Thoughts on Upcoming 'Overwatch' Closed Beta

This isn't even the current roster

I've gotten tired with writing the past few weeks of 'doom and gloom' with DC's upcoming releases. Wanted to focus on more upbeat subjects instead and maybe lay off the comics for a little while (at least a week). 

Thankfully, we have 'Overwatch' to help with that.

For those unfamiliar with the game, it is Blizzard's latest release not based off of any prior IP (Starcraft, Warcraft or Diablo, to name a few). It is, however, developed after the cancellation of Blizzard's secret development 'Project Titan', which spun out into this game.

The story of the game is a future Earth has been in war with robots for a couple of decades. Overwatch was the group developed to fight the robots, even becoming a peace keeping organization after the war. However, corruption within the ranks caused the group to fall apart, though many of its members are still around to keep up the good fight as mercenaries. 

The gameplay itself is more First Person Shooter with games like 'Team Fortress 2'. Maps include objects like moving an object from point A to B or defending certain places to score points and whatnot. Locations vary from different parts of the world people would recognize, like England, Russia and Egypt, though with highly advanced technology and aesthetics.

The characters the player may play as? Incredible. They've only just  released 18 different characters that have different weapons and abilities to use in combat. Still, they can all be sorted in four different categories:

• Offense: High damage dealers that are plenty in number and will help you widdle down your opponents in a hurry.
• Tank: The 'big guys' who can take a lot of damage and dish it out at the same time.
• Defense: If you need to save and protect a point of interest, they are the characters for you.
• Support: They help buff your team with heals or status effects, as well as change the arena up a bit.

I've already got a short list of characters I'm liking so far. Lets see...

"Cheers, love. The cavalry's here!"

Tracer is a speedy Offense character that has quickly become the poster child for the 'Overwatch' game. Caught in a time displacement problem, her condition is now managed that allows her to dart quickly across the field and recall herself out of tight spots. Her bubbly personality keeps the game feeling quite upbeat, as opposed to the darker entries in Blizzard's catalog.

"Death walks among you."

Reaper is a guy who just likes to kill. While he sounds static in personality, his Offense combat style revolves around dual wielding shotguns and shadow abilities allow him to move fast and kill faster. He certainly bears a grudge against Overwatch since its dissolution, taking a personal pleasure in killing off former agents. Not somebody you'd want to encounter period.

"Justice will be done."

A cool old guy in powered knight armor wielding a giant rocket-propeled hammer? Awesome. Fits well as Tank character too. 

"Together, we are strong."

A female Tank who subverts the usual body type in games and goes for a muscular build to fit the role. On top of that is a gravity cannon that will wreck havoc on enemy positioning. All for the sake of protecting people rather than personal glory.

"Build'em up, break'em down!"

Yes, he looks so much like a dwarf and his Defense role fits in line with someone so dwarf-y. He's got the turret building of the Engineer, but can also overheat his personal forge to activate 'Molten Core', allowing him increased health, speed and attack power. Size matters not here.

"Come on, let's bring it together!"

A sound-based Support who can passively heal or speed up his teammates, as well as boost that power for a short time. He is a Brazillian who rebelled against a corporation who attempted to buy up much of the people's land for themselves. He even used their own technology against them with his sound blaster and skates. Still, he's a pretty chill guy after all that.

Its been a good long while since I've been excited for an online team shooter game. I could never get into stuff like 'Halo', 'Call of Duty' or even 'Team Fortress 2'. I like a cartoony style as much as the next person, but it doesn't hurt to have a little bit more. Plus, I feel better jumping into a game recently released (even in beta form) than joining in on something that has been going on for years.

Cross your fingers and hope for the best, yeah?

Until next time...

Heroes of the Storm: The 'Hero Brawler'

It is starting to become a thing for this month, right? I guess last post had me thinking more about MMOs than I usually do and I decided to jump into it more with my experience on the matter. This time, I'll be focusing on a MOBA game (multiplayer online battle arena).More specifically, as said in the title, 'Heroes of the Storm'.

Yep, it gets that crazy.

'Heroes of the Storm' is a Blizzard-made MOBA (or Hero Brawler, as some people like to say) that cross promotes and plays with characters from across Blizzard's library. This includes Warcraft (fantasy adventure), Starcraft (sci-fi strategy), Diablo (dark fantasy adventure) and a variety of Classic Blizzard games (which, as of this posting, only includes the Lost Vikings). It recently launched in June of 2015, having gone through several months of beta testing. 

