Overwatch Origins Edition - Xbox One

This is a game with excellent graphics and superb characters with lots of uniqueness and personality. But it could have been so much more. Blizzard obviously put a lot into the lore and story, as they are known to do. My girlfriend and I watched the trailers with wonder and anticipation. Surely a game with such well-made and professionally animated trailers and mini-movies was going to be epic! In this case however, it seems like meaningless fluff. We were both terribly disappointed to learn that there is NO campaign or story mode. No journey through the stories of these incredibly detailed characters. It is just another online death-match game. For a death-match game, it is extremely well-done. The characters are all well-balanced and have moves and abilities that make them feel truly unique. For someone who is fanatical about online team-based shooters there is a lot of depth to master and strategy to hone. Each character has characters that they are strong against and those they are weak against. You can change characters after a death or by heading back to the spawn, so if you identify a strategy the opposing team is using, you can quickly swap to characters that counter it. There is no character development beyond cosmetic unlocking of skins and voice lines. This is both good and bad. It means all characters are on equal footing. Nobody who has spent sleepless weeks grinding while you were living a life will have an advantage other than practice and deeper understanding of the strategies and tactics. You won't die to another player because they spent a weekend unlocking the super FOOZBAM ability and you haven't. This is very good. However, it also means that there isn't much to look forward to, beyond learning all of the various nuances and tactics of each character. Overwatch is fun and exciting. It is pure adrenaline entertainment. However...and in this case it is a HOWEVER with letters thirty feet tall atop a skyscraper...unless you really enjoy this particular niche of gaming, I feel it will get old quite quickly. This is the case for other games of this type for me. For me I will struggle to get $60 worth of entertainment from this title. I doubt I'll be playing it for long...there's just not enough content to be mined here. The lore and development could have been the basis for an incredibly compelling campaign mode along with the PvP game, but in this case, without this it just falls short.

Overwatch does what it sets out to do, and it does it well; it's a basic class-based FPS where the player has to swap heroes/characters/whathaveyou to accommodate for the strengths on the enemy team's roster while taking a control point or escorting a payload on offense or defending said points as defense, though maps with neutral king-of-the-hill objectives find both teams assaulting. Heroes each have abilities they can use throughout the match on short cooldowns, and one super ability that charges by performing actions like getting kill or contributing damage, healing, or escorting the payload. But that's it. There's no campaign and the progression system is simply playing games to level up so you can get loot boxes with skins, voice lines, emotes, and little icons called sprays you can place down while in a game, though those levels are arbitrary and doesn't separate you from lower or higher levels in matchmaking. Team communication is a pivotal element yet very few people seem to utilize the in-game voice chat, leading to frustrating matches where you're using the comm wheel to try and get your teammates to group up for a push only for them to run in one-by-one and get mowed down by a Bastion. Playing with friends or establishing a group you can communicate with his highly recommended. Am I having fun with Overwatch? Yes, absolutely. I've got several thousand hours of TF2 on PC, and with Overwatch being on consoles I can play this with my non-PC gaming friends so I plan on getting a lot of hours of enjoyment in with them. Could Overwatch have been overhyped? Yes. Aside from all of the characters being identifiable and fun to play, there's not much here in terms of content; a large selection of maps still only have three different objectives on them - payload, capture point, and king of the hill, and the only form of reward for continued play is unlocking loot boxes with cosmetics though (and some people might find this blasphemy in a full-price game) micro-transactions are in place so that a player can just fork over $$ for a RANDOM assortment of items in the box, some of which can be duplicates that the player already has unlocked which will reward a pittance of Currency, which can be used to unlock a skin, voice line, emote, or spray of your choosing. More heroes will be coming as the game moves forward, and on the horizon is the Ranked playlist where stats will be tracked which, hopefully, will resolve the issue of matches very often being overly one-sided victories. Overwatch is a great game, though one with room in which it can improve which Blizzard seems to be keen on doing. I'd still highly recommend it as it's very enjoyable to just find a character you like and blast through a few casual games with friends. Plus, the world could always use more heroes.

