Making a game like Overwatch is neither easy nor cheap, but what’s really complicated is keeping it alive. Concord tried and failed epically by replicating his formula step by step. Now, eight years and a sequel later, Blizzard dusts off the original recipe. The authentic and genuine Overwatch version 1.0. At least, for a while.
Available from today, Overwatch: Classic rewinds almost a decade of content to leave everything almost as it was at launch, which means that the games will once again be six against six, only the 21 heroes and the 12 maps available in May 2016 will be enabled. What’s more, Tracer, Mercy and company will have exactly the same abilities with which they debuted on consoles and PCs. Where is the trick?
Unfortunately, unlike World of Warcraft Classic or the Starcraft re-releases, the initiative Overwatch: Classic and the deployment made by Blizzard is basically a temporary event that, as I tell you, will disappear on December 3. In fact, this return of “Overwatch 1” It doesn’t even install separately but is accessed as a mode from the event portal and in the Arcade. Given that, a very clear question: is it really what the shooter needs?
According to Blizzard itself, the initiative has nothing to do with the already officially announced return of six-on-six games in Overwatch 2, but instead seeks to offer a nostalgic experience to players. In fact, not only have the original skills been recovered before they were “nerfed” or adjusted, but the 21 heroes with whom we can play in this mode are once again divided into their four original classes: Attack, Defense, Tanks and Support .
What’s more, if you had gotten used to playing with Sombra or Doomfist, I can tell you that neither of them, nor all those who came after, are part of the Blizzard event. But if you missed Torbjörn’s turrets, congratulations! You will be able to deploy them exactly the same as in 2016. That said, the gunman Cassidy will not get the Mccree name back. And it’s not the only thing that’s retained from the sequel.
Overwatch: Classic is still Overwatch 2 with almost, almost everything you liked in 2016
It is worth remembering that Overwatch 2 It involved an update to the game engine and a series of big adjustments. In theory, new modes and experiences were going to be implemented, but the other reality is that Blizzard decided to readjust its priorities and cancel entire experiences. That being said, a reminder: for all intents and purposes Overwatch: Classic still is Overwatch 2. Specifically, a mode within the game. And that will be reflected both in the content and in what will not be back.
To begin with, because the 12 maps of Overwatch: Classic They will look exactly the same as they do now and the characters will wear their original outfits by default, but that does not mean that this temporary mode is not a game within a game, but rather a type of game with special conditions to recover the launch experience in the game. as much as possible. An experience that comes at a curious time… And without the loot boxes.
Even though Overwatch: Classic will be the closest thing to version 1.0 of the 2016 game, we will not see the return of a dedicated competitive mode, nor the interface before Overwatch 2. However, the biggest difference is that we will also not have the possibility to re-obtain or obtain skins, phrases and emotes with loot boxes: the seasons and passes system will continue to work the same as the sequel.
All in all, the truth is that unlocking content is a less friendly process than eight years ago. Perhaps, with this little-disguised call effect, it is the appropriate time to see if progress should be reconsidered now that free-to-play has been opted for.
Is Overwatch: Classic really what Blizzard’s shooter needs? In 2024 yes
Rather than an arbitrarily launched event, Blizzard sees this move as a probe. As such, the experiment ends on December 3, but depending on the reception it will be considered whether it will be held again and, above all, whether it is liked. Because Overwatch It wasn’t the first Hero Shooter nor the second, but the landscape has changed enormously since its release. both within the game and in the face of everything that has been released and is yet to come.
Concord may have been a monumental failure, but the number of Hero Shooters has skyrocketed this year: from the console version of Valorant to the imminent Marvel Rivals from NetEase. Not to mention a Valve Deadlock that, despite not having been announced, brings together more players than great titles… And Gabe Newell’s company already has its own Team Fortress 2!
In any case, and as we mentioned, the initiative to launch a Overwatch: Classic when ten years have not even passed – although it may not seem like it – and in the middle of Warcraft’s anniversary celebrations it is still a calling effect. Both for those who left the game a long time ago and for those who arrived later and are curious to see how the same original characters worked without so many fixes, fixes, experiments and solutions.
A time machine that, everything must be said, has attractions that were not in the 2016 Overwatch such as the advantage of having cross-progress in all systems and, no less important, the plus point of not having to buy the game to be able to play.
A wrong step or a success in revitalizing the game? Between now and December 3, Blizzard will have it clearer. The truth is that Overwatch: Classic does not overlap the plans Overwatch 2 nor to those who continue to play on a daily basis.
However, comparisons between “the old Overwatch” and its sequel will be inevitable but we are left with the most essential thing: if you left the Blizzard Heroes abandoned because they changed your favorite character too much or you are overwhelmed by everything that has been added , is the sign you were waiting for. And if you wanted an excuse to reunite with those you played eight years ago, they can’t make it easier for you.
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