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the-desolated-quill · 5 years ago

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Quill’s Swill - The Worst Of 2019

Congratulations! You’ve made it through another year! You’ve faced many obstacles and overcome many adversaries to arrive here, at the dawn of a new decade. So as we prepare to leave the 2010s and make our way into the 2020s, lets take a look back at the challenges and hardships of 2019. And by challenges and hardships, I of course mean shitty fiction and media.

Yes, it’s time for yet another edition of Quill’s Swill, where we mark the absolute worst stories that the industry had to offer over the past year and proceed to tear them to shreds. Think of it as like voiding your bowels before the New Year.

As always remember that this is my personal, subjective opinion. If you happen to like any of the things on this list, that’s fine. More power to you. Go make your own list. Also bear in mind I haven’t seen everything 2019 has to offer due to various other commitments. So as much as I really, really want to, I can’t put Avengers Endgame on here. I know what happens. It sounds fucking terrible, but I haven’t seen the film, so it wouldn’t be fair of me to put it on the list, even though it would most definitely deserve it.

...

Seriously, read the synopsis of Endgame on Wikipedia some time. It’s like fanfic written by a nine year old. It’s truly shocking. And now it’s the highest grossing movie of all time? Give me strength.

All In A Row

Don’t you just hate it when you’re expected to parent your autistic child? Like actually show love and care and consideration to your offspring. Look at him, expecting you to treat him like a human being. Selfish bastard! If only there was a play that explored the horrors of having to be a decent person to your own flesh and blood and how objectively awful it is. If you’re one of those people, then the play All In A Row will be right up your street.

Premiering on the 14th February at Southwark Playhouse in London, All In A Row was a total shitshow to say the least. The playwright, Alex Oates, claimed to have ten years of experience working with autistic children, which you wouldn’t have believed if you saw the play as the autistic child at the centre of the play, Lawrence, seemed more like a wild animal than a person. In fact two of the main characters compare him to a dog. And if you thought this wasn’t dehumanising enough, Lawrence isn’t even a child. He’s a puppet. Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds.

All In A Row seems to place all of the blame for the family’s predicament on the autistic child, who’s presented as barely functional, bordering on bestial. There’s no effort to really make an emotional connection with Lawrence (how can you? He’s a puppet!) as the play instead focuses on how this kid has effectively ruined this family’s life because of his autism and aggressive behaviour. Speaking as someone on the autism spectrum, I can say quite confidently that this play is fucking despicable. Badly written, badly conceived, insulting and downright mean spirited. I wouldn’t want Oates looking after my autistic children, that’s for damn sure.

Anthem

EA is back and this time they’re dragging the critical darling that is BioWare down with them.

Anthem was a desperate attempt to jump aboard the ‘live service’ bandwagon, trying to replicate the success of other video games like Overwatch, Destiny and Warframe. They failed spectacularly. The game itself had more bugs than A Bug’s Life, loot drops were often stingy and unrewarding, loading times were farcically long, and the story and worldbuilding was fucking pitiful. Oh yeah, and if you played it on PS4, there was a good chance it could permanently damage it. Thankfully I have a uni friend with an Xbox One and they allowed me to play the game on that. It was a crushing disappointment, especially coming fresh off the heels of Mass Effect Andromeda, which didn’t exactly set the world on fire back in 2017.

It didn’t help that EA’s reputation was in tatters thanks to the lootbox controversy of Star Wars Battlefront II and having to try and win back the trust of fans, but worse still reports began to service of what went on behind the scenes at BioWare during the game’s development. Apparently the game’s story and mechanics kept changing every other day as the creative directors and writers didn’t have the faintest idea what kind of game they wanted to make, and the developers were often forced to work obscenely long work hours in abusive crunch periods to get the game finished for launch. It got so bad that, according to an article on Kotaku, some members of the team had to leave for weeks or even months at a time to recover from ‘stress casualties.’

To think this was the same company that gave us Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Knights Of The Old Republic. Thank God that Obsidian Entertainment is there to pick up the slack on the RPG front because I think it’s safe to assume that BioWare won’t be around for much longer at this rate.

The Lion King (2019 remake)

Here we go. Yet another live action remake of a Disney classic. Excpet it’s not live action, is it? Well... it’s live action in the sense that Dinosaur was live action (remember that film? Don’t worry if you don’t. No one does). Real locations but CGI characters. Millions of dollars spent on cutting edge tech to create photo realistic animals... and the film ends up duller than a bowl of porridge that really likes trainspotting.

It’s not just the fact that The Lion King remake is yet another soulless cash grab from the House of Mouse, it’s also the fact that it’s done really badly that upsets me. The Lion King works as an animated film. Bright colourful images, over the top song and dance sequences and vibrant character designs. As a ‘live action’ film, it just looks awkward and stilted. None of the animals are very expressive, leaving it up to the poor voice actors to carry the film, and to cap it all off the CGI isn’t even all that convincing in my opinion. At no point did I look at Simba and go ‘oh yeah, he looks like a real lion.’ It’s so obviously fake. In fact it reminds me of those early 00s movies like Cats & Dogs or Stuart Little where you see the jaws of the talking animals moving up and down like some messed up ventriloquist act or something. And here’s me thinking cinema has evolved past this.

BBC’s The War Of The Worlds

Remember Peter Harness? That guy who wrote that Doctor Who episode about the moon being an egg? Yeah, he’s back and he’s doing an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War Of The Worlds. And guess what! It’s fucking ghastly! :D

The three part BBC mini-series was without a doubt some of the worst telly I think I’ve ever seen. It’s staggering how clueless Harness is as a writer. For starters he managed to achieve the impossible and somehow made a Martian invasion of Earth boring. I didn’t even think it was possible, but somehow he pulled it off. Then he sucks all tension out of the story by revealing the ultimate fate of the Martians at the beginning of the second episode, so now any threat or danger has been chucked out of the window because we know that the main female protagonist Amy at least would survive. And then finally he takes a massive dump over the source material by having humanity weaponise typhoid to kill the red weed rather than just having the Martians die of the common cold like in the book. Because God forbid us Brits should be presented as anything other than heroic and dignified.

So what we’re left with is a poorly realised allegory with ineffectual horror tropes full of OTT progressive posturing in a pathetic attempt to make Harness and the BBC look more liberal than they actually are. There’s no effort to really explore the themes of imperialism and colonialism outside of casual lip service, and we barely get a glimpse of the dark side of humanity. Everyone is presented as flawed, but basically awesome or, in the case of Rafe Spall’s character, utterly gormless. Our TV license fees help fund this shit, you know?!

And if you think this was bad, just wait till New Year’s Day where we’ll get to see Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ butcher Dracula. Can we stop giving these beloved literary icons to these hacks please?

Glass

I liked Split. It wasn’t an amazing movie, but it was entertaining with some good ideas, a great performance from James McAvoy and was a true return to form for M Night Shyamalan. That being said, I wasn’t keen on the idea of it taking place in the same universe as Unbreakable. I feared it would be a step too far and we’d end up having something like... well, something like Glass.

On paper, Glass isn’t a bad idea. The idea of superpowers being a delusion is legitimately intriguing and could have been a great post-modern deconstruction of the superhero genre. Except Shyamalan never actually does anything with it. The first act drags on and on with absolutely nothing happening, none of the characters really grow or change over the course of the film, Bruce Willis in particular is basically only here for an extended cameo as his character does pretty much nothing for the majority of the film, and then the entire film is undermined by that stupid Shyamalan twist. Turns out superhumans are real and there’s a big cover up. Oh great! So not only does it render the entire film pointless, it also undoes what made Unbreakable and Split so good. They’re no longer people capable of extraordinary feats via rational means. They’re just superhuman. They can do anything. Sigh.

Shyamalan... maybe it’s time to give up the director’s chair, yeah?

Cats

Oh come on! Don’t act surprised! Did you honestly think I wouldn’t put Cats on this list?!

Cats, without a doubt, is the worst film of the decade and, yes, the CGI is terrible. Not only are there these sub-human cat mutants running around, we also have mice and cockroaches with child faces, James Corden coughing up furballs, Taylor Swift trying to give the furries in the audience boners, Idris Elba looking disturbingly underdressed and Rebel Wilson being... well... Rebel Wilson. It’s a disaster of a film. And really, should we even be surprised? We all knew this was going to suck. And no it’s not because of the CGI. I thought the CGI in Pokemon: Detective Pikachu was creepy as well, but at least it had a decent script and good performances to back it up. No the reason why Cats sucked is because... it’s Cats. It’s always been that bad. No amount of ‘advanced fur technology’ was going to change that. It was still going to be a confused, plotless mess with one dimensional characters and bad songs.

The only consolation I had was that I didn’t waste money buying a ticket. A friend of mine snuck me into the premiere and we watched it in the projector room. The plan was to make fun of it and have a laugh, but we didn’t even do that because honestly there’s nothing to really make fun. There’s only so many times you can take the piss out of the CGI and honestly the film was just boring more than anything else. It doesn’t even have the distinction of being so bad it’s good like Sharknado or Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. It’s just bad, period.

I just hope we don’t see something similar happen to Starlight Express. Just think. Anthropomorphic, singing trains on roller skates. Shudder.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

Finally we have yet another cynical cash grab from Disney.

I confess I didn’t exactly go into The Rise Of Skywalker with an open mind. I was never all that keen on a sequel trilogy in the first place, and neither The Force Awakens nor The Last Jedi ever convinced me otherwise. Admittedly they weren’t bad movies. Just derivative and painfully uninspired, and I was expecting more of the same for Episode IX. What I got instead was quite possibly the worst Star Wars film since Attack Of The Clones. Yes, it’s that bad.

This film is very poorly made, filled with plot contrivances and logic holes galore. I lost count of the number of times the protagonists got into a dangerous situation because of Rey constantly wandering off like a confused toddler lost in a shopping mall. Oh and we finally find out who her parents were and it was quite a twist, but only because it was really stupid. Of course we didn’t see it coming because nobody would have guessed it would be something that moronic. I feel JJ Abrams’ stupid ‘mystery box’ philosophy is to blame for this. It’s derailed countless franchises before such as Lost and Cloverfield, and now Abrams has fucked up Star Wars because he’s obsessed with mystery for the sake of mystery and Disney are so lazy that they couldn’t be bothered to plan an actual trilogy out properly beforehand. Instead they just wing it, making it up as they go along, which led to Rian Johnson ‘subverting our expectations’ and left Abrams desperately trying to pick up the pieces.

In fact a lot of The Rise Of Skywalker seemed designed specifically to appease people of both sides of the wide chasm The Last Jedi had created. The roles of characters of colour like Finn and Rose were significantly reduced, Poe and Finn don’t end up together because of homophobia, but we do see two women kiss in the background of one two second shot that could easily be cut out when they release the film in China, Kylo Ren gets his stupid redemption even though he hasn’t fucking earned it, Lando Calrissian shows up for no fucking reason, Rey is given ‘flaws’ relating to her parentage in order to combat those accusing her of being a Mary Sue, but they’re the boring kind of flaws that don’t have any real impact on her character, and that ghastly ship Reylo is made canon even though it makes no sodding sense in the context of this movie, let alone the whole trilogy. They even go to the trouble of baiting us with a FinnRey romance before pulling the rug out from under us. Then, just to add insult to injury, the film retroactively ends up making the entire original trilogy completely pointless. All because Disney wanted more dollars to put in their Scrooge McDuck money bin.

The Rise Of Skywalker, and indeed the entire sequel trilogy, should serve as a cautionary tale against the dangers of hype and nostalgia. The reason The Force Awakens was successful wasn’t because it was a good movie (because lets be brutally honest here, it really fucking wasn’t). It was because it gave gullible Star Wars fans warm fuzzies because it reminded them of A New Hope whilst tempting them with the vague promise that things might get more interesting later on. And when that didn’t materialise, quelle surprise, the fanbase didn’t take it very well. I would love to think that this will serve as an important lesson for the future when people go and see Disney movies, but who am I kidding? I guarantee at some point we’re going to get Episodes X, XI and XII and we’ll have to go through this sorry process all over again.

So there we have it. The worst of 2019. May they rot forever in Satan’s rectum or wherever it is stories go to die. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the other end of the spectrum. Yes it’s the Quill Seal Of Approval Awards! The best of the best! Who shall win? The suspense is killing me! Ooooh, I can’t wait! You’ll be there tomorrow, won’t you? Of course you will. How could you not?

#quill's swill #quill's swill 2019 #worst of the year #review #opinion

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agilenano · 5 years ago

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Agilenano - News: Overwatch is one of the best first-person shooters around, but coming in as a beginner can feel overwhelming