Honestly I was a bit underwhelmed with this game. It looks really great, and runs very smooth, and I suppose that it is really good at what it is trying to be good at, that is, an huge online multiplayer shooter with no necessary campaign. Lots of people really like it, and I can see why one would, but this isn't the game for me. First of all, the game in my opinion, is too repetitive. Most games are in one way or another. But there really isn't any story, and it all just felt empty after a bit, like, I was fighting clones of myself/team for what? For some the repetition and lack of story is fine, and I can understand how people really like leveling up and getting really good at certain characters. It is fun, especially at first, but after a dozen or so hours playing, I personally felt like it sort of lost its appeal. It sort of reminds me a sports game in some ways, like Rocket League almost, if that makes sense. For those wanting to invest heavily in the game, getting really skilled at characters and game play, I can see that the fun is found in getting good. But I would rather spend my limited gaming time enjoying a game with more story and purpose. Something that I can be entertained by and get lost in. Second, matchmaking was an issue for me... I found this hit or miss. Some nights I would find lot's of games, others I fared much worse. Sometimes this was frustrating, just sitting around waiting for a game. And honestly, the community, for me as a new player, felt sort of toxic. Not nearly as bad as other multiplayer games, not even close, but still uncomfortable at times. Third, and this is probably a big issue for many like me, solo queue was kind of a bust. I would say that if you have a lot of friends to play (and communicate) with, the team aspect would be much better. But as a solo random player, some games felt all over the place, unorganized, and frustrating. Overall, I knew what I was getting myself into, and for the right kind of gamer (especially somebody in a group), this is a really great, polished, and fun game. I can see why this game is so highly rated (see Metacritic), but now I can better understand why the user score on that same site is so low. Overwatch will work out just fine for many people, and I get why the community is so huge, but for somebody like me, not ready to invest heavily in this, I will spend my time elsewhere. Trading this game in today.

When I first heard about Overwatch, I thought it would just be another overhyped FPS, like Star Wars Battlefront. However, as I watched more of the game when it was in beta, I started to understand what this hype was about. After playing the open beta, I didn't hesitate to preorder the Origins Edition. A few days later, my friends and I are hooked on it. What makes it so fun? Although it's a multiplayer only game (meaning no campaign, which will obviously turn some away), the gameplay is so fastpaced and easy to pick up that even shooter rookies can grab a controller and start playing within a couple matches. The diversity of the characters reminds me a lot of Super Smash Bros. because every one of the 21 heroes at launch are unique in themselves. While there are defined roles of Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support, you will never see two of the same hero. And to further encourage experimenting with different combinations, if you find yourself with a hero that doesn't fit the situation, you can swap it out mid-match, which makes for interesting strategies to play out as a match goes on. The maps are also binded to a specific game mode so you always know going in what game mode you're in and how to compose your team to suit it. And with its small lineup of 21 heroes, 4 modes, and 12 maps at launch, you're not overwhelmed with something giant to master. This is definitely one that I'm going to be enjoying with my friends for a while because of it's fun, addicting gameplay and unique heroes. Every match has a high intensity and teamwork is highly encouraged to succeed. Even if you don't have a mic, the heroes banter with each other to let people know when a turret goes down or when they need healing and so on. Plus, Blizzard has committed to sustaining it for the long run with free heroes, maps, and modes for years to come. If you're still skeptical about Overwatch, just try it. You will be pleasantly surprised once again by a Blizzard game. (Also, while there is a $40 base version of Overwatch, it is for PC only. The Origins Edition includes a few extra in-game items for other Blizzard games like World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, and Hearthstone. This is the only way to buy it for console.)

