Overwatch 2 Review - A Heroic Return

Reviewed on: PC
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Rating: Teen

Overwatch took the gaming world by storm when it launched in 2016, thanks to its well-balanced roster of unique heroes and terrific objective-based, first-person-shooting gameplay. The game’s popularity endured through the years thanks to a wealth of new content like characters, maps, cosmetics, and game modes, adding to the terrific foundation. However, once the content dried up for Overwatch, the public interest followed shortly afterward. Overwatch 2 represents the re-emergence of one of the top multiplayer games of the last generation, delivering a 5v5 format, a free-to-play structure, and a ton of new content. The result is an action-packed and enjoyable progression of the beloved hero-shooter franchise, but one that feels less revolutionary and more iterative than expected.

The core gameplay feels simultaneously familiar and fresh. Capturing an objective with a coordinated assault or activating your Ultimate during a crucial last-second push to secure the victory is just as breathtakingly exciting as ever. The ways the heroes interact with each other – both in gameplay and personality – create watercooler moments I imagine I’ll bring up with my fellow players for years to come. The mechanics and match flow remain mostly intact, but developer Blizzard implemented various changes to the core formula to deliver something that changes how battles play out.

The new 5v5 format is perhaps the most significant change in Overwatch. Now, traditional team comps drop to one tank, making its role as a damage sponge and utility player more critical than ever. With Doomfist now a tank and Orisa reworked to be more offense-minded, you now have a broader range to choose from in the category. Outside of tank play, this 5v5 format opens the door for faster-paced blitzes and ensures that every player carries more importance in each match. This shift is particularly evident in Push, the new game mode where players escort a robot to the other team’s spawn point. This mode is fast-paced and can swing the other way quickly, playing perfectly into the new 5v5 format.

When you first jump into Overwatch 2, you can expect a ton of new content right out of the gate: three heroes, six maps, a game mode, and more than 30 skins. The new heroes and maps are stellar additions to the preexisting lineups; Junker Queen and Sojourn are formidable in battle, but Kiriko, with her substantial healing and buffing capabilities and deadly kunai attack, is one of my favorite support heroes to date. When you combine these new characters with the reworks of longtime favorites like Orisa, Doomfist, Zarya, and Bastion, the roster feels refreshed, and the meta flipped on its head.

Whenever a formerly premium title becomes free-to-play, players are rightfully wary, thanks to predatory monetization schemes that permeate the category. While players should still approach Overwatch 2’s shift to free-to-play with caution, Blizzard keeps the paywall-locked content cosmetic. The best part is that players no longer must cross their fingers for anything but duplicate cosmetics in their loot boxes.

Now, loot boxes are replaced by an in-game shop and Battle Pass, which progresses by completing in-game challenges. These objectives range from winning a game playing as a healer to using a specific character’s Ultimate three times; some challenges refresh daily, others weekly, and others on a seasonal basis, ensuring you always have new goals towards which to strive. Each time you complete a challenge, you gain experience towards the next tier.

Progress accumulates steadily regardless of if you pay the $10 (or the equivalent of in-game coins) for the boosted premium Battle Pass. However, it’s disappointing that you need to reach level 55 of the free Battle Pass to unlock that season’s new hero; if you purchase premium, the hero joins your roster at level 1. The rest of the rewards are cosmetic, but with so many exclusive to the premium pass, non-paying players may find limited satisfaction from this new structure. And with seasons lasting nine weeks, those who buy each premium Battle Pass at $10 will eclipse the $60 MSRP of the original Overwatch in just over a year.

While I’m certainly wary of this new system going forward, for now, the structure seems like a reasonable alternative to the previous framework. Thanks to a sneak peek of the content on the horizon, Blizzard has impressive plans for its resurgent hero shooter, and I like the existing challenge system. However, I most appreciate the intentionality in unlocking rewards, which starkly contrasts Overwatch 1’s loot box system.

 

Those who never played the first Overwatch have additional hurdles, like needing to unlock the original heroes by playing a set number of matches. Blizzard bills this as a way to fend off cheaters since it’s now free to start a new account. But it ultimately feels like punishment for not paying the price for the first game. The silver lining is that this drip-feed approach could onboard new players without overwhelming them with many characters to learn. However, requiring players to complete up to 130 matches to unlock the full roster feels steep. Thankfully, wins count double towards that number, and you can use the original heroes in custom games. Plus, if you enjoy Overwatch 2’s moment-to-moment gameplay as much as I do, those unlock requirements fly by. Still, I’m glad I didn’t have to complete them as a returning player.

Overwatch 2 doesn’t flip the formula the way you might expect a long-awaited, numbered sequel would. But through various clever tweaks, it’s a well-rounded evolution of the experience into which I’ve poured more than a thousand hours since 2016. I may never recreate the magic of those first few years in Overwatch, but Overwatch 2 is a big step towards restoring the faith in the franchise and has me thinking it’s time to pour a few more hundred hours into my favorite team-based shooter.

Score: 9

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FIFA 23 Review - Form Is Temporary

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Canada
Rating: Everyone

Much like my Liverpool fandom over the past 20 years, I vacillate between happily obsessive and begrudgingly bewildered with FIFA. Like Liverpool, when FIFA works like a well-oiled machine, play on the field is beautiful, slick, and drives my football-loving brain to elation with dopamine hits. However, FIFA 23 feels like FIFA 22, which was similar to FIFA 21, with additions ranging from mildly impactful to invigorating.

