When developer Pixel Titans released a new trailer for upcoming nostalgia-bleeding, fast-paced shooter STRAFE, safe to say what they unveiled could be regarded as material that goes against the tide of contemporary "gameplay" promotion, trailers and all. The decision to take its blocky, pixelated aim at this thematic and quote-unquote cinematic direction modern games have often approached and blindly lavished over worked wonders for two completely opposing and quite ironically-positioned reasons. One: the developers are clearly confident enough to add a an extra flair of presentation and direction to their still ongoing project. And two: they’re more than willing to be the butt to their own joke -- opening up the flood-gates guarding not just the industry they’re a part of, but more prudently, of themselves as but one more studio in a grand sum of thousands.

While it seems like an obvious statement that good players are lethal and weak players are easy to kill, this seems most applicable to Hanzo, Genji's brother and the resident archer of the group. A sniper whose arrows do massive damage upon contact, Hanzo is the type of hero that needs a bit of practice time before one feels totally comfortable. Still, those who put in the required practice with Hanzo will find themselves mowing down enemies left and right.

[Aaron Keller] I don't know the exact headcount of the team. It's under one-hundred people, and it probably started closer to thirty or forty people before we ramped up to where we are now. The cool thing about the team is that everyone on it is such a high performer and so great at what they do. We have a core value at Blizzard called "Every Voice Matters," and a lot of people on the team are really passionate and outspoken, not just about [Overwatch] itself, but about things they'd like to see in the game. I think we have a really good collaborative environment where people feel like they can throw ideas out there and they'll be listened to. That's how we get a lot of personality into the game; our heroes have a peek at this site come from all over the place.

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.

Sonic Arrow, Hanzo's first core ability, replaces his standard arrow with one that reveals all enemies in the surrounding area, essentially producing a smaller version of Widowmaker's Infra-Sight ultimate. This should be used when you have a sinking feeling that your team is being flanked, or if you're simply looking to get the lay of the land around a given objective. Hanzo's second ability, Scatter Arrow, is fairly self-explanatory. A single arrow that divides into a host of smaller projectiles, Scatter Arrow does a fair amount of damage when in an enclosed area, as each of its smaller arrows will bounce off of any surface they come in contact with. One major point on this: direct contact with an enemy before the split will cause every arrow to hit that foe, causing a massive amount of damage. Finally, Hanzo's ultimate is perhaps the most iconic out of every one of Overwatch's unique special attacks. Dragonstrike allows his next arrow to split into two massive dragons that twist around each other, go through walls and do huge damage to anyone caught inside of its wake. Needless to say, this is an absolutely wonderful attack for clearing out an objective or payload destination, and perfect timing will often net players the coveted Play of the Game.

If you can go out of your way to make something (that could be deduced as) rather bonkers -- knowing full well when and where to walk that perilous line between genuine and forced humour -- you can at least walk away knowing players will credit you with falling into the "they made it even though they didn’t have to" sub-section. And believe me, alongside "surprisingly addictive" mini-games, 2D backgrounds and actual reflective mirrors, humour is another opportune asset that can go a long, long way to appreciating what said game actually stood for at the given time. Away from the regular check-list on what specifically to critique. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having a game that's entirely, unapologetically dry, perhaps perceived initially as far from comedy as one can get -- narratively or otherwise. But, ironically, this is why a "one last thing"-type of satire or bit on the side, works far better than when it's already wrestling for attention amidst a game that not for one second takes itself seriously and is instead its own fuel for fun and folly. Even if it is for the intent to promote something else entirely (video game-related or not) I will commend any developer who’s willing, for example, to throw together the good guys, the bad guys and the in-between guys into some surreal comedy skit-meets-daily life send-off to a game’s campaign .