The standard Xbox One title price of $60 ($48 for the Gamer's Club Members) is a bit more than the game's worth given it's small size. It lacks multiple game modes for it's price. You're (currently) restricted to playing others online in the standard online matches, private matches constructed to your pleasure, facing A.I. on a set difficulty, and a playlist with set restrictions/ modifiers (such as limiting players to the characters they can use, ability cooldown rates, health, etc.) that change out weekly. There's really not enough variety to be worth the money. If you've got friends who you'd play the game with, this would be a game geared towards just that. Given how much the game relies on having structure to the team in order to win, having friends to work with and communicate with makes things a whole lot easier; particularly in PvP games more so than A.I. matches. If you go alone with the intention to win, you're at a gamble as players do have a tendency to play as characters that do not help with the structure of your team. However there are chances that you get a team of players who know what role to fill in the game to help achieve victory. Personally, character balancing feels off. It all would depend on your take of it, but if you're one who has a tendency to play class-based PvP games and feel as though some classes have so much going for them while others get the short end of the stick, there's a chance you may feel the same way about this game. This is personal preference though. Lastly, unlocking items in game is nothing but either a grind or pay-to-unlock. You only unlock items crates (which contain a variety of rarities of: character skins, character voice-lines, user emblems, character spray tags, and in-game currency) solely through leveling-up (in the state the game is in now) which is not a quick thing to do. Performing well in PvP matches is the fastest way to level up and even then leveling up feels like a long and tedious process. You also get the option to purchase item crates at a premium. Overall, the performance of the game and the general concept is fun. It's not necessarily something that'll keep you playing hours-on-end, but it's a neat game. Maybe wait for a good sale or a price drop though if you can wait unless Blizzard decides to give an update that'll expand the game exponentially.

I've played this on PC since release and recently purchased this as a gift for my nephew for Christmas. Long story short this is a fantasy FPS with different characters and classes. Not comparable to call of duty or battlefield etc. You play as a champion with their own set of 2-3 moves and one Ultimate move. Every move has a cool down timer on it besides your ultimate move. Your ultimate move charges faster for capturing objectives and getting kills. There's two main game modes (and then there's arcade mode and other game modes they rotate and introduce weekly) One mode you pretty much escort a cargo payload. You first need to capture the point where it's being held at and then once you capture it you need to take it all the way to the end point and along the way there's checkpoints. If you don't take it back your team loses and then you switch sides to defending. Whoever delivers the payloads the fastest or the furthest wins. The second one plays like any other capture the point. First team to cap the point to 100 wins. It's one capture point and both teams must fight over and defend against the other. There's 5 different classes from Attacking, defending, tanks healers and supports. Each champion has their own kit. Some champs have a counter. Each one has their own pros and cons and unique ultimate. New champs get added about once or every other month for free. If you're into fantasy FPS you can play this game all day. I prefer about an hour or two before I get bored. Other than that great game especially if you can get it on sale. Easily worth $40

After watching a few gameplay videos and reading a lot of posts in forums, I decided to jump in. The tutorial was pretty basic, even placing the easiest hero to use as a tutorial character. There is a training grounds in which you can take any hero and test out their abilities, but I decided to join a multiplayer mode instead. I first tried the mode Play vs A.I. where you are paired with other players and go against CPUs. The matches would fly by rather quickly, due to the A.I. not fairing to well against 6 people. I then jumped into the mystery battle that was going on at the time, where upon death the game would switch you to a different hero. I found myself learning how the entire cast of heroes played fairly quickly, while being able to test them out. This may have been the mode that assured me that I would be playing this game for a long time. The heroes are pretty varied and interesting, both in gameplay style and unique desing, and they all feel fun to play. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you have friends to play with.

This game is incredible. I've logged over 100 hours already and it will only get better once new characters and maps are introduced for free. Speaking of that, they just introduced Ana; a healing sniper and she completely changes team compositions on all maps. It's almost as if the maps got a refresh if she's involved because the tactics and strategy changes as well. Sure Blizzard over nerfs some classes or in this case heroes, while others remain over powered, but it doesn't matter that much here. Remember to always switch up your characters to counter your opposition, follow the objectives and don't worry about the guy with 20 health retreating. It's team based, not 6 rambos vs 6 rambos. You'll know when you face a well coordinated team because they'll steamroll your team and the match will be over in minutes. The solution? Buy a headset! You don't have to talk up a storm like some players, but call out enemy locations or spawn campers. It makes night and day difference and it will ease frustrations. People complain that the game is too expensive for an online only shooter, but I think these people forget Blizzards track record with computer games over the years. They support their games for years so you can buy with confidence that this game will be fully supported for years to come. Insanely addicting and worth every penny.