Overwatch: Cynthia Review Edition

Overwatch (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Developer: Blizzard
Publisher: Blizzard
Released: May 23, 2016
MSRP: $39.99 (PC), $59.99 (Console)




I had the pleasure to play the Overwatch open beta (Xbox One) and I have never been so quickly hooked onto a game before. I knew this would be a game I would play immediately at launch and I did. Blizzard decided to push up on the release date (originally May 24th) to May 23rd. At 7pm (est) servers went live- well they should have. A minor delay had everyone ranting on twitter, which was entertainment in itself. It took an estimate 30 minutes to get the servers going. Anyways, onto the review

What is Overwatch?
Long story short: evil people created evil robots. To fight back, the United Nations found the most elite, top notch soldiers from around the globe and formed the peacekeeping force which is known as "Overwatch".

At first glance, Overwatch appears to be a refined chaotic game with simple game play: two teams of 6 either defending or attacking to gain control of territories and a payload, but Overwatch is much more than that.

Pros:

Non-stop fun

Overwatch is no doubt one of the funnest addicting games I have ever played with my friends. The chaotic-ness and team-based strategies is what keeps it going. The game can also be fun playing "alone" but it won't be as fun.

Overwatch is such a unique FPS team based shooter which is what attracted me to buy it; it was so different from all the other games I have played.

Insane details

All 12 maps are artistically beautiful as well as all the unique characters. Even the main menu will have you captivated. I love the unique art and colors. Beautifully done. Have you seen the cinematic shorts? Phenomenal. I highly recommend to watch them. (I put the down video below where all cinematic shorts are in it!)

Game play
The game play is fairly simple once you get the hang of it, which honestly should not take too long. It all depends on the characters you pick. The abilities are simple and to the point; easily learned. Each character fall under a range of one star - three stars (being the most difficult). Also, getting play of the game is quite exciting and the best part of the game in my opinion.

Characters

The uniqueness of all the 21 characters is without a doubt the most attractive component to this game. Each character has their own personalty which reads off the screen. Their in game dialogues hints at relationships among the group. Their abilities set the stage for fun, chaotic firefight with many explosions, shields and justice raining from above.

One of my favorite things Blizzard has inputted is the dialogue "behind you" that is incorporated with the characters. This is quite important since the battlefield can become hectic even so that all your teammates are preoccupied. I think we can all agree on being notified that someone is behind you is important more so when you are playing solo.

For background on the characters, I would head over to Overwatch Wiki page. Personal favorites are  Mercy, Pharah, Reinhardt and Reaper.



Butts

Cons:

Repetitiveness

As stated before, the game has a simple formula: capture territories and gain control of  the payload. While playing these modes can be fun, the repetitiveness can become apparent to which the game then becomes boring. More game modes could easily fix this problem.

Campaign 

If you have viewed the cinematic shorts Blizzard has provided us with beautiful animations, you would think there would be a campaign, but unfortunately there is not. A campaign would have definitely provided the game with more edge and something to look forward to. 

Loot Boxes

Loot boxes are great. Loot boxes are fun- if you get what you want. Loot boxes on Overwatch have proven to be disappointing. This system is so randomized so awards appear to be all aesthetic. Cool a new logo. Cool a spray for a character you have never used. Do not get me started on voice lines. If only they could fix the system where you would receive items for your most used characters maybe then I would be excited to open a loot box. 

Price

Lastly, the price. Who's idea was it to make video games universally $59.99? On the PC, Overwatch is $40, to which had people confused, "why is it not $40 on consoles?" 

Overall

Overwatch is an amazing experience. It is a nice new fresh taste of a FPS where there is plenty of room for growth. It provides an unique dynamic gameplay that will allow anyone to enjoy it.

Rating: 10/10

I hope my little review was somewhat helpful for those considering on buying it! If you decide to purchase it for the Xbox one (or if you already own it), feel free to add my gamertag: Cupcake Swag.

Do not forget to watch the cinematic shorts!

*All images are my property unless stated otherwise.