that makes this job even harder. While the development team does make the occasional change to the hero’s abilities, the shortcomings come in the frequency of these. Another notable issue is its lack of new content. The video game market is an incredibly competitive field that has each development team fighting for a larger share of the market. Its lack of new content has players dropping it in favor of other games. While the development team has said its plans to deliver more content, only time will tell how strong their words are.
The roadmap for the future of Overwatch is clear. With Overwatch 2 coming out in the near future (hopefully), they have their goals set on what the players want. A new game engine with updated models, more heroes, maps, and game modes. Along with this is a whole new side of Overwatch in its player versus enemy mode that has been created with longevity and fun in mind. The strongest recommendation I have for the Overwatch team is to keep communication open between the development team and the players. Leaving those who cherish your game in the dark is one of the worst things you can do to them.
If you are looking for a breath of fresh air and have not tried Overwatch, I would highly recommend it. Its wide cast of heroes allows hours upon hours of gameplay that is sure to keep you entertained. Even if you are someone who has left Overwatch to play other games, I would also recommend that you come back and give the game another shot. Its change in meta and strategies are constantly bringing a breath of fresh air to players.
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