You have to get a handle of the maps, play styles, and conventions to succeed. More than anything else, at the heart of the game are Overwatch’s heroes. Each of the 30+ Overwatch heroes are unique. Their attacks, abilities, ultimates, roles, and best strategies are highly specific. When you’re getting started, having a basic understanding of each hero goes a long way toward picking one that suits you. In this guide, we’ll introduce you to each Overwatch hero in turn, and help you pick the best Overwatch hero for your play style. Overwatch Hero Basics As a complete Overwatch beginner, feel free to pick a hero that sounds good or looks cool to you. For your first few matches, you won’t know which characters best fit your play style. Use this time to figure out the different Overwatch roles and decide which you like best. After picking a character that sounds like fun, start learning how they work. But don’t over-commit to one hero. After a bit, switch it up. Play different roles and heroes within each role. Not only will this help you find the heroes that you like to play, but it will also help you learn the strengths and weaknesses of each character when you’re playing against them. You can check out heroes in the Practice Range, or play a match against bots for a basic test drive. Alternatively, try the Mystery Heroes mode in the Arcade, which randomly switches heroes every time you die. We don’t recommend this for absolute newcomers, but it’s a great way to become more familiar with the game after you’ve played a bit. Each hero has an information screen listing their abilities, plus a difficulty rating of one to three stars. This gives you an idea of how much effort it takes to understand the hero’s kit, but doesn’t always account for the character’s skill floor and ceiling. We expand on difficulty ratings below. Team Composition As of August 2019, Overwatch uses a role queue system to ensure all teams have two tanks, two damage heroes, and two support characters. You’ll need to select your role before searching for a match, and will be locked into that role for the entirety of the game. This system makes it easier to build a strong team composition, but you should still pay attention to what other people on your team are playing. Try to get acquainted with all the roles equally so you become a flexible player. This should take you far in Overwatch. Damage Heroes As you’d expect, damage heroes (also known as “DPS,” or damage per second) are responsible for securing kills. They’re generally a bit fragile (low-health heroes are often called “squishy”), but do the bulk of the team’s damage. Ashe Ashe is an outlaw who has the unique ability to aim down the sights on her rifle. Doing so grants extra damage, but reduces the rate of fire. As Ashe, you also have access to a Coach Gun that knocks enemies (and you) away. Her Dynamite lets you burn enemies over time and scare them away, as you can shoot the explosive to blow it up early. Ashe’s Omnic sidekick B.O.B. joins the fray when she uses her ultimate. Difficulty: Medium. Ashe has a variety of situational abilities that take some getting used to, but her method of doing damage is pretty straightforward. Play if: You like aiming down the sights and want additional ways to damage the enemy. Bastion A popular beginner Overwatch hero, Bastion uses a simple machine gun as his main weapon in Recon mode. By shifting into Sentry mode, however, he becomes an immobile turret with a massive rotary machine gun that dishes out heaps of damage. Bastion’s self-healing ability is especially useful in this mode, because he makes himself a prime target. While his damage output is huge against unsuspecting targets, a coordinated team can easy shut down Bastion. Difficulty: Easy. Bastion isn’t complicated—it’s all about finding a good spot and tearing into the enemy. Play if: You want to be an immobile force of destruction (though we recommend being strategic with your placement). Doomfist This hero is all about close-quarters combat. His shotgun-like Hand Cannon and melee attacks do a lot of damage, but he struggles at a distance. His ultimate, Meteor Strike, can clear a lot of space and easily pick off squishy targets. Doomfist also generates shields when he does damage with his abilities. This high-risk/high-reward setup makes it imperative that you get into the fray quickly. Difficulty: Hard. Doomfist is all about managing your abilities to secure kills and keep escape routes open. Play if: You love close-quarters combat and want to punch your opponents around. Genji Genji is a fearsome adversary in the right hands. His shuriken throwing is great for damaging from a distance, and his ultimate lets him devastate multiple targets quickly with a sword. You’ll need to master his deflect, which sends all projectiles back to their sender. Genji’s powerful dash ability resets when he gets a kill, which can help you get away from danger. In all, Genji is more of an assassin that secures kills and harasses the enemy that a consistent damage dealer like some of the other characters in this category. Difficulty: Hard. Mastering Genji requires expert movement, situational awareness, and target prioritization. Play if: You want to eliminate high-value targets and like moving around a lot. Hanzo Hanzo uses a bow and arrow instead of a gun. He’s a mid-range sniper who can pick off targets and output lots of damage thanks to the Storm Arrow ability. His Sonic Arrow serves as a radar pulse, marking your enemies. Hanzo’s ultimate sends two massive spirit dragons hurtling through walls and enemies, making it an excellent area denial tool. Difficulty: Hard. Hanzo can output tons of damage, but accuracy is paramount when using him. If you can’t hit your targets, you’re better off with someone else. Play if: You want to pick off targets from afar, but not with a sniper rifle. Junkrat Junkrat is chaos personified. His primary weapon shoots bouncing grenades everywhere, and he can throw and detonate mines to send enemies (and himself) flying. A trap lets him stop flanking enemies, too. RIP-Tire, his ultimate, is a fast-moving bomb wheel that can get behind enemy lines and blow up several foes at once. Junkrat even releases a slew of grenades when he dies. And the best part is that none of his explosives can damage him. Difficulty: Medium. You don’t have to aim much with Junkrat, but his abilities take some time to master. He also struggles at close range and against targets above him. Play if: You like blowing everything up. McCree This old-West-style gunslinger has a powerful revolver that’s best used at close or mid-range. It’s a hitscan weapon, making it great for taking down fast-moving targets like Pharah. His secondary fire, Fan the Hammer, unleashes all remaining bullets at high speed with a significant accuracy penalty. This is great when combined with his Flashbang grenade. McCree’s Deadeye ultimate is great for taking down lots of enemies at once, as long as you time it well. Difficulty: Medium. McCree is an excellent duelist and counters flankers, but his mobility is poor. And with just six bullets per reload, missing shots is costly. Play if: You consider yourself a marksman, but don’t want to play a sniper. Mei Mei has a strong ability to stop the enemy’s progress. Her Endothermic Blaster shoots a stream of supercooled fluid, slowing and eventually freezing enemies in place. This makes them especially vulnerable to her secondary fire, a nasty icicle. She can also encase herself in ice to regain health. While the Ice Wall ability can break up or trap the opposing team, it’s easy to mess up your teammates with it too. Difficulty: Hard. Mei controls the battlefield when played well, but using her wall at the right time is crucial. Both of her firing modes take practice, too. Play if: You like to defend strategically, or want to freeze annoying opponents. Pharah This rocket soldier’s greatest strength lies in her ability to hover high above the battlefield, raining a constant barrage of rockets on the enemy. Pharah is one of the hardest-hitting heroes in the game, but even with the splash damage from her rockets, landing a hit isn’t guaranteed. She’s particularly devastating when paired with a damage-boosting Mercy. But keep in mind that floating over everyone’s heads makes you a big target for hitscan heroes like Ash, McCree, and Solider: 76. Difficulty: Easy. Pharah dominates when her enemies can’t aim well, and has no complicated abilities to master. Play if: You want to do a lot of damage from the skies. Reaper Reaper’s coolness factor draws in many beginners. His twin Hellfire shotguns do a ton of damage, but you have to get in close. Stealthy movement, aided by a teleport ability, is required to use him effectively as a flanker. If you can spring from the shadows and unleash a volley of shots, not much will survive; Reaper is great for shredding tanks. You’ll also profit from the destruction, as Reaper absorbs some of the damage he gives as health. Difficulty: Easy. Reaper’s movement abilities let him slink around the map, and your objective is to kill everything in sight. Play if: You like to sneak around and surprise your opponents with a hail of shotgun pellets. Soldier: 76 With a hitscan pulse rifle, rocket grenades, the ability to sprint, and a little burst of healing, Soldier: 76 is a lot like a character from Call of Duty or other first-person shooters. He’s a run-and-gun shooter that excels at mid-range. If you’ve played a shooter before, he’s an easy DPS hero to start with, but don’t underestimate him. Soldier: 76 is a solid pick all-around, even after you’ve graduated from the beginner level. Difficulty: Easy. Soldier’s basic ability kit makes him easy to learn and utilize, as he doesn’t have any major weaknesses. Play if: You’ve played other shooters and want an easy introduction to Overwatch. Sombra Sombra stands out as an elite hacker. She can hack opponents to block their abilities for a few seconds, or hack health packs to make them regenerate faster and only work for your team. It’s a great skill, but takes some practice to get used to. If you can use her stealth and hacking to surprise the enemy, her machine pistol can burn through foes quickly. Map knowledge is key when using Sombra to get the drop on enemies, especially since she can see low-health characters through walls. Difficulty: Hard. Sombra requires detailed map knowledge, good target prioritization, and team communication to be truly effective. Play if: You like being sneaky and want to irritate the other team. Symmetra Symmetra’s Photon Projector does more damage the longer it hits an enemy, and even generates ammo when hitting a shield. As it builds up, this beam can slice through enemies in no time. Its alternate fire shoots energy balls. Her kit has two other key parts. She can throw several small turrets that damage and slow enemies. Her teleporter lets her team warp to a remote location, perfect for transporting low-mobility heroes where they couldn’t normally go. The Photon Barrier ultimate deploys a huge shield that covers the entire map. This can block an enemy’s push or give you a barrier to cover an advance. Difficulty: Medium. Symmetra’s abilities have a lot of utility, but they require practice to use effectively. Play if: You want to have a subtle, but strong, effect on the match. Torbjörn This Swedish engineer has a rivet gun that can fire close-range or medium-range shots. Once you’ve learned its projectile arc, long-range headshots become a lot of fun. Torbjörn’s signature ability allows him to create fast-firing turrets that give you a lot of extra firepower in a fight. His ultimate coats an area in molten lava, denying enemy movement. Difficulty: Medium. Torb is great at locking down an area, but using his turret effectively takes a keen eye. Play if: You like the idea of a turret helping you do your job. Tracer Tracer seeks to get in close and dish out lots of damage with her dual automatic weapons. She’s all about taking advantage of movement, as she can use Blink to teleport short distances and Recall to rewind time a few seconds and regain health. Her ultimate is a simple sticky bomb, and her pulse pistols are straightforward. She’s Overwatch’s poster child, but her low health means you need to master her movement to stay alive. Difficulty: Medium. Tracer is hard to hit if you use her abilities well, but her fragility means you can’t afford to make mistakes. Play if: You like to move fast and dish out damage before quickly disappearing again. Widowmaker As Overwatch’s true sniper, Widowmaker is all about long-distance headshots. Her rifle turns into an automatic weapon for close-range combat, but she’s best when she’s sniping. If you have a great aim and can consistently get headshots on fast-moving targets, Widowmaker is a huge asset to a team. But since she’s usually not on the objective, she offers little utility aside from getting kills. Difficulty: Medium. If you don’t hit key shots with Widow, you’re not doing your team any favors. Play if: You’re a sniper, through and through. Tank Heroes Overwatch’s tank heroes hold the front line, create space for their teammates to work, soak up damage, and help their teammates dish out damage. Though not officially mentioned in the game, players differentiate between “main tanks” and “off-tanks.” Main tanks generally hold the front line with a shield, while off-tanks have other priorities, including “peeling” to protect the back line. D.Va D.Va’s MEKA fires twin fusion cannons and unleashes a barrage of micro missiles. Her Defense Matrix can stop nearly every projectile in the game, including some ultimates like Hanzo’s. Her mech also has a boost that closes distance fast and can knock enemies off the map. When her mech’s health drops to zero, D.Va ejects and has a pistol that she can use until her next mech is ready. Difficulty: Medium. D.Va is an incredibly versatile off-tank who can dive onto enemies, protect her team’s backline, and use her shield to absorb damage. Play if: You want to be a mobile tank who can juggle roles regularly—and not die when you lose all your health. Orisa A main tank, Orisa is slow-moving and forms a strong frontline. She can fire shields anywhere, boosts her own defenses for a few seconds with Fortify, and lays down a near-constant stream of fusion bullets. Her ultimate amps up the damage of everyone around her, making her an asset during team pushes. And her Halt! projectile pulls enemies to make them vulnerable or drop them off a ledge. Difficulty: Medium. Orisa’s deployable shield placement is easy to botch, and her abilities require good timing. Play if: You want to coordinate and support the actions of your team, and don’t mind moving at glacial speeds. Reinhardt Reinhardt has a giant, rocket-powered hammer. In addition to a beefy shield, he can fire a flaming projectile. This main tank also has the ability to charge forward at high speed, pinning enemies to walls for huge damage. His Earthshatter ultimate knocks enemies down, leaving them open to hammer strikes. Reinhardt is a great starter tank for a reason: his shield can successfully lead a team charge, yet he can dish out damage with the best of them. A good Reinhardt will serve as the backbone of a team and is often the one calling the shots. Difficulty: Easy. Reinhardt’s barrier is simple; your role is to stay in the front and protect the team. Play if: You want to lead the charge and protect your teammates from just about everything. Just remember not to get carried away doing damage. Roadhog Roadhog is a beefy off-tank. His signature ability is the Chain Hook, which grabs an enemy and reels them in for a close-range blast from his shotgun-like Scrap Gun. His huge health pool and ability to quickly heal himself give Roadhog high survivability. Whole Hog, his ultimate, makes his weapon fully automatic for a few seconds. This can push enemies away from an objective or trap them in a corridor. Difficulty: Easy. Roadhog is all about hooking out-of-position enemies to punish them. His self-heal keeps you alive even when healers are down. Play if: You want maximum durability and to destroy opponents with the Chain Hook. Sigma Sigma is a physicist who has the power to control gravity. As a main tank, he can deploy and recall his Experimental Barrier at will, plus he has high utility thanks to his Kinetic Grasp and Accretion abilities. The former absorbs incoming projectiles and converts them to personal shields, while Accretion throws a giant rock that can stun enemies. Sigma takes full advantage of his powers with his ultimate, Gravitic Flux. This lets him take flight, shoot enemies up into the air, then slam them back into the ground for huge damage. He’s best paired with another main tank so they can trade off with their barriers. Difficulty: Hard. Sigma has high offensive and defensive capabilities, so striking a balance is difficult. Managing his ability cooldowns is paramount. Play if: You don’t want the role of a main tank to fall squarely on your shoulders and are good at decision making. Winston Winston’s Tesla Cannon is one of the few weapons in Overwatch that doesn’t require much aiming. The beam tracks opponents, so as long as you point it in the right direction, it’ll hit. His short range isn’t a problem because of his rocket jump, which propels him into (or out) of a battle. He can also drop a shield to protect himself and his teammates. And when his Primal Rage ultimate kicks in, he goes full King Kong on the opposing team. Winston is usually considered a main tank due to his shield, but requires good coordination with his team as his weapon isn’t particularly strong. Difficulty: Medium. Winston is a strong harasser, but the long cooldown times for his abilities can leave him defenseless without help. Play if: You don’t like aiming too much, or want to dive behind enemy lines to kill squishy targets like Tracer and Zenyatta. Wrecking Ball As a highly mobile off-tank, Wrecking Ball switches between a rolling ball and a mech with cannon weapons. His grappling hook lets him pick up speed to slam into enemies. And when he gets into trouble, he can deploy a shield that increases in strength the more enemies are nearby. His Minefield ultimate drops a group of proximity mines, which can cover a key area for several seconds. Playing Wrecking Ball is all about controlling an area and initiating fights. But he’s a poor solo tank, as he doesn’t have a way to protect allies. Difficulty: Hard. Wrecking Ball has to keep moving to be effective and stay alive, but knowing when to engage and when to back off is tricky. Play if: You want to bowl into your enemies and lead the team charge. Zarya Another off-tank, Zarya has a Particle Cannon that can do a huge amount of damage—if you manage it correctly. She has the ability to deploy a shield around herself or a teammate. Any damage that these shields block powers up her weapon’s charge. And her ultimate, Graviton Surge, sucks enemies into a black hole for a huge opportunity. When played well, Zarya can save her teammates from otherwise deadly situations (like getting hooked by Roadhog) and decimate enemies with a charged-up weapon. But strategically deploying those shields is crucial, which gives Zarya a steep learning curve. Difficulty: Hard. It’s quite difficult to read situations and know when to use Zarya’s shields. And if you’re not saving teammates and running at high charge, Zarya’s utility is low. Play if: You want to soak up enemy damage, protect teammates, and deal big damage. Support Heroes These Overwatch heroes exist to keep their teammates alive and provide other important utilities. As a support player, you’re usually the prime target for the enemy, so playing wisely is critical. Like tanks, you’ll often hear players divide healers into main and off-healers. Off-healers typically don’t output enough healing to reliably keep the team alive, so they’re best paired with a main healer. Ana Ever wanted to shoot your teammates? With Ana, you have to. Her Biotic Rifle rounds damage enemies and heal teammates. But that’s not all she offers her team. Her Biotic Grenades increase healing for a teammate and block enemies from receiving healing for a moment. The Sleep Dart knocks enemies out, leaving them vulnerable. Ana’s ultimate, Nano Boost, buffs a teammate by boosting their damage given and reducing damage taken. If you have solid sniping chops, Ana is a fun and dynamic hero. She’s a main healer as long as you consistently hit your shots. Difficulty: Hard. Ana is one of the most difficult Support characters to play because she requires accurate aiming and her abilities are tough to use effectively. Play if: You’re an accurate sniper who wants to heal teammates at a range. Baptiste Baptiste is a strong main healer who combines damage potential with the ability to save his teammates from dire situations. His weapon, the Biotic Launcher, fires bursts to damage enemies as well as grenades to heal allies. When the team needs topping up, his Regenerative Burst applies some extra healing to everyone nearby. His most powerful utility is definitely the Immortality Field, which prevents all teammates inside from dying. However, enemies can destroy it, so it won’t last forever. Baptiste’s kit rounds out with his Exo Boots, which let him jump extra high to avoid attacks or reach advantageous platforms. And his ultimate, Amplification Matrix, boosts the effects of healing and damage projectiles that travel through it. Unlike a lot of other healers, he’s often best played away from the team to take advantage of the angles his vertical mobility creates. Difficulty: Hard. Baptiste requires high accuracy both when shooting enemies and healing teammates. You’ll need to be smart with placement and timing to make the most of Immortality Field and Amplification Matrix. Play if: You like juggling damage and healing roles and can identify when your teammates need saving the most. Brigitte Brigitte is an off-healer with some tank-like abilities. She has a small shield that can protect herself or a teammate. Her most powerful ability, Shield Bash, stuns an enemy to open them up to attack. And her Rocket Flail smacks enemies around, healing nearby allies when she does damage thanks to her Inspire ability. She also has Repair Packs to heal enemies (and provide armor, if they’re already topped off). Her ultimate, Rally, lets her move faster and grants armor to all allies nearby. Difficulty: Easy. Due to her fight-winning Shield Bash and mace with large area of effect, Brigitte makes it easy to play a major part in team fights. Play if: You like the idea of playing a tank, but also want to heal your team. Lúcio Lúcio is a DJ whose weapon and abilities are music-based. He can switch between two songs that either heal or speed boost his nearby teammates. His Sonic Amplifier’s secondary fire will boop enemies back, which is great for knocking foes off ledges. And even cooler, he can ride on walls! His Sound Barrier ultimate gives teammates shields, which can save them from a huge enemy attack. Depending on your team composition, Lúcio can be a main or off-healer. Learning when to switch between his healing and speed boosts is key to mastering him. Difficulty: Medium. While he’s easy enough to understand, Lúcio has a high skill ceiling. Mastering his movement will take work. Play if: You want to stay with the team and boost them, and love zipping around. Mercy Mercy is the most straightforward healer to play. Her staff can toggle between healing and damage boosting one teammate at a time. The Guardian Angel ability lets her fly to teammates in need, and she can slow her descent to stay in the air longer. Mercy also heals herself after she avoids damage for a short time. Her most powerful ability is Resurrect, which lets her bring a teammate back from the dead. But it has a long cooldown and Mercy is vulnerable when using it, so take caution. With every aspect of Mercy, smart positioning is key to staying alive. Difficulty: Easy. Mercy doesn’t have any particularly complex abilities, making her a great beginner main healer. Play if: You want a powerful healer who can fly around to any ally in need, and love to revive people. Moira Moira’s Biotic Grasp ability represents the dual nature of her kit. One hand sprays healing mist that repairs nearby allies, but it has limited resources. The other hand fires a beam that drains enemies’ health and recharges her healing energy. She can also choose between firing two Biotic Orbs: one that damages enemies and another that heals allies. Coalescence, her ultimate, is a long-range beam that both heals allies and damages foes at the same time. Finally, Fade lets her disappear for a moment to dodge damage and get closer to teammates. If you stay with your team and keep your healing resources up by draining enemies, Moira can output an immense amount of healing, making her a solid main healer pick. Difficulty: Medium. Moira is all about balance. You must damage enemies occasionally, but knowing when to do this while keeping your teammates alive is vital. Play if: You want to have strong healing potential and don’t mind getting close to enemies to top up your energy. Zenyatta Similar to Baptiste and Moira, Zenyatta is capable of both damage and healing. His accurate Orb of Destruction attack does a huge amount of damage for a support character. He can also charge up a volley of orbs to take out low-HP heroes in one shot. Zenyatta can place his Orb of Harmony on a teammate to heal them, as long as he keeps line of sight. Similarly, putting the Orb of Discord on an enemy makes them receive more damage. His ultimate, Transcendence, grants him invincibility and rapidly heals nearby allies, canceling out enemy ultimates like Genji’s. While his abilities are simple, playing Zenyatta is not. He’s extremely fragile and slow, meaning he has no options to escape enemy flankers or snipers. He’s also an off-healer, as his Harmony orb doesn’t do enough healing to keep an entire team going. Difficulty: Hard. Zenyatta requires you to constantly read the battle to decide who should have the Harmony and Discord orbs. He’s vulnerable to many forms of damage, but staying alive is vital to keep your team buffs going. Play if: You want to both heal and do deal damage, and can make decisions based on the big picture. The Best Overwatch Heroes for Beginners Still not sure who to try? Here are a few suggestions for Overwatch beginner heroes (and some to avoid at first). You can branch out after you’ve mastered the basics with these characters: For damage, choose Soldier: 76. His weapons, abilities, and controls are easy to get the hang of, and he’s a solid character at many levels of play. Avoid Doomfist, Sombra, and Genji. All three require tightly managing ability cooldowns, picking the right targets, and using the map to your advantage. For tanks, choose Reinhardt. He’s the most straightforward main tank, which will help you understand a tank’s role in the fight. While Roadhog is also a good beginner choice, he doesn’t teach proper tank habits nearly as well. Avoid Zarya. Knowing when to apply her shields takes some practice, and if you’re not charging your weapon, you’re of little use. For support, choose Mercy. You can heal and provide damage boosts constantly, as well as revive dead teammates. Stay out of the line of fire, and you’ll be fine. Avoid Ana and Zenyatta. Ana requires excellent accuracy and her abilities are tricky. Zenyatta is highly vulnerable and requires good game sense. Which Overwatch Hero Will You Master? With so many unique Overwatch heroes, you should be able to find a character that fits your play style. It’s just a matter of getting started. We recommend that you play all the heroes at least few times, even ones who don’t sound like your type. You might be surprised whose play styles you enjoy, and you’ll get good insight into how to play against other heroes. Plus, since Overwatch lets you change your hero at any time, having several options at the ready can help turn the tide of a fight. Switching to counter your enemy’s composition is key. For more games that require teamwork, take a look at highly tactical shooters you should try. Image Credit: BagoGames/Flickr Read the full article: A Beginner’s Guide to Overwatch Heroes #FirstPersonShooter #Overwatch #OnlineGames #GamingTips #Entertainment

