The Overwatch 2 announcement may not have been the big surprise it aspired to be, following the numerous leaks that preceded Blizzcon 2019. However, no-one was left cold in the audience when Jeff Kaplan finally, officially, spoke the words Overwatch 2 and had something concrete to show to die-hard fans.
After an inspiring fanservice-filled cinematic that saw the old Overwatch team get together once more (preparing to deliver justice to the world and fight against Null Sector and Talon), Jeff Kaplan went into as much detail as he felt he could to elaborate on some of the things fans could expect from the new game. While we're personally thrilled for many of the upcoming features, there are also a few things that have us a bit worried, to put it lightly.
10 We're Excited: New Look
There's no better way to introduce a sequel than by giving the whole gave a brand new look. Of course, all the characters still remain the same in essence, but each one will now have a new default skin and look.
This choice was made in order to represent the passing of time in the Overwatch universe, and to give the characters a more mature look. So far, the skins have looked absolutely amazing. The game's UI was also shown to have gone through some work and looks much more minimal and simple.
9 We're Worried: Price & Size
One of the biggest points of confusion for fans has been the nature of Overwatch 2. Is it a sequel, or a full separate game? Although Kaplan attempted to clarify the question during the Blizzcon panel, many were still left scratching their heads.
Many of the new heroes and core gameplay features will be added to the first Overwatch, but that brings up the question of whether or not Overwatch 2 is going to be worth its price tag simply due to its PvE modes. Time will tell.
8 We're Excited: New Graphics Engine
Not only is Overwatch 2 going to be rocking a brand new aesthetic, it's also facing a massive graphics engine overhaul. Although the original game doesn't necessarily look bad, the difference is massive when the two styles are compared side by side.
Perhaps the most notable difference is how hair is rendered in Overwatch 2, versus Overwatch. It now looks much smoother and more realistic, and not as bulky and shiny as in the original game. The Overwatch team has really made great strides to make the game look so much better.
7 We're Worried: Cross-play
Tying up to the issue of whether or not Overwatch 2 will be worth its price tag, the problem of cross-play between Overwatch and Overwatch 2 players is another source of worry for us. It's highly unlikely the majority of the fanbase will jump on board a new game immediately, and if Overwatch 2 ends up flopping, they might never purchase the sequel at all.
In that case, which features will they have access to, exactly? It's a major concern. Not to mention, how will the graphics engine and aesthetics change if players from both games are able to queue up together in quick play or competitive? We don't have the answers as of yet, but we're not too optimistic.
6 We're Excited: Multiple New Heroes
Overwatch fans have been dying to get their hands on a new Hero for some time now, and when Blizzard announced Overwatch 2 would feature more than one new Hero at its launch, everyone was thrilled. The pace at which Blizzard has been launching Heroes has been somewhat slow, which is understandable for a game of its scope.
However, with the meta as stale as it is now (double shield is still more viable than it should be), players are desperate for a change. Perhaps Overwatch 2 will bring the balance change and new quirky Heroes we need?
5 We're Worried: Push Game Mode
Don't get us wrong: we're actually quite excited for the new Push game mode, which will take place on the brand new Toronto map. However, the way the progression of this map will work is slightly worrying.
The Push mode will reportedly bring a very back and forth type of gameplay, where teams can swing the tide of the battle repeatedly. While this makes for interesting gameplay, that would also mean longer competitive matches on Push maps. There was a reason why Blizzard made changes to the Assault game mode: to reduce the amount of time players would spend playing one map.
4 We're Excited: Supply Drops
No-one could have ever guessed that Overwatch would begin to look more like Apex Legends or Fortnite. However, when the Blizzcon panel revealed supply drops for the PvE story mode of Overwatch, we were blown away by how cool this idea was.
Each Hero can pick one item, which will be reusable with a long cooldown. Basically, it's like a brand new ability. Items have different quality levels, with orange being the best one. Some of the gear showcased was a large cylinder-shaped shield, a corrosive grenade, and a healing field. These are guaranteed to make gameplay ten times more interesting in PvE and introduce some serious strategy.
3 We're Worried: Repetitive Hero Missions
One of the upcoming PvE modes is called Hero Mission. These missions will allow you to pick any hero you'd like and head out with a team of other players, to fight Talon or Null Sector on familiar maps all around the world.
Hero Missions will be dynamic and ever-changing, with new ones appearing on a regular basis. Something akin to an adventure mode, it still sounds like these missions would be highly repetitive in Overwatch 2. There's only so much you can do, unless new enemies, maps or items are created to spice things up.
2 We're Excited: The Talent Tree
There's no doubt that the most highly anticipated feature in Overwatch 2 is the talent tree. As you play PvE missions, your Heroes will level up and eventually new skills will unlock. You get to pick one out of two options and create the build that you want for each hero.
Some of these skills are very creative, including Hanzo's ricocheting arrow, Mei turning into a massive ice ball to run over enemies and Reinhardt with a 360 degree Earthshatter. For now, the maximum level seems to be 20, but we suspect Blizzard will introduce more levels and skills in the future.
1 We're Worried: Boring Story Mode
Ultimately, Overwatch 2 aspires to bring more lore to its fans, to engage the player in its story. However, from what we've seen so far, the story mode looks like it might be a bit lacking. Unless you feel like you could play Uprising, Retribution or Storm Rising archive modes for hours on end, Overwatch 2's story mode isn't going to be revolutionary.
While the team are still working on things and taking feedback from fans, all we've seen so far are linear missions with very little substance, with an opening and ending cutscene. Come on, Blizzard: for Overwatch 2, the fans deserve more!