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Overwatch - Review Thread

J

Jamiaro

Member
Are reviewers afraid of giving a lower score, possibly release hyped or is the game actually that good? Not trying to provoke, just wondering!

I teresting to see how the tone changes after a month or two. Time will tell, I guess.
 
S

Spring Drive

Banned
Tabby said:
7 but editor's choice? I don't follow.
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Google-translated from here:

Some titles are being marked with the logo selection Gamekult.com. A game that gets 8 or more bears the logo, but it is not a generality. Similarly, titles that have a lower score can benefit from our selection, which shows the staff's favorites despite some weaknesses. This is not necessarily a dream game collection -players have different tastes- but our own selection, which is therefore necessarily subjective. An excellent starting point, however, for those who wants to see the major games of a platform -all genres considered
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Hitman and Firewatch got a 6 + Gamekult's selection
 
Braag

Braag

Member
Toxi said:
Why is this a bad thing?
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Cause different skins are far more interesting than simple color swaps. Genji is one of my favorite heroes and he has mostly just color swaps with only 1 unique skin apart from his default one.
 
jediyoshi

jediyoshi

Member
Braag said:
Cause different skins are far more interesting than simple color swaps. Genji is one of my favorite heroes and he has mostly just color swaps with only 1 unique skin apart from his default one.
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Not counting Origins, that's objectively not true. Every hero has 6 variations of their base skin, and then 2 unique skins with a variation for both. It's identical all the way through. You also didn't actually list why it's inherently a con rather than why, relative to unique skins, they're anything more than just less interesting. The takeaway from your post is that you'd rather not see them period which is just a net loss in total skins.
 
Rookje

Rookje

Member
OW is a great game. It meets the hype and should be well reviewed.

However, I think there are issues with the game... and none of the reviews point them out:

- There's too many one-shots in the game. You can be headshot by Torbjorn's gun (not his turret). Hanzo's hitbox seems insanely huge, and the split arrow feels cheesy when you get one shot by it. I don't mind being headshot by a sniper if it required aim and skill, but that's not often the case. It's usually by an ultimate that has little counterplay or setup. The ultimates ride the line between making the player feel cool and overpowered, and making the game feel gimmicky and without counterplay. It's a similar feeling of playing smash brothers with items on and without. The ultimates sort of feel like the Pokeball in Smash.

- Balance is really hard, but the metagame when you climb MMR feels like you should be constantly changing your heroes. Changing heroes gives the player ultimate freedom to change what's happening. Feel that Genji is OP? Now you can be Genji! That Tracer becoming a problem? Choose Winston! Etc. That's great, and definitely reduces the outcries of balance problems in the game since you have the power. But the constant requirement to change heroes is also exhausting and becomes a dominant part of the game.

- The maps lack decent call outs. Everything seems same-ish. When you see a sniper, and your team asks where they're at... it's hard to come up with an answer. "Uh... the building to the left!" More care to colors, textures and structures would of helped here. "The toy shop!" or the "Bell tower!" would of been better call outs. I realize this is also a problem in other games, which is why call outs turn into "Long B" and "House A" etc. but OW should of went further to try to make them intuitive.
 
T

TheYanger

Member
Rookje said:
OW is a great game. It meets the hype and should be well reviewed.

However, I think there are issues with the game... and none of the reviews point them out:

- There's too many one-shots in the game. You can be headshot by Torbjorn's gun (not his turret). Hanzo's hitbox seems insanely huge, and the split arrow feels cheesy when you get one shot by it. I don't mind being headshot by a sniper if it required aim and skill, but that's not often the case. It's usually by an ultimate that has little counterplay or setup. The ultimates ride the line between making the player feel cool and overpowered, and making the game feel gimmicky and without counterplay. It's a similar feeling of playing smash brothers with items on and without. The ultimates sort of feel like the Pokeball in Smash.

- Balance is really hard, but the metagame when you climb MMR feels like you should be constantly changing your heroes. Changing heroes gives the player ultimate freedom to change what's happening. Feel that Genji is OP? Now you can be Genji! That Tracer becoming a problem? Choose Winston! Etc. That's great, and definitely reduces the outcries of balance problems in the game since you have the power. But the constant requirement to change heroes is also exhausting and becomes a dominant part of the game.