Agilenano - News from Agilenano from shopsnetwork (4 sites) https://agilenano.com/blogs/news/overwatch-is-one-of-the-best-first-person-shooters-around-but-coming-in-as-a-beginner-can-feel-overwhelming-2

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hotbugbot · 8 years ago

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Overwatch HCs

Ana: straight. the otp with reinhardt. pretty shameless with her affection and probably embarrasses pharah with it sometimes. not vulgar, just old and open. somewhat motherly toward mccree, and is team advice grandma. voted most likely to share an embarrassing story about anyone giving her too much sass.

Bastion: beeps boops. sexuality and gender are not a thing. has made friends with nearly the entire crew of overwatch, including the anti-omnics, save for maybe anyone on team talon. voted most likely to have a collection of decorative flower pots.

D.va: pansexual trans girl. way more interested in vidya games than people. became quick bffs with lúcio, who is her transitioning buddy. her and genji are casual friends, who share a passion for classic arcade games. quietly thinks hanzo is hot but is Not About That stuffy personality. also likes the junkers, partly in an ironic way but also genuinely. voted most likely to make a meme out of stupid shit her teammates say.

Genji: bisexual. the otp with mccree, established before recall. after he overcomes his body dysphoria thanks to zenyatta’s guidance, genji regains confidence in his sexuality and becomes a giant flirt 2.0. polyamorous cyborg is much more respectful and less flighty in relationships than his younger self was. had a dragon tattoo mirroring hanzo’s own but in green down his right arm, before it got torn the fuck off. all that remains of his old body is bits of his face, his left arm, and a few vital organs. death by ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau. voted most likely to spew absolute filth in japanese around those he knows cannot speak it for kicks.

Hanzo: either bisexual with a slight female preference, or demi. thinks the team cowboy is hot hot hot, but has a much harder time coming to terms with his (gay) feelings than his brother does. has a friendship with satya based on their mutual appreciation for order and company in silence. his legs are prosthetic. voted most obnoxiously tidy room.

Junkrat: ?? gray asexual, probably. too preoccupied with blowing shit up to care much. when he isn’t blowing shit up, he actually puts in quite an effort to befriend his teammates, but to the point it is overbearing and invasive. voted most likely to lose more limbs by the end of the year.

Lúcio: bisexual, slight male preference. trans guy. became quick bffs with hana, who is his transitioning buddy. his lower half is partially prosthetic, with enhancements; unlike hanzo, synthetic pieces are built around his fleshy legs that allow him to not only walk but skate like a pro. also hangs around reinhardt a lot, but everyone loves reinhardt. voted most likely to disappear at night to satisfy a sweet tooth craving.

Mccree: bisexual. the otp with genji, established before recall. big on pet names and 100% shameless when it comes to using them in public. has a tattoo on his upper back from his deadlock days, which he now regrets. his relationship with reyes is complicated at best, largely thanks to gabriel having treated him much like a father would a son in his early recruit days. to say negative feelings have completely replaced any of appreciation and love would be a lie. still close to pharah and ana. voted most likely to whistle loudly in the shower.

Mei: bisexual or gay. probably gay. suffers from ptsd due to losing her friends in the cryostasis incident, just is, to her detriment, very good at hiding it behind a smile. has coping rituals to get by and generally gets along well with the recall team, but occasionally has to force herself to socialize. tracer, lúcio, and zarya have been particularly good at making this easier for her. voted most likely to describe memories in vivid detail like no one else can.

Mercy: bisexual. low on the angela hcs, but her hands are DIRTY, the pure angel persona is a lie. might’ve had a minor interest in ana romantically in her younger days, but never did anything about it. voted most likely to overwork herself.

Pharah: gay. thought she had a small crush on mccree when she was young, but came to realize she simply admired his confidence and companionship. has since formed a brother-sister relationship with him that’s lasted to present day. has complicated feelings toward mercy, namely, is Hella In Love with her while mercy felt more companionship with her mother in the older days, and sees fareeha like a sister. she wants to return the familial sentiment but just ends up sweating a lot and acting like a clumsy, lovesick fool. voted most likely to follow an insanely strict meal plan for health benefits.

Reaper: gay. gay and his relationship with morrison is so, so deliciously complicated. a great number of things fanned the fire that led to the incident at swiss HQ, and their personal (gaaay) relationship certainly didn’t help douse any flames. whatever happened, reyes was screwed just as much as jack, if not more. practically canon supported. voted most likely to have skull crushing thighs.

Reinhardt: straight. the otp with ana. the most affectionate partner out of all the heroes, hands down. will let you swing from his flexing biceps whether you are 4 or 40 and boisterously proclaim how he is loving every second of it. has a garden he tends to and harvests on base. fareeha’s adoptive father, but also kind of everyone’s adoptive grandfather. voted most likely to wake others with his snoring.

Roadhog: bisexual. has a natural talent for detail work, and can pick up just about any handicraft in a few attempts. if he isn’t blasting holes into things, he’s probably somewhere off in his own space sewing or baking. is polynesian, and can play a mean ukulele. vegetarian. voted most likely to liberate a herd of animals from the pound.

Soldier 76: bisexual. see: reaper. not a dad, but definitely team dad, likely against his will. i basically subscribe to the popular headcanon that jack was an overambitious golden poster boy in his younger years, and worked his ass off to get the respect and praise he thinks he deserves. things started to sour in overwatch before he was necessarily ready to deal with them or the position thrust upon him. voted most likely to say he won’t lift a finger for anyone who acts like a suicidal asshole in a skirmish, but ends up going above and beyond to save them if there’s trouble.

Sombra: gay. gets an absolute kick out of teasing/pissing everyone off. not even widowmaker is safe from her playful pestering, and honestly talon operatives must think she has a death wish because someone has ‘accidentally’ pointed a sniper rifle at her more than once. voted most likely to blackmail anyone’s ass into oblivion.

Symmetra: either gray asexual or aromantic. either way has an appreciative eye for the female form/femmes but is not interested in pursuing an actual relationship. has a friendship with hanzo based on their mutual appreciation for order and company in silence. she’s ocd and autistic, and likes winged things, such as birds and butterflies, but as something to be admired from afar rather than up close. voted best natural balance.

Torbjörn: straight. i don’t have a single torb headcanon that diverts from canon tbh. voted unexpectedly best dick game.

Tracer: CANON LESBIAN fully accepted into headcanon space, bless. also canonly fam with winston my tracer hc prayers have been answered. i don’t have much to add. voted most likely to be found napping randomly in strange places.

Widowmaker: doesn’t really have the emotional capacity for romance or sexuality since brainwashing, but thought she was straight pre-talon. ‘thought’ because she is actually bisexual, just never had a chance to explore that. still working on how her humanity eventually comes back to her. voted most likely to win a breath holding competition.

Winston: i draw the line at monkey shipping but him and tracer are great pals. voted most likely to binge watch future!netflix after a hard day and unintentionally empty out the entire kitchen by the second movie.

Zarya: gay as hell. the most she will ever admire about a man is his workout routine, and even then we know hers is more intense. has at some point arm wrestled everyone in overwatch and won. voted most likely to get hit by a truck and survive, with minimal injuries.

Zenyatta: asexual. i can’t seem to fit in any relationship that isn’t platonic for zen in my head space; he respects his brother mondatta deeply and genji as a friend and student. has an unexpectedly dry sense of humor and will deliver jokes in the flattest tone when it’s least expected. as a result, no one knows if he’s kidding or not and his punchlines are almost always followed by uncomfortable silence. voted most likely to be writing an epic in his spare time.

#hcs #tp #ovw #ive had this in drafts for months holy shit #old and unfinished but i might as well post it

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survivormoheli · 7 years ago

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Rites of Passage

Becca - i never met u but i’m sure u’re a p cool chick! Matt J - i didn’t get to meet u either but if u turn ur name around to tamm it’s like tim tam and i rly like tim tams Eric A - i never got the chance to meet u either!!! but eric k is p cool and u guys share the same name so u must b alright too!! Akito - omg it sucks how we were kind of aligned w different people and never got the opportunity to talk much or work together. i rly valued everything you told me though and it would be cool if we got the opportunity to work together in future games since i’ve heard a lot of good stuff about you! Bryan - omg!!!!! )))))))))-: i’m so sorry i wasn’t able to save you. you’re literally so much fun and i can’t wait until the seasons over so we can start talking again! i also rly hope we get another opportunity to play again!! i wishhh you made merge so we could stir up shit and annoy everyone else. send me more finger pics too plz xx love uuuu Elliot - I’M SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was way too pushy and i wish we spent one world chatting and having fun n talking instead of arguing over who to vote. i miss you so so so so so so so so so so so much and i regret EVERYTHING!!! i really hope we can talk after the seasons finished bcos i actually love you and want to hang out with you more. i hope schools doing great u rock!!!!

Andreas - omg our late night chats (early morning for you) were my favourite and i had so many laughs whilst talking to you. i really hope all your other discord orgs are going good and i’m having fun checking on the Egypt one occasionally, goodluck in ftc!! i hope we can continue talking after the game! say hi to isa from me!!

Annmarie - omg even though we didn’t get to talk too much, my like one encounter with you on call was like the funniest and I hope we get another opportunity to talk or play bcos you are soo iconic hahaha. i’ve heard a couple different things about why you left and i’m not sure which one is the real one but i hope you’re doing good and you’re healthy!

Raffy - i am sooo lucky to have met you!!! thank you for like keeping me sane in this game lol and taking the stress off of my shoulders for all of premerge n the beginning of merge. love how i could finally witness your famous weird camera angles! i got so many laughs out of the calls with you, jg, and bryan and i can’t wait until we’re all reunited!! goodluck in your other games, i know you’re going to kill them!!

JG - omg we actually got redemption for isle of skye? i am sooo happy and like privileged that i got the opportunity to talk to you and work with you! you have such a bright and bubbly and happy personality and i really hope we continue talking after this game so i can hear more mcdonalds horror stories and learn more about the exciting things that are coming up in your life! ooh and so i can watch u n raffy mess around in fortnite.

Dani - hows jury?? xx

Richie - omg you are actually sooo funny and i’m like mad at myself that i didn’t try to get to know you better. i think i was a bit intimidated by you because i heard from others that you weren’t my biggest fan eek! but the few conversations we did have were my fave. we need to start up that face mask company, me n blake came up w an amazing marketing scheme but we need our model! my fave nicole gif btw:

Tim - i’m rly bummed that we didn’t work as closely as we did in isle of skye bcos that was so much fun. your final memes that you sent me were so funny and gave me heaps of nostalgia. i hope everything goes well for prom and you n your friends have heaps of fun!!

Blake - i keep reading funny things or spot a hot guy or something n go to message you but realise i can’t. i rly made my life a lot less interesting huh!! becoming friends with you was probably the best experience for me of this game. i really hope that voting you out doesn’t change our relationship and we can still be friends and talk heaps, and watch horror movies, and be mean to people. HAHHAHA. i love you lots!!!

Blake: You are such a great guy and an awesome player! From being the only two from Sima that stuck together at the first tribe swap, to getting back together on Thueban. You were a great ally and I was to have to cut ties.

Tim: Tim! You’re a really great guy and I still really loved the flag you made for the merged tribe challenge all on your phone, especially the beret and mustache :P Have fun at prom when the time comes and hopefully you found a nice tux!

Richie: You played hard right up to the end and I respect that! You played a great game. Keep dropping your Survivor/BBCan/BBUS knowledge and you’re bound to get a job on the spot! I guarantee it!! Haha Remember, you’re a survivor of grad school, no matter how long you were in it

Dani: You played an awesome game but I guess the odds just weren’t on your side in the end. I wish you the best of luck with your goal of getting on Survivor! :) I’m sure you’ll get on it, just got to keep on trying. I can’t wait to see you on my TV screen.

JG: We often kept our chats to game talk and I felt like we had a really good bond and shared a similar mindset in terms of threats and allies. I was sad to see you get voted out and wish we could have played together for longer. Keep on killing it at Overwatch for me and I’ll keep on killing on Mario Kart for you :)

Raffy: Raffy! You were definitely a character from the moment we interacted right until the very end. Causing tribe drama by forfeiting that challenge was something I’ll never forget. Good luck with the rest of high school and keep enjoying those video games.

AnnMarie: Look at you causing drama with a MedEvac! Haha I’m glad to hear that you were okay. Best of luck with school and make sure to take the time to destress once in a while. You honestly won me over when I saw that you chose Michaela as your picture haha

Andreas: I’m sorry to hear about the frustration you had during the early portion of the game. It was nice to connect with another non-american player! Hopefully your job search went well and your fun interview turned out for the best!!!

Elliot: You were so great! I’m glad we shared a lot of same opinions and it was always great to get my frustration out and screaming into the void with you when needed. You were somebody I saw myself aligning with before you got voted out and that tribal really sucked.

Bryan: We never got to chat much sadly simply because we were never on the same tribe, except for the One World twist. You’re obviously a huge presence in these games which is something to be respected. It would have been cool to play alongside you and learn a bit of your skills. Hopefully see you in the next one!

