When Overwatch launched on May 24th, 2016, the gaming world was taken by storm. The game, which had brought in about 9.7 million players for its open beta, was finally in the hands of the public when the servers officially went live.
We personally remember booting up the game for the first time and diving into the game. We remember being just a bit terrible at the gaming, but learning and getting used to the game as it grew and evolved. With Blizzard celebrating the 2nd anniversary of Overwatch on the 24th of this month, the Daily Crate is looking back at the beginning of Overwatch and all that it has become in the present. Now let’s all get on the payload and get this party started!
Doomfist
((Blizzard Entertainment))
Fans of Overwatch have had the name Doomfist on their lips from the very first look at the game that premiered in 2016. It was basically set that this hero would enter the game at some point and with each hero release, the rumors of his appearance continued to swell. Doomfist was finally added to the game in July 2017 and began to punch people into every wall possible. Just make sure to look out for his meteor strike.
Moira
You can’t have a good healer like Mercy without the opposite. That brings us to Moira, the scientific mind and healer for the organization known as Talon. According to information that Blizzard mentioned at Blizzcon 2017, Blizzard wanted to have a healer who was “a shady, morally ambiguous healer to contrast with the existing ‘benevolent healer’ archetypes already in the game.” Moira fits that bill completely. Her style of healing is unique compared to the other healers in the game and her ultimate ability is something akin to a special move from an anime. As a healer though, she puts out immense amounts of damage that makes her as viable to give damage to the other team besides healing it.
Brigitte
((Blizzard Entertainment))
A character first mentioned in lore and the spectacular comics that Blizzard creates to further the story of Overwatch, Brigitte is the daughter of one of the original Overwatch heroes, Torbjörn Lindholm as well as the squire to another original hero, Reinhardt. The most recent hero to join the fray, she’s caused some shake-up the way the game is played. Being both a tank and a healer, Brigitte leads the charge into battle and has lead the charge for having fans love or hate her.
From new characters to the original team that graced the screens, Overwatch has made some changes to the game and characters alike in order to keep the community playing happy, balance out the game, and in the end, make the gaming experience just a bit more fun for all. Some of the changes have been made for the better while others might argue that they have been made for the worse. Here are just a few examples of what used to be for three of the game’s heroes that are no more.
Shielded Bastion!
The Omnic hero Bastion might be one of the couple characters that drives players crazy. With his ability to mow down targets with ease or the ability to heal himself while doing damage, there have always been complaints about what the hero can do. But did you know that the hero originally came equipped with his own shield? That’s right- the hero that can destroy teams also used to be able to protect himself as he did it. Luckily, this addition to the game never made it out of the beta stage. We’re safe…for now. Check out this video below from IGN talking about Bastion in his original form as well as some other changes the game has made.
Huge Rez!
Mercy, one of the game’s healers, used to have one of the most powerful ultimate moves in the game: multi-person resurrection. She still has that power now, but can only do it on one person every thirty seconds. Now, imagine taking out an entire team, only to have a single player come in and bring every person that was dead back to life? Infuriating, right? But it was always so worth it as the move could change the very pace of the game for a team, causing more excitement overall. Isn’t excitement what you want in a game?
I Play to Win!
Nerf this! Well, the character known as D.va used to be able to nerf herself into non-existence with her own ultimate move. Besides killing any enemy opponent in the wake of her D.Va bomb blast, if she was in the way, she too would be struck down. It was always hit or miss, depending on your skill as the character, if you would survive the blast. That said, the character can now survive her own ultimate and is better for it. No one wants to perish by their own hand, even in video game form.
E-Sports Ready
Overwatch has even evolved into the growing trend of Esports. The first season is currently underway, with the final stage of the season beginning this week out of Burbank, California. The Overwatch League is comprised of twelve teams from around the world- from Los Angeles to London and Seoul to Shanghai. Each team is vying for a spot in the season’s Grand Finals taking place this summer in New York, all for that title of world champion and that $1 Million dollar prize. Expect things to get hot for the Overwatch League as the season comes to a close!
Glittering Events
Besides character updates, Overwatch has been chock full of seasonal events that add on amazing new cosmetic content (all for free), rad game modes, and sometimes even the tastiest of lore! Overwatch has included events spanning from seasonal events like Halloween and the Holidays, Lunar New Year, and even the freaking Olympics! Don’t worry- they aren’t only doing that event every four years. That would be mean!
((Blizzard Entertainment))
The most recent event has the Overwatch team helping with a most important cause: Breast Cancer. The Overwatch team has teamed up with Breast Cancer Research Foundation to raise money for charity. The sale of the Pink Mercy skin has all proceeds going to the BCRF, as well as spreading awareness about breast cancer in general. Overwatch has always made a point to show that the world needs heroes. Now there is an opportunity for the community engaged in the game to give back and be those heroes. To learn more about this charity event, head here.
You know, the world could always use more heroes. – Lena “Tracer” Oxton
Overwatch has grown to become a globally reaching force of gaming nature. Players from all around the world log onto their accounts in order to work together, play for fun, or to get their competitive side deep into the action. People who play the game have found a sense of community that one can really only find in gaming. They create friendships, they cheer on others, they take part in events that they might not normally have. Sure, the game is about having fun and accomplishing an objective to win, but players have found connections with the heroes. They find themselves wanting to do better. They find themselves becoming the hero. As one of the characters says within the game- the world could always use more heroes. We’re looking forward to what Overwatch has to offer in the future and cannot wait to be a part of the journey as the game continues on.