- The maps lack decent call outs. Everything seems same-ish. When you see a sniper, and your team asks where they're at... it's hard to come up with an answer. "Uh... the building to the left!" More care to colors, textures and structures would of helped here. "The toy shop!" or the "Bell tower!" would of been better call outs. I realize this is also a problem in other games, which is why call outs turn into "Long B" and "House A" etc. but OW should of went further to try to make them intuitive.
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- Saying the ults don't have counterplay, means you haven't begun to scratch the skill ceiling yet in the least. You know what all the ults do, when they're likely to come, and where to watch for them. You also have ults.

- You don't have to 'constantly' change heroes. That's as much a misconception as the notiuon that you never should change that people have. It's somewhere in the middle. Many matches you won't change at all.


-the maps have plenty of places to callout. You say 'the toy shop' or 'the belltower' as examples, yet those EXACT sorts of places are on the maps here. These sorts of names for locations are learned by the community over time, short of there being a big popup thats displays "THE TOY SHOP" on your map that's just how it's going to be even if they have official names and everything. Stuff like "The Computer Room" on Hollywood is perfectly understandable to anyone who knows the map when you're on point A for example.
 
O

Odrion

Banned
TheYanger said:
The fact that you guys think Pharah doesn't have anything but shift is exactly the kind of 'complexity' that shows you haven't begun to peel any of the layers back. Pharah has concussion boosting, as well as rockets, yes she has shift but there is more to use than that. Similarly, the routes have one or two OBVIOUS flanking routes that any character can just wander around, but all kinds of fucking crazy ways to get around for the more mobile members of the cast, which are myriad. This means whether you're playing them or not you have to learn about them just to know what can be going on.

Sorry, but Soldier does not have 'a ton' more depth than Pharah. He has a rocket launcher, of standard FPS variety, shotgun, and a shovel. Pharah has the same rocket launcher (A little closer to the direct hit, TBH, in terms of splash/speed, which actually makes it harder to spam and get good results without some semblance of aim), the boost, the float, the concussion (which you can use for various 'rocket jump' tricks of VASTLY higher propulsion levels) etc. You can claim rocket jumping is some complex strat, and it IS a skill, but it's not secretly akin to having 20 more abilities.
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The soldier's toolkit and the mechanics around Team Fortress 2 is vastly more complex. You are talking about a single gun that does everything Pharah's toolkit does and isn't tied to a lengthy cooldown. A cooldown that puts a ceiling on how much you can combo Pharah's abilities.

A dynamic that, after spending hundreds of hours learning, makes the soldier a incredibly mobile and versatile flanker. You're talking about gaining muscle memory on where to shoot, when to jump, when to crouch, and memorizing item placement because now you're in the air with less ammo and health. Rocket jumping is very difficult to master and the extent of how far you can push the mechanic is immense. How much Team Fortress 2 have you played?

God, and don't get me started on Junkrat. "Oh, he can bounce of his mine!" Dudes, have you ever seen a sticky jumping video?

So whatever, I've played a bunch of both games and the skill ceiling in Overwatch is much lower. That's okay, sometimes we like lite and accessible things. The lower ceiling means my friends are playing it too.
 
V

valeo

Member
Odrion said:
The soldier's toolkit and the mechanics around Team Fortress 2 is vastly more complex. You are talking about a single gun that does everything Pharah's toolkit does and isn't tied to a lengthy cooldown. A cooldown that puts a ceiling on how much you can combo Pharah's ability.

A dynamic that, after spending hundreds of hours learning, makes the soldier a incredibly mobile and versatile flanker. You're talking about gaining muscle memory on where to shoot, when to jump, when to crouch, and memorizing item placement because now you're in the air with less ammo and health. Rocket jumping is very difficult to master and the extent of how far you can push the mechanic is far. How much Team Fortress 2 have you played?

God, and don't get me started on Junkrat. "Oh, he can bounce of his mine!" Dudes, have you ever seen a sticky jumping video?

So whatever, I've played a bunch of both games and the skill ceiling is much lower. That's okay, sometimes we like lite and accessible things. The lower ceiling means my friends are playing it too.
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I'd have to agree with this.

