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'Overwatch' finally makes playing with randoms easier
Overwatch is great, but, unless you're carousing with people on your friends list, it's been almost impossible to keep playing with the same people in matchmade multiplayer. Thankfully the developers at Blizzard have recognized the error in their ways and come up with a common sense feature that should make staying with last game's players a lot easier. It's called "Stay as Team" and it's exactly what it sounds like. Simply press a button at the end of a match to perform the eponymous task. It's available to sample on the PC version's Public Test Realm as you read this. In the video below, game director Jeff Kaplan says that the team will keep making additions like these to help folks find new friends and keep you playing longer.
Overwatch hands-on gameplay impressions
It's almost standard for us to say a Blizzard title feels ready for launch immediately after its debut. The company rarely shows off a title prematurely, waiting until the game feels good before they even publicly announce the project. Overwatch feels much the same. If it launched today, it would be received as a fun, solid game, if small in scope. The UI feels complete, a simplistic approach that works well for this sort of game. All necessary information is provided in a clean, slick HUD that draws no attention to itself. In my (admittedly brief) play session, the gunplay and ability usage felt intuitive, taking me only a few moments to get a feel for the controls. The only hitch came from my lack of map knowledge, something that can't be gleaned in its entirety in just a few frenetic matches. However, the playable maps were small -- surprisingly small, even -- and it's unlikely hundreds of hours of play will be necessary to understand every hiding spot and back alley of the game.
