Overwatch’s 10 year anniversary celebrations have begun and aside from giving players their body weight in loot boxes Team 4 has also added an OG game mode for day one Overwatch into the Arcade, and boy is it a reality check.
I really only tried the OG mode thanks to a mix of curiosity and a need for more anniversary loot boxes, but I ended up staying for more than just the required number of games mostly because it was just so chaotic. We played matches with 12 Winstons engaging in epic sky battles and fighting over the last med pack, subjected enemy teams to the cursed Reinhardt, Bastion, and Mercy team up, and relished in a time when Widowmaker had so few shields to contend with. It’s a lot of fun and a very nostalgic experience, but it’s also a complete mess.
First off, why is everyone and everything so slow? D.Va may as well be standing still when she’s walking with primary fire engaged, trying to reach your team while in a Zenyatta ult is like wading through quicksand, and Roadhog? Well, he is actually completely still when self healing. It’s so funny to me that all of this was normal once upon a time, especially when I see a Hog stop dead in his tracks in the middle of a barrage of fire to hopelessly heal himself only to flop over dead moments later.
I also forgot just how weak tanks were, with a Bastion being able to shred through a Zayra’s bubble and health in seconds, and just how quickly ults were charged. It felt like ults were available for almost every single fight. Not to mention just how few heroes were available to play at launch.
Now, none of this is to dog on OG Overwatch. I loved it then and I love it now. But what playing this old version does do is make me appreciate just how far this game has come over the last 10 years.
The vast majority of heroes have improved leaps and bounds since they were first added. Bastion’s grenade and Winston’s right click both balance the heroes so well while giving them some much needed burst / long range damage. Removing crowd control abilities like Cassidy’s flash bang or Mei’s freeze effect also make such a huge positive difference, especially for tanks who don’t like getting stunned every other second.
Even small things like adding some self healing or speeding up individual heroes over the years has gone a long way to making the game feel more exciting.
Many of these tweaks are small enough and have been implemented over such a long period of time that it’s easy to forget just how much Overwatch has changed. But bringing OG Overwatch back really puts a spotlight on just how good we have it right now, and I think that’s a pretty great way to celebrate the 10 year anniversary.
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