FIFA has focused on one facet of soccer for years: the attack. It’s almost arcade-like when you feel how quickly and smoothly players change pace from a controlled dribble to a sprint. Cross-field balls behind defenders for a winger to rush onto are exhilarating. The much-debated trick stick is hard to master, but even a couple of flicks can launch an audacious stepover or the famous Maradona spin to beat a defender.

EA’s HyperMotion2 technology enables more natural animations between dribbling and shooting, but it’s barely noticeable even during replays. Most goals look similar to those scored in FIFA 22, which isn’t bad. It’s just that HyperMotion2 doesn’t revolutionize the presentation, making it feel like just another yearly update that is just a bit smoother.

 

One positive addition this year is the ability to play “Moments” in Ultimate Team. Reminiscent of FIFA 2006 World Cup’s global challenge mode, you play different scenarios, like overcoming a two-goal deficit beginning with a penalty kick in the 70th minute of a match. These scenarios reward stars used to unlock cards like Ted Lasso and his right-hand-man Coach Beard for Ultimate Team. It’s a fun and quick way to grind for cards.

Chemistry in Ultimate Team provides stat boosts to your players if you assemble a team with players in the correct position and of the same nationality or league, and it accumulates differently this year. Players can earn up to three chemistry points, but this time, you can hit chemistry maxes with, for example, an English attack and a La Liga backline, allowing for more satisfying and creative team building. 

Career mode is more robust this year, offering fun for those looking to go through a season solo with their created avatar or a real-world player. Players must complete targets set in-game to please the manager, but it still feels like only scoring and assisting matter to your rating instead of simply staying in position and completing passes. What does spruce it up quite a bit is the addition of Playable Highlights during your player or manager career.

You take control during the Playable Highlight to try to score or stop the opposition from putting the ball in the back of the net. These fun little snapshots of a match let you change a simulated 2-0 outcome to a 4-0 one, but it does make it harder to hit your avatar’s goals as you will mostly control others on the team. Off the pitch, you can sign investment deals to earn money and partake in activities to bolster your stats or earn points in either the Maverick, Virtuoso, or Heartbeat personality types. Each unlocks different skills for your player, like stamina or volleying ability, based on whether you prefer dribbling, passing, or shooting.

Adding women’s club soccer is long overdue, but it doesn’t bring the attention it deserves. You have a scant number of national teams, plus the professional French and English leagues, for use in classic matches, seasons, and cups. However, they aren’t in Career or Ultimate Team, meaning if you were hoping to pair up Alex Morgan and Jordan Pefok on your FUT squad, you’re out of luck.

There’s a famous saying from former footballer Gary Lineker that “football is a simple game – 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes – and at the end, the Germans always win.” I want to make a similar assessment of EA’s yearly soccer game: FIFA 23 is a good game – it’s flashy, fun to play, and has a lot of modes – but in the end, you realize it’s mostly the same game you’ve been playing for years.

Score: 7.25

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Dorfromantik Review – Falling Into Place

Reviewed on: Switch
Platform: Switch, PC
Publisher: Toukana Interactive
Developer: Toukana Interactive

Once you get past its bizarre name, Dorfromantik offers simple, relaxing sessions of tile-matching puzzle goodness. Connecting hexagons to build pretty landscapes offers the thoughtful strategy of a city-builder to provide a stimulating yet overwhelmingly Zen atmosphere. 

Fans of the board game Carcassonne should quickly grasp Dorfromantik's concept of drawing random tiles and finding high-scoring – and aesthetically pleasing – ways to place them on the field based on their scenery. Tiles only fit next to those with corresponding edges; railroad tiles connect with railroads, rivers merge with other bodies of water, and so on. Creating expansive forests or sprawling villages reward more points, and I enjoy the challenge of finding optimal ways to make pieces fit. Completing sections of the map and watching boats sail across my pretzel-like waterways is a small but satisfying touch because of how it brings my model cities to life. 

The classic experience presents objectives, such as building towns to a specific size, to provide nuggets of purpose to make the otherwise freeform experience engaging. You don’t have to complete these tasks, but I always delight in closing the loop on a plot of land I spent ages building up and watching my score skyrocket. Expanding your board can unlock new types of tiles, such as windmills, water wheels, and even new biomes to spice up the draw pool. Seeing the field evolve from the standard lush green to a patchwork of darker, barren earth or snow-frosted trees freshens the visual variety. 

I appreciate how Dorfromantik's selection of modes provides several options for enjoying the experience based on my mood. A Creative Mode allows for building without restriction, even letting you discard ill-fitting tiles. Conversely, Hard Mode offers a steeper challenge with more complex pieces. Quick Mode condenses the game into shorter sessions, great for knocking out quick rounds while on the go. The Monthly Mode mixes up the game long-term with new batches of custom rules each month. 

I spent a substantial amount of time playing the PC version of Dorfromantik when it launched in early access last year. The experience translates well to Switch, though using controller inputs to move tiles and the camera is, unsurprisingly, less intuitive than the snappy precision of a mouse. It's not bad by any means, though it is my least preferred way to play. That said, it's a fair trade-off for the perk of tile-matching in bed or on the couch. Plus, the simple yet colorful art direction, which has a hand-drawn quality, pops on the small screen. 

Dorfromantik balances its strategic and cozy elements well, and it's easy to fall into a serene trance of dropping tiles. Pulling the camera back to reveal the full scope of my landscape always feels like a satisfying reward for my subtle, hard work, much like stepping back to admire a finished painting. While it's not the sort of puzzle game I feel compelled to play more than a session or two a day, I always appreciate the improved mood with which it leaves me.

Score: 8

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