Akito: We never really talked much, and I blame my busy work schedule for that, but I remember suffering through the duolingo challenge with you from beginning to end. Talking about our progress and how much we didn’t want to do it anymore. Sorry for accidentally congratulating you for getting the highest score only to immediately realize I misread the results haha

Eric A: All the way back to the original Sima tribe. I had a great time shit talking about people who spell their name as Erik over the more superior Eric. But I’m sure we weren’t bias or anything haha We never went far together but I enjoyed the time we had early on in the game,

Matt J: I’m sad that I never actually met in the game. As a first time player myself, I was excited to chat with you. I hope your early elimination won’t stop you from playing again in the future!

Becca: It was sad to see you go home first :( I hope you had a good time throughout your time in the game and hopefully we’ll actually cross paths one of these days.

Blake- ohhhhhh my god. i love you so much and everyone knows who already really won this game (you) even without the actual title! can’t believe you were done like that and if you play other survivor games (or real survivor) you’re gonna win! Tim- we didn’t talk much but i really like how you never gave up even when you had like 0 hope. Richie- we didn’t talk much like at all but you’re obviously vvv smart and was always on the top for challenges. Dani- you really were the queen of surviving tribal council and i fully respect your gameplay and you turned into the threat pretty quick! JG- we’ve had our differences but now i really appreciate and respect you!! so glad we got these chances to talk lol! i’ll be rooting for you your next game lol!

Raffy- it was nice talking to you for the short period we did. sorry it ended so shortly but threats can’t stay threats!!!

Annmarie- idk what to say like you flipped on me and after bryan was out you were basically nonexistent Andreas- so you voted for me and that’s completely cool i feel for your awful timezone situation and how you played even with the struggle!

Elliot- i don’t think we were ever on a tribe together but i heard enough about you from blake to feel like we were tbh Bryan- …… i mean the first time didn’t work but the second time was a charm?? Akito- idk you just really tried to throw me under the bus which is kind of an awful thing to do but look who’s here now taquito Eric A- ya know this was my first attempt at trying something and it didn’t work out agdbd but rip to you i really tried

Blake: You are so cool, unfortunately you just were too good :-( hope to play with you again!

Tim: I really want to play with you again, you are a really good player

Richie: I wish you were still in the game! Unfortunately they targeted our alliance...

Dani: I would have gone to the end with you, I hate that you're not here...

JG: I hope to play with you again! You are a really good player

Raffy: lol your name always autocorrects to Taffy, I hope to play with you again and you're really cool!

Andreas: I'm really sorry that you got voted out, it's a part of my game that I regret the most... Hope to play with you again :-)

Bryan: it's unfortunate that you had to get voted out, I really enjoyed playing with you!

Matt J: I'm sorry that we voted you out early, but you were going after me!

Becca: I wish you could have stayed longer... Good luck!

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sven-kroosl · 8 years ago

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My Top 10 Games of 2016

Man I'm glad 2016 is over but the games were good...

Some years play rough and 2016 was one of those years and I am very happy for it to be over. On the other hand in terms of video games, and only video games, this was a really great year. From a really solid resurgence in the quality of triple A shooters, to the Juggernaut that was Overwatch, and some really solid indie releases, there were actually too many good games for one person to play. Also there was a massive update to DotA 2 this year which is always welcome. So here we go, my top ten games of 2016.

Honorable Mention - The Final Station

Of all the games I played this year I had the most intense reaction to The Final Station. Upon completion of this game I set aside my controller, turned off my monitor, not the PC, just the monitor, then I went for a walk around the block. I was moved to this act not by any great aspect of the game’s production or by some jaw dropping set piece but instead by the oppressive weight and bleakness of The Final Station’s world. A dangerous world where even the simplest task can expose you to being torn apart by brutal attackers. A world where infrastructure is crumbling and the people normally trusted with protecting everyone have secretly betrayed the trust of the people. After the way 2016 played out, the bleak outlook of The Final Station resonates even more.

10 - Pokemon Go

I am not a Pokemon fan. I fully recognize the good and great qualities of the Pokemon universe, but the games and cartoons have just never done much for me. The runaway success of Pokemon Go demanded that I give the game a shot despite my usual lack of enthusiasm. What I found was a really solid AR experience filled with tons of excuses to get me up and about in the real world and a great new icebreaker to start conversations with people I would otherwise have nothing in common. Oh yeah, and some weak ass Pokemon.

9 - Reigns

Reigns is a truly fantastically simple game. Of the two mobile games on this list Reigns is the one that fit into my life the best. In that way Reigns was the anti Pokemon Go; Pokemon Go was the mobile game that changed my routine and Reigns was the game that fit into my routine. When you’re waiting in line for the movies or whatever you can’t go running after that stupid Zapdos. But you know what you can do? You can live the lives of half a dozen Medieval Kings, you can meet the devil in the form of you dog, you can fight skeletons in a dungeon, and even more cool stuff. Also it’s a mobile game that you just pay for up front and it never bothers you for money again, which is always nice.

8 - Darkest Dungeon

Fun fact: for most of my 2015 Extra Life Marathon I was having internet service issues and about the only game I could reliably stream was the early access version of Darkest Dungeon, so I have more than a little experience with the game. The way that every part of The Darkest Dungeon works together to to create a gothic horror landscape is just fantastic. The way the cartoony artstyle contrasts with the animation and sound design is just dissonant enough to be unsettling. The way that the psychological maladies effect the gameplay and can just straight up end a dungeon run or in some cases even end a game is a risky gamble that really adds a sense of tension that works incredibly well with the tone of the game. Ultimately Darkest Dungeon is a really great, creepy, game. Be ready to grind a bit though because you'll definately need to.

7 - The Banner Saga 2

In a year when the second entry in the XCOM franchise was a disappointment there was a shining star in the turn based strategy genre and that star was The Banner Saga 2. Where XCOM 2 made the mistake of assuming players had maintained their skills from the first game The Banner Saga 2 eased players back into the combat system with a few easier battles before dialing up the difficulty. It also doesn’t hurt the game that it has some of the best hand drawn style art and animation of any game ever. Bottom line: The banner Saga was the best turn based strategy game released this year and I really like that type of game.

6 - Overwatch

I really enjoyed my time with Overwatch this year. Zarya is top tier A-plus defensive tank, and is also just the best. The way that Blizzard has built not just a great multiplayer game but also the UI framework around that game which celebrates every player’s contribution is a great accomplishment. I think that the characters in Overwatch are all really fun as is the game itself. It’s just a shame that there’s really no good single player experience in the game and that the story exists entirely outside the game, and that the community for that game is becoming toxic in spite of some masterful design efforts to combat that. Also shameful is Blizzard's decision to add the worst free to play practice, blind loot boxes with repeats, to a full price retail game. Overwatch is a really great game that is slowly getting worse over time and that’s kind of sad.

5 - Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls 3 is my first Souls game so I was unprepared for the absolute savagery with which this game assails players, even in the tutorial. Once I played for a while, though, patterns began to reveal themselves and a game that seemed ferocious at first became simply challenging but fair. The appeal of Souls games was lost on me for a long time. I couldn’t understand why people were so excited to play blatantly unfair games. Now that I’ve played one I understand that these games aren’t really unfair or even onerously difficult. Souls games simply operate at a different tempo from other games and learning that tempo is the really difficult part of mastering them.

4 - Stellaris

Just. One. More. Turn.

Getting you to say that after 8 hours is the ultimate goal of all games like Stellaris. What Stellaris offers you that others like it don’t is freedom. Freedom to design your own civ, freedom to find your own way to win the game, freedom to be weird. Games like Stellaris, most notably the Civ series, tend to force players into a few basic strategies. Sure you can try a pacifist playthrough in a Civ game but good luck actually winning or even surviving very long that way. Stellaris has a way of making all playstyles viable by making them all just flawed enough that really drew me in to an extent greater than any other game I played this year. That said I tend to be fairly biased in favor of this type of game in general so it’s not a huge surprise that it affected me this way.

3 - Doom

Doom is a game about momentum which is important because that is the way it is different from practically every other game this year. The new hotness in games lately has been agility; letting players flit about the environment hither and thither. Doom ignores this trend, almost with disdain, forcing players to keep their feet mostly planted on the ground but letting them move at unheard of, in recent years, speed across it. What this means is that Doom isn’t a game about not getting blasted so much as it is a game about blasting things. The whole point of the game is to treat enemy encounters the way the Kool-Aid Man treats walls. This isn’t just a return to form to the series because this year’s DOOM added a new piece to the old formula; storytelling. In DOOMs of yore story was an afterthought for the most part. This DOOM, though, actually has a story with a plot and everything and actually interesting supporting cast members. This game even managed to give the “Doom guy” a little bit of a personality and for that alone it will go down as maybe one of the best shooter campaigns ever. In a year where the most popular game is often about five opposing team members finding ways to keep you from killing the sixth Doom is a breath of fresh air, letting you really cut loose against a horde of angry demons released by the worst kind of short sighted corporate greed.

2 - Hyper Light Drifter

I’ve said this a lot this year and I’m going to keep on saying it, because apparently it needs to be said. Everyone, play, Hyper Light Drifter. As a medium video games are often criticized, occasionally correctly, for being too over the top. With that being the case Hyper Light Drifter is possibly the exception that proves the rule. Which is to say sublimely simple and quiet but also incredibly fun and engaging. It doesn’t hurt that the game has the what is probably the best pixel art and sprite work in a game since Fez, an amazing synth heavy soundtrack and great sound design overall. The real beautiful aspect of Hyper Light Drifter, though, is the gameplay, specifically the combat. Few things this year have been more satisfying than mastering the combat in Hyper Light Drifter. The combat is just different enough from other similar games to be challenging while being familiar enough to not be off putting. But more than anything about the game it is the quiet tone of Hyper Light Drifter that impressed me. So what are you waiting for. Go play this game!

1 - Titanfall 2

Titanfall 2 is a truly magnificent accomplishment in game design and execution. Every bit of the game is impeccably well done, it looks and sounds amazing, plays like a dream and most importantly is a joy to play. While a lot of games have the kinds of traversal mechanics that Titanfall 2 has, nothing feels like Titanfall 2. That is what makes this the best game of the year, the way it feels. More than any other aspect of the medium, feel is what defines and differentiates games. In a year where great games were built to make you want to gamble on a loot box or increase accuracy of your favorite GPS app, the relative purity of Titanfall 2 makes it stand out. Instead of trapping players in a restrictive character class Titanfall 2 lets people customize almost every aspect of their multiplayer loadout. The game is even more distinctive on account of its campaign, remember those, which is a masterclass in how to pace mechanics. Titanfall 2 is constantly introducing and discarding new, interesting gameplay mechanics and consequently never gets dull or repetitive. When the mechanical brilliance of the campaign is put together with Titanfall 2’s solid “A boy and his robot” story and one of the year’s standout new characters, BT 7274, and you get, arguably, the best campaign of the year.

As parts of video game industry more and more often leave out parts of their games so they can sell them to us later or add sleazy free to play hooks to games they also expect us to pay for up front, it becomes important to celebrate games for simply being complete experiences on release. Unlike some games on this list Titanfall 2 is at that and more, the best game of the year.

#Titanfall 2 #Hyper Light Drifter #DOOM #Stellaris #Dark Souls 3 #Overwatch #The Banner Saga 2 #Darkest Dungeon #Reigns #Pokemon Go #The Final Station #Top 10 #Game of the year

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actutrends · 5 years ago

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From Minecraft to Auto Chess: The 29 games that define the 2010s

At GamesBeat, we like to focus on the business, innovation, and technology of games. So we’re bringing that approach to our games of the decade list. You won’t find just a list of the games we thought were the best from a critical standpoint (sorry, as much as I love you, Obsidian Entertainment, Pillars of Eternity isn’t here). What you will find are the games we believe tell the story of this decade’s industry, setting up where we believe gaming will go in the 2020s.

When we consider the games that define the 2010s, we must look at the 2000s, for three of the games that frame the decade’s innovation, be it in design, economic models, or technology: Dwarf Fortress, League of Legends, and Minecraft.

The mechanics of one of these would filter into a number of genres, and believe it or not, it still hasn’t seen its first retail release. Another would redefine both strategy games and esports, building a massive company, following, and genre … and paving the way for Riot Games to thrive in the 2020s. And our final pick helped usher in the user-generated content revolution of this decade, turning mod makers on PC into well-known names in a community that numbers in the millions … and showing, for the first time, that the idea of a walls were falling down around the game industry.

Please enjoy this journey with us, and again, thank you for supporting the independent journalism of GamesBeat and VentureBeat. We do not have a corporate owner. We’re our own thing, and that you take the time to read us and support us means more to me, Dean, Jeff, and Mike than any of you will ever realize.

–Jason Wilson, GamesBeat managing editor

Late 2000s: A decade’s foundation

Dwarf Fortress

Above: There’s an entire dwarf civilization in those ASCII characters.

Dwarf Fortress’ initial release on the internet was years before the 2010s, and its full publication on Steam won’t happen until the 2020s. Yet it’s been one of the defining games of the decade despite this, alongside other 2000s games like Minecraft and League of Legends. The idea of the living game, one that resides on the internet, where content is continually added, and fans of the game can play it for years, has been possibly the biggest story of the 2010s, from mobile to blockbuster games.

That’s not the only way that Dwarf Fortress helped define the 2010s. “Losing is fun” went the tagline, which is a way of saying it’s a game about stories. It’s a game that’s as or more fun to experience other people playing, whether on forums, or via social media, or streaming. The 2010s were also about games becoming a group experience, blurring the lines between player and viewer. The rise of the roguelike generally, and survival strategy specifically, are directly tied to the idea of games as a shared experience.

Perhaps more than anything, the fact that Dwarf Fortress, a legendarily weird game, could end the decade being one of the most wishlisted games on Steam shows that the idea of what a game is — and especially what a hit game is — has changed dramatically. At the start of the decade, you’d go to a store and pay $60 for a box with a completed game inside was still a default understanding of how games worked, with digital distribution starting to open other models up. By the end of the decade, that door is wide open, and what it means to have a hit game has totally changed. — Rowan Kaiser

League of Legends

Above: Welcome to the League of Legends jungle.

Image Credit: Riot Games

I remember the first time I saw Riot Games’ League of Legends in 2009. I had no idea what to make of it. It was confusing. It was different. And I knew that I was looking at something that would change the way we play strategy games.

But I had no idea it would revolutionize esports as well.

Before League of Legends, strategy games came in two stripes: real time, where you’re building your bases, gathering resources, and constructing an army as your opponent does the same. You scout, you probe defenses while coming up with a plan of attack, and you may also deal with some neutrals running around the map. You might even have hero units as well Or you played a turn-based game, which comes in many stripes, may have you working on economies, social agendas, and more as you build up a grand civilization, researching tech-tree upgrades, and so much more.

Warcraft III’s Defense of the Ancients mod took all of this and made something new, something different, in 2003. And while others beat Riot into turning this style into a full game, Riot was the first to emerge with a smash hit. And we’ve seen League ripple through the game industry. Valve and Blizzard followed with their own takes, a genre we’d come to call MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena). A host of others followed, with many of them failing. The rush came to mobile, with varying degrees of adaptation and success. New twists emerged, such as Clash Royale (combining MOBAs and card games), and it later gave birth to a new genre that’s on the rise at the end of the decade — the auto-battler (think Auto Chess, Teamflight Tactics, and its ilk).

And as League of Legends gained traction, it found players … and Twitch. Here, it continues to be a dominant force. Every day, tens of thousands of people watch top players defend the lanes or push for the goal. And as this viewership grew on Twitch, it changed esports. Before, competitive gaming was the realm of StarCraft and South Korea, along with Evo and a host of smaller fighting game tournaments. But as League of Legends grew, so did its competitive scene. And folks then realized that these viewers represented millions in untapped dollars.

And thus the esports revolution was born, and the likes of The International, the Overwatch League, and a host of competitions for card games, shooters, and other MOBAs. — Jason Wilson

Minecraft

Above: Blockception’s Whiterock Castle was the No. 1 best-seller on the Minecraft Marketplace two months in a row.

Image Credit: Blockception

I don’t play Minecraft. My kids do. Every day they get video game time, they spend some of it playing Minecraft on our Nintendo Switch. And what they create is amazing — castles, forts, houses and farms. And as they create, they talk about what they’re doing, trying to figure out how to get the designs from their imagination on the screen.

