Overwatch

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Flat-out

Original Poster:

832 posts

194 months

Wednesday 4th May 2016
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Searched but couldn't find a topic.

Anybody else enjoying early access to the open beta!? This game is tremendous biggrin

For those in the dark, it is an arena FPS (or MOBA... I think). Games are either PvE or PvP and feature objectives akin to capture the flag and the like. There are 21 heroes to choose from falling within classes of DPS, support, tank and snipers/specialists. Nothing out of the ordinary there although the heroes are fairly unique.

BUT. This game oozes character and is also quite funny. Looks a bit like Team Fortress but I never actually played that so can't comment further. Also, the maps are quite intricate- the arenas aren't like Falcon Lost hehe. The gunplay is very satisfying. Some guns don't have the "heft" of Destiny or even BF but it is overall very good. Finally, and bearing in mind this is after an evenings play only, the teamwork required makes for some interesting mechanics, especially in PvP. Playing as support is actually a lot of fun and also pretty essential.

Some gameplay footage although I should caveat this by saying this was PvE with the AI set to a medium setting so they grouped together AND we managed to spawn trap them. PvP is very different thus far and I suspect PvE on a higher setting will result in them emerging from the other exits etc:-

http://youtu.be/rcOFaH-DjmQ

A feature that I really like is a "play of the game" at the end of a match. Instead of a kill cam for the last kill, the game picks out a particular piece of play instead. I managed to bag this in my first match biggrin... Although there will have been some beginner's luck and this was also against the AI:-

http://youtu.be/BBilVQH8-2Q

It isn't going to be for everybody- the cartoony graphics will put some off, but it is worth checking out. It is very easy to pick up and play and doesn't take itself too seriously. After weeks of The Division, this is just what I need. shoot

Open Beta opens for all tomorrow I think. smile

vsonix

3,858 posts

162 months

Wednesday 4th May 2016
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'Overwatch' is that anything to do with the bad guy/drone army from Half Life 2? That would be quite cool if you got to play as them!

conkerman

3,298 posts

134 months

Wednesday 4th May 2016
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Nothing at all to do with Half Life 2.

If I wasn't so apathetic about multiplayer games I'd consider having a pop at this.

You should try TF 2 though, Its free and fun. I paid for the bloody thing when It came out!

Flat-out

Original Poster:

832 posts

194 months

Wednesday 4th May 2016
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I don't think you can get TF 2 on the PS4 which is a shame frown. I know it is well regarded and I assume it is well balanced after years of tweaking.

Still, this seems to be getting decent reviews from those (on Reddit) that usually play TF 2. Good enough for me. smile

conkerman

3,298 posts

134 months

Wednesday 4th May 2016
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Ahhh,

I play on PC. (have PS4 but its Meh!)

TF2 will run on a very modest PC, integrated graphics are probably sufficient.

The Sniper rifle in TF2 was lovey to use when I used it last. Nearly as good as the Sniper in Unreal Tournament.

Calza

1,979 posts

114 months

Wednesday 4th May 2016
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Had a few hours on this last night, very very fun. Also not that demanding specs wise, though for some reason I can't seem to get past 94 fps .. is it capped or something?

I can see the possibility for team work being huge here, the classes are so varied and unique. The next few days I'm joining a group of 4 other people I used to play BF with (they still do), and we're going to have a few hours.

It's going to take forever to learn the classes properly though!

mizx

1,569 posts

184 months

Wednesday 4th May 2016
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Calza said:
Had a few hours on this last night, very very fun. Also not that demanding specs wise, though for some reason I can't seem to get past 94 fps .. is it capped or something?
Not sure, though I know some are running at 144 on 144hz monitors, I assume that was without game changes?. What specs are you getting 94 fps with?
said:
I can see the possibility for team work being huge here, the classes are so varied and unique. The next few days I'm joining a group of 4 other people I used to play BF with (they still do), and we're going to have a few hours.

It's going to take forever to learn the classes properly though!
yes there's definately a lot more variation and nuances than TF2.


