However, that would wind up raising pay-to-win concerns as new heroes were locked behind paywalls (or unrealistically long grinds to unlock them naturally).Īs an outsider who only enjoyed Overwatch on a casual level, that left me feeling a little cold on its October release. That would replace its predecessors’ loot box system, which would be a positive step on paper. The only major change from a casual perspective was its pivot to a free-to-play format, which brought a season structure and a paid battle pass to the game.

Granted, some of its balance tweaks were a much bigger deal for fans who’d sunk hundreds of hours into the game so far. The sequel got an upgraded art style, a few new characters, and a change to team sizes, but all of those changes felt like updates that could have been applied to Overwatch. When Overwatch 2’s multiplayer component launched, I felt like I had to play a game of “Spot the Difference” to figure out what was new.

I’m not sure I’ll ever return to Overwatch 2, though perhaps that’s an outcome Blizzard has ultimately made peace with too. And while I’m sure some competitive-focused players won’t care too much, the fiasco has fully eroded my already tenuous relationship with the hero shooter. That leaves Overwatch 2 in an awkward spot, as the incomplete version that launched last year now appears to be the final content suite after all. Not only that, but plans had changed a year and a half ago - something that was never communicated to fans when the game’s multiplayer component launched last October. Overwatch 2 would still get some story content bundled in with new seasons, but the grand vision for a Hero mode with its own skill trees was no more. In a recent interview with Gamespot, game director Aaron Keller revealed that plans for the mode had been scrapped. Finally, I’d have a way to get invested in the world and characters of Overwatch and progress through a solo campaign while doing it. So I was elated when Blizzard announced it would bring a full PVE mode to the sequel. As someone who’s not a skilled competitive player, I wanted more ways to interact with the shooter that didn’t just involve me going on big losing streaks. I always enjoyed the series’ first installment, but I always wished there was more to it. When Overwatch 2 was first announced, I had good reason to be excited.

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