Now, that alone makes Minecraft innovative. We’ve had builders before, but none of them could match Minecraft in its limitlessness. Earlier in the decade, I remember how so many publications covered the amazing creations folks were making inside Minecraft. Someone did a computer in the game that works! And as Minecraft expanded, it knocked down the walled gardens, coming to just about every device that runs games — be it a PC, a home console, or a smartphone or tablet. I’m kinda surprised the screen on my fridge isn’t running it yet. With more than 176 million copies sold, Minecraft’s expanding to other genres and augmented reality.

But it’s done more than knock down walled gardens. In doing so, it heralded how corporate parent Microsoft was looking to get its games on new platforms. But it also showed a new way creators could make money — selling things they make in the store. It built on how folks were selling hats and other materials for games like Team Fortress 2 on Valve’s Steam PC store, and now, people are selling millions of dollars worth on content there.

Minecraft shows how giving people the tools to create and smashing those walls between platforms can pay off not just for a corporate parent — but for everyone. — Jason Wilson

2010: A decade launches

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Above: Mario and Nintendo are at their best in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Image Credit: Nintendo

In 2010, many of us were still in the middle of the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii era. It was a time of transition. The Wii was a huge success, but it was becoming apparent that its motion-control focus was not going to be the future of the industry, especially with casual gaming taking off in the mobile world.

But for console players, one game defined 2010 better than any: Super Mario Galaxy 2. That may seem like a strange claim. In many ways, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a safe sequel. It looks and plays a lot like the first Super Mario Galaxy.

Galaxy 2 is just better in every way. Nintendo gave a master class on how to create a traditional sequel. The levels were more creative and the experience was tighter. Even today, when it comes time to praise a sequel, you often hear people compare it to Super Mario Galaxy. And in the midst of the Wii era and stuff like Wii Fit, Super Mario Galaxy 2 reminded us that few are better than Nintendo when it comes to making fun video games. — Jeff Grubb

StarCraft II

Above: They should make a movie about what happens when you teach an A.I. how to fight a war.

Image Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

Before it came out, you would have thought that StarCraft II would be one of the biggest hits ever. Instead, it did fine. Blizzard Entertainment’s real-time strategy game sequel showed us how times were changing. The original StarCraft was a dominant force in the world of esports, but MOBAs like League of Legends had taken over. This set a trend for RTS for the rest of the decade, as the genre saw a huge decline in the 2010s. — Mike Minotti

Red Dead Redemption

Above: The beauty of Red Dead Redemption.

Red Dead Redemption could be the most impressive game of the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 era. Its detailed world, convincing acting, and engaging story set a precedent for triple-A games ahead of the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It’s still a standard that few have matched. — Mike Minotti

2011: Indelible influences

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Above: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim sure caught on.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was omnipresent throughout the entire 2010s. Bethesda’s role-playing game came out early in the decade, and we’re still talking about it.

For one thing, it’s very good. Skyrim offers players a giant, detailed world that’s worthy of exploration. It began to influence other open world games, even The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the VR game Asgard’s Wrath.

And then there were all those ports. Skyrim was originally out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Throughout the decade, it would come to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, VR, and even Amazon Alexa (well, kind of). — Mike Minotti

Dark Souls

Above: Come, sit by the fire and warm your Dark Soul(s).

Skyrim wasn’t the only game we talked about during the entire decade. While its predecessor, 2009’s Demon’s Souls, was technically the first in the series, Dark Souls established a new kind of action-RPG formula that focused on slower combat, tough boss fights, and punishing penalties for death.

And just like with Skyrim, Dark Souls would come to every platform imaginable. But while Bethesda has been slow to make a sequel for Skyrim, Dark Souls turned into a trilogy in the 2010s, and developer FromSoftware used its formula to make other hit games: Bloodbourne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Dark Souls would prove influential, as even Star Wars looked to it for inspiration in 2019 with Jedi: Fallen Order. In the 2000s, action role-playing games were all about fast-paced fighting and combos. Dark Souls changed that. — Mike Minotti

2012: Midsized merit, a galactic riot

Crusader Kings 2

Above: Crusader Kings II is one of Paradox’s breakout hits.

Image Credit: Paradox Interactive

By all logic of how video games should work before 2012, Crusader Kings 2 was a disaster. Here was an incredibly niche strategy game, well outside the Civilization or RTS style that made for a hit, and in its first month? It sold a mere 20,000 copies. And yet, persistence across digital distribution, word-of-mouth, and good reviews kept Crusader Kings 2 going. This game’s combination of strategy and character relationships was special. And that specialness … was rewarded, eventually, as CK2 became a hit and an inspiration.

If any game exemplifies the Steam era of PC gaming, it’s hard not to pick Crusader Kings 2. Beyond that constant availability, Paradox kept it alive by keeping it alive with expansions, add-ons, and patches. The new model for the living strategy game wasn’t a giant expansion or two then a sequel, but a steady flow of new content with new ways of playing the game, and patches to support the people who weren’t buying. The model proved sustainable as well — Paradox used variations on it to prop up both their publishing and their development sides, becoming an ideal form of the new middle class of PC gaming enabled by digital distribution. — Rowan Kaiser

The Walking Dead

Above: Clementine is one of the decade’s best characters.

Image Credit: Telltale Games

Crusader Kings wasn’t the only “middle-class” game to succeed in 2012, a year that also saw the release of Telltale’s The Walking Dead. The adventure genre, long-dormant in the mainstream, got new life with The Walking Dead’s moral choices, major intellectual property, and most important, the connection of those choices with an episodic release structure enabled by digital distribution. Telltale itself would become a cautionary tale more than Paradox’s success, but both companies felt a rush of success in 2012 because they used digital as more than simply a distribution method, instead seeing it as a way to creatively develop new types of gaming experiences. — Rowan Kaiser

Mass Effect 3

Above: Mass Effect 3 is an intersection of the decade’s trends.

Image Credit: BioWare

Also in 2012, we have Mass Effect 3, which is unfortunately best known for its grand ending controversy, a firestorm of fans, press, and developers converging into an absolute mess of internet culture. This masks that ME3 is a great game. But also lost in the storm and fury was that the game’s multiplayer, a remarkable critical success, was also a remarkable success monetarily, as EA started added FIFA Ultimate Team-style lootboxes to more and different kinds of games.

2013: A tale of tails

Grand Theft Auto V

Above: GTA Online changed Rockstar game-development model.

Image Credit: Rockstar Games

Grand Theft Auto V was a massive game in 2013. And everyone knew it would be. What we didn’t know is that in 2019, it would still be a massive game. GTA V is an enormous success due in large part to the GTA: Online mode. This takes the gameplay into a shared multiplayer world where you can compete in quests, do online heists, and purchase digital items with a currency that you can get using real money.

I think the best way to put GTA V’s success into context is like this: During the decade leading up to 2013, Rockstar released one major new game per year. That included Manhunt, The Warriors, Bully, Manhunt 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire, and Max Payne 3. But since releasing GTA V in 2013, Rockstar has only released one game, 2018’s Red Dead Redemption II.

Instead of putting out new games, Rockstar began working on new content for GTA: Online. That content is cheaper to produce because the studio is mostly just adding new stuff to a gameplay and design infrastructure that already exists. And unlike a new game that might make a lot of money on its first day of release, GTA: Online makes a steady stream of revenue. This makes tricky things like revenues and staffing needs much more predictable and easier to manage.

Maintaining GTA: Online with regular updates is a much less risky proposition than making a new game. And that is GTA: Online’s legacy — especially in the 2010s. Every game developer and publisher wants their own GTA: Online. They want a game that can last for years with regular updates that brings in a steady flow of money. And based on its popularity and the popularity of other live-service games, it’s what consumers want as well. — Jeff Grubb

Dota 2

Above: Dota 2 reaps the benefits of the live-service model.

Image Credit: Valve

In the same way that Rockstar made fewer games after Grand Theft Auto V, Half-Life developer Valve has made very few new games since launching Dota 2 in 2013 (after a lengthy beta). And Valve’s reasons are similar to Rockstar’s. But we’re including this MOBA because of how it shaped so much of the business of games.

Dota 2 popularized community items that people could design and sell on Steam’s marketplace. This is also the game that introduced the idea of battle passes or premium progressions passes. Players could buy an item called the Compendium that you would earn levels for by playing Dota 2 matches. And that process would unlock items over time. You could, of course, buy levels if you have more cash than time. Now, battle passes are a common feature in a wide variety of games.

The Compendium revenue, however, didn’t just go into Valve’s pocket. Instead, the company contributed a portion to the prize pool for The International. This immediately turned Dota 2 into one of the premiere esports games in the world. Other studios have since mimicked this practice as well. — Jeff Grubb

BioShock Infinite

Above: Elizabeth’s A.I. received a boost from techniques folks use on the pitch and the stage.

Image Credit: Irrational Games

In trying to tell the story of the decade, it’s almost serendipitous that Grand Theft Auto V, Dota 2, and BioShock Infinite all came out the same year. They so encapsulate what happened over the last 10 years. Sure, every studio wants to have their own live-service game that generates profits for years. But what is so wrong with the old way of making a game as a product? Well, BioShock Infinite is what is wrong.

BioShock Infinite was the highly anticipated sequel to 2007’s breakout hit BioShock. Developer Irrational Games started work in February 2008, and it took five long years to get the game out to fans. But more than the time, those were also expensive years. The game was so costly that even after selling 11 million copies, publisher 2K Games obviously didn’t consider the game a success.

Suddenly, we were living in a world where a game could sell better than almost any other game and still end up as a failure. Following BioShock Infinite, almost no publisher wanted to fund a massive single-player narrative-based game — especially in a world where mobile games that cost a fraction to make were generating $1 billion in revenues per year. — Jeff Grubb

The post From Minecraft to Auto Chess: The 29 games that define the 2010s appeared first on Actu Trends.

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symbianosgames · 8 years ago

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The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include CIA board games, the art of escape rooms and The Oregon Trail's genesis.

Huzzah - have managed to get the newsletter out extra early this weekend - wonder if it helps with open rate? There's over 400 of you on this list currently, by the way, plus I tend to get 700-1,000 page views on the Gamasutra crossposted version. I'd call that a good result in today's micro-attention intellectual economy. (But I want more, of course.)

Anyhow, quite a bit happening this week - and in addition to the YouTube GDC talks I posted below, the GDC Vault is up, with 170+ free videos from the 2017 show, hundred of free slide decks - and 500+ videos in total if you were a select GDC passholder. Not linking individual lectures from there because I'll be adding the YouTube versions as they gradually get xposted over the next few months, but there's some amazing talks out there - thanks again to all our speakers.

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

Escape to another world (Ryan Avent / The Economist 1843 Magazine) "Like millions of people of a certain age, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) had occupied a crucial place in Mullings’s childhood. It introduced him to video gaming, gave him a taste for it, made him aware of the fact that he was good at it: a “born gamer”, in his words. Yet the pixelated worlds of the Mario brothers, for all their delights, were nothing like the experiences available to gamers today."

'Witcher' Studio Boss Marcin Iwinski: 'We Had No Clue How To Make Games' (Chris Suellentrop / Glixel) ""We were small, unknown guys from Poland," Marcin Iwiński, the co-founder of CD Projekt Red, said last year when The Witcher 3 beat out games like Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V, and Bloodborne for the Game of the Year award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in San Francisco."

The Shrouded Isle and embracing darkness in games (Katherine Cross / Gamasutra) "PAX East’s indie offerings sometimes have unexpected themes emerge from the potpourri; a couple of years ago it was young women as detectives. This year, a subtle current among the games on offer was exploring life in cults from the inside."

Why math is strangling videogame morality (Jody Macgregor / PC Gamer) "What's disappointing is that in the 22 years since Ultima IV, the math governing most morality systems in games has gotten more complicated, but it's still math. And it's still there. When our behavior is tied to an equation we've been trained to understand over the past two decades of gaming, the exciting nuance that should lie at the heart of moral decisions tends to disappear."

The CIA uses board games to train officers—and I got to play them (Sam Machkovech / Ars Technica) "The two groups of South By Southwest attendees split up in this conference room hesitate to get up. They were testing out the weirdest training exercise the CIA has ever publicly revealed: board games. These aren't off-the-shelf games; instead, CIA officers designed and assembled these elaborate tabletop games to reflect the realities of the CIA's day-to-day operations."

Balancing survival gameplay and RPG progression in Conan Exiles (Alan Bradley / Gamasutra) "Funcom's Conan Exiles, one of the latest challengers to the throne that Minecraft built, pushes this kind of progression to the logical extreme, not only tying player’s stats -- things like strength and stamina -- to its leveling, but also locking the majority of its buildings and tools behind it."

What it’s like making games in Pakistan (Basim Usmani / Polygon) "Chappal Strike, a play on shooter Counter-Strike, is a student-made game in which the player launches chappals — Pakistani sandals — to take down army helicopters. The game is rooted in one of Pakistan's darkest moments of 2016."

Are Teenagers Replacing Drugs With Smartphones? (Matt Richtel / New York Times) "With experts in the field exploring reasons for what they describe as a clear trend, the novel notion that ever-growing phone use may be more than coincidental is gaining some traction. Dr. Volkow described interactive media as “an alternative reinforcer” to drugs, adding that “teens can get literally high when playing these games.” [SIMON'S NOTE: not really sure where this theory fits into app refreshing, games and endorphins, but flagging it as intriguing.]"

Arcade Photographs, Arcade Comics, Arcade Tales – A Social History of the British Amusement Arcade (Alan Meades / mediaXstanford / YouTube) "Alan Meades, Senior Lecturer in New Media Theory in Canterbury Christ Church University’s Department of Media, Art and Design presents his arcade culture research project, Arcade Tales, which uses comic books as a way of communicating and capturing oral histories from British arcades, and also a selection of rare and previously unseen arcade photographs from Canterbury Christ Church University’s George Wilson Archive."

The story of Crash magazine (Graeme Mason / Eurogamer) "If, like me, you were a ZX Spectrum fan growing up in the 80s, one of its trio of passionately assembled and dedicated magazines was an indispensable read... Sinclair User was the longest serving, and had a drier tone; Your Sinclair (formerly Your Spectrum) gleefully brandished its off-the-wall humour in each issue, and is especially revered today. But for me, and many others, our magazine of choice was the appropriately-titled Crash, published by Ludlow-based Newsfield."

Choices, Episode (Emily Short / Emily Short's Interactive Storytelling) "There are several thriving brands of interactive fiction on mobile that tend not to get a huge amount of coverage in the traditional IF community, despite their large player base. They’re placing well on the app store, though, and GDC talks increasingly cover them — so I went and had a look at a couple of the main contenders. [SIMON'S NOTE: Also see How Episode became the world's biggest interactive fiction platform.]"

Board Game Design Day: The Making Of 'Pandemic Legacy' (Matt Leacock & Rob Daviau / GDC / YouTube) "In this GDC 2017 talk, 'Pandemic Legacy' creators Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau walk through the thought process of creating the popular board game, looking at the design challenges (and solutions), where the team behind Pandemic went right, and where they went wrong."

How to Make an Escape Room (Laura Hudson / Feminist Frequency) "Laura E. Hall wants you to get out; she really does. As an escape room designer, she’s created numerous live-action mysteries where teams of intrepid players sealed in a real-life room must rifle through clues and solve puzzles in hopes of getting out before time runs out."

Meet the Swedish Politician Who Streams 'Hearthstone' (Luke Winkie / Glixel) "There is a unique tranquility in watching a man calmly break down Scandinavian political policy while piloting a Beast Druid deck. So if you're like me and you're in need of a reminder that government isn't always stupid and evil, I highly recommend the Hearthstone Twitch stream of Rickard Nordin."

LawBreakers isn't trying to be an Overwatch killer (Tom Marks, Mark Paget / PC Gamer) "First-person shooters had a big year in 2016, something that wasn't necessarily expected when Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski and Boss Key Productions revealed LawBreakers in 2014. Since then, Overwatch has sort of become the de facto leader of the character-based shooter movement, but when we met up with Bleszinski at PAX East 2017, he told us that he isn't trying to make an Overwatch killer."

Prompto's Facebook: How a Buddy-AI Auto-Snapshots Your Adventure in FFXV (Prasert Prasertvithyakarn / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, Square Enix designer Prasert Prasertvithyakarn describes the creation of Final Fantasy XV's photo system that allows Prompto to document your epic road trip on a quest to save the world."

