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So Blizzard announced their latest IP:Overwatch
6 versus 6 team online, FPS-match style from the looks of it for PC only; no console based version for now.
Trailer: Overwatch Cinematic
Gameplay: Action/Character Movie
Now, the hype train is starting and Blizzard loves to make a great splash to releases. There won't be a Beta until "vaguely" 2015, so who knows what the game will look like by release in what...2-3 years from now? It looks like really cool now, but will be curious how much it changes for better and worse.
That being said, it does seem to have a positive vibe. Going Super-hero style for an FPS is a somewhat fresher than your traditional military or sci-fi shooter approach. There seems to be an emphasis on fun (how can a game not be fun with a super-gorilla PC?), and the designers have mentioned that there will be no "death-match" mode and more team-objective goals.
So - not overwhelmed but interested to see if Blizzard pull off something other than Diablo, WOW, or StarCraft.
It's about time Team Fortress 3 was announced.
Note this isn't an insult like some people seem to intend it to be. Valve has royally f$~*ed up TF2 in recent years so a new dev team for a similar game with cool, unique characters and asymmetrically balanced team and objective based shooter goodness is awesome.
Hanzo, Tracer, Zenyatta, and Reaper look like great fun, and the rest don't look half bad either.
Yea - Hanzo, Mercy, and Tracer were top of my list, although I like the bruiser types in Winston and Reinhardt as well.
The only problem I see with Reaper is that with that bad-ass gunplay/stealth ability I could I see him getting overplayed (and possibly overpowered) once this thing starts rolling. They may all be incredibly powered, so it is just a hunch based on that he looks like the only stealther in the group.
Yea - Hanzo, Mercy, and Tracer were top of my list, although I like the bruiser types in Winston and Reinhardt as well.
The only problem I see with Reaper is that with that bad-ass gunplay/stealth ability I could I see him getting overplayed (and possibly overpowered) once this thing starts rolling. They may all be incredibly powered, so it is just a hunch based on that he looks like the only stealther in the group.
Yeah, he may have the Spy/Sniper problem (he's the cool Stealth killer class, newbs flock to those), but he has the added benefit of looking like he might also be useful for general combat (which TF2's Sniper and Spy are not), which prevents somewhat the issue of people bad with him being useless (like inexperienced Sniper/Spy players) and dragging the team down.
Depends on the kind of learning curve he has.
Just what we need. More multiplayer games.
Do you like anything?
This looks cool.
Tracer is my instant favorite with dual pistols and teleport... but if the learning curve is too sharp I may have to settle for a more laid back character like Widowmaker with a zip line and sniper rifle.
Yes. A lot of things. Pathfinder being chef among them.
I'm not saying I'm not gonna play it. I just would like a good SP game to come out from my favorite game company.
Has Blizzard EVER made a truly single player game? I'm not familiar with their full portfolio, but the Starcrafts, WoW, Diablos, and I believe old Warcrafts (since the original DoTA is a thing) all had multiplayer.
I just want a good SP element, not one thrown in just for the sake of having one.
The thing is, following the Blizzard details that have been released, it looks like Overwatch may have been a reworking of a seven-year project called Titan.
They apparently had been working on Titan as a new MMO type game with storyline elements attached as well. According to the developers, they "just didn't find it fun," and the success of Hearthstone apparently made them feel like every game didn't have to be a "big ambitious game" to be fun and interesting.
So, speculatively, there may have been way more to Overwatch's story, but it looks like Blizzard chunked it all and kept the PVP element only for development as the best part. If the larger game would have given more details on the world of Overwatch - which seems interesting, I could see wanting to play it. But give them credit for not pushing a poor game through just for the sake of it - all the interviews make it sound like they struggled to accept that what they were doing may have been overly ambitious.
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All their games have had good single player campaigns. Starcraft was brilliant, Warcraft and Diablo as well. I don't see the "tacked on" SP games, rather MP was the tacked on parts until pretty recently. Even with their increased focus on MP with, say, SC2, the SP campaigns are brilliant.
Has Blizzard EVER made a truly single player game?
