Overwatch 2 is Superior to Marvel’s Rivals [Here’s Why]

[NJK]

EDIT: Bad dps, bad tank, bad healer. No cross-progression with console (Fortnite did this in 2017...) and terrible lanes + Chinese spyware.

Uninstall and go back to Overwatch 2... plz.

Look, I’ve given Marvel’s Rivals a fair shot [EPIC GAMES/XBSX]. I really have. On the surface, it promises a lot—big-name heroes, team-based gameplay, flashy action. But once you dive in, the cracks are not only visible—they’re gaping. And when you put it next to Overwatch 2, it’s like comparing a master-crafted sword to a plastic toy. Overwatch 2 does so much right that Rivals simply cannot compete, and I’m not just here to hate—I’m here to break it down.

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: class balance. Rivals’ idea of balance is a chaotic mess. It feels like every time you load into a match, one class is laughably overpowered while others are just there for decoration. I’m looking at you, hulking brawlers that delete half the team in one ult. Rivals lacks the nuance and dynamic interplay of Overwatch 2’s roles. Blizzard understood that tanks, DPS, and supports each needed a defined purpose to make a team work. Meanwhile, Rivals feels like it slapped random numbers onto characters and hoped for the best.

Speaking of teamwork, this is where Overwatch 2 really shines. The synergy between roles is second to none. Want to make a big play? Get your Reinhardt to shield your team, your Lucio to amp it up, and your Soldier to finish the job. Every match feels like a chess game where you’re not just playing your character—you’re thinking about how they fit into the grander scheme. In Rivals, it’s more like dodgeball. Everyone’s out for themselves, coordination is an afterthought, and the game punishes players who try to think tactically.

Then there’s the roster. Yes, Rivals has iconic names, but Overwatch 2’s heroes are leagues better in terms of design and playability. Each Overwatch hero feels like they’ve been meticulously crafted, with unique abilities and personality that make them shine. When you pick Echo, Cassidy, or Kiriko, you know what you’re getting: a distinct experience. In Rivals, so many characters feel interchangeable. You’ve got your bruisers, your glass-cannon DPS, your half-baked support classes, and… that’s about it. Good luck remembering who’s who when most abilities boil down to “spam buttons until something dies.”

And don’t get me started on the overall pacing. Rivals’ matches often devolve into steamrolls where one team dominates because of broken characters or bad matchmaking. Overwatch 2 has its flaws here (we’ve all been in those losing streak lobbies), but at least it tries to create balance. Between proper role queues, dynamic maps, and constant reworks to keep things fresh, Blizzard shows that they understand what makes a competitive game fun. Rivals? It feels like they threw their balancing team out the window halfway through development.

Finally, let’s talk polish. Overwatch 2 isn’t perfect, but it’s undeniably slick. From the art style to the voice acting to the sheer quality of the animations, it feels like a labor of love. Rivals, on the other hand, feels like a rushed cash grab—shiny on the surface but lacking depth or refinement. The UI is clunky, the maps are uninspired, and the game doesn’t seem to understand what makes its own gameplay loop enjoyable.

In the end, Overwatch 2 is a game that rewards strategy, teamwork, and skill. Rivals is a chaotic mess that feels more like a missed opportunity than a true competitor. If you’re looking for a team-based shooter that actually values its players’ time and effort, there’s no contest: Overwatch 2 is the clear winner.

[Syrin]

The Blizzard employees are posting in full force

[Slazza]

Nah

[zootedgoat0]

dude wants another carbon copy of overwatch ew

[Kyutaru]

Marvel’s Rivals is Superior to Overwatch 2 [Here’s Why]

It's a third person shooter. Like Paladins was. We've only been asking for years.

[Mitrovarr]

You know, I don't go to the forums of games I don't like and post there.

[Kyutaru]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Mitrovarr:

You know, I don't go to the forums of games I don't like and post there.

Maybe we should all go to the Overwatch 2 boards and list the reasons Marvel Rivals dumps on their obsolete game.

[Mitrovarr]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Kyutaru:

Maybe we should all go to the Overwatch 2 boards and list the reasons Marvel Rivals dumps on their obsolete game.

But I could be using that time to actually play Rivals, which sounds a lot more fun.

[nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom]

Screen stutter got so bad in Marval Rivals with the lastest updates that I had to go back to OW2

[Foot]

Overwatch character design was fine, but overwatch 2 is garbage because they have to be woke. Can't wait for the next character, hopefully it will be an obese, black they/them character

[A.C.S.]

Indeed, OW2 is better by visual character design and by character game design.
Gameplay that follows character design is also better.

What is good here is actually dynamical and destroyable maps.

