Overwatch 2 Was A Mistake

BlizzConline , the first online-only Blizzard fan convention, runs February 19-20. Fans can expect some big reveals an new details about upcoming games, including Diablo Immortal , Diablo 4, Overwatch 2, and WoW updates 9.1 and 9.2. Unfortunately, a fourth-quarter earnings call has revealed that Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 Patch Notes 2 are not expected to launch in 20

But once the sequel was announced the well started to dry up. We used to get three new heroes every year. In 2020, we only got Echo and she was confirmed to be the last new hero until Overwatch 2 arrives . We also used to get some new maps every year, but we only got Havana in 2019 and Kanezaka this year (and that's a deathmatch-only map so who cares about that.) Even the events have felt half-hearted as they've added nothing but new title screens with some old modes recycled and maybe slightly retooled. The only reason we even get new skins anymore is so Blizzard can still rake in that sweet lootbox mo

I can tell you firsthand why this is a huge blunder from Blizzard. I used to play a lot of Overwatch. It became a nightly ritual to log on, meet up with the large group of friends who gathered online to play, and run through multiple rounds of competitive matches. One of the reasons why we all kept playing was because the game felt like it was always changing. We'd get a new character like Sombra or Orisa. Or a new map would be added to the rotation. Or we'd get a big seasonal event that would add in a new game mode and a bunch of unlockable skins. It felt like a game that kept giving and giving more so than any other game I'd played at the t

The whole premise of Overwatch 2 is to offer a campaign. It’s not going to reinvent multiplayer, which is already a successful esport and will likely stay the exact same aside from the kind of regular updates we get now. All I want is for Overwatch 2’s campaign to be a blown-up version of Archives, though, as opposed to something that is emphatically single-player or something that incentivizes over-competing. I want it to give you plenty of opportunities to pull off a sick Barrage, but I don’t want Valkyrie or Coalescence to become pointless vs bots with stupid AI. I want there to be actual reasons for choosing to play as Winston instead of Hanzo, or Lucio instead of Tracer. I want maps that allow for the kind of absurd synergy you see in Assault on Volskaya, as opposed to just arbitrary ult-spamming in the middle of a wave-based minig

Jumpers also seem to have an intense effect on friendly Omnics when destroyed, thanks to Overwatch 2's new chain-hit reactions system. One clip in Blizzard's video shows the player gunning down a Jumper, which then explodes and bowls into a group of Omnic Grunts. Sw

Much time is dedicated to the Breacher drones, an objective unit that carries an explosive orb towards an objective. Most of the shots featuring a Breacher show the Omnic as a bright red robot. A few concept art illustrations, however, show the unit resplendent in Null Sector pur

This has us wondering just what other sorts of colorful maps will be added and revamped to this epic sequel. With nearly 2 dozen stages already featured between Assault, Escort, and Control, there is no shortage of fun choices Overwatch 2 can draw from. Let's take a look at 5 of the stand-out maps we'd love to see in the sequel, and 5 duds that are probably best left beh

Endwalker will feature two new job roles, though only one has been revealed so far. The Sage is a new healer-type that protects party members using barriers. While the other new role wasn't detailed, director Yoshida revealed that it would be a melee DPS class. Other additions in the new expansion include a higher level cap, new areas to explore, and a new tribe of Beastmen called the Arkasodara tribe of the Mata

So many people are focusing on what the story might be, or how a campaign might look based on the tidbits of lore we’ve garnered from short films and comics. I’d like to learn more about Reinhardt, sure, but that’s not what Overwatch 2 needs to be. It needs a refined combat loop that offers you the same thrills of Competitive play, but in co-op

This map is considered a classic for a reason—it's both thematically neat and well-crafted in its overall level design. This Hybrid map possesses all sorts of nooks and crannies for DPS-minded players to take advantage

But in online play - specifically, PvP - this isn’t how it works. Unless you’ve got a full six-stack made up of you and your friends, chances are people won’t care much about cooperating. And so, that entire aspect of Overwatch that I love - knowing my main inside out and fulfilling my role in tandem with the characters I’m surrounded by - dissipates into thin

Basically, I don’t think a fixed, single-player campaign is going to work for Overwatch 2, if that’s what Blizzard is currently planning. On the flip side, a robust hero shooter with an emphasis on cooperative play could do phenomenally well. I’m thinking of Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer, where you get to choose a type of enemy, a map, and a difficulty. After that you consciously work with your teammates to take on waves of baddies while completing a variety of objectives. It’s so simple, and yet so effective, because the moment-to-moment satisfaction is completely tied to using your abilities. I still think playing as an Asari Vanguard in Mass Effect 3 was the most fun I’ve ever had in a multiplayer game - it’s a shame BioWare isn’t bringing it back for Mass Effect: Legendary Edit