Overwatch May Be The Most Addictive Shooter in Years

I seriously cannot stop playing Overwatch. It’s becoming a bit of an issue in all honesty, because I’ve got a great Stephen King book I’m gradually meandering through, but most of my spare time (and, as a student, I’ve got plenty) is spent playing round after round of Blizzard’s incredibly diverse and enjoyable multiplayer shooter. So, for the next 700 words or so, let me tell you why it’s such an addictive game, and why you should be playing it too.

First of all: there’s 22 characters to currently choose from. This number sounds like a lot, and it is, but it’s even more substantial when you realise that practically every single one of these heroes and villains play entirely differently from one another. Aside from a couple of choices that both wield sniper rifles, or two brutes who rely on swinging their weight around for some abilities, the amount of variety allowed is absolutely astonishing.

For example, I’ve spent at least 10 hours playing as Roadhog; the beefy shotgun-wielding bruiser who snags enemies with a vicious hook, only to bring them into range for a killing blow. He’s a load of fun, and not overly complicated to  jump in to. He can be played either when attacking or defending, and his ‘ultimate’ ability has a multitude of uses. But, recently, I decided to try out Reaper. He’s a completely different kind of character (aside from also using shotguns), yet can be far more useful when attacking than Roadhog ever could have been – at least, in my hands. Teleporting around the battlefield, Reaper has much more manoeuvrability than Roadhog, yet lacks the beefy healthbar that allows tanking. Already, just between these two characters, you can see how the gameplay is varied immensely depending on who you choose to play as. Also, bear in mind that, as mentioned, these are just 2 potentials out of 22.

And if you get bored of the 22 to choose from? Blizzard adds more for free! It was only recently that the elderly sniper Ana was added to the roster, and her moveset was as unique and original as any other choice. Not only was she added, but unlike Rainbow Six: Siege, which adds “free” characters, no currency or requirements were needed in order to try her out. Blizzard stated in the past that all of the DLC for Overwatch would be added free of charge, and they’ve more than lived up to their claims. So far we’ve had the aforementioned Ana, then even more recently an Olympics-tied add-on that introduced several new aesthetic bonuses, and now the just-announced Eichenwalde map that is set to be added in the coming weeks. New additions to an already content-heavy game is never a bad thing, and in a sea of pricey DLC, it’s always nice to see a game developer actually give a shit about their devoted fanbase.

If you needed any more convincing about how Blizzard is doing amazing things with their new IP and the relation it has to the community, then look no further than the developer update videos that they release prior to a big patch or shake-up to how the game functions. Having an open dialogue with the fans is such a simple yet often dismissed asset, and it’s pushing Overwatch above and beyond the competition. Hate a feature of the game, like the now-removed coin toss in competitive? Make sure enough people raise the issue, and it will be dealt with. It’s almost unprecedented for a company to have such a good relationship with their playerbase, but the fact Blizzard has managed to is truly commendable.

Frankly, the argument that arose when Overwatch was released, about how it wasn’t “value for money“, is ridiculous. Yes, there are only three modes to play around with, but the variety comes from gameplay adjustments within those parameters. Games like Rocket League are now available for around £10, and yet they receive no criticism when it comes to the price model, because people enjoy them for hours on end. If we applied the rule that £1 should equate to 1 hour of playing, then I’d owe Blizzard a lot of money when it comes to Overwatch. The only justification that I can see for the argument would be if you stuck as a single character for your entire time playing Overwatch, but the expansive roster is there to eliminate exactly that. If, in theory, you cycled through each of the available choices every time you got bored of one, you could eventually return to where you started and begin the cycle anew. I’d go as far to say that, if you wanted to, you could play Overwatch forever. It’s that good, and really gives you value for your money.

I reckon that’s enough gushing for now, because I really want to get back to playing this modern-classic of a multiplayer shooter. If it continues to be updated at the rate it currently is, then I can see Overwatch sticking around for a long time to come. As you can grab it for £40 now, I really cannot recommend it enough. While other titles drop off into obscurity, and become ignored by their developers, Overwatch will only get greater with time. Pick it up now, and enjoy yourself for hours to come.