Tend to agree with Sissyl in that most of their first game of the franchises - the first StarCraft, the Warcrafts, and the first Diablo - were more single player story with MP added second. I feel like the success of StarCraft's multi-player is what really got Blizzard going on that front.
I would suggest that maybe StarCraft:Ghost would have been a pure single-player game if it had been released. That's a game that seemed on the verge of being published when Blizzard pulled the plug. It's that kind of last-minute turn of events that makes me speculative of Overwatch at this point as well.
Diablo was very clearly not made for MP, indeed even trading items to someone else was a massive effort in Hellfire (which wasn't Blizzard either).
Does the fact that Diablo can be played completely single player not good enough to qualify?Has Blizzard EVER made a truly single player game? I'm not familiar with their full portfolio, but the Starcrafts, WoW, Diablos, and I believe old Warcrafts (since the original DoTA is a thing) all had multiplayer.Yes. A lot of things. Pathfinder being chef among them.
I'm not saying I'm not gonna play it. I just would like a good SP game to come out from my favorite game company.
It doesn't seem like they were INTENDED to be purely SP. Much like Borderlands, the game loses much of its fun with only one person.
Diablo I was fully SP. That answers the question, but of course, is ancient history by now.
So was going back this morning to watch the cinematic. Thing I noticed is that there were/are clearly more characters in the mix besides the original 12 we've seen - maybe 14 if you count the Wolverine Cowboy and Mecha-man that are so highly profiled (@0:47).
Guessing that they rehashed the cancelled game's artwork and materials to setup a narrative framework around the PVP element. So if the game is successful, my speculation is that they probably have a bunch of extra characters and arenas to add down the line.
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Diablo I was fully SP. That answers the question, but of course, is ancient history by now.
Diablo 1 had a fully realized single player game, but I remember also playing Diablo 1 in a multiplayer game with a friend.
Overwatch looks pretty good to me so far. I seem to enjoy the quirky Blizzard humor and character designs quite a bit.
Right now, it looks pretty awesome, but then, blizzard always makes it's games look awesome before release.
Diablo I got MP with Hellfire, IIRC.
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I thought the cinematic trailer was as good as any Pixar trailer I've ever seen (in some cases even better) and I found myself, after watching it, sad that this was for a game and not an animated movie.
It's likely a game I'll not play as squad based pvp shooters are one of the genres I'm arguably the WORST at, but even this early in the design stages it looks promising.
I typically don't like this style of play, but this game looks really fun.
I thought the cinematic trailer was as good as any Pixar trailer I've ever seen (in some cases even better) and I found myself, after watching it, sad that this was for a game and not an animated movie.
LOL - know that feeling. My young nephew was watching it with me the other day and thought it was a trailer for an Incredibles sequel at first.
So - in case anyone is still curious, looks like Overwatch continues to develop for a Beta release this year. They announced Two more characters and another map added to the upcoming game.
One is the gunslinger character seen so prominently in the cinematic video; the other is a tank class with explosive/short-range damage attacks.
The Team Fortress analogies aside, the game's characters and the background continues to look interesting. Blizzard seems to feel they can expand the game's potential to do a lot more if it proves successful.
The folks at Blizzard have been quietly releasing Live Gameplay Footage of all the characters that give a better feel for how each character plays.
Good part is that you can really start to see how powerful some characters are in combat or support roles. Although I have been trying to ignore the commentary, it does have a TF2 vibe moreso than ever. My big surprise is that some classes aren't as overpowered s I thought. I'm not necessary thrilled with how chaotic the games seems to get - a little too twitchy in terms of combat at times.
The "twitchiness" problem is because of the locked 90 degree field of view. It makes me a bit nauseous after a while, and a lot of people have even worse reactions unfortunately, but Blizzard says they have no plans to allow a customized FoV setting.
A wider field of view makes everything appear ever so slightly slower since they aren't disappearing off your screen so quickly.
The more I see of it the less like TF2 it looks, but it still looks hella fun. Overwatch looks a lot like a MOBA/Shooter cross with more emphasis on the game changing power of "Supers" in controlling the objective than a somewhat rock/paper/scissors-esque class design and skill.
