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'Overwatch' tests new colorblind options and tweaked Torbjörn
Ever since Overwatch debuted, Blizzard has continued to poke and prod at the game by adding heroes, game modes, maps and making tweaks to existing content to keep players interested. With a game that functions as a funnel toward its professional esports league, balance is key and that occasionally means big reworks to characters who have been seen as residing outside of the "meta" picks to increase the chance of winning. Blizzard already made major changes to one character who saw little use in its competitive modes, Symmetra, and now it's testing a rework for Torbjörn, a Swedish engineer who built turrets and distributed armor to teammates. As described by the team in a video and patch notes, his armor pack and scrap collecting feature has been removed entirely.
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.