Classic Game Postmortem: Oregon Trail (Don Rawitsch / GDC / YouTube) "In this GDC 2017 postmortem, Oregon Trail creator Don Rawitsch sets off on a journey to explore the development of this classic educational game that took the world by storm."

How Osiris: New Dawn calculates monster crab scuttling (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "So I’ve played enough of Osiris to know that you’ll be minding your own business, looking at a tree, and then a crab will come and try to cave your skull in. It’s not a proper crab in the sense of earth taxonomy because it has four legs, but it has a carapace and a set of angular legs that have a very crab-ish/lobster-y aesthetic."

Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams talks about simulating the most complex magic system ever (Wes Fenlon / PC Gamer) "Forget what you thought you knew about the infamous complexity of Dwarf Fortress. We haven't seen anything yet. Dwarf Fortress hasn't been updated for a year, because developers Tarn and Zach Adams have been preparing it for the most ambitious magic system ever implemented in a videogame."

'Nier: Automata' Director Taro Yoko Doesn't Envision a Happy Ending for Humanity (Matthew Walden / Glixel) "Nier: Automata has finally thrust the reclusive Yoko into the spotlight, with its impeccably polished action offering a more accessible entry point to his fascinating universe filled with heartbreak and introspection. Recently, Yoko has become equally recognized for the grinning, skeletal mask he dons in public, as well as his cryptic and playful answers to interview questions. So it's a particular treat to have a candid conversation with him about his career and legacy so far."

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[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to [email protected]. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

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agilenano · 5 years ago

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Agilenano - News: Overwatch is one of the best first-person shooters around, but coming in as a beginner can feel overwhelming

You have to get a handle of the maps, play styles, and conventions to succeed. More than anything else, at the heart of the game are Overwatch’s heroes. Each of the 30+ Overwatch heroes are unique. Their attacks, abilities, ultimates, roles, and best strategies are highly specific. When you’re getting started, having a basic understanding of each hero goes a long way toward picking one that suits you. In this guide, we’ll introduce you to each Overwatch hero in turn, and help you pick the best Overwatch hero for your play style. Overwatch Hero Basics As a complete Overwatch beginner, feel free to pick a hero that sounds good or looks cool to you. For your first few matches, you won’t know which characters best fit your play style. Use this time to figure out the different Overwatch roles and decide which you like best. After picking a character that sounds like fun, start learning how they work. But don’t over-commit to one hero. After a bit, switch it up. Play different roles and heroes within each role. Not only will this help you find the heroes that you like to play, but it will also help you learn the strengths and weaknesses of each character when you’re playing against them. You can check out heroes in the Practice Range, or play a match against bots for a basic test drive. Alternatively, try the Mystery Heroes mode in the Arcade, which randomly switches heroes every time you die. We don’t recommend this for absolute newcomers, but it’s a great way to become more familiar with the game after you’ve played a bit. Each hero has an information screen listing their abilities, plus a difficulty rating of one to three stars. This gives you an idea of how much effort it takes to understand the hero’s kit, but doesn’t always account for the character’s skill floor and ceiling. We expand on difficulty ratings below. Team Composition As of August 2019, Overwatch uses a role queue system to ensure all teams have two tanks, two damage heroes, and two support characters. You’ll need to select your role before searching for a match, and will be locked into that role for the entirety of the game. This system makes it easier to build a strong team composition, but you should still pay attention to what other people on your team are playing. Try to get acquainted with all the roles equally so you become a flexible player. This should take you far in Overwatch. Damage Heroes As you’d expect, damage heroes (also known as “DPS,” or damage per second) are responsible for securing kills. They’re generally a bit fragile (low-health heroes are often called “squishy”), but do the bulk of the team’s damage. Ashe Ashe is an outlaw who has the unique ability to aim down the sights on her rifle. Doing so grants extra damage, but reduces the rate of fire. As Ashe, you also have access to a Coach Gun that knocks enemies (and you) away. Her Dynamite lets you burn enemies over time and scare them away, as you can shoot the explosive to blow it up early. Ashe’s Omnic sidekick B.O.B. joins the fray when she uses her ultimate. Difficulty: Medium. Ashe has a variety of situational abilities that take some getting used to, but her method of doing damage is pretty straightforward. Play if: You like aiming down the sights and want additional ways to damage the enemy. Bastion A popular beginner Overwatch hero, Bastion uses a simple machine gun as his main weapon in Recon mode. By shifting into Sentry mode, however, he becomes an immobile turret with a massive rotary machine gun that dishes out heaps of damage. Bastion’s self-healing ability is especially useful in this mode, because he makes himself a prime target. While his damage output is huge against unsuspecting targets, a coordinated team can easy shut down Bastion. Difficulty: Easy. Bastion isn’t complicated—it’s all about finding a good spot and tearing into the enemy. Play if: You want to be an immobile force of destruction (though we recommend being strategic with your placement). Doomfist This hero is all about close-quarters combat. His shotgun-like Hand Cannon and melee attacks do a lot of damage, but he struggles at a distance. His ultimate, Meteor Strike, can clear a lot of space and easily pick off squishy targets. Doomfist also generates shields when he does damage with his abilities. This high-risk/high-reward setup makes it imperative that you get into the fray quickly. Difficulty: Hard. Doomfist is all about managing your abilities to secure kills and keep escape routes open. Play if: You love close-quarters combat and want to punch your opponents around. Genji Genji is a fearsome adversary in the right hands. His shuriken throwing is great for damaging from a distance, and his ultimate lets him devastate multiple targets quickly with a sword. You’ll need to master his deflect, which sends all projectiles back to their sender. Genji’s powerful dash ability resets when he gets a kill, which can help you get away from danger. In all, Genji is more of an assassin that secures kills and harasses the enemy that a consistent damage dealer like some of the other characters in this category. Difficulty: Hard. Mastering Genji requires expert movement, situational awareness, and target prioritization. Play if: You want to eliminate high-value targets and like moving around a lot. Hanzo Hanzo uses a bow and arrow instead of a gun. He’s a mid-range sniper who can pick off targets and output lots of damage thanks to the Storm Arrow ability. His Sonic Arrow serves as a radar pulse, marking your enemies. Hanzo’s ultimate sends two massive spirit dragons hurtling through walls and enemies, making it an excellent area denial tool. Difficulty: Hard. Hanzo can output tons of damage, but accuracy is paramount when using him. If you can’t hit your targets, you’re better off with someone else. Play if: You want to pick off targets from afar, but not with a sniper rifle. Junkrat Junkrat is chaos personified. His primary weapon shoots bouncing grenades everywhere, and he can throw and detonate mines to send enemies (and himself) flying. A trap lets him stop flanking enemies, too. RIP-Tire, his ultimate, is a fast-moving bomb wheel that can get behind enemy lines and blow up several foes at once. Junkrat even releases a slew of grenades when he dies. And the best part is that none of his explosives can damage him. Difficulty: Medium. You don’t have to aim much with Junkrat, but his abilities take some time to master. He also struggles at close range and against targets above him. Play if: You like blowing everything up. McCree This old-West-style gunslinger has a powerful revolver that’s best used at close or mid-range. It’s a hitscan weapon, making it great for taking down fast-moving targets like Pharah. His secondary fire, Fan the Hammer, unleashes all remaining bullets at high speed with a significant accuracy penalty. This is great when combined with his Flashbang grenade. McCree’s Deadeye ultimate is great for taking down lots of enemies at once, as long as you time it well. Difficulty: Medium. McCree is an excellent duelist and counters flankers, but his mobility is poor. And with just six bullets per reload, missing shots is costly. Play if: You consider yourself a marksman, but don’t want to play a sniper. Mei Mei has a strong ability to stop the enemy’s progress. Her Endothermic Blaster shoots a stream of supercooled fluid, slowing and eventually freezing enemies in place. This makes them especially vulnerable to her secondary fire, a nasty icicle. She can also encase herself in ice to regain health. While the Ice Wall ability can break up or trap the opposing team, it’s easy to mess up your teammates with it too. Difficulty: Hard. Mei controls the battlefield when played well, but using her wall at the right time is crucial. Both of her firing modes take practice, too. Play if: You like to defend strategically, or want to freeze annoying opponents. Pharah This rocket soldier’s greatest strength lies in her ability to hover high above the battlefield, raining a constant barrage of rockets on the enemy. Pharah is one of the hardest-hitting heroes in the game, but even with the splash damage from her rockets, landing a hit isn’t guaranteed. She’s particularly devastating when paired with a damage-boosting Mercy. But keep in mind that floating over everyone’s heads makes you a big target for hitscan heroes like Ash, McCree, and Solider: 76. Difficulty: Easy. Pharah dominates when her enemies can’t aim well, and has no complicated abilities to master. Play if: You want to do a lot of damage from the skies. Reaper Reaper’s coolness factor draws in many beginners. His twin Hellfire shotguns do a ton of damage, but you have to get in close. Stealthy movement, aided by a teleport ability, is required to use him effectively as a flanker. If you can spring from the shadows and unleash a volley of shots, not much will survive; Reaper is great for shredding tanks. You’ll also profit from the destruction, as Reaper absorbs some of the damage he gives as health. Difficulty: Easy. Reaper’s movement abilities let him slink around the map, and your objective is to kill everything in sight. Play if: You like to sneak around and surprise your opponents with a hail of shotgun pellets. Soldier: 76 With a hitscan pulse rifle, rocket grenades, the ability to sprint, and a little burst of healing, Soldier: 76 is a lot like a character from Call of Duty or other first-person shooters. He’s a run-and-gun shooter that excels at mid-range. If you’ve played a shooter before, he’s an easy DPS hero to start with, but don’t underestimate him. Soldier: 76 is a solid pick all-around, even after you’ve graduated from the beginner level. Difficulty: Easy. Soldier’s basic ability kit makes him easy to learn and utilize, as he doesn’t have any major weaknesses. Play if: You’ve played other shooters and want an easy introduction to Overwatch. Sombra Sombra stands out as an elite hacker. She can hack opponents to block their abilities for a few seconds, or hack health packs to make them regenerate faster and only work for your team. It’s a great skill, but takes some practice to get used to. If you can use her stealth and hacking to surprise the enemy, her machine pistol can burn through foes quickly. Map knowledge is key when using Sombra to get the drop on enemies, especially since she can see low-health characters through walls. Difficulty: Hard. Sombra requires detailed map knowledge, good target prioritization, and team communication to be truly effective. Play if: You like being sneaky and want to irritate the other team. Symmetra Symmetra’s Photon Projector does more damage the longer it hits an enemy, and even generates ammo when hitting a shield. As it builds up, this beam can slice through enemies in no time. Its alternate fire shoots energy balls. Her kit has two other key parts. She can throw several small turrets that damage and slow enemies. Her teleporter lets her team warp to a remote location, perfect for transporting low-mobility heroes where they couldn’t normally go. The Photon Barrier ultimate deploys a huge shield that covers the entire map. This can block an enemy’s push or give you a barrier to cover an advance. Difficulty: Medium. Symmetra’s abilities have a lot of utility, but they require practice to use effectively. Play if: You want to have a subtle, but strong, effect on the match. Torbjörn This Swedish engineer has a rivet gun that can fire close-range or medium-range shots. Once you’ve learned its projectile arc, long-range headshots become a lot of fun. Torbjörn’s signature ability allows him to create fast-firing turrets that give you a lot of extra firepower in a fight. His ultimate coats an area in molten lava, denying enemy movement. Difficulty: Medium. Torb is great at locking down an area, but using his turret effectively takes a keen eye. Play if: You like the idea of a turret helping you do your job. Tracer Tracer seeks to get in close and dish out lots of damage with her dual automatic weapons. She’s all about taking advantage of movement, as she can use Blink to teleport short distances and Recall to rewind time a few seconds and regain health. Her ultimate is a simple sticky bomb, and her pulse pistols are straightforward. She’s Overwatch’s poster child, but her low health means you need to master her movement to stay alive. Difficulty: Medium. Tracer is hard to hit if you use her abilities well, but her fragility means you can’t afford to make mistakes. Play if: You like to move fast and dish out damage before quickly disappearing again. Widowmaker As Overwatch’s true sniper, Widowmaker is all about long-distance headshots. Her rifle turns into an automatic weapon for close-range combat, but she’s best when she’s sniping. If you have a great aim and can consistently get headshots on fast-moving targets, Widowmaker is a huge asset to a team. But since she’s usually not on the objective, she offers little utility aside from getting kills. Difficulty: Medium. If you don’t hit key shots with Widow, you’re not doing your team any favors. Play if: You’re a sniper, through and through. Tank Heroes Overwatch’s tank heroes hold