Overwatch 2 Review GamesRadar+
Overwatch 2 Review GamesRadar+ .
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch
Developer/Publisher: Blizzard/Activision, but several of the heroes immediately available have some of the highest skill-ceilings in the game. It's easy to imagine new players bouncing off of Overwatch 2 after struggling to play as Genji or Zarya, which makes the decision to lock such popular and easy-to-learn heroes as D.Va behind play time a questionable one. With the new model offering daily and weekly challenges, Blizzard is also (perhaps inadvertently) promoting individualized play over collaborative teamwork – which is antithetical to the original games' spirit. If you don't want to shell out money for the premium battle pass, and automatically get the new support hero Kiriko, you'll have to progress along the free battle pass to unlock her at Tier 55. In order to speed up that progress, you'll want to complete challenges, as it took me about an hour and a half to move up a tier through regular play. While some of the daily and weekly challenges simply task you with winning games or playing matches as a certain role, others fundamentally change the way Overwatch is played by rewarding players for individual accomplishments. With the FTUE program, battle pass, and overall gameplay changes in mind, I can't quite put my finger on who Overwatch 2 is for. It feels fine-tuned for hyper-competitive play, despite the free-to-play grounding enticing a broader player base than the series has ever had before, while the Battle Pass structure erects barriers around content in a way that will naturally alienate players who don't have ample stores of either time or money. While Overwatch 2 still offers fun and frenetic gameplay on beautifully vibrant maps, it's hard to ignore how much it deviates from the successes of the original. Overwatch 2 was reviewed on PC, with access provided by the publisher.We check over 250 million products every day for the best pricespowered by
Overwatch 2 review Shiny and new but for who
By (Image: © Activision)Early Verdict
Overwatch 2 shines and pops with updated graphics and gorgeous new maps, but its deviation from the source material is impossible to ignorePros
Graphical upgrades are obvious and impressive New heroes are deadly and funCons
Gameplay changes threaten the uniqueness of the original Hero unlocking scheme antithetical to the game's core Battle pass progression means more selfish gameplay exists in a liminal space, sitting somewhere between a major update to the original game and a proper standalone sequel. It launches into Early Access without its new co-operative PvE mode, which isn't due out until sometime next year, and the core multiplayer offering features a strange mixture of characters and maps that are both old and new. Overwatch 2 has been difficult to pin down ever since it was announced in 2019 – familiar, and at times wholly unrecognizable – and that feeling hasn't dissipated now that I've sunk hours into it.Fast Facts: Overwatch 2 Release date: October 4, 2022 (Early Access)Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch
Developer/Publisher: Blizzard/Activision, but several of the heroes immediately available have some of the highest skill-ceilings in the game. It's easy to imagine new players bouncing off of Overwatch 2 after struggling to play as Genji or Zarya, which makes the decision to lock such popular and easy-to-learn heroes as D.Va behind play time a questionable one. With the new model offering daily and weekly challenges, Blizzard is also (perhaps inadvertently) promoting individualized play over collaborative teamwork – which is antithetical to the original games' spirit. If you don't want to shell out money for the premium battle pass, and automatically get the new support hero Kiriko, you'll have to progress along the free battle pass to unlock her at Tier 55. In order to speed up that progress, you'll want to complete challenges, as it took me about an hour and a half to move up a tier through regular play. While some of the daily and weekly challenges simply task you with winning games or playing matches as a certain role, others fundamentally change the way Overwatch is played by rewarding players for individual accomplishments. With the FTUE program, battle pass, and overall gameplay changes in mind, I can't quite put my finger on who Overwatch 2 is for. It feels fine-tuned for hyper-competitive play, despite the free-to-play grounding enticing a broader player base than the series has ever had before, while the Battle Pass structure erects barriers around content in a way that will naturally alienate players who don't have ample stores of either time or money. While Overwatch 2 still offers fun and frenetic gameplay on beautifully vibrant maps, it's hard to ignore how much it deviates from the successes of the original. Overwatch 2 was reviewed on PC, with access provided by the publisher.We check over 250 million products every day for the best pricespowered by