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Overwatch Review: Heroes Never Die
It’s been three months since Overwatch was released. Most reviews of the game dropped within a week of release which was before the game’s competitive mode was added to the game in June and even one balance change or patch was made. While I put in a lot of time into Overwatch in its early days, I felt that the game needed some time to breathe to see how enjoyable the game would be once the competitive mode was added, players had more experience, more weekly brawls were shown off and Blizzard added some additional content.
There was certainly a chance that the early buzz for Overwatch could have given way to numerous issues and complaints once the mass audience got a hold of it. Fortunately, Overwatch has largely lived up to the hype.
A Lot of People Played the Overwatch Beta
Just ahead of tomorrow’s release of Overwatch, Blizzard compiled some of the key statistics from their recent open beta. Just when I was going to suggest that Blizzard burned out the hype for Overwatch by keeping the beta limited to a very small group of influencers over a very long period of time, it turns out that people were very excited to get a piece of Blizzard’s upcoming first person shooter. In fact, almost 10 million people got a taste of Overwatch during the open beta.
Overwatch Open Beta Impressions: For the Watch
In the run up to its much-anticipated release next week, Blizzard ran the final big beta test for their upcoming first-person shooter franchise Overwatch. While some features, like competitive play, weren’t in the beta, this is the best chance that everyone is going to have to try the game out before Blizzard sticks it hand out looking for $60 for the game. Fortunately for Blizzard, they put a very strong foot forward by basically letting players have a go at a near-complete version of the game.
Overwatch to Release Future Heroes and Maps for Free
Just one month ago, Blizzard was causing concern at BlizzCon when they announced that they hadn’t finalized what the business plan would be for Overwatch with only seven months to go until release. Prior to BlizzCon, the only thing that was officially announced was that the game would be available for purchase at either $40 or $60 for the Origins Edition.
In a community update video, game director Jeff Kaplan talked about what Blizzard’s plan was for future hero additions to Overwatch. In the best piece of news to come out about the game, Kaplan announced that new heroes would be patched into the game for free.
Overwatch Closed Beta Impressions: You Got MOBA in My Shooter
Last weekend, Blizzard let a bunch of people into the Overwatch closed beta for a stress test on their servers. With the game’s launch no more than seven months in the future, it might be a little early to tell what Overwatch will be like when the game is released to the public. However, a lot of big names in the gaming world have been sinking a lot of time into the latest IP out of the house that Warcraft built.
Since I’ve probably spent far too much on StarCraft and Heroes, I was able to get into the three-day Overwatch stress test. I may not be much of an FPS gamer but I certainly didn’t feel too out of place in the game.
Rumours Say Overwatch is Coming to Consoles for $60
One of the hottest tickets in gaming right now is an invite into the closed beta of Blizzard’s new first-person shooter, Overwatch. One of the quiet sub-plots is speculation over what the business model will be. With early comparisons of Overwatch being to Valve’s free-to-play Team Fortress 2, it was expected that Overwatch would also be free-to-play.
However, a Game Informer report suggests that Overwatch won’t be free-to-play. At least, not at launch. Sources tell them to expect it to be a $60 full price release.
BlizzCon 2014: Blizzard Announces New IP Overwatch and StarCraft II Expansion
This weekend was the annual ode to all things Blizzard known as BlizzCon. While most developers and publishers use platforms like E3, Gamescom, the Tokyo Game Show and even CES to announce and show off their upcoming creations, Blizzard waits until their annual November gathering to do so.
At the 2014 edition of BlizzCon, Blizzard had a few tricks up their sleeve. First was the announcement of their brand new IP, Overwatch, the reveal of the third part of StarCraft II and a bit more news about Heroes of the Storm and the Warcraft movie.