At the start, you can choose from a selection of heroes (despite some clearly being villains) from a simplified set of classes: Assassins for lots of damage, Warriors that can take that damage with dying as much, Supports that help benefit the team, and Specialists that help taking objectives. Once you select a hero, you can jump into a game through the matchmaking system and be put into a team with other players. Nobody can have the same hero on the same team, so don't worry about an entire team deciding to play as one hero. Once two teams have been selected, they are dropped into a random map where the goal is to destroy the opposing team's nexus point to claim victory. Certain objectives on each map, like mercenaries and watchtowers, can be captured to help gain an edge. Each battleground also has a certain, unique objective that can also help, but often requires the whole team to even complete. After a game, you gain experience (for both your profile and chosen hero) and some ingame currency to buy new heroes and the like based on your performance and standings. 

Seems pretty straight forward now, doesn't it? Well, nothing is without faults and I could point some out without too much difficulty. Especially considering all the time I've played the game. I'll start with what it does wrong before going into what its doing right.

The Bad

Matchmaking in any kind of MOBA and/or Hero Brawler is always going to be flawed. It is hard to accurately gauge a fair balance despite so many trying to do so. It is a human element that can't exactly be fixed in a computer. With 'Heroes of the Storm', that flaw seems to be amplified. Thanks to being randomly placed in a set team, often times you'll end up with an imbalanced force. You might end up with too many Warriors, too few Assassins, or nothing but Supports and Specialists. Unless you call your friends and allies to form your own teams, chances are you'll get a team that seems unfair regardless of winning or losing.

On the top of heroes, despite being organized into simpler groupings, it is pretty clear that all don't play like their class description says. For example, there are mages in the 'Assassins' grouping, a paladin playing 'Support' that could easily go 'Warrior', as with another 'Assassin' and there is also a 'Warrior' who plays more like an 'Assassin' despite what they are grouped in. Really, it throws the newer players off moreso than the experienced, but it does come off as an annoyance.

Speaking of annoyances...

The bug in the room, as it were.

For those unfamiliar with 'Starcraft', Abathur is a space bug from the Zerg alien raise that functions like a doctor/blacksmith that upgrades the Swarm with DNA sequences and augmentations. In HOTS (Heroes of the Storm), he is a specialist who spends most of his time sitting in base that helps their own team without too much fear of being killed. Even compared to other games like 'League of Legends' and 'Smite', he is a unique character in gameplay that has caused more frustrations for both teams whenever brought into a game. Really should've let this hero on the cutting room floor before releasing him. 

Whoo, glad to get that out of my system. Now, lets move onto the positives.

The Good

The different battlegrounds is probably one of my favorite functions of the game. While each one has the same set up with matching lanes, towers, forts and minions, the theming and helpful objectives in each place help make each match intense in its own way. For example, in the 'Cursed Hollow' map, your team needs to collect three raven tributes to curse the opposing team why weakening their structures and minions. In 'Blackheart's Bay', your team needs to collect doubloons to donate to Captain Blackheart himself, so that he can bombard the enemy's defenses with his cannons. The latest battleground, 'Battlefield for Eternity', requires heroes to fight an immortal of the opposing team while defending their own, as having an immortal still standing helps push a lane. Really, each battleground has an objective that shouldn't be underestimated and ignored. It really helps in making the game go faster too.

With battlefields like this, it certainly doesn't get boring.

Actually, the speed on completing each match is a big plus too. Part of the development of the game was to make matches not last too long, with the most go for about 20 to 30 minutes at max. That way, you'd be able to finish up multiple matches in a day without feeling too tired or can quickly squeeze a match in before needing to head off somewhere. The goal of making this game seems to be simplifying things.

Speaking of that, their heroes are simplified but also radically different. Teams of character gain experience and levels at the same time, but instead of just upgrading a single ability each level, the focus is instead upgrading or acquiring abilities to use in a match. Some of these abilities are specific to certain characters, like 'Promote', which can buff an ally minion, is usually set to Specialists. This makes the heroes easier to play with and build, sometimes switching up a bit when a character is capable of being more than just their given role.

Final Verdict

At the very least, 'Heroes of the Storm' shows how the MOBA/Hero Brawler genre isn't going away anytime soon. The main thing to do is to make sure to stand apart from the competition and HOTS has done a good job of that. If you are looking for a faster take on the genre with Blizzard characters with simpler build and unique battlegrounds, I certainly suggest giving the game a look-see.

Until next time...