Overwatch

[Solace]

This is going to be huge. A lot of people are looking at this mainly from the gamer aspect, but looking at the bigger picture you can't help but notice the ridiculous merchandising potential in this. If Blizzard plays their cards right, this will make them gobs and gobs of cash.

[oompa loompa]

Originally Posted by Solace

This is going to be huge. A lot of people are looking at this mainly from the gamer aspect, but looking at the bigger picture you can't help but notice the ridiculous merchandising potential in this. If Blizzard plays their cards right, this will make them gobs and gobs of cash.

All of this hinges on the game being good though. This is the first time blizz has tried something like this, so they're going to be relying a lot on their brand name which, lets be honest, has been fading rapidly since diablo 3 and HotS came out. There's a real feeling that they're not making games the way the used to, so this is also quite a bit more risky than meets the eye. For example, on TeamLiquid (what is I'm sure one of the most popular spaces to discuss blizzard games, and one of the long standing hubs of SC and WC), the reactions are mixed, at best. Then again, they have mad money, so I suppose it is a loss they could take on if it doesn't succeed

Having said that, I do like the characters and designs.. They're cliched, but I donno, for some reason I liked them right off the bat. Except tracer, already hate that biatch

[Firefly00]

I for one still have hope for Blizzard and Ubisoft getting together to revive SC: Ghost (hey, Nova and her fellows are that universe's version of Splinter Cells, so if you're going to go there, why not work with the experts?); nonetheless, this is an interesting surprise.

Oh, and have some official site.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by Flying Dagger

I seriously think blizzard should stick to their RPG/RTS roots. There is still a LOT in those genres for them to explore. Then again, Blizzard loves their multiplayer elements, and most likely will not bother with standalone single player games that offer the epic adventuring experience like in single player games.

Funny enough, they've mentioned this in their panel that when they announced WoW back in the day, people said they was the RTS guys and they should just stick to what they were good at.

So now they're the RTS/MMO/RPG/loot/TCG/MOBA and Shooter guys? Wanting a piece in all those PvP pie.... Maybe 17 years later we'll get a Blizzard fighting game.

[FlareKnight]

I thought the opening trailer was pretty entertaining. Honestly I could have seen them supporting a movie based on that .

Does have that TF2 feel. Which isn't a bad thing since that's been a fun game over the years to go back to now and then with friends. Hopefully they have some flexibility with the modes. Even if they want to push more e-sports and have a competitive side, no reason why they can't have a more free for all deathmatch kind of mode in there too.

Anyways, looks pretty good and will see how that develops. Seems like Tracer will be that key mascot for the game and not a bad one to go with I think.

[SilverSyko]

Oh hey, a game from Blizzard I may actually play for once.~

Considering Team Fortress 2 is my favorite PC title and multiplayer shooter ever, the similarities to it are a big plus for me, but it has enough differences so it's not a carbon copy either.~

I do hope team sizes will be large enough to permit at least one of each character on both teams, since I imagine each character has their specialities.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

Oh hey, a game from Blizzard I may actually play for once.~

Considering Team Fortress 2 is my favorite PC title and multiplayer shooter ever, the similarities to it are a big plus for me, but it has enough differences so it's not a carbon copy either.~

I do hope team sizes will be large enough to permit at least one of each character on both teams, since I imagine each character has their specialities.

For now they say they've decided on 6v6 as what they want, subjected to changes depending on player feedback from the demo at the con as well as the beta.

Besides, atm there are already 12 characters announced, 3 more from the promo picture that haven't been named yet and many more to be revealed later.

Though I would expect no more than maybe 5 more to make it 20 total.

[SilverSyko]

Wouldn't adding more characters with their own specialities just make the game harder to balance? TF2's only ever had 9 ever since it's release 7 years ago and it's remained extremely balanced thanks to that.

Also, it only being 6v6 poses potential problems for me, but if you can change the character you're playing mid-game it can probably be sidestepped. For example, what if one team has a medic while the other doesn't? Seems like a clear advantage to me for the one that does.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

Wouldn't adding more characters with their own specialities just make the game harder to balance? TF2's only ever had 9 ever since it's release 7 years ago and it's remained extremely balanced thanks to that.

Also, it only being 6v6 poses potential problems for me, but if you can change the character you're playing mid-game it can probably be sidestepped. For example, what if one team has a medic while the other doesn't? Seems like a clear advantage to me for the one that does.

But that would also mean one team has more firepower than the other, or one team has more heavy tanks than the other. Either way it would balance itself out at least on that level.

[Raviel]

Originally Posted by Firefly00

I for one still have hope for Blizzard and Ubisoft getting together to revive SC: Ghost (hey, Nova and her fellows are that universe's version of Splinter Cells, so if you're going to go there, why not work with the experts?); nonetheless, this is an interesting surprise.

Oh, and have some official site.

We'll probably have to wait for Legacy of the Void to come out before getting any other Starcraft game.

That said, this is pretty interesting, I've never had so many characters in an FPS I'd like to use before. I'll definitely be giving the medic and the one that could fly a look but I'm probably going to end up trying all the characters if possible. Especially that Cyborg Ninja, now.....all we need is for that guy with a bow to have an exosuit cosmetic item an a sword

I also fully approve of the direction Blizzard has taken in the design of their female characters

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

Amusing thing I noticed, well I did once it was pointed out to me, in the gameplay video for Widowmaker when she deploys her sniper rifle her ass inflates. I posit that this is because its acting as a shock absorber. The recoil of her rifle travels down her arm and spine where the excess energy is dispersed into her buttocks. /superserious.

