Up until my time with Overwatch, shooters for me have been primarily an exercise of precision shooting. In games where each character is only really defined by the gun they wield, differences in weapon and equipment don’t really do much to separate one player from another. Especially in games where players can hold multiple guns and carry different equipment, the only real differences are the players themselves. I know there will be hardcore shooter players that will call shenanigans on that statement, but let me continue. Even in a game like Splatoon, where shooting isn’t necessarily the goal of the game, you still all play as the same default characters with adjustments to equipment. I have enjoyed a number of shooters in my day, but most of them haven’t really sunk their teeth into me.

Until Overwatch. Granted, Team Fortress 2 did it first, but Overwatch stands out from the pack for straying beyond the default soldier with different weapons approach. The term “hero shooter” exists thanks to games like Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, and Paladins. In a lot of ways, my reasons for loving Overwatch are similar to why I love Street Fighter and other types of fighting games.

Continue reading →