I'd been waiting for it as an eventual replacement for TF2, which I haven't played in over 4 years. I racked up about 1000hrs (not that much I know) since the Beta probably specialising mostly in Pyro.

I've been semi avoiding Overwatch coverage as I guessed I wouldn't get into any beta round, still undecided about the characters, though I'm sure I'd grow to like it or it will be fun to play regardless. I'm playing Dreadnought closed beta right now so I think I might wait until it comes out as there's a wipe anyway.

Some discussion I've heard (Cooptional yesterday if anybody else watches) makes me feel sorry for and half consider trying Battleborn instead, though I'm not sure about its art style. If only to give that game at least some kind of support, though one more player won't help it's longevity. Blizzard are doing what they've always done in doing all they can at every stage to kill off competition, though of course it is a valid business practice. Notice the timing this time with the launch and Overwatch open beta. The thing is, this supposed competitor as I understand is completely different game, yet many who know next to nothing about it (it's not like they haven't tried to market it, despite lacking Blizzard's budget, the info is there if you look) dismiss it as a poor mans Overwatch clone. I don't intend to derail this as Overwatch is clearly a fantastic game, but this did make me think.

Edited by mizx on Wednesday 4th May 15:32

Flat-out

Original Poster:

832 posts

194 months

Wednesday 4th May 2016
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mizx said:
half consider trying Battleborn instead, though I'm not sure about its art style.
Some very interesting points (scratchchin) but ^ is what has turned me off Battleborn. Looks very interesting though and some streamers have said it has more depth.

For those playing this, I implore you to look at the "skins" (quite literally hehe) under each hero from the heroes screen. The exotic skins are particularly impressive, especially Winston. hehe

Calza

1,979 posts

114 months

Thursday 5th May 2016
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Looking forward to playing tonight. Open beta so more players and hopefully a lot of noobs to smash biggrin

Had a few hours last night with the 4 man squad and it's just excellent.

mizx said:
Calza said:
Had a few hours on this last night, very very fun. Also not that demanding specs wise, though for some reason I can't seem to get past 94 fps .. is it capped or something?
Not sure, though I know some are running at 144 on 144hz monitors, I assume that was without game changes?. What specs are you getting 94 fps with?
I found I'd had some kind of soft limit imposed that kept resetting, and have now fixed that (I hope). Now for some other bizarre reason it's stuck on 119FPS but that's probably enough to stay competitive. I have absolutely no idea why it's stuck there though, on low or epic setting there's obviously a cap somewhere I can't find!


EricE

1,945 posts

128 months

Thursday 5th May 2016
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Played a bit last night, it's really good!
Haven't had this much fun since Half Life 2. There's so much variety in the hero abilities, the maps are great, graphics are good and very smooth on my PS4. They also did a great job taking the frustration out of the game. There's no pay to win factor, the visuals aren't too brutal or cruel, there's no visible death or KD counter, all that matters are the objectives.
It all feels polished to the n-th degree which must be the result of the other game (Project Titan) being too overambitious and so they are recycling their work with this game.

My only gripe is that they didn't port it to Mac but I can't blame Blizzard when even the newest Macbook with its outdated GPU couldn't render this game at native resolution and at 60 fps.

kowalski655

14,599 posts

142 months

Thursday 5th May 2016
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Downloaded it today,had a quick play. No one about on the servers, a bit like TF2 but with a load more classes,although I think some are there just to make up the numbers,eg a TF2 Engi class split up into 2 or 3 here.
Graphics are nice,and the lady heroes have nice bewbs smile

phil-sti

2,668 posts

178 months

Thursday 5th May 2016
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I've just been playing and enjoyed it. Not sure if I'd buy it though.

Calza

1,979 posts

114 months

Friday 6th May 2016
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I figured out my FPS issue .. in the resolution drop down there is also an FPS cap next to that (along with ANOTHER cap elsewhere).

kowalski655 said:
Downloaded it today,had a quick play. No one about on the servers, a bit like TF2 but with a load more classes,although I think some are there just to make up the numbers,eg a TF2 Engi class split up into 2 or 3 here.
Graphics are nice,and the lady heroes have nice bewbs smile
Honestly I'm not so sure .. they are all very different to play.

