Wait, am I really recommending this game? Why? Is it actually GOOD?!? Let's find out!

There are a LOT of spammers reposting reviews in this community, so let it be known that 𝓣𝓘𝓜𝓑𝓡𝓦𝓤𝓛𝓕 wrote this review. To make sure this review is legit:

• My name is in fancy characters in the previous sentence.
  
• The name should reflect the author of this post.
  
• The author is a member and founder of the TGif Gamer Steam group.

If none of these qualifiers match what you're reading, PLEASE DISREGARD THIS REVIEW AND SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT ONE. I will NEVER be associated with a spam group or individual accounts who review bomb games just to drive it towards a specific direction. Also, if you see multiple copies of this review, check the dates; the one with the earliest date is the one I actually typed.

I'm not really into MOBAs as a general rule. In fact, I usually avoid them (although I'm considering doing Fortnite at some point in my life). However, this one gets a LOT of hatred from long-time fans of the Overwatch universe...

Yet it's also quite popular. Why?

My main interest with multiple game franchises always has to be the story, and Overwatch is no exception. In fact, I have a big majority of the material that has nothing to do with the gameplay itself - short stories, cinematic videos, animations, comics - all downloaded to my PC. Overwatch itself (i.e. the franchise, which includes both games) has an interesting story, one that seems like should be turned into a movie at some point.

The game itself is a free-to-play game with a whole roster of characters to start with. You can choose popular fan-favorites like Tracer, or even go off the beaten path and choose an underdog (is that a hamster in a mech suit?!?). I'm actually surprised that none of these are not behind a paywall of some sort. I played as the Western guy Cole Cassidy (whose name was changed due to the guy he was originally named after being a sex offender or something... I dunno. IMHO they could've kept the name, but whatevs).

There are many battle modes to this game, some allowing you to practice your skills before you get into it too heavily. Naturally, I just jumped in blind just so I could get a feel for the game... and yes, it's really, REALLY hard. However, that's part of the appeal - it's a challenge that CAN be overcome if you know how. You get stuff as you level up which can help the game become easier, and if you've got good teammates with higher levels, they can cover your back while you retreat and then heal/equip different weapons before getting back into the battle. As long as you know how to strategize, it is possible to win the game.

This is a free-to-play game, with in-app purchases, so keep your expectations in check. There is the Battle Pass, which gives you some stuff for free, but the Premium paid version is advertized a bit in-game, encouraging you to upgrade. There are three different currencies, one of which you can only earn with a Premium Battle Pass. There are loot boxes, which thankfully don't require any purchase unlike the past game. There's also an in-game shop where you can buy limited-edition cosmetics and weapons.

Unless you've got an addictive personality, those are not necessarily bad, but what could've been more appealing to newbies like myself are modes where it's not just about battles. One of my complaints with DC Universe Online is how boring it feels - Go to an area, hit enemies, collect stuff, rinse, repeat. Cosmetics are fine, but they don't really add much to the gameplay.

When I saw the "Arcade" section, I assumed it was going to be stuff that wasn't about battles... but it's basically just more battle modes. Occasionally, I would like to see some novelty games added in Overwatch that also count towards stuff, like maybe the practice shooting range, but unless I missed something, all there are to play are battles.

A popular review which gets reposted (read: spammed) talks about several of the cons. I believe the original reviewer was "ahdok", and I'd like to address his concerns:

The game IMHO is quite well done. Unfortunately, I couldn't take full advantage of the graphics due to my settings being stuck on "Low", but from what I can tell, it looks pretty good. (UPDATE April 20th, 2026 - Playing on a Steam Deck allows for higher graphics, and IMHO it looks fine.) I think the complaint stems from a direct comparison to the original game. If you take that aspect out of it, then I don't think it matters much if it looks like the previous game or not - a game should be fun, not just pretty. That said, I do worry about the things like hitboxes not being accurate, but if you can master a game's shortcomings and find a way to take aim (practice mode, perhaps?), you can still get good.

Yeah, that can be a bit of a problem. Unbalanced characters can lead to an unfair advantage, but it doesn't necessarily mean impossible. If a character is responsible for healing, it may be a good strategy to take them out first, but I haven't played the game long enough to know how that works.

I mean... it's a free-to-play. See "Cons".

When comparing it to the original, that does suck... but then again, when it was announced as a free-to-play, people should've seen this coming.

So, why am I giving this a recommend? Well, for two reasons.

First, I don't think it really deserves so much hatred. While it's not the kind of game that I would play, and yes, Blizzard changed a lot which makes it feel more greedy and competitive, the game by itself doesn't suck. Let's say it wasn't titled "Overwatch" - if it was named, perhaps, "Titan" (what Overwatch was almost called), with different characters and a whole new storyline, it may not be as good as Overwatch, but it doesn't seem as horrible as so many of you are taking it to be. Obviously, it's worth playing to quite a few folks, because it's popular with several players AND has continued to persist despite the mostly negative feedback it gets on Steam.

With all that in mind, I think Overwatch has the potential of being great. Blizzard Entertainment thinks so, but maybe they're doing it wrong still. They've listened to feedback before, so why not give them some constructive criticism? Maybe start by writing a well-typed review about what disappoints you and what you'd like to see done different, instead of just copy-and-pasting someone else's review or simply saying "the porn is better". If you're REALLY serious about Overwatch and would like to see it improve, contact Blizzard directly![us.support.blizzard.com] Open support tickets and describe issues you have with the game - bad players, bugs, missing features, etc. You may actually be able to influence their future decisions, especially if enough of you guys do it.

The other reason? ...Well, there's no "meh" option, so there's that. I've already made clear that this isn't my kind of game, but even so, I hope that this review has been informative and helpful to some of you players who feel stabbed in the back. It's not that I don't get it, I've had something similar happen to me too, and it's no fun when a game you have grown to love changes drastically, but all I'm saying is to give Overwatch a chance of making it.

If it does, great! If not? ...Well, maybe play something else? There's this game called Fortnite... 😏