I will say that TF2 has had a far longer time to get to that stage, however. People weren't doing fancy rocket jumps when it first came out. We'll wait and see if Overwatch progresses.
 
O

Odrion

Banned
RevenWolf said:
Pretty much this, the maps are designed with the fact that more than half the cast has some form of crazy mobility.

The maps are incredibly more complex in comparison to tf2 as a result. The amount of angles you can get on an opponent depend entirely on your creativity and ingenuity.
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First off, that sentiment that classes with CRAZY mobility makes simple maps more complex seems flawed. But I don't think it matters much because

Secondly, TF2's classes with mobility mechanics are crazy mobile. seriously, watch a rocket jumping or sticky jumping video. Or be a scout, or be a spy who can take paths through a map in ways no one else can because they can stealth and disguise.

Thirdly, show me a map in Overwatch that is even close to the complexity of cp_steel. You can't. You can't even find one that's half as complex.
 
T

Toxi

Banned
Odrion said:
Thirdly, show me a map in Overwatch that is even close to the complexity of cp_steel. You can't. You can't even find one that's half as complex.
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Steel is kinda an extreme example though (Like tc_hydro, except cp_steel is actually fun).
 
O

orthodoxy1095

Banned
gameranx - 10/10
Overwatch is a carefully curated ship in a bottle made from some of gaming’s best new ideas.
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Arcade Sushi - 9.5/10
In a genre full of dour shootymans using realistic guns to shoot at realistic people, Overwatch polishes off the grit to reveal a game that's optimistic and eager to be explored. This is a world you'll want to stay in, bring your friends to, and keep coming back to for years to come.
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V

valeo

Member
The maps in Overwatch are extremely simple. They have some verticality because they have to due to mobility options; but the actual layouts and the paths you can take to get around the enemy are very basic.

It kinda has to be this way, though, because many characters have the ability to completely break traditional map design.
 
M

MasterMongoose

Member
Played for about 90 minutes today, and had a blast. I can't even imagine actually playing with people you know!

Interesting how finally the BUT NO SP! crowd is starting to have less say. I loved Titanfall- easily the first "Next gen" feeling game to me- and thought Battlefront was nifty, but I don't think tacking on a 4 hour campaign that wastes a ton of dev time would have made either better.

But! I think some cool co-op vs AI action would be sweet!

Overwatch is awesome though. Hats off to Blizzard. They know what they're doing in almost game they make.
 
D

Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
Got my friend to buy it, that's one more hero for the cause.
 
O

orthodoxy1095

Banned
HighDefDigest - 4.5/5
Despite Blizzard’s untested pedigree in the realm of shooters, they have managed to craft one of the best entries in this generation. As a critic a big part of my work is to find flaws, and I had a tough job with this game. 'Overwatch' is loud, it’s fast, it’s audacious, and it is a welcome shot in the arm in a flagging genre.
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Gaming Trend - 95/100
Easily one of the most necessary multiplayer experiences of the last few years, and a shot across the bow at shooters complacent in their defined expectations: whatever you do, Overwatch does it better.
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God is a Geek - 9.5/10
While I do have concerns over its longevity on consoles and it can be incredibly frustrating at times, Overwatch is an incredible shooter and one of the most fun games I’ve played in years.
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The Guardian - 5/5
It’s fast and fun, with an air of unadulterated joy throughout. And yes, that’s true of Team Fortress 2 as well. But can you really have too much of a good thing?
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TheSixthAxis - 9/10
For multiplayer aficionados, Overwatch is essential. It’s the kind of game worth sacrificing entire evenings to play and the kind of game you won’t be able to stop thinking about, even when you’re away.
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Lazygamer - 9/10
When I’m playing Overwatch, time magically disappears into oblivion. For a game that has rounds lasting just a handful of minutes, the hours do sure fly away very, very quickly…
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VideoGamer - 9/10
This is a game that performs superbly; the design is so tight it probably steals toilet roll from hotels and would never lend you a fiver, and it's an enormous amount of fun.
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DualShockers - 9.5/10
The bottom line is Overwatch is an amazing starting place for a platform that will undoubtedly operating for years to come. But, just like any other major online game, there are a few stumbling points that will undoubtedly be addressed in the following months.
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Daily Dot - 4.5/5
Overwatch is filled with the same level of personality that all Blizzard games present, and it has the same high level of holistic quality.
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COGConnected - 98/100
To sum it up, Overwatch is absolutely deserving of the majority of the praise it’s receiving.
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RPS
Overwatch already feels as timeless as Blizzard’s other games, and it feels weird to realize that this is the first time we’ve seen any of these heroes. I definitely have some concerns about where Overwatch will be headed in the future, but I’m not thinking about that as I teleport across the map as Tracer. No, I’m thinking about how I’m going to get behind that Bastion to take that asshole down. I’m thinking about how good it’s going to feel seeing him crumple into metal parts. I’m thinking about how much fun I’m having. The one thing I’m not thinking about? Going to bed.
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Polygon - 8/10
Some issues, like a dissatisfying progression system and a hostility to solo players, hinder the overall experience, but core of Overwatch remains strong throughout. It's an easy recommendation to make, so long as you've got some friends to back you up.
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S