the front line, create space for their teammates to work, soak up damage, and help their teammates dish out damage. Though not officially mentioned in the game, players differentiate between “main tanks” and “off-tanks.” Main tanks generally hold the front line with a shield, while off-tanks have other priorities, including “peeling” to protect the back line. D.Va D.Va’s MEKA fires twin fusion cannons and unleashes a barrage of micro missiles. Her Defense Matrix can stop nearly every projectile in the game, including some ultimates like Hanzo’s. Her mech also has a boost that closes distance fast and can knock enemies off the map. When her mech’s health drops to zero, D.Va ejects and has a pistol that she can use until her next mech is ready. Difficulty: Medium. D.Va is an incredibly versatile off-tank who can dive onto enemies, protect her team’s backline, and use her shield to absorb damage. Play if: You want to be a mobile tank who can juggle roles regularly—and not die when you lose all your health. Orisa A main tank, Orisa is slow-moving and forms a strong frontline. She can fire shields anywhere, boosts her own defenses for a few seconds with Fortify, and lays down a near-constant stream of fusion bullets. Her ultimate amps up the damage of everyone around her, making her an asset during team pushes. And her Halt! projectile pulls enemies to make them vulnerable or drop them off a ledge. Difficulty: Medium. Orisa’s deployable shield placement is easy to botch, and her abilities require good timing. Play if: You want to coordinate and support the actions of your team, and don’t mind moving at glacial speeds. Reinhardt Reinhardt has a giant, rocket-powered hammer. In addition to a beefy shield, he can fire a flaming projectile. This main tank also has the ability to charge forward at high speed, pinning enemies to walls for huge damage. His Earthshatter ultimate knocks enemies down, leaving them open to hammer strikes. Reinhardt is a great starter tank for a reason: his shield can successfully lead a team charge, yet he can dish out damage with the best of them. A good Reinhardt will serve as the backbone of a team and is often the one calling the shots. Difficulty: Easy. Reinhardt’s barrier is simple; your role is to stay in the front and protect the team. Play if: You want to lead the charge and protect your teammates from just about everything. Just remember not to get carried away doing damage. Roadhog Roadhog is a beefy off-tank. His signature ability is the Chain Hook, which grabs an enemy and reels them in for a close-range blast from his shotgun-like Scrap Gun. His huge health pool and ability to quickly heal himself give Roadhog high survivability. Whole Hog, his ultimate, makes his weapon fully automatic for a few seconds. This can push enemies away from an objective or trap them in a corridor. Difficulty: Easy. Roadhog is all about hooking out-of-position enemies to punish them. His self-heal keeps you alive even when healers are down. Play if: You want maximum durability and to destroy opponents with the Chain Hook. Sigma Sigma is a physicist who has the power to control gravity. As a main tank, he can deploy and recall his Experimental Barrier at will, plus he has high utility thanks to his Kinetic Grasp and Accretion abilities. The former absorbs incoming projectiles and converts them to personal shields, while Accretion throws a giant rock that can stun enemies. Sigma takes full advantage of his powers with his ultimate, Gravitic Flux. This lets him take flight, shoot enemies up into the air, then slam them back into the ground for huge damage. He’s best paired with another main tank so they can trade off with their barriers. Difficulty: Hard. Sigma has high offensive and defensive capabilities, so striking a balance is difficult. Managing his ability cooldowns is paramount. Play if: You don’t want the role of a main tank to fall squarely on your shoulders and are good at decision making. Winston Winston’s Tesla Cannon is one of the few weapons in Overwatch that doesn’t require much aiming. The beam tracks opponents, so as long as you point it in the right direction, it’ll hit. His short range isn’t a problem because of his rocket jump, which propels him into (or out) of a battle. He can also drop a shield to protect himself and his teammates. And when his Primal Rage ultimate kicks in, he goes full King Kong on the opposing team. Winston is usually considered a main tank due to his shield, but requires good coordination with his team as his weapon isn’t particularly strong. Difficulty: Medium. Winston is a strong harasser, but the long cooldown times for his abilities can leave him defenseless without help. Play if: You don’t like aiming too much, or want to dive behind enemy lines to kill squishy targets like Tracer and Zenyatta. Wrecking Ball As a highly mobile off-tank, Wrecking Ball switches between a rolling ball and a mech with cannon weapons. His grappling hook lets him pick up speed to slam into enemies. And when he gets into trouble, he can deploy a shield that increases in strength the more enemies are nearby. His Minefield ultimate drops a group of proximity mines, which can cover a key area for several seconds. Playing Wrecking Ball is all about controlling an area and initiating fights. But he’s a poor solo tank, as he doesn’t have a way to protect allies. Difficulty: Hard. Wrecking Ball has to keep moving to be effective and stay alive, but knowing when to engage and when to back off is tricky. Play if: You want to bowl into your enemies and lead the team charge. Zarya Another off-tank, Zarya has a Particle Cannon that can do a huge amount of damage—if you manage it correctly. She has the ability to deploy a shield around herself or a teammate. Any damage that these shields block powers up her weapon’s charge. And her ultimate, Graviton Surge, sucks enemies into a black hole for a huge opportunity. When played well, Zarya can save her teammates from otherwise deadly situations (like getting hooked by Roadhog) and decimate enemies with a charged-up weapon. But strategically deploying those shields is crucial, which gives Zarya a steep learning curve. Difficulty: Hard. It’s quite difficult to read situations and know when to use Zarya’s shields. And if you’re not saving teammates and running at high charge, Zarya’s utility is low. Play if: You want to soak up enemy damage, protect teammates, and deal big damage. Support Heroes These Overwatch heroes exist to keep their teammates alive and provide other important utilities. As a support player, you’re usually the prime target for the enemy, so playing wisely is critical. Like tanks, you’ll often hear players divide healers into main and off-healers. Off-healers typically don’t output enough healing to reliably keep the team alive, so they’re best paired with a main healer. Ana Ever wanted to shoot your teammates? With Ana, you have to. Her Biotic Rifle rounds damage enemies and heal teammates. But that’s not all she offers her team. Her Biotic Grenades increase healing for a teammate and block enemies from receiving healing for a moment. The Sleep Dart knocks enemies out, leaving them vulnerable. Ana’s ultimate, Nano Boost, buffs a teammate by boosting their damage given and reducing damage taken. If you have solid sniping chops, Ana is a fun and dynamic hero. She’s a main healer as long as you consistently hit your shots. Difficulty: Hard. Ana is one of the most difficult Support characters to play because she requires accurate aiming and her abilities are tough to use effectively. Play if: You’re an accurate sniper who wants to heal teammates at a range. Baptiste Baptiste is a strong main healer who combines damage potential with the ability to save his teammates from dire situations. His weapon, the Biotic Launcher, fires bursts to damage enemies as well as grenades to heal allies. When the team needs topping up, his Regenerative Burst applies some extra healing to everyone nearby. His most powerful utility is definitely the Immortality Field, which prevents all teammates inside from dying. However, enemies can destroy it, so it won’t last forever. Baptiste’s kit rounds out with his Exo Boots, which let him jump extra high to avoid attacks or reach advantageous platforms. And his ultimate, Amplification Matrix, boosts the effects of healing and damage projectiles that travel through it. Unlike a lot of other healers, he’s often best played away from the team to take advantage of the angles his vertical mobility creates. Difficulty: Hard. Baptiste requires high accuracy both when shooting enemies and healing teammates. You’ll need to be smart with placement and timing to make the most of Immortality Field and Amplification Matrix. Play if: You like juggling damage and healing roles and can identify when your teammates need saving the most. Brigitte Brigitte is an off-healer with some tank-like abilities. She has a small shield that can protect herself or a teammate. Her most powerful ability, Shield Bash, stuns an enemy to open them up to attack. And her Rocket Flail smacks enemies around, healing nearby allies when she does damage thanks to her Inspire ability. She also has Repair Packs to heal enemies (and provide armor, if they’re already topped off). Her ultimate, Rally, lets her move faster and grants armor to all allies nearby. Difficulty: Easy. Due to her fight-winning Shield Bash and mace with large area of effect, Brigitte makes it easy to play a major part in team fights. Play if: You like the idea of playing a tank, but also want to heal your team. Lúcio Lúcio is a DJ whose weapon and abilities are music-based. He can switch between two songs that either heal or speed boost his nearby teammates. His Sonic Amplifier’s secondary fire will boop enemies back, which is great for knocking foes off ledges. And even cooler, he can ride on walls! His Sound Barrier ultimate gives teammates shields, which can save them from a huge enemy attack. Depending on your team composition, Lúcio can be a main or off-healer. Learning when to switch between his healing and speed boosts is key to mastering him. Difficulty: Medium. While he’s easy enough to understand, Lúcio has a high skill ceiling. Mastering his movement will take work. Play if: You want to stay with the team and boost them, and love zipping around. Mercy Mercy is the most straightforward healer to play. Her staff can toggle between healing and damage boosting one teammate at a time. The Guardian Angel ability lets her fly to teammates in need, and she can slow her descent to stay in the air longer. Mercy also heals herself after she avoids damage for a short time. Her most powerful ability is Resurrect, which lets her bring a teammate back from the dead. But it has a long cooldown and Mercy is vulnerable when using it, so take caution. With every aspect of Mercy, smart positioning is key to staying alive. Difficulty: Easy. Mercy doesn’t have any particularly complex abilities, making her a great beginner main healer. Play if: You want a powerful healer who can fly around to any ally in need, and love to revive people. Moira Moira’s Biotic Grasp ability represents the dual nature of her kit. One hand sprays healing mist that repairs nearby allies, but it has limited resources. The other hand fires a beam that drains enemies’ health and recharges her healing energy. She can also choose between firing two Biotic Orbs: one that damages enemies and another that heals allies. Coalescence, her ultimate, is a long-range beam that both heals allies and damages foes at the same time. Finally, Fade lets her disappear for a moment to dodge damage and get closer to teammates. If you stay with your team and keep your healing resources up by draining enemies, Moira can output an immense amount of healing, making her a solid main healer pick. Difficulty: Medium. Moira is all about balance. You must damage enemies occasionally, but knowing when to do this while keeping your teammates alive is vital. Play if: You want to have strong healing potential and don’t mind getting close to enemies to top up your energy. Zenyatta Similar to Baptiste and Moira, Zenyatta is capable of both damage and healing. His accurate Orb of Destruction attack does a huge amount of damage for a support character. He can also charge up a volley of orbs to take out low-HP heroes in one shot. Zenyatta can place his Orb of Harmony on a teammate to heal them, as long as he keeps line of sight. Similarly, putting the Orb of Discord on an enemy makes them receive more damage. His ultimate, Transcendence, grants him invincibility and rapidly heals nearby allies, canceling out enemy ultimates like Genji’s. While his abilities are simple, playing Zenyatta is not. He’s extremely fragile and slow, meaning he has no options to escape enemy flankers or snipers. He’s also an off-healer, as his Harmony orb doesn’t do enough healing to keep an entire team going. Difficulty: Hard. Zenyatta requires you to constantly read the battle to decide who should have the Harmony and Discord orbs. He’s vulnerable to many forms of damage, but staying alive is vital to keep your team buffs going. Play if: You want to both heal and do deal damage, and can make decisions based on the big picture. The Best Overwatch Heroes for Beginners Still not sure who to try? Here are a few suggestions for Overwatch beginner heroes (and some to avoid at first). You can branch out after you’ve mastered the basics with these characters: For damage, choose Soldier: 76. His weapons, abilities, and controls are easy to get the hang of, and he’s a solid character at many levels of play. Avoid Doomfist, Sombra, and Genji. All three require tightly managing ability cooldowns, picking the right targets, and using the map to your advantage. For tanks, choose Reinhardt. He’s the most straightforward main tank, which will help you understand a tank’s role in the fight. While Roadhog is also a good beginner choice, he doesn’t teach proper tank habits nearly as well. Avoid Zarya. Knowing when to apply her shields takes some practice, and if you’re not charging your weapon, you’re of little use. For support, choose Mercy. You can heal and provide damage boosts constantly, as well as revive dead teammates. Stay out of the line of fire, and you’ll be fine. Avoid Ana and Zenyatta. Ana requires excellent accuracy and her abilities are tricky. Zenyatta is highly vulnerable and requires good game sense. Which Overwatch Hero Will You Master? With so many unique Overwatch heroes, you should be able to find a character that fits your play style. It’s just a matter of getting started. We recommend that you play all the heroes at least few times, even ones who don’t sound like your type. You might be surprised whose play styles you enjoy, and you’ll get good insight into how to play against other heroes. Plus, since Overwatch lets you change your hero at any time, having several options at the ready can help turn the tide of a fight. Switching to counter your enemy’s composition is key. For more games that require teamwork, take a look at highly tactical shooters you should try. Image Credit: BagoGames/Flickr Read the full article: A Beginner’s Guide to Overwatch Heroes #OnlineGames #Entertainment #GamingTips #Overwatch #MultiplayerGames

