Overwatch 2 Compared w/ Original after New Changes were Pointed Out

Overwatch 2 has had a controversial series of events post-launch. The game was hit by brutal DDoS attacks, players faced interconnection issues for linking older accounts, a loading screen bug, and an annoying verification step(which has been removed since). For those who did manage to play the game, the experience was rather underwhelming. 

Veteran Overwatch players pointed out the ungenerous rewards system of the new Overwatch 2 as compared to the original title. 

This applies to Overwatch 2’s Weekly Challenges, actual gameplay, and post-match recap. A Reddit user summarized the difficulties faced in the game, and many others seemed to agree that the sequel has lost some of the fun characteristics true to the first Overwatch game. 

The general idea for Weekly Challenges is that players can progress further on the Battle Pass. Upon completing multiple Weekly Challenges in a single week, some Overwatch Coins will also be awarded, which can be used for in-game unlocks. 

However, the amount of coins decreases as one achieves more milestones, which is a little weird. Once you complete 4 Weekly Challenges, you will receive 30 coins, then 20 and then 10 on finishing 8 and 11 challenges, respectively. 

The reversed progression is only beneficial for casual players who are unable to commit much time to the game. Players would have to save up months worth of coins to afford skins and other in-game purchases. 

The On-Fire Meter, which lets players know when their combat skills are excellent, is aloof from the game. Although the characters still announce when they are On-Fire, there are no added fire effects that were earlier paired with the announcement. 

The post-match analysis has removed medals and cards which showed which player excelled in the match. This has removed a sense of friendly competition, toning things down to a monotonous setting, although the aim was to create a wholesome and less-toxic environment. 

A couple of fan-favorite maps from Overwatch, like Hanamura, did not make the cut, due to the new team dynamics and sizes in the sequel.

Overwatch 2 is not one of Blizzard’s finest works. While the original Overwatch had several tiny details which led to the game’s huge success, the same cannot be said for its disappointing sequel. The studio has been listening to the feedback; hopefully, some rectifications will be made in due time. 

Overwatch 2 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

About Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 is an upcoming first-person shooter developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. The sequel to the 2016 hero shooter Overwatch, the game is intended to have a shared environment for player-versus-player (PvP) modes with the first game while introducing persistent cooperative modes. A major change in PvP was to reduce team sizes from six to five, which required several characters to be reworked.

Overwatch 2 is set to launch as free-to-play on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in early access on October 4, 2022. It will feature full cross-platform play.