Steam curator review;
"Ahh Overwatch, where do I even begin? The game has had a troubled history with the failure of the single player campaign but it's a fun hero shooter nonetheless. Competitive is very hit or miss."
The continuation;
So, Overwatch 2. As I mentioned in my curator review, this game has had a troubled history.
Blizzard Entertainment marketed the game as a continuation of Overwatch while heavily promoting a planned PvE campaign mode. That campaign was supposed to be one of the major selling points of the sequel, but it ultimately became one of gaming's most infamous cancelled promises.
What eventually released was a small set of paid PvE missions branded as “Invasion”. Only three missions were ever released before support for the mode was effectively abandoned, with Blizzard citing development difficulties and a desire to focus on the core PvP experience instead.
And honestly, that core PvP experience is where most of my thoughts lie.
Recently, Blizzard released five heroes at once, followed by another hero the very next season. A recurring issue with newer heroes is that they often feel like upgraded versions of existing characters rather than entirely unique additions to the roster.
For example, Sierra feels like a stronger version of Soldier: 76, while Emre also overlaps heavily with his role and playstyle. On top of that, new heroes frequently launch in an extremely unbalanced state before being nerfed later.
The best recent example was “Jetpack Cat”, who dominated matches across almost every rank on release. Much of the problem came from the new perk system interacting too strongly with the character's kit. Blizzard eventually toned this down with balance changes, and the hero is now in a far healthier state.
Unfortunately, balancing is not the only issue the game struggles with.
The competitive experience can be incredibly frustrating. Over the past several seasons, I have consistently tried to climb ranked seriously, but progression often feels more dependent on matchmaking luck than personal performance.
I frequently find myself placed into matches with teammates who have little understanding of positioning, ultimate economy, or team coordination. After finally gaining progress through several difficult wins, a handful of poor matches can erase hours of effort.
Whether this is a matchmaking issue, a ranking issue, or simply the nature of solo queue in team-based games is debatable, but the end result is still frustration.
That said, despite all of my complaints, I still recommend Overwatch 2.
At its best, the game remains one of the most enjoyable hero shooters on the market. The gunplay is responsive, the heroes are visually distinct, and team fights can create genuinely incredible moments that few other multiplayer games manage to replicate.
I have criticised the game heavily because I care about it, and despite its flaws, I have continued playing for multiple seasons — even purchasing the £35 Battle Pass bundle several times.
At the time of writing, Overwatch 2 is also my most played game on Steam with 855.4 hours played. For comparison, my second most played game sits at 269.6 hours. You do not put 855 hours into a game you hate.
Overwatch 2 is frustrating, inconsistent, occasionally badly balanced, and still somehow incredibly fun.