[SilverSyko]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

But that would also mean one team has more firepower than the other, or one team has more heavy tanks than the other. Either way it would balance itself out at least on that level.

Well with the medic's ability to make himself and a team-mate invincible for a short time in TF2, that really makes nearly all of that tank firepower pretty much useless, which is why support classes like snipers or spies are usually necessary to take out the medic without them realizing they're in danger to prevent them from using that ability.

I realize that may not be the case with this game yes, but essentially what I'm trying to say is that it should be possible for a team to counter any potential situation, and having team sizes being large enough to permit one of each character is a good way to assure that.

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

Well, some of the characters seem to have abilities to get around behind the opposition - ie Tracer and Reaper - and Widowmaker has the ability to harass/kill from range, so I don't think turtling will be too much of a problem. That game with the devs playing though gave me some serious TF2 bomb cart escort map flashbacks though with the ending the way it was with the brutal fight to get those last couple feet, and failing.

[Jazzrat]

Looks good, FPS is a genre that Blizzard haven't invest in so I'm looking forward to what they can do with it. It's been long overdue for Blizzard to work on a brand new IP, eventhough I like warcraft/starcraft/diablo universe, it's kinda tiring after awhile and investing in new IP is generally a good indicator of the company's overall health.

I think this might have been art/design assets salvaged from Project Titan though as it was rumored to be set in real world with superheroes.

[risingstar3110]

Is it just me, or the character design were very chaotic. Like you can';t see a single theme around them?

Understandably if it's game like DOTA or Lol or HON because it's originally fan-made, with many characters were designed by different people. But the game looks fairly cheap with current character design

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

I dunno about that, they have that near future thing going for them (that carbon fibre interlocking armor) with a few personalised touches (reapers cloak/mask) to make each unique. Unless you mean to fit their roles? Eh, Winston and Reinhart look pretty tankish to me. I guess an argument could be made for Tracer since she's small and speedy, but then again she isn't technically bothered by pesky things like time and space. Widowmaker being in that catsuit, to me is kinda odd, but she's sort of a callback to a Ghost from Starcraft anyways (hell her backstory has a number of similarities to Kerrigans). I think a lot of their theme will come with their voice acting as well to add personality.

[Jazzrat]

Originally Posted by risingstar3110

Is it just me, or the character design were very chaotic. Like you can';t see a single theme around them?

Understandably if it's game like DOTA or Lol or HON because it's originally fan-made, with many characters were designed by different people. But the game looks fairly cheap with current character design

Err.... there's nothing cheap in terms of design when it comes to blizzard's work. Level details and character aesthetic shown is far above a lot of games in their finished states. I'm not sure why you can't see the character themes because it's pretty recognizable where they drew their inspiration from for each characters. The indian female engineer might as well come out from Portal.

Most of the character shown so far had recognizable silhouette and design. I dont think you can compare this to traditional MOBAs since it's a FPS view so characters model are larger and can afford to have more amount of details in them. It's a lot harder to design something recognizable with a MOBA than FPS.

[Firefly00]

Originally Posted by Mr Hat and Clogs

Well, some of the characters seem to have abilities to get around behind the opposition - ie Tracer and Reaper...

Always fun. Especially if there is a roster of accolades you can earn - the one relevant here would be 'Kill X opponents from behind (in a single scenario)'.

That game with the devs playing though gave me some serious TF2 bomb cart escort map flashbacks though with the ending the way it was with the brutal fight to get those last couple feet, and failing.

Objective- and team-focused play is always welcome. I wonder if we'll see an analogue of Mann. vs Machine, or some variations of Horde/Firefight/etc.

I would also imagine that the universe has room for at least one other game. From the lore, Overwatch itself (the organization most of the characters were part of) was something in the vein of SHIELD, set up to counter an AI rebellion; you could get something akin to XCOM or Valkyria Chronicles out of that.

Lastly, I cannot help but wonder... was it a true 'homegrown' rebellion, or perhaps the opening blow dealt by an as-yet-undiscovered threat waiting in the Big Black...?

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

Had a bunch written out and forum ate it... Sigh.

Short version: I doubt they will have any individual accolades, especially anything on the score screen like medals. HotS doesn't, because it detracts from team based focus, I suspect the same here. That said, I'd love to see some more modes.

Mann vs Machine, would not surprise me. Considering the story background.

Well Metzen hinted at something regarding Symmetra on the panel, can't remember exact words now but something like "dunno if I trust her motives, seems sketchy." So she could somehow be involved with the uprising in some fashion, or the company she works for.

Also, why the MOBA comparisons? Have they mentioned that specifically? The only FPS MOBA I know is SMITE, but it still has the usual MOBA fair with minions, items, lanes and so on. This has none of that. In fact I see King of the Hill and Escort, which are straight up FPS modes. Hell, the game has more in common with Unreal Tournament than League of Legends.

[risingstar3110]

Originally Posted by Jazzrat

Err.... there's nothing cheap in terms of design when it comes to blizzard's work. Level details and character aesthetic shown is far above a lot of games in their finished states. I'm not sure why you can't see the character themes because it's pretty recognizable where they drew their inspiration from for each characters. The indian female engineer might as well come out from Portal.

Most of the character shown so far had recognizable silhouette and design. I dont think you can compare this to traditional MOBAs since it's a FPS view so characters model are larger and can afford to have more amount of details in them. It's a lot harder to design something recognizable with a MOBA than FPS.

Eh... Personal opinion, guys?

Why do i have a feeling i just touch on some Blizzard fans nerve here. First clue is "because it's released by XYZ, it can't be wrong" argument.

Still think the design looks fairly cheap and the character theme all messed up.