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agilenano · 5 years ago

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Agilenano - News: Overwatch is one of the best first-person shooters around, but coming in as a beginner can feel overwhelming

You have to get a handle of the maps, play styles, and conventions to succeed. More than anything else, at the heart of the game are Overwatch’s heroes. Each of the 30+ Overwatch heroes are unique. Their attacks, abilities, ultimates, roles, and best strategies are highly specific. When you’re getting started, having a basic understanding of each hero goes a long way toward picking one that suits you. In this guide, we’ll introduce you to each Overwatch hero in turn, and help you pick the best Overwatch hero for your play style. Overwatch Hero Basics As a complete Overwatch beginner, feel free to pick a hero that sounds good or looks cool to you. For your first few matches, you won’t know which characters best fit your play style. Use this time to figure out the different Overwatch roles and decide which you like best. After picking a character that sounds like fun, start learning how they work. But don’t over-commit to one hero. After a bit, switch it up. Play different roles and heroes within each role. Not only will this help you find the heroes that you like to play, but it will also help you learn the strengths and weaknesses of each character when you’re playing against them. You can check out heroes in the Practice Range, or play a match against bots for a basic test drive. Alternatively, try the Mystery Heroes mode in the Arcade, which randomly switches heroes every time you die. We don’t recommend this for absolute newcomers, but it’s a great way to become more familiar with the game after you’ve played a bit. Each hero has an information screen listing their abilities, plus a difficulty rating of one to three stars. This gives you an idea of how much effort it takes to understand the hero’s kit, but doesn’t always account for the character’s skill floor and ceiling. We expand on difficulty ratings below. Team Composition As of August 2019, Overwatch uses a role queue system to ensure all teams have two tanks, two damage heroes, and two support characters. You’ll need to select your role before searching for a match, and will be locked into that role for the entirety of the game. This system makes it easier to build a strong team composition, but you should still pay attention to what other people on your team are playing. Try to get acquainted with all the roles equally so you become a flexible player. This should take you far in Overwatch. Damage Heroes As you’d expect, damage heroes (also known as “DPS,” or damage per second) are responsible for securing kills. They’re generally a bit fragile (low-health heroes are often called “squishy”), but do the bulk of the team’s damage. Ashe Ashe is an outlaw who has the unique ability to aim down the sights on her rifle. Doing so grants extra damage, but reduces the rate of fire. As Ashe, you also have access to a Coach Gun that knocks enemies (and you) away. Her Dynamite lets you burn enemies over time and scare them away, as you can shoot the explosive to blow it up early. Ashe’s Omnic sidekick B.O.B. joins the fray when she uses her ultimate. Difficulty: Medium. Ashe has a variety of situational abilities that take some getting used to, but her method of doing damage is pretty straightforward. Play if: You like aiming down the sights and want additional ways to damage the enemy. Bastion A popular beginner Overwatch hero, Bastion uses a simple machine gun as his main weapon in Recon mode. By shifting into Sentry mode, however, he becomes an immobile turret with a massive rotary machine gun that dishes out heaps of damage. Bastion’s self-healing ability is especially useful in this mode, because he makes himself a prime target. While his damage output is huge against unsuspecting targets, a coordinated team can easy shut down Bastion. Difficulty: Easy. Bastion isn’t complicated—it’s all about finding a good spot and tearing into the enemy. Play if: You want to be an immobile force of destruction (though we recommend being strategic with your placement). Doomfist This hero is all about close-quarters combat. His shotgun-like Hand Cannon and melee attacks do a lot of damage, but he struggles at a distance. His ultimate, Meteor Strike, can clear a lot of space and easily pick off squishy targets. Doomfist also generates shields when he does damage with his abilities. This high-risk/high-reward setup makes it imperative that you get into the fray quickly. Difficulty: Hard. Doomfist is all about managing your abilities to secure kills and keep escape routes open. Play if: You love close-quarters combat and want to punch your opponents around. Genji Genji is a fearsome adversary in the right hands. His shuriken throwing is great for damaging from a distance, and his ultimate lets him devastate multiple targets quickly with a sword. You’ll need to master his deflect, which sends all projectiles back to their sender. Genji’s powerful dash ability resets when he gets a kill, which can help you get away from danger. In all, Genji is more of an assassin that secures kills and harasses the enemy that a consistent damage dealer like some of the other characters in this category. Difficulty: Hard. Mastering Genji requires expert movement, situational awareness, and target prioritization. Play if: You want to eliminate high-value targets and like moving around a lot. Hanzo Hanzo uses a bow and arrow instead of a gun. He’s a mid-range sniper who can pick off targets and output lots of damage thanks to the Storm Arrow ability. His Sonic Arrow serves as a radar pulse, marking your enemies. Hanzo’s ultimate sends two massive spirit dragons hurtling through walls and enemies, making it an excellent area denial tool. Difficulty: Hard. Hanzo can output tons of damage, but accuracy is paramount when using him. If you can’t hit your targets, you’re better off with someone else. Play if: You want to pick off targets from afar, but not with a sniper rifle. Junkrat Junkrat is chaos personified. His primary weapon shoots bouncing grenades everywhere, and he can throw and detonate mines to send enemies (and himself) flying. A trap lets him stop flanking enemies, too. RIP-Tire, his ultimate, is a fast-moving bomb wheel that can get behind enemy lines and blow up several foes at once. Junkrat even releases a slew of grenades when he dies. And the best part is that none of his explosives can damage him. Difficulty: Medium. You don’t have to aim much with Junkrat, but his abilities take some time to master. He also struggles at close range and against targets above him. Play if: You like blowing everything up. McCree This old-West-style gunslinger has a powerful revolver that’s best used at close or mid-range. It’s a hitscan weapon, making it great for taking down fast-moving targets like Pharah. His secondary fire, Fan the Hammer, unleashes all remaining bullets at high speed with a significant accuracy penalty. This is great when combined with his Flashbang grenade. McCree’s Deadeye ultimate is great for taking down lots of enemies at once, as long as you time it well. Difficulty: Medium. McCree is an excellent duelist and counters flankers, but his mobility is poor. And with just six bullets per reload, missing shots is costly. Play if: You consider yourself a marksman, but don’t want to play a sniper. Mei Mei has a strong ability to stop the enemy’s progress. Her Endothermic Blaster shoots a stream of supercooled fluid, slowing and eventually freezing enemies in place. This makes them especially vulnerable to her secondary fire, a nasty icicle. She can also encase herself in ice to regain health. While the Ice Wall ability can break up or trap the opposing team, it’s easy to mess up your teammates with it too. Difficulty: Hard. Mei controls the battlefield when played well, but using her wall at the right time is crucial. Both of her firing modes take practice, too. Play if: You like to defend strategically, or want to freeze annoying opponents. Pharah This rocket soldier’s greatest strength lies in her ability to hover high above the battlefield, raining a constant barrage of rockets on the enemy. Pharah is one of the hardest-hitting heroes in the game, but even with the splash damage from her rockets, landing a hit isn’t guaranteed. She’s particularly devastating when paired with a damage-boosting Mercy. But keep in mind that floating over everyone’s heads makes you a big target for hitscan heroes like Ash, McCree, and Solider: 76. Difficulty: Easy. Pharah dominates when her enemies can’t aim well, and has no complicated abilities to master. Play if: You want to do a lot of damage from the skies. Reaper Reaper’s coolness factor draws in many beginners. His twin Hellfire shotguns do a ton of damage, but you have to get in close. Stealthy movement, aided by a teleport ability, is required to use him effectively as a flanker. If you can spring from the shadows and unleash a volley of shots, not much will survive; Reaper is great for shredding tanks. You’ll also profit from the destruction, as Reaper absorbs some of the damage he gives as health. Difficulty: Easy. Reaper’s movement abilities let him slink around the map, and your objective is to kill everything in sight. Play if: You like to sneak around and surprise your opponents with a hail of shotgun pellets. Soldier: 76 With a hitscan pulse rifle, rocket grenades, the ability to sprint, and a little burst of healing, Soldier: 76 is a lot like a character from Call of Duty or other first-person shooters. He’s a run-and-gun shooter that excels at mid-range. If you’ve played a shooter before, he’s an easy DPS hero to start with, but don’t underestimate him. Soldier: 76 is a solid pick all-around, even after you’ve graduated from the beginner level. Difficulty: Easy. Soldier’s basic ability kit makes him easy to learn and utilize, as he doesn’t have any major weaknesses. Play if: You’ve played other shooters and want an easy introduction to Overwatch. Sombra Sombra stands out as an elite hacker. She can hack opponents to block their abilities for a few seconds, or hack health packs to make them regenerate faster and only work for your team. It’s a great skill, but takes some practice to get used to. If you can use her stealth and hacking to surprise the enemy, her machine pistol can burn through foes quickly. Map knowledge is key when using Sombra to get the drop on enemies, especially since she can see low-health characters through walls. Difficulty: Hard. Sombra requires detailed map knowledge, good target prioritization, and team communication to be truly effective. Play if: You like being sneaky and want to irritate the other team. Symmetra Symmetra’s Photon Projector does more damage the longer it hits an enemy, and even generates ammo when hitting a shield. As it builds up, this beam can slice through enemies in no time. Its alternate fire shoots energy balls. Her kit has two other key parts. She can throw several small turrets that damage and slow enemies. Her teleporter lets her team warp to a remote location, perfect for transporting low-mobility heroes where they couldn’t normally go. The Photon Barrier ultimate deploys a huge shield that covers the entire map. This can block an enemy’s push or give you a barrier to cover an advance. Difficulty: Medium. Symmetra’s abilities have a lot of utility, but they require practice to use effectively. Play if: You want to have a subtle, but strong, effect on the match. Torbjörn This Swedish engineer has a rivet gun that can fire close-range or medium-range shots. Once you’ve learned its projectile arc, long-range headshots become a lot of fun. Torbjörn’s signature ability allows him to create fast-firing turrets that give you a lot of extra firepower in a fight. His ultimate coats an area in molten lava, denying enemy movement. Difficulty: Medium. Torb is great at locking down an area, but using his turret effectively takes a keen eye. Play if: You like the idea of a turret helping you do your job. Tracer Tracer seeks to get in close and dish out lots of damage with her dual automatic weapons. She’s all about taking advantage of movement, as she can use Blink to teleport short distances and Recall to rewind time a few seconds and regain health. Her ultimate is a simple sticky bomb, and her pulse pistols are straightforward. She’s Overwatch’s poster child, but her low health means you need to master her movement to stay alive. Difficulty: Medium. Tracer is hard to hit if you use her abilities well, but her fragility means you can’t afford to make mistakes. Play if: You like to move fast and dish out damage before quickly disappearing again. Widowmaker As Overwatch’s true sniper, Widowmaker is all about long-distance headshots. Her rifle turns into an automatic weapon for close-range combat, but she’s best when she’s sniping. If you have a great aim and can consistently get headshots on fast-moving targets, Widowmaker is a huge asset to a team. But since she’s usually not on the objective, she offers little utility aside from getting kills. Difficulty: Medium. If you don’t hit key shots with Widow, you’re not doing your team any favors. Play if: You’re a sniper, through and through. Tank Heroes Overwatch’s tank heroes hold the front line, create space for their teammates to work, soak up damage, and help their teammates dish out damage. Though not officially mentioned in the game, players differentiate between “main tanks” and “off-tanks.” Main tanks generally hold the front line with a shield, while off-tanks have other priorities, including “peeling” to protect the back line. D.Va D.Va’s MEKA fires twin fusion cannons and unleashes a barrage of micro missiles. Her Defense Matrix can stop nearly every projectile in the game, including some ultimates like Hanzo’s. Her mech also has a boost that closes distance fast and can knock enemies off the map. When her mech’s health drops to zero, D.Va ejects and has a pistol that she can use until her next mech is ready. Difficulty: Medium. D.Va is an incredibly versatile off-tank who can dive onto enemies, protect her team’s backline, and use her shield to absorb damage. Play if: You want to be a mobile tank who can juggle roles regularly—and not die when you lose all your health. Orisa A main tank, Orisa is slow-moving and forms a strong frontline. She can fire shields anywhere, boosts her own defenses for a few seconds with Fortify, and lays down a near-constant stream of fusion bullets. Her ultimate amps up the damage of everyone around her, making her an asset during team pushes. And her Halt! projectile pulls enemies to make them vulnerable or drop them off a ledge. Difficulty: Medium. Orisa’s deployable shield placement is easy to botch, and her abilities require good timing. Play if: You want to coordinate and support the actions of your team, and don’t mind moving at glacial speeds. Reinhardt Reinhardt has a giant, rocket-powered hammer. In addition to a beefy shield, he can fire a flaming projectile. This main tank also has the ability to charge forward at high speed, pinning enemies to walls for huge damage. His Earthshatter ultimate knocks enemies down, leaving them open to hammer strikes. Reinhardt is a great starter tank for a reason: his shield can successfully lead a team charge, yet he can dish out damage with the best of them. A good Reinhardt will serve as the backbone of a team and is often the one calling the shots. Difficulty: Easy. Reinhardt’s barrier is simple; your role is to stay in the front and protect the team. Play if: You want to lead the charge and protect your teammates from just about everything. Just remember not to get carried away doing damage. Roadhog Roadhog is a beefy off-tank. His signature ability is the Chain Hook, which grabs an enemy and reels them in for a close-range blast from his shotgun-like Scrap Gun. His huge health pool and ability to quickly heal himself give Roadhog high survivability. Whole Hog, his ultimate, makes his weapon fully automatic for a few seconds. This can push enemies away from an objective or trap them in a corridor. Difficulty: Easy. Roadhog is all about hooking out-of-position enemies to punish them. His self-heal keeps you alive even when healers are down. Play if: You want maximum durability and to destroy opponents with the Chain Hook. Sigma Sigma is a physicist who has the power to control gravity. As a main tank, he can deploy and recall his Experimental Barrier at will, plus he has high utility thanks to his Kinetic Grasp and Accretion abilities. The former absorbs incoming projectiles and converts them to personal shields, while Accretion throws a giant rock that can stun enemies. Sigma takes full advantage of his powers with his ultimate, Gravitic Flux. This lets him take flight, shoot enemies up into the air, then slam them back into the ground for huge damage. He’s best paired with another main tank so they can trade off with their barriers. Difficulty: Hard. Sigma has high offensive and defensive capabilities, so striking a balance is difficult. Managing his ability cooldowns is paramount. Play if: You don’t want the role of a main tank to fall squarely on your shoulders and are good at decision making. Winston Winston’s Tesla Cannon is one of the few weapons in Overwatch that doesn’t require much aiming. The beam tracks opponents, so as long as you point it in the right direction, it’ll hit. His short range isn’t a problem because of his rocket jump, which propels him into (or out) of a battle. He can also drop a shield to protect himself and his teammates. And when his Primal Rage ultimate kicks in, he goes full King Kong on the opposing team. Winston is usually considered a main tank due to his shield, but requires good coordination with his team as his weapon isn’t particularly strong. Difficulty: Medium. Winston is a strong harasser, but the long cooldown times for his abilities can leave him defenseless without help. Play if: You don’t like aiming too much, or want to dive behind enemy lines to kill squishy targets like Tracer and Zenyatta. Wrecking Ball As a highly mobile off-tank, Wrecking Ball switches between a rolling ball and a mech with cannon weapons. His grappling hook lets him pick up speed to slam into enemies. And when he gets into trouble, he can deploy a shield that increases in strength the more enemies are nearby. His Minefield ultimate drops a group of proximity mines, which can cover a key area for several seconds. Playing Wrecking Ball is all about controlling an area and initiating fights. But he’s a poor solo tank, as he doesn’t have a way to protect allies. Difficulty: Hard. Wrecking Ball has to keep moving to be effective and stay alive, but knowing when to engage and when to back off is tricky. Play if: You want to bowl into your enemies and lead the team charge. Zarya Another off-tank, Zarya has a Particle Cannon that can do a huge amount of damage—if you manage it correctly. She has the ability to deploy a shield around herself or a teammate. Any damage that these shields block powers up her weapon’s charge. And her ultimate, Graviton Surge, sucks enemies into a black hole for a huge opportunity. When played well, Zarya can save her teammates from otherwise deadly situations (like getting hooked by Roadhog) and decimate enemies with a charged-up weapon. But strategically deploying those shields is crucial, which gives Zarya a steep learning curve. Difficulty: Hard. It’s quite difficult to read situations and know when to use Zarya’s shields. And if you’re not saving teammates and running at high charge, Zarya’s utility is low. Play if: You want to soak up enemy damage, protect teammates, and deal big damage. Support Heroes These Overwatch heroes exist to keep their teammates alive and provide other important utilities. As a support player, you’re usually the prime target for the enemy, so playing wisely is critical. Like tanks, you’ll often hear players divide healers into main and off-healers. Off-healers typically don’t output enough healing to reliably keep the team alive, so they’re best paired with a main healer. Ana Ever wanted to shoot your teammates? With Ana, you have to. Her Biotic Rifle rounds damage enemies and heal teammates. But that’s not all she offers her team. Her Biotic Grenades increase healing for a teammate and block enemies from receiving healing for a moment. The Sleep Dart knocks enemies out, leaving them vulnerable. Ana’s ultimate, Nano Boost, buffs a teammate by boosting their damage given and reducing damage taken. If you have solid sniping chops, Ana is a fun and dynamic hero. She’s a main healer as long as you consistently hit your shots. Difficulty: Hard. Ana is one of the most difficult Support characters to play because she requires accurate aiming and her abilities are tough to use effectively. Play if: You’re an accurate sniper who wants to heal teammates at a range. Baptiste Baptiste is a strong main healer who combines damage potential with the ability to save his teammates from dire situations. His weapon, the Biotic Launcher, fires bursts to damage enemies as well as grenades to heal allies. When the team needs topping up, his Regenerative Burst applies some extra healing to everyone nearby. His most powerful utility is definitely the Immortality Field, which prevents all teammates inside from dying. However, enemies can destroy it, so it won’t last forever. Baptiste’s kit rounds out with his Exo Boots, which let him jump extra high to avoid attacks or reach advantageous platforms. And his ultimate, Amplification Matrix, boosts the effects of healing and damage projectiles that travel through it. Unlike a lot of other healers, he’s often best played away from the team to take advantage of the angles his vertical mobility creates. Difficulty: Hard. Baptiste requires high accuracy both when shooting enemies and healing teammates. You’ll need to be smart with placement and timing to make the most of Immortality Field and Amplification Matrix. Play if: You like juggling damage and healing roles and can identify when your teammates need saving the most. Brigitte Brigitte is an off-healer with some tank-like abilities. She has a small shield that can protect herself or a teammate. Her most powerful ability, Shield Bash, stuns an enemy to open them up to attack. And her Rocket Flail smacks enemies around, healing nearby allies when she does damage thanks to her Inspire ability. She also has Repair Packs to heal enemies (and provide armor, if they’re already topped off). Her ultimate, Rally, lets her move faster and grants armor to all allies nearby. Difficulty: Easy. Due to her fight-winning Shield Bash and mace with large area of effect, Brigitte makes it easy to play a major part in team fights. Play if: You like the idea of playing a tank, but also want to heal your team. Lúcio Lúcio is a DJ whose weapon and abilities are music-based. He can switch between two songs that either heal or speed boost his nearby teammates. His Sonic Amplifier’s secondary fire will boop enemies back, which is great for knocking foes off ledges. And even cooler, he can ride on walls! His Sound Barrier ultimate gives teammates shields, which can save them from a huge enemy attack. Depending on your team composition, Lúcio can be a main or off-healer. Learning when to switch between his healing and speed boosts is key to mastering him. Difficulty: Medium. While he’s easy enough to understand, Lúcio has a high skill ceiling. Mastering his movement will take work. Play if: You want to stay with the team and boost them, and love zipping around. Mercy Mercy is the most straightforward healer to play. Her staff can toggle between healing and damage boosting one teammate at a time. The Guardian Angel ability lets her fly to teammates in need, and she can slow her descent to stay in the air longer. Mercy also heals herself after she avoids damage for a short time. Her most powerful ability is Resurrect, which lets her bring a teammate back from the dead. But it has a long cooldown and Mercy is vulnerable when using it, so take caution. With every aspect of Mercy, smart positioning is key to staying alive. Difficulty: Easy. Mercy doesn’t have any particularly complex abilities, making her a great beginner main healer. Play if: You want a powerful healer who can fly around to any ally in need, and love to revive people. Moira Moira’s Biotic Grasp ability represents the dual nature of her kit. One hand sprays healing mist that repairs nearby allies, but it has limited resources. The other hand fires a beam that drains enemies’ health and recharges her healing energy. She can also choose between firing two Biotic Orbs: one that damages enemies and another that heals allies. Coalescence, her ultimate, is a long-range beam that both heals allies and damages foes at the same time. Finally, Fade lets her disappear for a moment to dodge damage and get closer to teammates. If you stay with your team and keep your healing resources up by draining enemies, Moira can output an immense amount of healing, making her a solid main healer pick. Difficulty: Medium. Moira is all about balance. You must damage enemies occasionally, but knowing when to do this while keeping your teammates alive is vital. Play if: You want to have strong healing potential and don’t mind getting close to enemies to top up your energy. Zenyatta Similar to Baptiste and Moira, Zenyatta is capable of both damage and healing. His accurate Orb of Destruction attack does a huge amount of damage for a support character. He can also charge up a volley of orbs to take out low-HP heroes in one shot. Zenyatta can place his Orb of Harmony on a teammate to heal them, as long as he keeps line of sight. Similarly, putting the Orb of Discord on an enemy makes them receive more damage. His ultimate, Transcendence, grants him invincibility and rapidly heals nearby allies, canceling out enemy ultimates like Genji’s. While his abilities are simple, playing Zenyatta is not. He’s extremely fragile and slow, meaning he has no options to escape enemy flankers or snipers. He’s also an off-healer, as his Harmony orb doesn’t do enough healing to keep an entire team going. Difficulty: Hard. Zenyatta requires you to constantly read the battle to decide who should have the Harmony and Discord orbs. He’s vulnerable to many forms of damage, but staying alive is vital to keep your team buffs going. Play if: You want to both heal and do deal damage, and can make decisions based on the big picture. The Best Overwatch Heroes for Beginners Still not sure who to try? Here are a few suggestions for Overwatch beginner heroes (and some to avoid at first). You can branch out after you’ve mastered the basics with these characters: For damage, choose Soldier: 76. His weapons, abilities, and controls are easy to get the hang of, and he’s a solid character at many levels of play. Avoid Doomfist, Sombra, and Genji. All three require tightly managing ability cooldowns, picking the right targets, and using the map to your advantage. For tanks, choose Reinhardt. He’s the most straightforward main tank, which will help you understand a tank’s role in the fight. While Roadhog is also a good beginner choice, he doesn’t teach proper tank habits nearly as well. Avoid Zarya. Knowing when to apply her shields takes some practice, and if you’re not charging your weapon, you’re of little use. For support, choose Mercy. You can heal and provide damage boosts constantly, as well as revive dead teammates. Stay out of the line of fire, and you’ll be fine. Avoid Ana and Zenyatta. Ana requires excellent accuracy and her abilities are tricky. Zenyatta is highly vulnerable and requires good game sense. Which Overwatch Hero Will You Master? With so many unique Overwatch heroes, you should be able to find a character that fits your play style. It’s just a matter of getting started. We recommend that you play all the heroes at least few times, even ones who don’t sound like your type. You might be surprised whose play styles you enjoy, and you’ll get good insight into how to play against other heroes. Plus, since Overwatch lets you change your hero at any time, having several options at the ready can help turn the tide of a fight. Switching to counter your enemy’s composition is key. For more games that require teamwork, take a look at highly tactical shooters you should try. 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