Is Overwatch 2 truly a sequel? It’s a question that has lingered around the second iteration of Blizzard’s multiplayer shooter ever since its unveiling in 2019, and one that intensified when it was revealed that it will fully replace the existing Overwatch, not exist alongside it. Well, now it’s finally in our hands, and I can say that while it’s less of a reinvention and more of an evolution of the intense, nuanced, and brilliantly colourful team-based battle that made its predecessor so enjoyable, it still brings enough new things to the table that it feels like its own distinct game and not simply Overwatch 1.5.
The bigger question, as Overwatch 2 begins to open up to the public as a free-to-play game, is how many of those new ideas are positive changes – different is, after all, not synonymous with better, and there are definite improvements here, just not universally so. I don’t mean to sound too negative – the original Overwatch is genuinely among the most fun I’ve ever had with a video game (and one of only two 10s I’ve ever given at IGN), so a step down from that is still something very enjoyable. Blizzard has simply set an incredibly high bar for itself here.