Guvernator

13,104 posts

164 months

Friday 6th May 2016
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Looking forward to trying this out this evening. I loved a bit of TF and TF2 and I'm hoping this gives me a similar buzz. After the somewhat mediocre reviews Battleborn has been getting, I'm hoping this is better.

Mizx, I think I can understand people comparing the two though. They are both essentially arena based (MOBA) shooters with a large character roster. In concept at least they seem very similar to me.

franki68

10,330 posts

220 months

Friday 6th May 2016
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Had a go last night.First two games my kd was 58-0 ,had no idea what I was doing though,then it got worse as I experimented with some of the characters,reverted back to the original 2 characters and again got insane k/d ratio ,suggests game isnt too well balanced.
seems a lot to learn for each character but some are really useless apart form very specific instances whereas others are useful all the time.
I did find myself getting bored after 1 hour,but in fairness I prefer games that allow you to have a quick blast and then leave as opposed to those that suck your life away.

Flat-out

Original Poster:

832 posts

194 months

Monday 9th May 2016
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phil-sti said:
I've just been playing and enjoyed it. Not sure if I'd buy it though.
...and this is where I am at. smile

Really enjoyed the beta and will play some more tonight (as it has been extended). But, having clocked in 10 hours since last Tuesday and now that the shiny newness has worn off, I don't think it will hold my attention enough to justify a purchase.

I think part of the problem is imbalance- Torbjorn's turrets and Bastion are a PITA. Junkrat's super has a ridiculous blast radius. Things like this can make games feel like a chore.

A great game though. Just not for me. smile

franki68

10,330 posts

220 months

Monday 9th May 2016
quotequote all
Flat-out said:
...and this is where I am at. smile

Really enjoyed the beta and will play some more tonight (as it has been extended). But, having clocked in 10 hours since last Tuesday and now that the shiny newness has worn off, I don't think it will hold my attention enough to justify a purchase.

I think part of the problem is imbalance- Torbjorn's turrets and Bastion are a PITA. Junkrat's super has a ridiculous blast radius. Things like this can make games feel like a chore.

A great game though. Just not for me. smile
It's a very flashy version of rock paper stone,you need to work out what character to use based on what the other team is using.pck the right character and if the other team don't counter it you can boss the game easily,get it wrong and you will get spanked.

Calza

1,979 posts

114 months

Monday 9th May 2016
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There is definitely still tweaking to be done. Mei's ice cannon is far too powerful at current.

Genji can comfortably take out a turret though, so there is balance.

franki68 said:
It's a very flashy version of rock paper stone,you need to work out what character to use based on what the other team is using.pck the right character and if the other team don't counter it you can boss the game easily,get it wrong and you will get spanked.
Very much this.

Flat-out

Original Poster:

832 posts

194 months

Monday 9th May 2016
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You are both right. I actually found it best to counter the turret brothers by using the snipers. BUT, the "aim-bot" nature of Torbjorn's turret is a bit cheap which detracts from the fun a little.

If there was nothing on the horizon then I'd be all over this. But with Uncharted 4, hopefully The Division being fixed for this month's incursion (laugh), Hoops for Rocket League and No Man's Sky, I do have enough to play until the blockbusters land this Autumn.

Will keep an eye on this thread though and may jump in a little later down the line. thumbup

Guvernator

13,104 posts

164 months

Monday 9th May 2016
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Yep, played it over the weekend and while it was enjoyable, I don't think it has the longevity. The huge roster of characters while a nice idea just hasn't got the balance right with the majority of the characters seeming all but useless and yes I gave most of them a good go.

That leaves it feeling pretty shallow and the maps are OK but nothing exceptional. TF2 did this kind of game way better a decade ago. As flat-out stated above their are better games coming out this month and in the following, not sure this has enough in it for me to be interested.