Overwatch: Year One
Handsome Phantom Phans and Adventure Mode listeners will remember an episode a few months back where Brandon, Dustin, myself, and some other handsome gentlemen discussed our game of the year for 2016. The discussion always came back around to Overwatch, a smash hit of a game that managed to pull millions of players into a rich, polished, and visually distinctive multiplayer experience. And that was just on launch day.
In the year that Overwatch has been available the team behind the blockbuster has been releasing monthly content ranging from memorable cooperative game modes like Junkenstein’s Revenge and Uprising, to new PVP modes like 3v3 Elimination and Capture the Flag. Three new characters have joined the already diverse cast; Ana– the healer/senior/sniper/cyclops, Sombra– a young woman with dreams of hacking the planet, and Orisa– a robot built by 11 year old Efi and a hell of a lot of fun to play. The game has also released holiday events for Christmas and the Year of the Rooster, as well as launching a competitive mode and several new maps. That’s just a brief summary of some of the free content Jeff Kaplan and the Overwatch team have delivered to over 30 million players.
Over the past year, Overwatch has formed one of the greatest gaming communities I’ve ever been a part of. The subreddit has over 800,000 subscribers and features Dinoflask’s hilarious developer update parody videos. Fictional pro-gamer Hana Song’s bunny symbol was spotted at the women’s protest in January. Visionary Mars-philiac Elon Musk shamefully revealed that he’s a Soldier main. Just a couple months ago I had to red alert Handsome Phantom’s ginger half that our local Hot Topic had Reaper t-shirts. Also, you have to hear Zenyatta rapping.
It’s not often a new IP comes on the scene and achieves such iconic status so quickly, and it’s been hella fun being a part of it this year. In the spirit of community, here are a few thoughts from two of my favorite team mates.
Dustin “Duddy” Furman
I think one of the smartest things Blizzard did with Overwatch was the cinematic shorts. Overwatch wasn’t on my radar for most of the pre-release due to some pesky journalist labeling it a “Moba Shooter“, thus turning me off to the game completely. I just happened to watch the “Alive” short and I was instantly intrigued by the world and characters. I quickly realized after viewing some gameplay from the closed beta that Overwatch had very little to do with mobas and was much more of a Team Fortress 2 style hero shooter. The Blizzard gods smiled down upon me and must have been pleased, because I was invited to a closed weekend beta on PC shortly after becoming obsessed with the game. After that weekend, I was sure Overwatch was something we’d be talking about for years to come.
It was amazing to see Overwatch click with everyone around me. All it took was watching one short, or playing one round to peak the interest of players. It’s also been incredible to see the game grow and change throughout it’s first year. Blizzard has continued to give to it’s community with new maps and skins, as well as events and game modes. What’s even more amazing is the huge potential Overwatch still has yet to tap into. It feels like we’ve only scratched the surface for new game modes and heroes. Though Overwatch is a multiplayer game only, I’d love to see some form of a campaign in the future. I’m not really sure what that would look like, but if any developer could do it, it’s Blizzard.
Here’s to Overwatch!
Brandon “The Most Glorious Ginger” Duncan
Overwatch has become a game that has an emotion behind it. Isn’t it always special when a piece of art can pull a reaction like that out of you? This game has become so much more than just something to pass the time. I can’t tell if this game is such a treasure because of the characters, every facet of every character in the Overwatch roster has been perfectly crafted with purpose and meaning. When something is molded with this level of complexity and care, it is hard not to appreciate it.
Another reason I love this game is because behind the curtain is an unstoppable team that genuinely cares about what they push out. Blizzard constantly looks to improve what they’ve built. That being said, this sort of craftsmanship has birthed an unexpected bonus around the game. Overwatch has a fantastic community. The people behind the game have helped to form an unexpected depth to the game that you can’t help but want to be a part of. I want people to know I play Overwatch. I want to see other people playing Overwatch. I even follow many of the voice actors of the heroes on Twitter. Why you ask? Because even if I’m not playing the game I want to be a part of anything that is. This. Game.
Lastly, but certainly not least, what would a multiplayer game be without amazing friends to share it with? The amount of memories I have formed with friends over the matches is worth the price of the game alone. Overwatch has created moments that I can’t put a price on. There is simply not one reason to love this game. It is a combination of many great people rallying around a once-in-a-generation masterpiece. Here’s to you Overwatch. We can’t wait for year two.
Kevin “Dr. Handsome” Lukacs
Overwatch has been a consistent part of the past year. When Carrie Fisher died, Overwatch was there. When LaLa Land didn’t win Best Picture, Overwatch was there. When that thing happened in November, you know what thing I’m talking about, Overwatch was there. Every month it was there with new content to pull us back in to the fold, to laugh at together over party chat, and to argue really intensely over whether one of Zenyatta’s emotes qualifies as a “sit” emote even though he’s CLEARLY STILL FLOATING. BEN!!!1!
It’s great that a game can be well loved consistently, and it isn’t something that happens often. For current Overwatch players, please log on to your favorite platform and check out the Anniversary event that started on May 23rd. The development team has released dance emotes for every character, and gaggle of cool new skins, and a handful of new arena maps for elimination game modes. For those of you have yet to check out Overwatch! The game will be free to play this coming weekend. Play it, love it, and if you decide to buy it you get to keep all your progress. What are you waiting for? The world needs more heroes!
As always, let us know what you think! How has Overwatch treated you this past year? What’s keeping you from picking it up? What the hell happened to Lucio’s legs? WHERE IS THE ANIMATED SHORT ABOUT MEI… Let Handsome Phantom know your thoughts and you could get a shout out on the next Adventure Mode!
