The Overwatch open beta has officially come to a close, with Blizzard shutting off access across PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For the last few days, millions of players have jumped onto Blizzard’s new class-based shooter, testing the waters and seeing how the long in the making game has come together. With fan excitement reaching a fever pitch, Blizzard extended the beta, allowing an extra day for fans to play, but that time has ended, and everyone will now have to wait for the official release date of May 24th.
We took a look at the Overwatch beta, coming away very impressed with what we saw. Both Will and I were highly addicted right out of the gate, though I found myself a bit distracted to the point that I didn’t get back to the game much after those first glorious hours. However, I may have been a bit premature in declaring the game extremely well balanced. Many fans have come out to say that some characters, or heroes, are overpowered, with Bastion being of particular note.
However, this was a definite beta, and the team has two weeks to tweak the game before it hits the market. Most likely we’ll see some big balance changes come down for Overwatch’s more powerful or weaker heroes. Blizzard is looking far into the future for Overwatch, so it’s safe to assume that balance will be a key factor in updates going forward. Each new character introduced via free DLC will create new challenges, so the team’s work is only just beginning here.
But what did you think of the Overwatch Beta? Was it everything you’d hoped for from Blizzard, or was it over-hyped and disappointing? Let us know in the comments, and check out our early impressions video below.