OW (1,2) main problem is that new content is added very rarely. One character per 3 months and game will be dead (check paladins). One character per 6 months? Well, it's even worse.

In common, OW and this game have same major issue:
matchmaking system is not working. It's a big issue and it will destroy game.

[Church.exe]

I can sort of agree, but I also really, really think you're overselling OW here.

Marvel Rivals definitely has rough edges, but as someone with thousands of hours in Paladins and OW2 (Paladins is still probably up there as my favourite from a game design standpoint, but they literally UNDID their linux support so screw 'em.) Rivals has way more going for it than OW2.

A lot of your points here I just flat out disagree on. OW doesn't have "teamwork" it has solutions. Different characters work together so well that you're just an idiot to play them any other way. The very concept of someone playing a character in a way that the developers didn't intend is considered a bug and quickly rectified. (Again, Paladins has the W here in my opinion. With their loadout & talent system battle-healers are absolutely viable) In contrast Rivals' characters compliment each other a lot more naturally, while still having the more rigid teamup system to add some spice to things. (though to be fair, I'm still not sure whether I quite like the teamup system in the first place personally)

And as for steam rolls I've personally experienced way, way, WAY worse of that in OW2 than Rivals or anything else. Sure there are a few outliers, but because OW is designed as strictly as it is if even one or two people aren't playing not just perfectly, but the exact brand of perfectly that the developers want from them, you're screwed.

As for the character's, well, 'character', I might be inclined to agree that OW has Rivals beat here... however, OW is also a complete failure. Compared to Paladins both OW and Rivals are complete and utter failures and should be ashamed of themselves. For those of you who never played Paladins;
every single character has both passive voicelines (for instance when sitting in a lobby with allies)
different voicelines for each other legend they kill (For instance the Tigron Tiberius will say something along the lines of "it took you an eternity to get your tail like THAT?" when killing the furry god Io)
different voicelines for when they die
different voicelines for when they respond
different voicelines for every single option on the VCS wheel including but not limited to "joke", "taunt", "retreat", etc. (seriously, you can fully communicate with your team in real time using that system)
automatic conditional voicelines for when you're shot at by snipers, flanked, etc.

Oh, and I've been lying to you this entire time. It's not each character that has these things. It's actually each skin, for each character. And those skins also have fully unique weapons, sound-effects, visual effects, etc. and there are a LOT of skins. Like, an obscene amount. (I mean, to be fair there are SOME skins that are literally just reskins, but they're honestly in the vast minority. There are like a small handful of them for each character, meanwhile each character will have like a dozen or more full redesigns)

Keep in mind, this is the 'cheap knockoff overwatch'. As far as characterization goes, it's not even a competition.

So yes, I MIGHT be willing to grant that Rivals has worse characterization than Overwatch, but absolutely no-one should be legitimately claiming that as a win for Overwatch. This is like children arguing about who's the better basketball player while Micheal Jordan is sitting in the corner trying to interject, and somehow everyone is telling HIM to shutup because he's just the cheap knockoff. At least Rivals has the excuse that they're working with licensed properties so they undoubtably have to walk on eggshells when it comes to what they include, what the characters can say, etc. (let's not forget, Batman doesn't go down because "heros don't do that") so they can't exactly have Wanda or Hel literally have a playboi bunny costume and make jokes about how rabbits love to multiply. (Cottontail Seris for reference, you can go to the Paladins wiki and hear all of her voicelines if you don't believe me) but OW really has no excuse.

But, now that I'm done glazing a game I don't even play anymore because the developers told me to screw myself, back to the discussion because I think that that's sorta emblematic of the core design difference between these games. In Paladins you can customize everything, tune your experience how you want, and there are tons of choices about how to play. In OW you will take what you are given and say thank you. In Rivals... uh... OH LOOK IT'S IRON MAN!

Paladins was always designed to be more freeform, OW was always designed to force people to play in very specific ways, and Rivals clearly wants to be a lot more like Paladins but is sorta struggling with the faustian bargain of name-brand recognition. They can't just invent new characters and the characters that they do have are going to be a lot more limited with what they can do with them. At the same time though, I really, really doubt anyone would be playing Marvel Rivals right now if it couldn't ride off of that name brand recognition either. Like it or not, without the Marvel name attached a lot of people probably never would have given it a second glance... just like how a lot of people never gave Paladins a second glance.