Overwatch looks a lot like a MOBA/Shooter cross with more emphasis on the game changing power of "Supers" in controlling the objective than a somewhat rock/paper/scissors-esque class design and skill.
Yea, in that it bears a similarity to me to Destiny's PVP - a super ability to change the tide of combat, but not foolproof. Watching the videos, sometimes they aren't as effective as they were initially painted in the power demos.
Just bringing this up again since a lot has developed since the last post. Lots more characters; lots more abilities; and quite a few more maps than I expected when they first started talking about the game.
I haven't had a chance to experience the winter/spring Beta, but everything I have seen or read implies its a great deal of fun despite a heavy dose of hype.
There's been a thread of controversy over what was considered an overt sexualizing of one of the characters (Tracer) due a "butt-pose" that the developers quickly addressed. Aside from that, I would say they've done a good job creating a broad spectrum of characters and interesting power sets. There is a ton of cosmetic looks and designs that are unlockable and pretty cool. While none of it really critical, it certainly appeals to a customization feel of you are of that mindset.
What's got me just as interested is that they have been developing a lot of background on the people; places; and history of the Overwatch world. There has already been quite a bit written and a few "origin story" videos released. They have been adding new backstory vignettes on the characters in what will be an 8-part series. They have released two so far. This goes back to the fact, I think, that Blizzard is using the details of the failed MMO project to flesh it out. While I'm not sure a full story, single-player mode would work at this point, but it looks like they want to expand these details in a couple of comic books as well. Assuming it's not just all for hype, it's got some interesting details going on aside from the game.
And from a developer stand-point, these guys have been really good about trying to be pretty honest in what they are trying to do to make the game enjoyable. When you have broadcasts that discuss things like netcode; matchmaking processes; and community topics in a frank way, that was unexpected compared to the nebulous approach (by comparison) that Bungie and Ubisoft have done in their big releases.
So, just curious, if anyone has played the Beta extensively and what their take has been - positive; negative; little of both?
Certainly not playing beta. Blizzard and I just became not friends. So sad.
Certainly not playing beta. Blizzard and I just became not friends. So sad.
Why? What happened?
They decided to act like a s@%#ty company with too many lawyers. I am sure you can find it with a quick net search.
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*Checks*
Um... I'm seeing that basically the whole game is done (apparently every character, every ability, and every map is available), but only some people are being allowed access to it...? For a VERY LONG period of time before the full release?
Blizz games tend to have very long alpha & beta cycle. Their games tend to be very polished because of this.
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There's been a thread of controversy over what was considered an overt sexualizing of one of the characters (Tracer) due a "butt-pose" that the developers quickly addressed. Aside from that, I would say they've done a good job creating a broad spectrum of characters and interesting power sets. There is a ton of cosmetic looks and designs that are unlockable and pretty cool. While none of it really critical, it certainly appeals to a customization feel of you are of that mindset.
I got a good chuckle over this when they replaced the "butt pose" (an over the shoulder pose that nearly every character in the game has, from what I heard) and replaced it with an even more blatantly sexualized (though from the looks of it much more in character and dynamic) pose as a big middle finger to the whiners.
Eeh, the whole butt pose incident was silly. While I didn't think the pose was OOC, there wasn't some huge brigade of SJW's trying to shut it down. One guy made a comment, and Blizzard was on the fence with it already. Games change in Beta all the time in much bigger ways.
I saw a April Fool's article in response to this about a petition to reinstate a glitch in the game that caused people to fall through the floor, using much of the same lingo. Keep the creator's original vision, don't let the public change your game, not what I play the game for, etc. etc.
But anyways, it's over and done with. So back to what's actually important, the game:
Interested in the game itself, though not so much to get into the beta or preorder it. One thing it feels they're missing is more villainous characters. It sounds like there's some big conspiracy in the story, but so far the only two characters that are directly evil are Widowmaker and Reaper, with Junkrat and Roadhog being also antagonists, but mostly unconnected to everything else.
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I might've gone for Overwatch if it wasn't PvP focused. I've always preferred PvE games, even in MMOs, since I simply don't have the sort of direct competitive streak that really helps people shine in those games. XD
Now, if it was more like Left 4 Dead 2, with a large roster of characters people could use to get through long, challenging maps? THAT would've gotten my attention.
