Satire Is Just As Important As Pride Within The Games Industry

When it comes to defense heroes, no one has the potential to rack up kills quite like Torbjörn, the bearded Scottish turret-builder. Armed with the Rivet Gun and the Forge Hammer, Torbjörn is the type of character that requires a small amount of practice to master, but once you understand his mechanics, you really understand his mechanics, so to speak. His main weapon, the Rivet Gun, sports two distinct firing methods. The first is a medium-to-long range single projectile that has a slight arc to it, though it still is highly accurate considering its relatively strong damage output. Torbjörn's secondary firing method functions similarly to a shotgun, firing shrapnel over a short distance with a moderate spread. As you can probably guess, using the primary firing method at a distance and the secondary firing method at close range is going to net you the most damage and kills.

It's really that feeling of working as part of a team, mastering the characters and controlling the map that makes Overwatch such a joy to play, even without getting the content you want for your favorite character. In one match, my team and I made a last defense on a capture map. Our Bastion entered turret mode to spray one entry point, and Reinhardt held up his shield at another with Zarya close behind, supplying him with a personal shield. Soldier 76 sprinted to the front to deal heavy damage with Mercy flying behind providing a damage boose. All the while, a Widowmaker hid at the very back, ready to snipe enemies that somehow made it past our defenses. In a world filled with so many "go-it-alone" multiplayer shooters, having a game like Overwatch Events that offers so many unique ways to play as a team is refreshing and fun.

D.Va's first ability, her Boosters, allow her to rapidly fly in whichever direction the reticle is facing for a handful of seconds. Not only is this a wonderful method for getting to an objective or getting out of trouble, but it also allows her to cause a bit of damage whenever she comes in contact with an enemy. In addition to the Boosters, D.Va also has access to the Defense Matrix, which functions as a smaller version of Reinhardt's shield (essentially absorbing all incoming fire).

Soldier: 76's abilities are both simple and incredibly useful. His main, low-cooldown ability, Sprint, is exactly what it sounds like: a dedicated button that allows him to run fast. Outside of heroes like Lucio and Tracer, who have dedicated techniques that allow them to move fast, Sprint allows Soldier: 76 to escape battle quicker than the vast majority of heroes out there. If you're someone who despises the fact that Overwatch doesn't have a dedicated sprint function, this might just be the character for you. In addition to this, his other main ability, Biotic Field, enables him to place a small healing area on the ground around him, giving him the chance to regain health and get back into a fight right away. Finally, Soldier: 76's ultimate ability, Tactical Visor, gives him a few seconds of automatic, 100% accuracy aiming (yes, this is a straight up aimbot), and is perfect for eliminating a host of defenders on a given objective. Needless to say, if you're looking for the most balanced hero of the entire roster, you should give Solder: 76 a hard look.
Junkrat's abilities aren't going to do as much damage as his Frag Launcher, but they're exceptional strategic items when used properly. Not only does his Concussion Mine allow him to place a remote detonated explosive, enabling perfectly-timed kills when used patiently, but it also functions as a super-jump when used underneath Junkrat. Considering most opposing players don't expect to see Junkrat flying a story or two into the air, using the Concussion Mine as a movement device not only functions as a way to throw enemies off their game, but it also allows you to access areas that foes won't necessarily expect grenades to rain down from.

It isn’t just the characters that feel unique, it’s also the maps. Overwatch ships with twelve maps, three dedicated to each of the four game modes. All twelve maps are based on real-world locations and match their settings wonderfully. Route 66 is as much a desert as the real world locale, Hanamura is a beautiful Japanese castle, and the Temple of Anubis takes players to the Giza Plateau and its mighty pyramids. These are not only aesthetically pleasing maps, but also very well designed maps.

The single biggest thing, if you're new to the game, is to coordinate with their team. One of the things you'll see with new players is they'll die, they'll respawn and then just rush right back into the battle. A lot of the time they'll be rushing into a one-on-six, and they'll get annihilated and they'll do this time after time. The biggest thing is to say with your team, coordinate with them; when you need to do a big push, coordinate that big push (or coordinate that big defense when you need to execute a big defense). For newer players, that right there will, far and away, make them better than most of the teams I've played with.