The presentation began with the announcement of a retro collection of Blizzard's oldest games: Lost Vikings, Rock n' Roll Racing, and Blackthorne. The Arcade Collection features the original versions of all three games as well as a definitive edition that provides extra features like custom button mapping, the ability to save anywhere, rewinding up to ten seconds, and the ability to watch a playthrough of the game and jump in whenever you w

I don’t care for online shooters in general; I’m much happier with a good offline story game most of the time. That’s a big reason why my Overwatch 2 strategy|https://overwatch2fans.com/ numbers are so low - I’m busy playing through a gripping narrative rather than getting better at playing as D.Va or

As the years moved on and seasonal events began to repeat, I fell out of love with Overwatch. I returned following the surprise debut of Archives, which promised a more intricate delving into the lore behind my favourite operatives, but it was a surface level exploration of narrative elements that simply didn’t do enough. A few skins caught my eye, tempting me to indulge in free loot boxes and to grind for a couple alongside friends who returned for similar reas

To new PvP maps were revealed, Rome and New York City, as well as details about the longer PvE maps designed for Story Mode. Each mission will have its own custom map that features day-night cycles and weather conditions. One of the missions shown during the deep dive featured a snowstorm that progresses throughout the level until it ends in a massive battle amidst a blizz

For that reason I know that Kiriko is right up my street, and I’ll be playing her with a passion when launch rolls around, but knowing that potential to experiment is no longer possible unless I decide to grind my life away or make an investment kinda sucks, and takes away the free cadence of content I’d grown used to with the first game. This may be the price to pay for no loot boxes and a modernised progression system, but this feels like a teething pain instead of the game Overwatch 2 really wants to be. Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong and the payoff will be worthwhile, but right now I’m not so sure.

I’ll always think of Overwatch as being one of my favourite games, aware as I am that my lack of playtime means that couldn’t possibly be true. I’m excited to see what comes next, even though I probably won’t play that much either. My favourite thing about Overwatch is hoping that it somehow becomes an open-world, third-person shooter RPG with Zarya in the driving seat - just please Blizzard, never ever make this game. Just let me hope for

Overwatch 2 being a free-to-play live-service is the right call. Since the original game launched in 2016, we’ve seen games like Fortnite , Apex Legends , Destiny 2 , Genshin Impact , Warframe , and myriad others emerge and redefine what it means to progress in a multiplayer landscape. Battle passes are a thing now, while the loot boxes that Blizzard once helped bring into the mainstream are frowned upon outside the freemium mobile space.

On the surface, the game is making all the right decisions. Both versions of the battle pass are packed with skins, sprays, charms, and a variety of content that outweighs anything its predecessor had in its first few months. Seasonal events are established, and an existing roster of heroes we’ve already fallen in love with have a generous roster of cosmetics and lore to build upon. I’m already invested, and for Blizzard that is half the battle right now.

Overwatch is capable of so much more, and I hope the sequel realises that. Characters and narrative are clearly the sequel’s focus, which is excellent, but the multiplayer foundation that defines it shouldn’t be neglected, especially when a few small changes could help it shine brighter than e

But for those not planning to pick up the premium battle pass or aren’t already cemented in the Overwatch ecosystem, some new heroes are locked behind progression in ways that actively discourages the experimentation this game is all about. Kiriko - the new fox girl support hero who I am totally not simping for already - is available immediately to premium battle pass holders or existing players of the original Overwatch, while everyone else must grind to Level 55 in order to unlock her. That’s a big time investment for a hero in a hero shooter.

To me, this doesn’t feel like a reward for players who decide against spending any money, but a forced incentive to cough up the dough or get lost. Why wouldn’t you pick up the battle pass if it meant a new hero immediately and a selection of other rewards for the time you’re going to be investing anyway? Blizzard likely sees this as good business, but I really hope this isn’t how each season is going to play out, with new heroes being held hostage by the premium side of things instead of providing a way for us to test them out or toy with the wider roster without restriction. Only time will tell, and Overwatch 2 still needs to find its feet.