I like PVP games just enough that I will give it a try, but I agree that there's enough lore and details covered that I wish there was a PVE element involved.
As far as the villain side thing goes, I would add McCree as being morally dubious and Hanzo as a former crimeboss to that list. They may not look as villainous, but the background details imply otherwise. The game lore released seems to imply that TALON operates as a kind of SPECTRE-type manipulators, so that could be a source of more characters in the future.
I got a good chuckle over this when they replaced the "butt pose" (an over the shoulder pose that nearly every character in the game has, from what I heard) and replaced it with an even more blatantly sexualized (though from the looks of it much more in character and dynamic) pose as a big middle finger to the whiners.
There's been a thread of controversy over what was considered an overt sexualizing of one of the characters (Tracer) due a "butt-pose" that the developers quickly addressed. Aside from that, I would say they've done a good job creating a broad spectrum of characters and interesting power sets. There is a ton of cosmetic looks and designs that are unlockable and pretty cool. While none of it really critical, it certainly appeals to a customization feel of you are of that mindset.
yeah, i love the new pose, to me the old one was a little awkward with how it was put together
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A "Firefight" (or perhaps more relevant, Mann vs Machine) style mode would be pretty cool. Just you and 3 friends versus wave after wave of NPC enemies.
so what is everyone's thoughts on the 2 shorts that have been released so far? I love both of them and can't wait for more
so what is everyone's thoughts on the 2 shorts that have been released so far? I love both of them and can't wait for more
I've enjoyed them as well and look forward to the rest of the series. It may just be Blizzard playing for hype, but the various video sequences they have done since they started touting Overwatch have been well-done I think.
The Winston one is greatly optimistic; while the Widowmaker one does a good job of pointing out that isn't a "heroes always win" world they have created. It may be too big a project for them, but honestly they could make a mini-series or movie and I think it could be great.
Anyone playing on PC?
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Has Blizzard EVER made a truly single player game? I'm not familiar with their full portfolio, but the Starcrafts, WoW, Diablos, and I believe old Warcrafts (since the original DoTA is a thing) all had multiplayer.Yes. A lot of things. Pathfinder being chef among them.
I'm not saying I'm not gonna play it. I just would like a good SP game to come out from my favorite game company.
Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft are primarily single player, World of Warcraft can be solo played if you really want to.
so what is everyone's thoughts on the 2 shorts that have been released so far? I love both of them and can't wait for moreI've enjoyed them as well and look forward to the rest of the series. It may just be Blizzard playing for hype, but the various video sequences they have done since they started touting Overwatch have been well-done I think.
The Winston one is greatly optimistic; while the Widowmaker one does a good job of pointing out that isn't a "heroes always win" world they have created. It may be too big a project for them, but honestly they could make a mini-series or movie and I think it could be great.
Overwatch isn't warcraft, there really isn't a narrative story going on, just opportunities for groups of five to murderise each other.
Character design is pretty cool. Gameplay is solid, but uninspired. Graphics and sound are great. Game is overall very polished and well done...
If you like FPS team battles, you'll like this game... If it's not your thing, it probably won't change your mind.
Gameplay is solid, but uninspired.
I think its pretty interesting. All the characters are unique enough that switching heroes to counter the enemy's loadout keeps things mechanically intriguing.
And I've been playing it nonstop since the beta. Im rank 30~. Shame there will be a release progress wipe. I like some of the stuff I unlocked.
Gameplay is solid, but uninspired.I think its pretty interesting. All the characters are unique enough that switching heroes to counter the enemy's loadout keeps things mechanically intriguing.
And I've been playing it nonstop since the beta. Im rank 30~. Shame there will be a release progress wipe. I like some of the stuff I unlocked.
Meh... While the particular combinations of character skills might be unique, the gameplay itself isn't anything new... TF2 does basically the same thing, after all.
It's not a bad game by any means... But isn't ground-breaking either. Like I said, for fans of the genre, it's a good pick. For non-fans... It's not particularly attractive.
Of course, as usual, YMMV...