Overwatch Character Guide: Winston, McCree, Hanzo
Take Soldier 76, for example. On the surface, he is the most recognizable of the bunch. To be honest, he looks like he was plucked from any semi-futuristic shooter, but his inclusion and design is an important one. Overwatch is a game that awards team and skill-based play, and Soldier 76 serves the important role of acclimating less experienced players into the game. His moveset is simple, with an ultimate ability that essentially allows you to hold down a trigger and rack up kills without aiming, and he also has a healing item, which helps to minimize the importance of avoiding enemy fire. He also has the benefit of handling like a traditional first person shooter, which is bound to resonate with fans of the genre. There’s also Widowmaker, a fan favorite who wields a powerful sniper rifle. While her moveset and weapons require more skill to successfully use, her character design harkens to the femme fatale types that are instantly recognizable, which makes it easier for newcomers to discern what her purpose is within the game.
This is what makes Overwatch all the more frustrating to me. There is a great game ready to be born out of this mess. Blizzard tends to know what they are doing. That is why I am confused regarding how this game has achieved such universal praise, despite its shortcomings. The developer can do much, much better. In its current state, the free-to-play Gotham City Imposters offered much more in the way of depth with a similar tone and varied abilities. How Blizzard can get away with charging $40 (or $60) dollars for less than WB’s beleaguered shooter, and then riddle it with microtransactions, is beyond me.
Besides the size of this update, the rate at which this Heroes of the Storm update arrived is particularly noteworthy. Since they resumed in 2022, most of these updates have had two to three months between them, and about a month between the patch’s arrival on the Public Test Realm and the live release. Not only did this patch arrive faster than usual – less than two months after the last Heroes of the Storm update – but it also came the same month as it hit the PTR. While this could mean nothing, Heroes of the Storm ’s 10-year anniversary is on June 2, leading many fans to wonder if the increased attention could herald something big in store for the MOBA’s big milest
Now, Heroes of the Storm has rolled out another patch – and this time, it has added a feature back to the game that has been gone for almost five years. Heroes Brawl, originally introduced as Arena Mode, is officially back in Heroes of the Storm as Brawl Mode . This game mode features special maps with drastically different rules, ranging from the all-Nova Ghost Protocol snipe fest to the Escape from Braxis PvE map. Brawls will rotate every two weeks, on the 1st and 15th each month, with the first one, Lunar Rocket Racing, available now until mid-Febru
With Overwatch, the charming hero shooter from Blizzard, launching this week, we want to make sure that you’re as prepared as possible to help your team dominate. Overwatch’s main focus is clearly on the interplay between its dynamic characters, so in order to become competent, you’ll need to understand how every character works. Throughout the week, we’ll be publishing guides on each of the twenty-one launch heroes, three at a time, with the hopes that you’ll be able to recognize certain patterns on the battlefield.
Hanzo’s weapon, the Storm Bow, has a damage output that increases based on the amount of tension on its string, which can be controlled by holding down the fire button. Quick shots, while weak, are certainly great for short range encounters, though it should be noted that effective Hanzo players are going to want to stay behind allies who shoot a bit more rapidly. Where this sniper becomes absolutely fatal is through his fully charged shots, which can take massive chunks off of the health bars of every enemy they come in contact with. However, this power comes at a price, as Hanzo’s shots have an arc to them, so long range shots must be aimed above their targets in order to make contact.
In addition to the Concussion Mine, Junkrat’s Steel Trap is effective when used strategically. By placing a large bear trap on the ground, Junkrat has the ability to lock any foe who walks over it in place for a set amount of time. Not only does this make it super simple to eliminate players with the Frag Launcher, ramattra gameplay tips but it also is going to enable other players to get easy eliminations as well. Finally, Junkrat has one of the most devastating ultimates out of the entire roster, as his Rip-Tire can be steered into groups of enemies before it’s remotely detonated. Needless to say, the keys to the Rip-Tire are pretty simple: guide it into a group of enemies (often on the objective) and ensure that Junkrat is hidden while he’s controlling it.
