Overwatch players reveal why Overwatch 2 feels more “violent and real”
Activision BlizzardA select few pro Overwatch players have gotten the chance to test Overwatch 2 and almost all can agree that the game feels more “violent and real” than the original.
OW2 is drawing ever closer as fans are getting more access to what the storied sequel will bring with it at release.
The most recent gameplay footage, a pro exhibition match during the 2021 OWL Grand Finals, showed off several new hero reworks, a new map, and some of the new UI that will be featured in OW2.
But, when the dust settled and the players were able to reflect back on the gameplay, there’s one thing that kept coming up. Namely, the game’s violence and realism.
Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2 weapons “rattle” and sound “violent”
Both during the exhibition match and afterward during a Twitter Space roundtable, casters and players discussed their feelings on the weapon sounds and overall feeling of Overwatch 2’s gameplay.
At one point during the match, Reaper is firing his Hellfire Shotguns under a bridge, producing a sinister and ominous sound that caught both caster’s attention.
Mitch ‘Uber’ Leslie claimed the gun “rattles” while Matt ‘Mr. X’ Morello went on to talk about how players have expressed that the weapons in OW2 feel “violent” and “more real than Overwatch 1.”
The clip begins at the 7:10 mark and continues through 8:00 for mobile users.
Afterward, a few OWL players were invited to reflect on the experience in a Twitter Space on the Overwatch account, hosted by Mr. X.
After talking about their first impressions of the new heroes and the new Push game mode, the group’s conversation turned to a wishlist of things they look forward to seeing next.
Blake ‘Gator’ Scott was excited most to see and hear more of how the game will look and sound, noting the sounds to be “kind of trippy” when he was playing OW2. Matthew ‘Super’ DeLisi shared this sentiment, noting that Widowmaker’s sniper sounded like a Barrett .50 caliber.
There is no surprise that these players have found the new sounds to be exciting and noteworthy, considering they’ve heard the sounds played the same way in Overwatch 1 thousands of times over. Even the slightest adjustment would catch you off guard at that point.
The clip begins at 30:10 for mobile users.
Plenty of changes OW2 will make are going to be obvious and in your face. 5-player teams, new maps, heroes, and game modes will be the first thing that catches many player’s attention when the new game releases.
But, for those long-time players, subtle things like the adjustment to Sombra’s hack and the changes to weapon sounds, are going to go a long way in making this feel like more of a sequel and less of a re-skinned Overwatch 1.
It will be exciting for players to get their hands on this game and hear the sounds for ourselves first-hand. However, no release date has been confirmed for Overwatch 2, so it is uncertain when that time will come.
One thing is for certain, though. According to the OWL, the 2022 season will be played on a build of the sequel. So, if we aren’t able to play it for a while, at least fans will be able to watch the new game when the next season rolls around.
