Overwatch

The Tension Of Playing Overwatch During A Blizzard Controversy

Yesterday, like I do every day, I wrapped up my workday, closed my Chrome tabs and, without pausing, hit the Windows button on my keyboard. In the search bar, I typed “Over-” and hit enter. My eyes found the big, blue “Play” button on the game launcher. Overwatch’s familiar orchestral music swelled and, in an…

The Inevitable Cosplay Of Overwatch‘s Mei Supporting Hong Kong [Update]

Yesterday, when Kotaku reported that Overwatch’s Mei had been turned into a symbol of the Hong Kong resistance, one commenter wondered if there would be cosplay of this at next month’s BlizzCon. Probably! But we don’t have to wait that long. Redditor Zephronica uploaded these photos to r/HongKong of what has to be the first…

Overwatch‘s Mei Is Becoming A Symbol Of The Hong Kong Resistance

After Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai called for the liberation of Hong Kong, Blizzard suspended the Hearthstone player and withheld his prize money. The decision has been widely criticized. Fans have now started posting images of Overwatch hero Mei supporting the Hong Kong protests as a show of solidarity. In Overwatch, Mei hails from Xi’an, China.…

BlizzCon In-Game Loot Is One Of My Favorite Annual Gaming Traditions

People get excited about Blizzard’s annual fan convention for many reasons. Some look forward to meeting up with friends. Others are eager to hear news about upcoming games and expansions. Me? I’m mainly here for the ridiculous in-game items rolled out for World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, StarCraft, Heroes of the Storm, and Hearthstone every…

Blizzard Really Wants Overwatch Characters In Smash

With Overwatch due out on the Switch next week, it’s obviously time for fans to start incessantly calling for characters like Pharah and Mercy to make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The loudest voice among them, though, will belong to Blizzard themselves. In an interview with IGN, Blizzard’s Jeff Kaplan was asked which…

Official Overwatch Cookbook Lets You Recreate Pharah’s Favorite Childhood Snack

From Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, author of cookbooks for World of Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls, Firefly, and A Game of Thrones, comes the first official guide to cooking the delicacies of Overwatch. Who among us hasn’t dreamed of sinking their teeth into Pharah’s Canadian Butter Tarts and washing them down with Mercy’s elderberry liquor toddy, the Valkyrie’s…

Overwatch‘s Bastion Moonlights As Aerial Circus Act

It’s unlikely that, before yesterday, anybody used the words “trapeze artist” to describe Overwatch’s turret hero Bastion. One hype play at the Overwatch League grand finals revealed the hero’s potential as an aerial circus act. Early on in the San Francisco Shock’s 4-0 sweep of the Vancouver Titans, Bastion player Minho “Architect” Park was helping…

The San Francisco Shock took the 2019 Overwatch League grand finals, $1,100,000, and the Vancouver Titans’ dignity with a 4-0 sweep today. The superfast win comes off the heels of a 23-5 season, which includes their completion of the league’s first-ever perfect stage. “We knocked on wood, for sure,” said season MVP Jay “Sinatraa” Won…

We’re in Philadelphia at the Overwatch League Grand Finals match between the San Francisco Shock and the Vancouver Titans. Tune in at 3pm ET on Twitch to watch the league’s two best teams go head-to-head for a chance to win $1,100,000.

Blizzard, Please Put Link In Overwatch

While this animation video looks exactly like something Blizzard would release, as part of some dream Zelda x Overwatch crossover event for the upcoming Switch version, it’s amazingly/sadly just the work of some fans instead. This is actually the third time I’ve posted about this design, imagining Link as a playable character in Overwatch. The…

Cosplayer Constructs Stunning Shield For Overwatch‘s Brigitte

Now that Overwatch players have stopped complaining about how overpowered the hero Brigitte is, perhaps we can all guiltlessly enjoy some fantastic Brigitte cosplay. On Saturday, Melbourne, Australia-based cosplayer AltF4Cosplay posted her completed shield from Brigitte’s “Shieldmaiden” skin. Here’s what the shield looks like in-game: And here is AltF4Cosplay’s brilliant shield. It even lights up:…

‘Attack Bastion’ Stops Being A Joke When Overwatch Pros Use It

For a solid three years, “attack Bastion” was a meme in Overwatch, referring to the idea of using the semi-stationary hero on an offensive play. Now, it’s a serious strategy for serious pro players for when some serious money is on the line. The turret hero Bastion is not very mobile and does the most…

The State Of Overwatch In 2019

Overwatch is a game with gravity. Assembled from the scraps of the never-released MMORPG Titan by one of the most trusted game companies of all time, the first-person team shooter was always too big too fail. And since its release three years ago, its publisher Blizzard has continued feeding it, nourishing and fluffing its feathers,…

Overwatch Comes To Switch Next Month

One of tonight’s Nintendo Direct announcements has leaked early: Blizzard’s popular hero shooter Overwatch is coming to the Switch. It’ll be out next month. Word on this one comes from a couple of retail leaks, and we’ve confirmed its veracity with two of our own sources. Last month, Amazon accidentally spilled the beans on an…

New Overwatch Custom Mode Turns Sigma Into A Dodgeball Player

If you think about it, Overwatch’s new hero, Sigma, is kinda like a schoolkid—by which I mean he’s slow, and he likes to throw rocks. This, obviously, makes him an ideal competitor for a large-scale game of dodgeball. Overwatch player Pug has created a custom mode called “Sigma Dodgeball” (code: 0V80F), in which two teams…

Overwatch‘s Latest Update Redeems The Game’s Competitive Mode

Earlier this week, publisher Blizzard instituted a new rule of law in the game’s competitive mode: Teams shall be comprised of two tanks, two supports and two damage-dealers, and each role shall be ranked separately. It’s a rule I long-hoped Overwatch would implement, and right now, it is breathing new life into the game. Even…

Overwatch League’s Role Lock Changes Still Can’t Please Fans

Overwatch League fans asked for change, and they got it. The season’s fourth stage kicked off three weeks ago with the introduction of a 2-2-2 role lock that requires teams to be made up of two tanks, two DPS heroes, and two supports. This change would finally put the long-reviled “GOATS” meta, which involves three…

Overwatch just got a big update. Gravity manipulating tank hero Sigma and the much-anticipated 2-2-2 role lock are now on live servers. They arrive alongside a slew of balance tweaks, including an increase in ultimate cost across all heroes.

Sigma’s New ‘Asylum’ Skin Raises Concerns About Overwatch‘s Handling Of Mental-Illness Tropes

Overwatch’s newest hero, Sigma, was introduced to the world on a gurney. Though the video was purposefully non-linear, Sigma had suffered a mental breakdown after attempting to harness the power of a black hole. He hollered half-coherently while being wheeled through what appeared to be a psychiatric facility: “Hold it together, hold it together!” Since…

If Horizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy Was In Overwatch

Ladislas Gueros is an artist based in Canada, and this is his idea on how Horizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy would look as a guest-starring Overwatch character. Like Hanzo, basically, only less annoying. You can see more of Gueros’ stuff at his ArtStation page