Leading up to the game’s release, both Blizzard and critics drew attention to the game’s diverse cast of characters and it’s easily one of the game’s most defining traits. As a minority myself (and one who is on the heavier side), it’s rare that I find a character in any form of media that I can relate to, from movies and TV to games as well. To be honest, even the ones that are included often encroach on traditional stereotypes; the doctor, the convenience store owner, or the timid Indian fellow complete with accent.

McCree's main ability, Combat Roll, is exactly what it sounds like: a forward tumble in whichever direction he's facing. Aside from the fact that this can get McCree out of the way of a great deal of enemy fire, it also automatically reloads the Peacekeeper, which allows for a particularly devastating secondary fire-Combat Roll-secondary fire combo. His other ability, Flashbang, is a throwable stun grenade that locks foes in place. Not only is this wonderful at stopping quick characters like Tracer in their tracks, but they also make for particularly easy kills with McCree's clip-emptying secondary fire. Finally, McCree's ultimate, Deadeye, allows him to slowly lock onto the heads of enemies in the area, guaranteeing a kill during a full lock-on (basically, it's a straight up mark-and-execute maneuver). This is best utilized from behind a skirmish when there are multiple enemies on the screen. It's worth noting that McCree is one of the hardest characters to use effectively, so don't be alarmed if it takes you a bit of practice before you become a cowboy master.

Rather, there’s a more pressing issue that has become increasingly more important as we enter (or instead, have already entered) a new era of video games that evolves from out its infancy as but a mere medium or a hobby…and transforms into an industry, a business. And that’s self-awareness; the notion that, perfectly fine as it is to show pride, professionalism and posterity as a creator/director/manager/whoever (be it for consumers, audiences or share-holders alike) it’s just as important to take your eye just that little bit out of the epicentre and look beyond the stained-glass windows to your splendid ivory towers. To see how the industry might be perceived-come-translated across to the community. No matter the intensity. Oh yes…there are obviously so many other matters to attend to such as…perhaps…not treating consumer bases like docile piggybanks; not deliberately miscuing information; not letting every nit-picking, social media-sappy, correctness-avid serial complainer dictate the who, what, when & why of your games.

I’ll admit, when I first heard of Overwatch, I didn’t pay much attention, probably because Blizzard games have never really caught my attention in the past (I’m not the biggest fan of RPGs or RTS games). I did, however, take the plunge and tried out the game’s open beta a few weeks ago and walked away pleasantly surprised. Oddly enough, though, it wasn’t the core mechanics or technical polish that caught my immediate attention. Rather, it was Blizzard’s attention to inclusivity that impressed me the most.

Though Blizzard's multi-franchise MOBA has technically been in maintenance mode since July 2022, Heroes of the Storm suddenly received a balance patch over a year later in September 2023. Every few months since then, Heroes of the Storm has consistently rolled out new patches, with the seventh such update arriving in early December 2

The game also does its best to highlight the contributions of all players, regardless of playstyle. In-game kills, captures, ‘blocks’ and defends are handed out quite liberally, and your contribution to taking out an enemy (for example) is rewarded with points and an on-screen message, regardless of whether you landed 1 point of damage or 100. A single ‘play of the game’ is shown off at the end of a game, and these highlights often include players in support roles, who didn’t contribute offensively. An MVP system between matches also allows players to cast their vote for an MVP, rewarding a player based on conditions such as kills, captures and damage dealt, along with more defensive plays like ‘most healing’ or time spent freezing enemies. It’s an excellent addition that de-emphasizes the importance of pure offensive play, and it helps (in addition to the other aforementioned design choices) to cultivate a sense of team play, rather than a lone wolf approach to victory.

This is what makes overwatch 2 Winston guide all the more frustrating to me. There is a great game ready to be born out of this mess. Blizzard tends to know what they are doing. That is why I am confused regarding how this game has achieved such universal praise, despite its shortcomings. The developer can do much, much better. In its current state, the free-to-play Gotham City Imposters offered much more in the way of depth with a similar tone and varied abilities. How Blizzard can get away with charging $40 (or $60) dollars for less than WB's beleaguered shooter, and then riddle it with microtransactions, is beyond me.