As it has been proven several times, games from Blizzard belong to the top products you can play when you switch on your console or PC. This is something that players and fans all over the world know very well. The company has started a lot of projects during the past years and they managed to nearly control the video game industry. A couple of years ago, it released a great card game Hearthstone followed by Heroes of the Storm which became the fourth most popular MOBA game. And the same fortune is most probably waiting for the new FPS entitled as Overwatch.

The reviewed version is PS4 but the game was released for Windows and Xbox One as well.

The cavalry is here! 

Overwatch had a really good starting position already before the release because it was expected a high quality. Despite this fact, some of the players were still critical and a bit afraid of the final product. However, when the beta started all the worries disappeared as if by magic.

Heroes never die!

It is quite simple to explain the principle of Overwatch. The game is an online FPS where players are divided into two teams composed of 6 members (12 in total). All the playable characters (23 heroes) represent one of four possible roles – attacker, defender, tank or support. But don’t be confused, every hero is different with various abilities, positive and negative attributes and, obviously, with the unique position in the game. However, you can freely change the heroes anytime you want in every match to adapt the actual situation which makes Overwatch so dynamic and catchy.

We are all soldiers now..

In terms of graphics, Blizzard keeps its typical style. The game looks like it is a bit simplified due to the comics design but in fact, developers spend a lot of time with details, such as characters’ animations, weapon skins or shapes and, also, talks of individual heroes.

The same words of praise can be related to maps. The latest update (2.0 at the time of this review) expands the collection to 13 maps where you can enjoy 4 basic modes. But to be honest, two of them are just permutations of the two previous ones.

Control maps are based on capturing key points by teams until the better one conquers the whole map and wins the game. A very similar permutation can be played on Assault maps where only one team captures the key point while the second team acts as a defender trying to prevent their opponents to conquer the map.

During the Escort mode, the attacking team is supposed to protect a cart (called payload) until it reaches the winning point. On the other hand, the defenders must do their best to stop the payload before it comes to the final destination. And to complete the list, the last mode is a kind of combination of Assault and Escort – this time, you have to firstly capture the key point where the payload is already waiting for you and, again, for your help during the way to the end of the map.

It’s high noon.

The overall impression is unbelievably great and Overwatch is still getting better and better thanks to expanding fan base, e-sports or future plans.

The only drawback is the system of microtransactions since the game is not free to play. On the other hand, these transactions are not obligatory and it is only up to you if you spend your money for a magic box (lootbox) or you are patient enough to wait until you get it for every new level. The good thing is that lootboxes do not favour any players because they give you “only” skins, gestures or similar visual things.

At the end of every game, four best players are chosen together with the best moment of the match called as POTG (play of the game). This means that even though you lose but you manage to heal five playmates by an ultimate ability Mercy, the feeling of satisfaction is often stronger than the sadness caused by your loss.

24. 11. 2016 20:47