Review: Overwatch is fun multiplayer mayhem

Overwatch is a new FPS online multiplayer game from Blizzard and it is very fun. You don't even have to be good at FPS games in order to enjoy it. The thing that separates Overwatch from many other FPS titles is that it includes 21 playable characters and all of them have their own unique abilities. Not only are the abilities unique, but the gameplay encourages and rewards actual teamwork. In most online-only games, they usually cater towards players that are good at offensive tactics. For example in Call of Duty games, you have to be really good at shooting in order to be successful or else you are not really helpful to your team. Overwatch on the other hand takes cues from the RPG genre as there are characters out there they solely focus in supporting and defending teammates from enemy gunfire. It's also refreshing that not every character is armed with a machine gun as they can dish out punishment in a variety of different ways. Two characters that I enjoy playing in Overwatch are ones that offer defence and support. Reinhardt is a huge knight armed with huge Rocket Hammer and also a really helpful Barrier Shield. This shield is important to use in combat to protect yourself and your teammates. My personal favourite character in the entire game is none other than Mercy. She can follow teammates around the battlefield and can replenish their health bars as many times as she wants as long as she stays alive. Mercy can also revive fallen teammates saving them from walking all the way from a respawn point. The character designs are also to be commended as they are diverse and cover a lot of bases. There is a healthy mix of male and female characters and a lot of them come from different countries. Not to mention there are a mix of non-human characters such as a robot to even a gorilla. The accessible nature of the game is not just tied to the characters because the controls are surprisingly basic too. Each character has between 3 to 5 different abilities that they can utilise with one special move that can only be used if your Ultimate Meter is filled up. The other great thing about Overwatch is that it offers a chance for beginners to learn and not feel overpowered all of the time. This is because players can set up their own matches to play against A.I. bots. It gives beginners are chance to hone their skills before they go up against more experienced players online. Graphically, Overwatch is a visual treat as it's a brighter and cheerful atmosphere compared to the drab military shooters out there. You can tell Blizzard took inspiration from its own Warcraft games to make the stages and character designs have a distinct cartoon look to them.

Overwatch plays and looks great, but sadly its biggest flaw is the lack of a single player campaign. This game could have had an epic campaign mode with the 21 characters it has, plus Blizzard has even made animated promotional material that could have worked as cutscenes. Not to mention the game lacks many modes in the multiplayer mode. The only modes in the game are Assault, Escort, Assault/Escort and Control. They are all team-based and 12 players are on the battlefield at one time with 6 members on each side. Thankfully, there are 12 maps in total and all of them look great and aren't too big and small. The lack of content may be disappointing, but Blizzard is promising that a lot of future things will be released soon and they will be free. The only thing Blizzard is charging for right now are for those wanting to unlock extra skins and emotes at a faster rate without levelling up for them. Overwatch is the best online multiplayer experience I have had since Modern Warfare 2. This is thanks to its team-based combat system that allows players to choose how they want to play. It's an addictive game, although the lack of content at launch shouldn't be overlooked. The game might be more content heavy in the near future once Blizzard releases more stuff.   Verdict: 8.0/10