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‘Overwatch’ Reviews: Does Blizzard Have A Hit First-Person Shooter?

By Bryan Star
Published on: 08:49 PST, May 29, 2016

Overwatch has finally hit consoles and PCs, and players have finally had their chance to pull the trigger on the first-person shooter from Blizzard.

Reviews for Overwatch have been largely positive, especially considering the unique way that first-person shooters have been approached by Blizzard. Set across a little over 10 maps, the game thrusts players onto a battlefield that yields different objectives depending on what side of the skirmish players are on. There are some goals that involve protecting a payload as the opposing team attempts to interrupt its delivery, and there are some missions that require the defense of a key point on the player’s map. Not only does every battle feel different, but every player gets to go head-to-head with a different character jumping in at any given time.

The beauty of Overwatch’s characters is the fact that each plays differently, lending abilities and a plethora of ways to fight to either side of the ground. According to IGN, there are 21 playable characters in the game. This grants diversity to the overall experience, and every encounter has to be met with a different strategy based on composition. There are multiple roles that each character can pick up. Tanks defend points and bolster the defense of the team, while support and healer characters keep the team alive long enough to accomplish each objective. While a team of damaging characters can mow down the opposition, Overwatch is best played with a mix of roles to achieve the best results.

The most recognizable character in Overwatch is Tracer, whose quick and evasive ways make her an annoyance to deal with. Bastion, a robot that is able to turn into a turret, mows down enemies who make the wrong turn and find themselves at the end of its barrels. Genji, the ninja assassin armed with shurikens, has the ability to deflect bullets back at the shooter. There are many other characters in Overwatch, giving players the challenge of learning multiple members of the cast to broaden gameplay with each instance. If it appears that a battle is too difficult, players are able to switch their main hero and rejoin the fray using a hero that better suits the situation.

The reviews for Overwatch also praise how smooth the game is, especially on PC. It’s reported by PCGamer that the visuals are highly customizable, allowing players to adjust the visual aspect of the game if they’re playing on computer. While some prefer to play on consoles, it doesn’t appear to change the overall gameplay experience of Overwatch and its futuristic, cartoonish feel.

It appears that Overwatch players are more easily able to communicate with a keyboard through PC because of the option to talk in a chat box. It appears that consoles lack such a feature, though voice chat is still an option available to them. There is no word on if this will change, but console users also have the choice to use a dialogue box to have their characters voice their needs

Some critics who have reviewed Overwatch are calling it an excellent addition to the world of first-person shooters. Even if casually interested, it seems that this game is a must-have for those who are fans of characters that are over the top and individually unique in design. Every ability’s visual is robust, and the characters have personalities that show throughout each battle; characters are quick to spit one-liners after a kill or with the use of their cooldowns. Each battle yields experience and gold, allowing players to purchase loot crates that yield skins and other goodies to enhance the replay value of Overwatch.

How do you feel about Overwatch? Do you think that the game has lived up to the hype so far? Let us know in the comments section below.

[Image via Blizzard]

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