Here’s everything you need to know about the game, including the latest news and rumours about deals, new heroes and maps, and seasonal events ( Winter Wonderland is back). And if you want to know what we thought of the game, read our full Overwatch review.
What platforms is Overwatch on?
Overwatch is available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
How much does Overwatch cost in the UK?
Digital editions of Overwatch Origins are available from the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store at £54.99, and from Battle.net for PC at £29.99 ( standard), or £49.99 ( GOTY). To mark the game’s one-year anniversary, Blizzard also released a Game of the Year edition in 2017. It’s a bit of an odd GOTY edition though, as most of the bonus goodies are for other Blizzard games. Within Overwatch itself, you’ll get 10 free loot boxes and a handful of hero skins. Elsewhere though, you get to play as Tracer in Heroes of the Storm, can have a baby Winston pet in World of Warcraft, can equip Mercy’s wings in Diablo III, and get Overwatch portraits for Starcraft II and card backs for Hearthstone.
Who are the playable heroes?
With 21 characters (or heroes) at launch and six more added since, Overwatch has a similar feel to a MOBA like Heroes of the Storm. Rather than simply picking a different skin, you’ll be able to play a character which suits your style. Here’s the full Overwatch characters list:
AnaBastionD.VaDoomfistGenjiHanzoJunkratLúcioMcCreeMeiMercyMoiraOrisaPharahReaperReinhardtRoadhogSoldier: 76SombraSymmetraTorbjörnTracerWidowmakerWinstonZaryaZenyatta
What’s new in Overwatch?
New heroes
Following days of teasing, Blizzard finally revealed the next hero to be joining the roster of characters. The character, as the teasers suggested, is Torbjorn’s daughter Brigitte and unlike her father, she focuses more on defensive capabilities. Blizzard describes Brigitte as “specialising in armour and defence” by throwing Repair Packs to heal team mates, as well as by using her Flail attack. “Her Flail is capable of a wide swing to strike multiple targets or a Whip Shot that stuns an enemy at range.” Her ultimate sounds pretty impressive too; Rally provides a “substantial” boost of speed, as well as providing long-lasting armour to nearby teammates. Brigitte is live on Overwatch test servers, and will be available to everyone “soon”.
Maps
Overwatch is regularly being updated with new maps and heroes, and the latest addition is Junkertown. It’s an Escort map located in the Australian Outback. Blizzard says it is “Constructed from the remains of a destroyed omnium, it’s now the home to a band of lawless scavengers known as the Junkers, led by their cutthroat Queen. When they aren’t pillaging the omnium’s skeleton for anything of value, the Junkers blow off steam in the Scrapyard—a massive gladiatorial arena whose combatants fight for glory, riches…and to survive.” Here’s a brief look at the map: While Blizzard has long said it’s only interested in objective-based game modes for Overwatch, it’s changed its tune by announcing the introduction of Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes within the Arcade, along with a new map to play them on: Château Guillard. Deathmatch is an eight-player free-for-all, where the first player to 20 points wins. A kill earns you a point, while dying from environmental or self-inflicted damage subtracts one. Team Deathmatch is six-vs-six and uses the same point system, with one wrinkle: if a dead player is resurrected before they respawn, the opponents don’t get the point.
While Blizzard didn’t reveal any other game modes at BlizzCon 2017, Overwatch’s lead software engineer Timothy Ford hinted at the arrival of new game modes in the future. Speaking to Trusted Reviews, Ford is excited about what’s coming in 2018. “Very recently we unlocked a pretty important piece of technology that allowed us to make game modes much faster. And that kicked off with Halloween last year but now we’ve hit our stride where we have, we’re able to iterate and experiment with a bunch of game modes at a much faster clip. It’s gonna be an exciting year I think.” Tech Advisor’s Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.