SmartWaffles

Member
My review for VGTime.com (Chinese):

9/10

Overwatch is a strong display of Blizzard's brilliant abilities in game design, attention to detail and production value, it might be the product of the failure that is Titan, but we feel lucky that Overwatch is here, as it is one of the most refreshing FPS gaming experiences we've had, and is a worthy new entry to Blizzard's legendary catalog.

Pros:
+Diverse and engaging character roster
+Gameplay depth brought by character switching system
+Friendly environment
+Fantastic art design and production value
+Great map design

Cons:
-Console version is a little overpriced
 
D

Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
I think it's a solid 8.5/10 for me, the only thing stopping me giving it a 9/10 is the lack of modes, 2 unique modes and a mish mash is light however you spin it. It's extremely fun and there's nothing wrong with it so a high score is a given.
 
S

Sinistral

Member
St3v3 said:
I think it's a solid 8.5/10 for me, the only thing stopping me giving it a 9/10 is the lack of modes, 2 unique modes and a mish mash is light however you spin it. It's extremely fun and there's nothing wrong with it so a high score is a given.
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I agree about the play modes issue after playing the retail for a few days now. I'd give it a 6.5 though. Payload and Capture the Point being the only map objectives are a really sore spot for me as I lose interest after a few matches whenever I play. I would have like to have seen some original and/or more diverse modes. Are there any plans for this? Everything else is solid, except maybe the T2K (time to kill) being on the short side.
 
D

Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
Sinistral said:
I agree about the play modes issue after playing the retail for a few days now. I'd give it a 6.5 though. Payload and Capture the Point being the only map objectives are a really sore spot for me as I lose interest after a few matches whenever I play. I would have like to have seen some original and/or more diverse modes. Are there any plans for this? Everything else is solid, except maybe the T2K (time to kill) being on the short side.
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Well it's Blizzard, you can almost guarantee we'll see new maps, modes and heroes this year and beyond. They have said they'll be using the Weekly Brawl to test potential modes, I guess if the community really latches onto one of them they'll add it permanently.
 
P

Pai Pai Master

Banned
While I'm happy with the variety we have for the launch version of the game, and id be fine with some more traditional fps type modes, I hope they have something big and really innovative in the plans for year 2 or so. The game, as is, can definitely keep me satisfied for a long ass time as long as we get a steady dripfeed of new heroes and maps and such.

Id really like to see something like UT's Assault mode, or something with some interesting scenarios that can make use of the world and lore.
 
F

Fixed2BeBroken

Member
As a free-to-play title, I’d have no problems with the grinding and micro-transactions, but these mechanics in a feature-lite, full priced title, mar the overall experience for me.
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shit like this in the CGMagazine review is stupid to me.

There is no grinding in this game. the unlocks are ALL cosmetic and practically useless essentially. you are getting the FULL game up front. all characters, maps and abilities. UNLIKE all other "grind and unlock" type multiplayer games.

SmartWaffles said:
My review for VGTime.com (Chinese):

9/10

Overwatch is a strong display of Blizzard's brilliant abilities in game design, attention to detail and production value, it might be the product of the failure that is Titan, but we feel lucky that Overwatch is here, as it is one of the most refreshing FPS gaming experiences we've had, and is a worthy new entry to Blizzard's legendary catalog.