Whereas Paladins prioritized emergent gameplay and character choice, Overwatch absolutely demonized it, and Rivals isn't actually free to take a super firm stance eitherway. I still think by and large the experience we do get is good, but there are clearly rough edges there too. In Paladins you win because you out-thought the other opponent, in Overwatch you win because you clicked on their heads faster, and in Rivals you just sorta win if you generally play well but neither 'mechanical skill' nor ingenuity are really the decision maker. So while I'd disagree by a longshot that OW is balanced better, Rivals isn't really in an ideal spot either just because it's got a bit of an identity crisis. It's clearly being a bit limited by the exact same licensing that gave it it's ability to succeed in the first place, and I'm not really sure there is ever going to be a clear solution to that problem. For the people who really value player choice and flexibility Paladins is the winner. For the people who really value 'mechanical skill' and simply want to treat the game like a chess-boxing match, OW is the winner. And right now, Rivals is sorta somewhere in the middle. The big advantage it has currently is that they haven't overbalanced things like OW has, there are tons of characters that can each individually be wildly OP if played correctly, which means the game is heavily determined by the specific players rather than the characters and balancing. However, as time goes on they ARE going to tune in the balancing, (if only to appease the sweatlords) and if they haven't worked out what they want to be by then it's gonna be an issue.

[Szeph]

Alright. Here's my take as an Overwatch launch day player.

Oprindeligt skrevet af NJK:

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: class balance. Rivals’ idea of balance is a chaotic mess. ~~~
Speaking of teamwork, this is where Overwatch 2 really shines. The synergy between roles is second to none.

Rivals is new, OW is 6 years old. Balance will eventually be rolled out as the feedback and Meta comes in. Overwatch during launch was not balanced, you're just looking at it now with rose tinted glasses. Roadhog insane hook LMB combo? Symmetra autolock burst beam? Genji Q being 8 seconds? Also there's many players just started to get the hang of things. I don't know about you but me and my duo can interchange our roles and combo just fine.

Oprindeligt skrevet af NJK:

Then there’s the roster. Yes, Rivals has iconic names, but Overwatch 2’s heroes are leagues better in terms of design and playability. Each Overwatch hero feels like they’ve been meticulously crafted, with unique abilities and personality that make them shine. When you pick Echo, Cassidy, or Kiriko, you know what you’re getting: a distinct experience. In Rivals, so many characters feel interchangeable.

Disagree, OW2 reworked them all that their prime abilities is gone. Example 1, McCree able to stop certain ultimates with his flash made him more survivable in OW1 fights than what he is now. A man with a gun. That's it.
Example 2, Kiriko is a must pick healer for any maps, any sides. Why? Because she has a really good ultimate, high damage output, high healing output and a get out of jail free card if she gets into trouble ALSO she can wall climb because why not. That is not a good character design my guy.

Oprindeligt skrevet af NJK:

And don’t get me started on the overall pacing. Rivals’ matches often devolve into steamrolls where one team dominates because of broken characters or bad matchmaking.

Again, this could just be the fact that the game is new, and a lot of players are trying out other heroes to play hence they're doing bad at it. Being a one trick pony does not rank you up

Oprindeligt skrevet af NJK:

Finally, let’s talk polish. Overwatch 2 isn’t perfect, but it’s undeniably slick. From the art style to the voice acting to the sheer quality of the animations, it feels like a labor of love. Rivals, on the other hand, feels like a rushed cash grab—shiny on the surface but lacking depth or refinement. The UI is clunky, the maps are uninspired, and the game doesn’t seem to understand what makes its own gameplay loop enjoyable.

I have no idea where you get the animations and the "labor of love" from, because it is not. The last animated short is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ compared to the first animated shorts for OW2. And not to mention the predatory skin marketing where its only available to buy. i.e Transformers collab. Only when Rivals came out that they decided the skins can be obtained by playing the game for the Avatar collab.
I can agree on the map design at least, Rivals could use better design of how the map flows.

Oprindeligt skrevet af NJK:

In the end, Overwatch 2 is a game that rewards strategy, teamwork, and skill.

No it does not. It's a turkey shoot MM where if one of the role is not up to par. The whole team loses.

Lastly, OW2 isn't that terrible of a game, but the developer behind them KNOWS how much they can charge people and get away with it. And it's players like yourself that is encouraging them more. They exploit this mainly due to no competitors in the market. Only when Rivals launched they started to panic and a large balance update is coming to OW2 ever since.. a long time. Competition is good for gamers. I don't want OW2 to fail specifically, it held a special place in my heart for so long but after the failure of delivering ANYTHING they said before launch and now ideas of getting back 6v6? It's clear that they have no direction anymore and is purely on maintenance / cash grab mode.

[Skinny Syndrome]

okay... what? it's not that complicated, and ngl, marvel rivals having scarlet witch is enough to make it better bc last time we saw scarlet witch was 2022 in Multiverse of Madness

[actualcowa]

lol

[trench]

dude is the prime mister of cope and seetheistan