torb armor packs and lvl 3 turrets, also the horror that was console only torb
Syms old kit
Base roster
main menu would change between different maps
actual fair lootboxes
Nobody knowing how to play zarya and genji
post match vote cards
Been watching videos from 8 years ago on the first gameplay experiences and some of the trailers from 9 years ago and jeez it just feels weird. Its been so long since this game came out and there has been so many changes. Saw old Hanamura gameplay and the vibe was so much different, it was quiet and so much less chaotic, and on top of that remembering the base roster (before ana) was surely something else, it really felt special.
This post is just a way to say how much things have changed, looking at this game now is just “what the hell happened” kind of thing. Old characters were so special and now we keep getting regurgitated copy and paste kits and devs that never listen to us and hate admitting they are wrong. Not to say the base game never had problems but compared to today it just gets worse everyday. Its truly sad to see the state of the game, and if 6v6 does ever come back would it really fix everything?
I was a Nintendo kid. In Sophomore year, a friend introduced me to WoW and Blizzard. I was at the Blizzcon when OW was unveiled. I remember thinking, “I’m going to suck at this” since I hated CoD and FPS.
But I didn’t.
I stuck with it, playing daily. It was like Pokemon GO the summer it released. OW was a phenomenon, and it was a rare phenomenon that happened to permeate my inner circle of nerd friends + cool friends not even into video games + coworkers, classmates, and beyond. Everyone I associated with talked about it, and I made a lot of friends through playing it together. My best buddy left for the Navy in 2018 and it was a way for us to stay connected; he would stop at internet cafes around the world when they would dock and be able to play. He got me into streamers and Overwatch League, and (not being a sports guy) it was the first time I had a BLAST rooting for a team and watching esports and owning a jersey (Dallas Fuel) I cared about. I have many passionate, lovely memories of OW.
To this day, I play. Always seeking that high that a part of me knows I’ll never experience again. Overwatch, its rise and stagnation and fall and promised rebirth and empty, broken promises and the topic of AAA monetization, and its unique development life cycle hell has cemented itself into video game history as “what not to do” and will be made an example of for years to come.
It was more engaging, deeper teamplay, so much more options. Ow2 is FFA deathwatch from all angles. No1 cares about team, it’s solo gameplay with 4 other people on the team.
The rose-tinted nostalgia glasses are strong with this one. As someone who played the game since day 1 and mostly played niche heroes… I am sorry to tell you, but all of them are much stronger, more viable, more fluid to play and have a healthier play style. Sure, I miss Torbs level 3 turret, Syms old teleport/shield gen or Bastions tank form, but I am glad that they are currently playable as normal DPS heroes and not as known troll characters.
People think current Sym is bad or Torb? You have seen nothing! The game also was only playable back then, because no one had a clue how to play it. With the current knowledge people have, even OG release OW would be a terrible state.
The game has come a long way and improved significantly over the years. Yes, even in OW2. I am glad where we are now, because the state we are currently are in, is not different than where we were a year, three years, five years or even seven years ago. Different problems, but they are as problematic as other things back then.
Amen.
Its so funny, because OW1 was the same thing with only a layer more: tank synergies, that you could not beat. So if your team was not doing well, you alone could not do ANYTHING and were forced to wait and suffer the loss. Today, you have much more impact. The rest is the same.
The short answer is, people learned to play.
I remember when the game first started as well. Anubis was the map. Everyone was on first point, barely hitting anything. Then someone gets an ult. Then you hear 6 more. People didn’t know any better.
And it wasn’t that. At all lol
People talked more, there was an extra person on each team (more clutter and noise to digest)
No, it was fun BECAUSE balance didn’t matter as much. It was wacky, chaotic, and people enjoyed it. If balance makes the game good, why do people complain so much about Overwatch now when its way more balanced than before?
And you might say “Balanced? But tanks!”, and to that I will remind you that you can never make three completely different roles perfectly balanced in what they do. They can only be balanced in out put, and for the most part they are in OW"““2"””.
I prefer being a raid boss, personally. If I am going to get blamed for everything anyways, just let me shoulder check some of my most annoying counters.
Lets not the 150 bodyshot widow that could also quickscope… or you getting 2 tapped by cassidy from across the map because fall off wasn’t a thing.
I never played Overwatch from that long ago, I started from 2020. Even from then, I still like the older version of Overwatch, especially when it comes to tanking. I just don’t understand why some tank players prefer this new format of solotanking. There are some good sides to it, but the overwhelming majority are bad sides (at least IMO).
Other roles are fine and hasn’t worsened too much, but tank has. So for tank players to say things like “I prefer solotanking actually” makes me scratch my head. But hey, we all have our preferences, so I’m not saying it’s wrong for some tank players to prefer 5v5 tanking, I just find it surprising, that’s all. Especially when I revisit how the old tank gameplay used to feel like, which IMO felt way better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On4FfrqvBJU
