this isn't a negative review because of all the Blizzard BS under Kotick, the pay to win battlepass structure, the ridiculous cost of cosmetics that smells like a last ditch cash grab, the canning of all the plans that made the "2" in Overwatch 2 interesting (PVE)

this isn't a negative review because of the balance issues or the way that Blizzard forces their maps and game modes even when they are clearly despised (how much longer will players have to suffer through Flashpoint maps?!)

my issue with Overwatch is that at its core, the game just isn't compatible with the way humans like to compete. my issue i that, at it's core, it's just not fun.

note: i have over 800 hours in the game (prior to playing on Steam) so clearly at one point i did enjoy it. i also had a very early look at the game, playing in a closed beta since late 2015.

i really love the variety of characters (the heroes) and the mechanics they offer, i love the visuals (well until the big ball fight when my brain explodes), i love the sound and music, the voice lines... production wise Overwatch is amazing

but the core problem with Overwatch is that in order to enjoy a competitive game you have to feel like you have real impact on the results. this is somewhat possible at lower ranks where heroes don't really co-ordinate and there's a disparity of mechanical skill and game knowledge.

but once you get into the higher ranks (and i'm not even talking about the top ranks, really from Gold on) it is team synergy that wins games and it is often extremely subtle moments that are nearly impossible to notice that determine who wins a particular fight. small positioning errors, slightly delayed counter-actions, and misunderstandings of complicated hero synergies can completely change the course of battle.

so what happens is that, aside from the most dedicated players who understand the nuances, most players do not recognize their own subtle mistakes and so instead tend to blame others.

and this generates that famous Overwatch toxicity. and makes the game less fun.

in addition, there's no escaping this in the "casual" modes either and the toxicity seems just as bad if not worse in Quick Play where you're more likely to see skill disparity.

the final nail in Overwatch being a fun game is the extremely locked down actions available to the heroes. these heroes are designed to be played a certain way and provide very little variance. when you pick a hero you pick a style. and if you don't play the character "correctly" the team synergy immediately suffers and your team will immediately pounce on you for throwing.

i've rarely rage quit any game but Overwatch i rage quit many times. in fact i've rage uninstalled the game 4 different times. most recently after trying it again on Steam and after just 2 weeks. my thought was "why am I grinding this game that I simply don't enjoy playing and haven't for years"