Pros:
+Diverse and engaging character roster
+Gameplay depth brought by character switching system
+Friendly environment
+Fantastic art design and production value
+Great map design

Cons:
-Console version is a little overpriced
Click to expand...

Cool review... but how is it a little overpriced (console version)? like, how are you measuring that exactly?
 
S

SmartWaffles

Member
Fixed2BeBroken said:
shit like this in the CGMagazine review is stupid to me.

There is no grinding in this game. the unlocks are ALL cosmetic and practically useless essentially. you are getting the FULL game up front. all characters, maps and abilities. UNLIKE all other "grind and unlock" type multiplayer games.



Cool review... but how is it a little overpriced (console version)? like, how are you measuring that exactly?
Click to expand...

Actually I personally do not feel that way since it is reviewed on PC by me, but you have to factor in that although the origins edition do pack in some additional goodies like unlocks for other Blizzard titles, for a lot of players, these are somewhat useless, as not all of them also play Blizzard games on PC.
 
F

Fixed2BeBroken

Member
SmartWaffles said:
Actually I personally do not feel that way since it is reviewed on PC by me, but you have to factor in that although the origins edition do pack in some additional goodies like unlocks for other Blizzard titles, for a lot of players, these are somewhat useless, as not all of them also play Blizzard games on PC.
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Right, but it's only $40.00 if you buy it digitally from Blizzard Directly.

If you buy the PC version retail, it's $60.00 too.

you can't get it for $40.00 except from blizzard directly digitally. so it makes sense that they discounted due to that reason.
 
S

SmartWaffles

Member
Fixed2BeBroken said:
Right, but it's only $40.00 if you buy it digitally from Blizzard Directly.

If you buy the PC version retail, it's $60.00 too.

you can't get it for $40.00 except from blizzard directly digitally. so it makes sense that they discounted due to that reason.
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The vast majority (I can bet it is over 90%) of Blizzard's PC sales are digital though. I guess the biggest reason for the $60 price tag on consoles is solely due to how physical releases work, as they won't have as much money to earn from a $40 retail release.
 
thelastword

thelastword

Banned
I'm definitely interested in this game, glad it's doing well, but there was another game I saw in beta recently, it's very fast paced like COD, but the characters used ziplines all over the place, lots of vertical/aerial gameplay tactics. I don't think it was as cartoony as this one, does anybody know what game that was.
 
thelastword

thelastword

Banned
『Inaba Resident』;204901929 said:
Lawbreakers?
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Money....thanks a tonne, that's it.....

I think, I'm going to get overwatch on PC, that type of artstyle deserves the best IQ and highest resolutions. This should look amazing at 4k.
 
F

Fixed2BeBroken

Member
SmartWaffles said:
The vast majority (I can bet it is over 90%) of Blizzard's PC sales are digital though. I guess the biggest reason for the $60 price tag on consoles is solely due to how physical releases work, as they won't have as much money to earn from a $40 retail release.
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that's exactly what it is. Because they gotta pay Sony/MS and retail thus why it's 60 and not 40 at retail, but its also why the PC version is 60 at retail due to it being retail. So with that logic, how is it overpriced for Consoles? its the same Price for PC if you purchase at retail and you seem to understand why it's that price.

Servbot24 said:
Reviews aren't meant to be measurements. They're feelings and perspectives.
Click to expand...

but im not talking about his review being a measurement. if you read what I said, I was asking how he measured the fact that it was a bit overpriced for consoles?
 
S

SmartWaffles

Member
Fixed2BeBroken said:
that's exactly what it is. Because they gotta pay Sony/MS and retail thus why it's 60 and not 40 at retail, but its also why the PC version is 60 at retail due to it being retail. So with that logic, how is it overpriced for Consoles? its the same Price for PC if you purchase at retail and you seem to understand why it's that price.



but im not talking about his review being a measurement. if you read what I said, I was asking how he measured the fact that it was a bit overpriced for consoles?
Click to expand...

PC players have options and if they choose to pay $60 it is because they want to, console players do not.
 
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