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Overwatch is one of my favorite shooters of all time. When it’s fun, it’s really fun!
Overwatch 2 has been delayed beyond this year, but we were lucky enough to get a bunch of details on the sequel at this year’s BlizzCon.
If you want even more gaming news, check out our entire TAG Roundup series! The last post covered an upcoming space station simulator that puts you in the driver seat of your own galactic adventure.
All the Overwatch 2 Details from BlizzCon – IGN
Overwatch 2 has been in development for years, but 2020 was relatively quiet on the updates front. Earlier this year, we heard that the game wouldn’t be released in 2021, which brought some sadness to the Overwatch community. Blizzard tried to balance this out with a 40-minute presentation of the sequel in this year’s BlizzCon!
The virtual presentation featured Overwatch’s top decision-makers, from game director Jeff Kaplan to lead hero designer Geoff Goodman. The team showed off skill trees, an update on the story, and many other exciting things to look out for.
New Overwatch Maps
Since there’s constant talk of which map is best in Overwatch, let’s tackle the new maps first. Overwatch 2 introduced Rome and New York – both maps are in the standard Overwatch style and are equally magnificent. You’ll want to check the article to see screenshots and be impressed by the level of detail in the background of these maps.
New Overwatch Hero
Next, we have the latest hero to grace the stage, Sojourn! Equipped with a lethal rail gun, Sojourn can output large bursts of damage or spray and pray in semi-auto mode. Images of the character show off boosters that enable her to rocket-power slide. We’ll need to keep a close eye on any more development news for updates on Soujourn’s kit.
Blizzard devs are also experimenting with character passives that are specific to the role (ie. one each for tanks, DPS, and support). It’s unclear how many of the proposed changes will make it through to launch, but it’s good to see that the team is trying to change some of the core mechanics of Overwatch.
Hero Missions
One of the biggest differences between the original and the sequel are the new Hero Missions. We’ve seen plenty of co-op limited-time modes in the first Overwatch, but Overwatch 2 will look to make these a staple of online play. I’ve really enjoyed some of the co-op LTM’s that have been introduced over the last few years, so I’m excited to see how they build a solid story among the missions.
There are some changes to the base character models of certain heroes, but I wasn’t all that impressed. Aside from Widowmaker’s new look, it seems like there were only very subtle changes made to the rest of the roster.
Game Mechanics
I’m much more interested in the hero progression system for PvE modes in Overwatch 2! Each hero will have a skill tree that can improve the character, including new abilities and elemental effects for weapons. I’m excited to see this play out in Overwatch, since I’m used to primarily seeing this executed in action RPGs!
Finally, enemies got a nice boost for Overwatch 2. The devs are building enemy reactions, losing limbs, Elite enemies, and more dynamic animations. This is a welcome change since the enemies in the current PvE modes can often feel stale and repetitive.
We still don’t have a release date for OW 2, but the progress shown at BlizzCon is encouraging. I’ll be working on my keyboard and mouse on the original Overwatch in the meantime and will likely be picking up the sequel on day 1!
Let me know what you’re most excited about in Overwatch 2 in the comments section, below!
Honorable Mentions in Last Week’s Gaming World
- Comicbook – Legend of Mana is getting a remaster on PS4, Switch, and PC
- PC Gamer – Deckbuilding FPS Neon White coming to Steam in winter 2021
- PC Gamer – MMO from Amazon will get a closed beta in July and launch fully at the end of August
- Kotaku – “Companions” update allows players to tame aliens in No Man’s Sky
That’s All For Now
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