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All Articles: Overwatch
Blizzard introduces us to Tracer, Reaper, Symmetra, Torbjorn in new Overwatch gameplay trailers
Blizzard is back with another batch of gameplay trailers highlighting four more characters from their upcoming hero-based shooter, Overwatch. Embedded above is a gameplay trailer for Tracer, a teleporting adventurer who zips across the arena with deadly speed. If you recall, Tracer was the star of the ridiculously entertaining cinematic trailer Blizzard used to reveal the game to the world. If Tracer is not to your liking, three more gameplay trailers can be found after the break featuring Reaper (a mysterious mercenary), Symmetra (an “architech” who can bend reality to her will), and Torbjorn (an eccentric weapons designer).
A closed beta test for Overwatch will be available sometime this year. You can sing-up for a chance at a spot in the beta at Battle.net. (more…)
Meet Hanzo (and three other characters) in new Overwatch gameplay trailers
Blizzard has been hard at work on Overwatch ever since they announced it last November. Each of the heroes in their team-based shooter has their own personality and play style, which are definitely on display in a series of new gameplay trailers. The latest trailer, which has been embedded above, stars Hanzo (the bowman). But additional trailers for McCree (the gunslinger), Mercy (the healer), and Zenyatta (a robotic monk) are available after the break.
Overwatch will join the suddenly very crowded field of “hero-based team shooters” very soon as a closed beta is scheduled to launch sometime this year. (more…)
Blizzard and Gearbox will talk about their future projects at PAX East 2015
Blizzard will make their presence known at this year’s PAX East expo with their “Blizzard Preview” panel. During this panel, which will be held on Friday, March 6, at 10:30 AM, the publisher plans to reveal new details about Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and Overwatch:
Bold new heroes, exciting new cards, and epic new battlegrounds… Join a trio of Blizzard Entertainment developers for a look at just some of what’s in store for 2015, including upcoming content for Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and Overwatch.
Gearbox Software will also be in attendance at this year’s show with their regular “Inside Gearbox Software” panel. At PAX East, they will likely use their time to talk about Battleborn and Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, both of which will be released this year. It’s probably too early for Gearbox to talk about Borderlands 3, but you never know. The “Inside Gearbox Software” panel will be held on Sunday, March 8, at 10:30 AM:
This is your opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at Gearbox Software and get the latest news and updates from the makers of Borderlands, Battleborn, Homeworld Remastered Collection and more! We will have never-before-seen reveals, exclusives and surprises, so don’t miss out!
Both developers usually have a big presence on the show floor, so expo attendees may get the chance to demo many of these games as well as hearing about them.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Battleborn, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, PAX East 2015
Activision confirms Skylanders 5, Call of Duty 2015, “unannounced initiatives” during quarterly presentation
Just as the sun rises in the east, Activision uses their first quarterly financial presentation of the year to talk about the next games in the Call of Duty and Skylanders franchises.
Dennis Durkin, the publisher’s Chief Financial Officer, had the task of revealing the non-news that Call of Duty 2015 and Skylanders 5 will be released this Fall. As expected, Call of Duty 2015 will be developed by Treyarch while Skylanders 5 is being described as “innovative.” Durkin finished his remarks by revealing that Activision also has “several unannounced initiatives” in the pipeline that they’ll talk more about “in the months ahead.”
Then the CEO of Activision Publishing, Eric Hirshberg, took the stage to talk about Destiny. He confirmed that the game’s second expansion, House of Wolves, will be released in the Spring. He also said that Destiny 2 is in development, though we won’t see it this year. But Bungie is planning to launch a “major content release” connected to the franchise for this Fall.
Finally, Blizzard’s CEO, Michael Morhaime, said that both StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void and Overwatch will be available for beta testing this year. However, Morhaime would not comment on either game’s final release date, which means that both will probably slip to 2016.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Destiny, Overwatch, Skylanders SuperChargers, Skylanders SuperChargers Racing, StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void
Insert Quarter: Everyone Loves Overwatch… But Why?
Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.
Blizzard’s Overwatch unveiling got the game industry and gamers everywhere buzzing like they haven’t in a long time. But what’s the source of all this good will? Kotaku’s Luke Plunkett believes that it’s due to the fact that Overwatch, above all else, looks like fun. When so many other so-called “AAA” games are exploring the darkest recesses of the human mind, Blizzard is running in the opposite direction to deliver a game that evokes the best Saturday morning cartoons without being childish:
Consider the vast majority of blockbuster video game releases. They usually star men. Those men are scowling. They’re involved in bloody violence of the grimmest sort. The lighting is dark, and smoky, and hostile. From Call of Duty to Battlefield, Assassin’s Creed to Far Cry (and most games in between), the big games from big teams share a very similar tone. And that tone isn’t very fun.
Now consider Overwatch’s reveal. Happy kids, a talking ape, a very chirpy British girl. It didn’t really seem like a video game trailer at all, did it? People compared (wrongly, I think) the art design to Pixar, but they’re close: it felt like a Pixar movie, with a youthful sense of joy and excitement.
In this business, that’s pretty rare!
You can read the rest of the article at Kotaku.
Posted in Insert Quarter, PC
Tagged Overwatch
Blizzard debuts team-based shooter Overwatch at BlizzCon 2014
Titan may be dead, but Blizzard marches on. To show that they’re not dwelling on the past, the developer announced a new game during the opening festivities of this year’s BlizzCon. Titled Overwatch, it’s a team-based shooter for the PC that has a very Disney/Pixar vibe to it. Or at least, as Disney/Pixar as a game about futuristic arena warfare can be.
The action of Overwatch takes place in a technologically advanced, highly stylized future earth. In a time of global crisis, an international task force of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities known as Overwatch had come together to restore peace to a war-torn world. After many years, the group’s influence waned, and it was eventually disbanded. Overwatch might be gone now . . . but the world still needs heroes.
With an emphasis on accessibility and pure fun, Overwatch brings Blizzard’s signature easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay to the FPS genre. Harnessing the power of their hero of choice, players will join forces in teams of six and battle each other across a range of futuristic global locations, from the hologram-lit streets of London to a bazaar in the shadows of a high-tech Egyptian pyramid. Every battlefield is iconic and built to highlight each character’s unique abilities, and fights can shift from streets to rooftops to open skies within the span of a breath.
Overwatch is already in a playable state and Blizzard announced that a beta test will take place sometime in 2015. You can sign up for a chance to join the beta (and learn a bit more about the game’s ragtag group of heroes) at the Overwatch offcial website. I’d also recommend checking out Overwatch’s first gameplay trailer, which is available after the break. (more…)