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This is blizzards new IP and accordingly it looks pretty interesting
For the first time in many years, Blizzard announced a new franchise today: Overwatch, a team-based multiplayer shooter with Pixar-like graphics.
The game looks great. It's a PvP shooter with classes, very reminiscent of Team Fortress 2. Here's the cinematic trailer:
And, more importantly, here's gameplay footage from the newly-christened Overwatch, which really does look fantastic:
Here's Blizzard describing the game in a press release:
The action of Overwatch takes place in a technologically advanced, highly stylized future earth. In a time of global crisis, an international task force of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities known as Overwatch had come together to restore peace to a war-torn world. After many years, the group's influence waned, and it was eventually disbanded. Overwatch might be gone now . . . but the world still needs heroes.
With an emphasis on accessibility and pure fun, Overwatch brings Blizzard's signature easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay to the FPS genre. Harnessing the power of their hero of choice, players will join forces in teams of six and battle each other across a range of futuristic global locations, from the hologram-lit streets of London to a bazaar in the shadows of a high-tech Egyptian pyramid. Every battlefield is iconic and built to highlight each character's unique abilities, and fights can shift from streets to rooftops to open skies within the span of a breath.
"Overwatch is our take on a vibrant, near-future universe with amped-up characters and action-packed team-based gameplay," saidMike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "With every new Blizzard game, we look at our favorite aspects of a genre and put our own spin on things. Our goal with Overwatch is to create an awesome FPS experience that's more accessible to a much wider audience while delivering the action and depth that shooter fans love."
The heroes of Overwatch each bring their own distinct weapons and superabilities to bear. Here's just a glimpse of the numerous heroes that will ultimately fill Overwatch's rosters:
Tracer, a former British test pilot who shrugs at danger, can execute impossible acrobatic assaults thanks to her ability to teleport, drop energy bombs, and even reverse time. Reinhardt, a hulking German soldier in battle armor, can charge great distances and pin his enemies to a wall or slam the ground with his rocket hammer to knock them off their feet. Hanzo, a bow-wielding Japanese mercenary, has the ability to scale walls with his bare hands, fire off a tracking device that illuminates nearby enemies for his team, and unleash a huge spirit dragon that does grievous damage to all enemies in its path. Symmetra, an Indian architech, manipulates light and energy to shield her allies and damage her enemies—and she can turn the tide of any battle by building a device that instantly transports her teammates to the front lines. The beta will be out in 2015.
Overwatch is a reworked version of the PVP portions of Blizzard's Titan, the long-in-development MMO that was overhauled in mid-2013. Despite reports earlier this year that Titan had been cancelled, the game was actually turned into Overwatch last year, according to a person familiar with the project.
It looks like they've kept some of the class names—like Reaper—that we reported on last month.
Seems like Team fortress 2, but on crack.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/11/07 20:24:43
From whom are unforgiven we bring the mercy of war.
Nice to see them do something a bit past the overblown "Epic" fee of their 'craft universes. Looks like a fun universe and I'm always a fan of cyborg gorillas. That said I'm so not the audience for this. I'm not a shooter guy in general and TF2 in particular bored me to death the few times I tried it. I do know folks who'd just eat this up though. <insert a joke about hats here>
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/11/07 21:16:36
Character style and "cartoon" look seems great.
FPS... um, okay... guess that remains to be seen.
Some of the acrobatics would benefit greatly from a 3rd person perspective like Jedi-Knight (maybe a skill-tree "power"?)
The funky spins in the air could make some interesting motion sickness.
I must admit that FPS could use some more characterful "classes" so this may help scratch an itch for this genre.
Programmable/macro controllers are looking like a good thing.
A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.
Napoleon Bonaparte
That and who the of the development team dreamed up such lazy and utterly mindnumbing classes?
Why is everyone here negative towards blizzard. shesh?
This is a new team and everything all of it is just hate.
Their games are extremely successful, are well known and have very, very wide appeal outside the normal "Gamer" niche - see the cultural awareness of WoW in america and Starcraft in Korea. Their products are reliable and engaging, if overly formulaic and more than a bit derivative. In other words they're as mainstream as mainstream can get. So of course it's going to get very cool to be hatin' on them.
EDIT: You might think of them as the Bud Light of gaming. It's a very popular, very consistent product. It lacks a lot of the complexity some enthusiasts are looking for, and the ubiquity of it can be grating. At the end of the day it's honestly actually an excellent product for what it is, but the visibility means it's an easy and fun target.
This message was edited 6 times. Last update was at 2014/11/07 21:48:30
Animated element looks good but has me wondering what the heck the game play will be like as there's no way any of that will convey into one of their typical games.
There's a lot of elements that remind me very strongly of AT-43 and Infinity.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/11/07 21:57:13
Paulson Games parts are now at:
www.RedDogMinis.com
paulson games wrote: Animated element looks good but has me wondering what the heck the game play will be like as there's no way any of that will convey into one of their typical games.
There's a lot of elements that remind me very strongly of AT-43 and Infinity.
Check the article. They have a video showing off the gameplay.
From whom are unforgiven we bring the mercy of war.
I'm not sure how anything can look "Infinity" infinity is so wholly and proudly derivative of other works it hardly has a unique look. The only way I can see anyone making that connection is if they're only familiar with infinity and not all familiar with any of the things infinity draws it's inspiration from.
Aye.. suggesting Corvus Belli needs to take a look at this, is quite absurd considering how much anime they have ransacked for their style.
Oh and yes, I am a fan of Blizzard, but I am also a Infinity fan, and its most likely they have both just been inspired by the same Japanese sources that have inspired countless table top games, RPG's and video games over the years. I believe there is quite a back log of it out there.
Regarding the game, not my style, but I do like the fact it would seem each class adds something to their role in the shooter, and from those trying it out at Blizzcon, that seems to be the prevailing praise, the fact each class feels like a different take on the genre.
Much like Hearthstone, I see this doing very well, unlike Hearthstone I won't be having anything to do with it.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/11/08 01:03:38
"That's not an Ork, its a girl.." - Last words of High General Daran Ul'tharem, battle of Ursha VII.
Two White Horses (Ipswich Town and Denver Broncos Supporter)
It does look like Infinity, but so what? At the end of the day, everyone knows Blizz nick stuff, at least they are obvious with it. They clearly nicked off GW to make all their gak, but at least its honest open thievery, because both CB and GW obviously pinch other IP to develop their own right?
Hence I dont see an issue.
Regards the game, it looks decent because I like TF, but I really dislike Disneys cartoony style, and this is more of the same. I have always preferred more realistic looking shooters like COD over this Toy Story looking stuff.
Furthermore, does anyone know a single British woman who speaks like that in real life? I went out with an actual Essex bird once and she still didn't have as aggressive an accent.
We are arming Syrian rebels who support ISIS, who is fighting Iran, who is fighting Iraq who we also support against ISIS, while fighting Kurds who we support while they are fighting Syrian rebels.
Personally, I like the art style much better than the current aesthetic with a lot of modern shooters that try to create hyper realistic environments with only two colours grey and brown.
I'm pretty ambivalent on the release, I liked the trailer but the gameplay itself seems a bit lacklustre, I'll reserve further judgement once I see more of the actual game modes.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/11/08 02:49:15
We'll see how it ends up. Presumably beta announcements and invites will go out within the next year, and word will get around pretty quickly once that happens.
Also...
The oblivious security guard playing Hearthstone was a nice touch...