The lack of strong story elements doesn’t overshadow what the game does do well: gameplay and map design. The 21 characters aren’t just diverse in their personalities, but also in their different abilities. Each character has two unique abilities that are assigned to the bumpers on Xbox One, R1 and L1 on PS4, and Shift and E on PC. A few characters, like Widowmaker and Soldier 76, have a third special ability assigned to LT/L2/RMB. Widowmaker can ADS her sniper, and Soldier 76 can use his assault rifle’s grenade launcher. Overwatch looks deceptively simple from the outside, but mechanically has a large amount of depth.

In an era where games are released unfinished to make a profit later and fighting games suffer from player bases where character access is gated off behind DLC, Blizzard’s decision to patch in new matches, modes, and characters for free rather than asking players to pay for the privilege is nothing short of incredible. If Overwatch’s community begins to dwindle, it won’t be because they’re divided between base game players and those with the money to buy extras, because Blizzard’s decision means that anyone who picks up the game will have the same access to modes, frontline healer strategies maps, and heroes as everyone else. Speaking of heroe

Now, it is possible to instantly balance the game and remove these annoyances: don't allow duplicate characters on one team in quick play. Were players forced to choose someone else, the balance and counterbalance that all of the characters bring would suddenly become pertinent. The ability of a team sectioning off and controlling the entire map with one character type is removed. Suddenly, players don't have to choose someone for the express purpose of knocking out one type of hero, and can instead work as a team (read: what the game is supposed to be about).

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 traditional sniper hero of the bunch, Widowmaker is a particularly lethal character for those with solid keyboard and mouse skill, or those who are particularly great at sniping with a controller. However, if you don't consider yourself to be particularly precise with your aim, then it's best for everyone involved if you don't weight down your team with a desire to get the greatest headshot of all time. Her weapon, the Widow's Kiss, has two distinct firing modes that make her one of the highest damage dealers of the entire roster, assuming that you play her correctly. If you fire without aiming down sights, it functions as a close-to-medium range automatic assault rifle, though this should only be used to get yourself out of a jam, as it is nowhere near as powerful as its standard firing mode: the long-range sniper rifle. The longer that one aims down sights, the more powerful the shot will be (up until it fully charges to 100%), so if you're looking to get your quickscope on, you're playing the wrong game. Headshots are absolutely lethal, so take your time, line up your shots and ensure that you're fully charged, as spamming only functions to give away your position.

Speaking of positioning, Widowmaker's two core abilities allow her to either get to a new position quickly, or protect the one she's currently holding down. The first of these abilities, her Grappling Hook, can be aimed using the reticle, and will quickly propel her towards the surface it's fired at. Not only is this awesome for quickly reaching positions above the playing field, but it also works wonders when you're looking to get out of a jam. Widowmaker's second ability, the Venom Mine can be fired with an arc, and deals damage over time when triggered. This toxic gas mine isn't just great for crowd control, though. If you've ever played a military shooter that allowed you to place claymores behind you while you snipe, you'll be happy to know that the Venom Mine can have a similar effect. Finally, her ultimate, Infra-Sight, allows your entire team to track the positions of all enemies in real-time, instantly countering any flankers and generally setting you up for success.

Speaking of new content,Blizzard will be releasing all post-launch content for free. To do this, they implemented an RNG loot system with microtransactions. Loot Boxes are earned regularly through leveling up and an infinite level cap ensures that players can continue collecting Loot Boxes forever. Unfortunately, the RNG system stumbles when it comes time to collecting the goodies. Much like a Call of Duty: Black Ops III Supply Drop, an Overwatch Loot Box contains a lot of unwanted items. Character skins, emotes and character poses are the coolest of the drops, while Sprays and Lines of Dialogue are the lamest. Players have no control over what they get and it can be frustrating to keep getting items for characters you don’t even use.