Sit down, two! Is Overwatch 2 a real sequel or a marketing gimmick?

First version Overwatch was released in 2016 and immediately caught the attention of not only fans of previous Blizzard Entertainment games, but also regular shooter fans. Almost 6 years later, the company released the second part – Overwatch 2, which was not received as warmly, however. The servers of the first part were down. In this article, we’ll find out how these two games differ from each other and whether the “two” in the title is appropriate.

World of Overwatch

At the time of the release of the first Overwatch, we knew almost nothing about the world – the players only had brief descriptions of the heroes, comments from the developers and content provided by art books.

Over time, the situation began to change: there were official short films, stories, comics and even more content in in-game events. At the same time, according to many players, this is not yet enough to form a complete picture of what is happening.

In Overwatch 2, the situation has not changed much: they have added three new heroes, and hints from two of them were in the first part: Sojorn has already appeared in the archives, and posters with the queen of vultures have long been hanging on the Jangertown- Map.

From the very first trailer of the second part, we can only assume what lies ahead in the story, because one thing is clear: Overwatch has reunited to face a major adversary.

Gameplay

Besides the fact that the game became completely free, suddenly a 5×5 system emerged from the 6×6 system that is known to all players. Not to say this is very useful, but it’s not the first time Blizzard has introduced innovations related to team formation: remember the forced “two-two-two” a few years ago in the first part of the game – two tanks, two attackers and two supporting heroes. At first, the players didn’t like it either, but over time they got used to it.

Some old characters have been completely redesigned, such as Orisa and Doomfist. But most of the heroes are just a little shaman, and it’s more like classic nerfs in Blizzard’s mind.

A new mode has been added – “Onslaught”, in which you have to fight with the other team to control a huge robot. At the same time, the old modes have not changed much, with the exception of Competitive. New players must now first win 50 games of Quick Play to unlock Competitive Play, and your first seven wins or 20 losses will determine your “division” (an alternative to ranks).

In addition, the developers promise to add a PVE story mode in 2023 in which players will have to face the “zero deadly sector”.

And, of course, since Overwatch 2 is a free-to-play shooter, the Battle Pass seems to replace the loot boxes, unlocking a host of rewards: skins, poses, and more, including a new support hero – Kiriko. Some of these will also be available in the regular Battle Pass by completing challenges, but some things still require payment: they include the purchase of a premium pass, which costs around $10.

Grafic art

When you first enter the game, the difference is striking – as if the developers decided to disable anti-aliasing. Purely visually, this is where the differences end. The design of the game has remained the same, although the authors have added improved shaders and lighting. Note that Blizzard has also worked on the facial expressions of the characters, the weather conditions on the maps and anything that will help make the world more alive, without betraying itself.

Locations

Six new maps have been added to Overwatch 2: Paraiso (Hybrid), Royal Circuit (Escort), Midtown (Hybrid), New Queen Street (Onslaught), Colosseum” (“Onslaught”), “Esperanza” (“Onslaught”). had some of the old little details and changed the lighting:

• “Eichenwald” – the bright afternoon sun was replaced by a gentle sunset;
• “Dorado” – it’s day on the night map! The sun’s rays shine and confetti falls from the sky, making the atmosphere more festive;
• “Ilios” – now the map also has a sunset, which is perfectly visible if you fall into the pit due to Roadhog’s “hook”;
• “Lijiang Tower” – if you remember, eternal night reigned on this map. Now there is a pleasant morning, through which it is possible to see the enemy much better from afar;
• “Kings Row” – in London the day comes, forcing the atmosphere of tension;
• Overwatch: Gibraltar – The Overwatch team has returned to their point and therefore everything that was previously destroyed has been restored! And they added a lot of different little things, saying that this place is now inhabited again;
• “Oasis” – here the night has finally come, giving both you and your opponents an advantage in battle;
• “Route 66” – this map has also been plunged into darkness, it is now lit only by the moon and a few lanterns. Well, you’ll have to try to adjust to the new time of day.

Couple

The interface in the second part has changed a bit – they’ve added favorites for poses, best moment and more. There are new icons of heroes, their “adult” versions. In general, the new version looks very nice and causes almost no inconvenience. The only exception is the lack of displaying the levels of allies and opponents during battle, including a completely changed type of stats, which will also have to get used to.

So a sequel or marketing?

Without a doubt, there is a difference between the parts – and it is noticeable. If three new heroes didn’t change the game so much, the new rank system, team restructuring, and battle passes would. We add that the expansion of the PvE mode not only in the context of in-game events, in principle it can completely change the attitude of players towards the Overwatch universe, in addition, divide the audience into two camps: PvP lovers and those who prefer PvE. This is not a bad thing, because Blizzard is trying to make sure that everyone in Overwatch 2 finds something to their liking. Whether they succeed is a matter of time.

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What do you think of Overwatch 2? Already tried?