Feeling his old age, Ben has recently been writing about things that he’s getting to old for. Next up he tackles kill-to-death ratios and Overwatch.
| Title overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Overwatch |
| Developer: | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Publisher: | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Release date: | May 2016 |
| PEGI rating: | 12 |
| Genre: | Shooter |
| Platforms: | PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| More information: | Official website |
Ben says…
There are all sorts of reasons I am thoroughly enjoying Overwatch. It has smart, well thought out map design, distinctive and diverse characters, not to mention the overall polish that comes with every Blizzard title. The most important reason however is that you don’t win by racking up the highest number of kills. The game declares itself a team-based shooter and that’s exactly what it is: players win as a team and lose as a team.
This is especially important to someone stumbling blindly into mid-life as our reactions aren’t quite what they used to be (more of which you can read about here). Unable to contribute much in an offensive role, I’ve instead carved out a niche for myself in the Healer and Tank markets. Thankfully they are usually always available because the majority of players, especially in pick up groups, tend to opt for an offensive character or sniper.
It’s strange because I find healing an extremely satisfying task, one made even more so when they cards at the end of the match pop up declaring I’ve healed 35% to 45% of the total damage taken by the team. This might seem low on the surface but when you consider the team is often spread around a map it highlights mobility, awareness and the difference between knowing when to heal and when to buff.
So yes, I’m a little too old for the front-line assault squad but there’s still plenty to contribute from the back. It’s just one of the many reasons why Overwatch is so very good.
How do you play Overwatch – pew-pew or heal?
I’m finding Lucio is becoming my main, and whilst I’m pretty good with him I’d rather that wasn’t the case.
I’ll heal as and when I need to, but I’d much rather play as D Va, unfortunately Pub matches don’t always allow that and I’m the guy who’ll switch to make the team balance a little more favorable.
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Lucio’s a lot of fun, flexible too. Passive heals and a gun that can knock multiple opponents off maps if played right. Not to mention the awesomeness of wall running!
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If you’ve caught some of my highlights, you know that my main characters are Genji, the green cyborg ninja dude and of course the giant hammer-swinging German badass, Reinhardt.
Lucio is my favourite healer, though I like to play most of the characters. Some of them I have problems with, like Widowmaker, but spending time in the practice range helps me improve my shooting.
Here’s the all important question though: are you playing it on PC or Console? They each work very differently in terms of aiming…I think.
But yes, tanking and healing is very fun. I love playing Reinhardt as much as I like dashing swiftly with Genji
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Console, my laptop doesn’t have the grunt sadly. Genji is deadly in the right hands. I’ve seen some epic sniper bait/reflect with him. Phenomenal.
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Some of the best things I’ve done is reflecting McCree’s ultimate. It’s priceless.
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Based on my MMO history I would play one of the healers (probably Mercy.) Alas I suck at shooters so I decided against buying Overwatch.
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It’s worth a punt if you can find it at an acceptable price. Mercy’s incredibly rewarding.
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My top 5, in descending order, read: Widowmaker, Zenyatta, Mercy, Zarya, D.Va/Reinhardt. I’d like to think that having most hours on Widow is offset by willingly playing tank or healer whenever we need it. I generally play as a team of three, and the average selections of our allies is Genji, Hanzo & Reaper. All instalocked, of course. I play on PS4, and it isn’t hard to have those latter 3 lose you the entire match, but the great experiences I’ve had with the game thus far definitely trump the not-so-great.
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Agreed, the good definitely outweighs the bad!
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