Overwatch Archives Skins Missed Opportunity - Revision history

IndianaJudd04 at 07:27, 23 March 2026

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A lot of Philadelphia's woes in the 2019 season were blamed on Sado at the main tank position. It wasn't pretty for him, but he bounced back big time in front of a Philly..."

2026-03-22T23:59:32Z

Created page with " A lot of Philadelphia's woes in the 2019 season were blamed on Sado at the main tank position. It wasn't pretty for him, but he bounced back big time in front of a Philly..."

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A lot of Philadelphia's woes in the 2019 season were blamed on Sado at the main tank position. It wasn't pretty for him, but he bounced back big time in front of a Philly home crowd to start his 2020 campaign. Sado was the best main-tank throughout the weekend and yes, part of it had to do with his superb support line enabling him, but he played fearless and was decisive with a lot of his decision. His shatters were massive and he ended up setting an Anubis record for most finals blows by Reinhardt with 21. If the confidence can remain, Sado will surprise a lot of people this sea Brigitte is a far more relatable character than Mercy, and girls with hair like that are always great friends. She's not intimidating like Mercy, instead she knows the solution to most problems is eating ice cream, watching Mean Girls, and listening to Taylor Swift. She'll sit in her old threadbare jumper on her cheap couch with her store-bought rose and she'll offer solutions, but it doesn't matter if these solutions are impossible and ridiculous - most problems can be solved by talking about them, and Brigitte's understanding of that makes her the most supportive Support there [https://overwatch2fans.com/ Overwatch 2 Maps|Https://Overwatch2Fans.Com/] skins are nothing more than costumes to dress your favourite characters up in, so it seems silly for someone like me, who only plays rarely and not even as Soldier 76, to care about them so much. But it’s not really about whether the skins look good, whether I’d want them, and whether they’re better or worse than other sets. It’s that Blizzard had the opportunity to embrace the queer culture behind Soldier 76 and Tracer, a culture the company is happy to cater to in only the most minor of ways, and instead ducked it. A skin that was unabashedly queer was an opportunity to reinforce the diversity Blizzard often talks about, but Overwatch deliberately let the opportunity pass Meanwhile, he’ll see Tracer on the other side of the war, since she’s a Redcoat Cavalrywoman with twin Revolutionary-era revolvers in her hip holsters. I understand the logic behind this; lots of the other characters delve into their national cultural heritage too. Widowmaker is a Mousquetaire, Zarya a Polyanitsa warrior, Genji a samurai, and Lucio a Conquistador. But for a long time, the excuse held up in defence of Tracer and Soldier 76’s queerness only featuring off-screen is that Overwatch simply isn’t the type of game that allows for anything more. Well, the Archives skins do. There is so much cultural history in their queerness, in Stonewall and the earliest Pride protests, in the punk movement, in art, and through cultural trailblazers that speak to the heart of who Soldier 76 is far more than just putting him in a different soldier outfit from a few centuries They wouldn’t even be the exception to the rule, either. Mercy’s skin is based on the history of healers, taking inspiration from Florence Nightingale, while Zenyatta’s is a deep sea diver because… well, I’m not sure. It looks cool, I gu Overwatch 2 stumbles into a unique conundrum though, because its cosmetic economy is built on a system so different to what we have now. Skins used to be earned randomly, with each loot box offering a small chance of us rolling a rare or legendary item that would absolutely make our day. It was certainly unhealthy and downright exploitative in how it preyed on vulnerable people like me with no concept of how much money or time they were wasting on such pursuits, but now things are so much more definitive. However, Jeff Kaplan, the lead director of the Overwatch franchise, seemed to imply that there would be other heroes that would join the fight alongside this new duo. And, if rumors are true, we may know a little bit about t Now, these were just the outlines of new characters so there's not much to go on yet. However, Game Informer did have some vague descriptions of the potential new heroes. According to the site, three of the four looked like they could be female. As for the one possible male character, writer Andrew Reiner wrote that it "held a crooked staff, looking somewhat like a wizard, warlock, or voodoo priest." Maybe a Diablo 4 slide got mixed in by accident? There was also a hero who seemed to have an animal companion, and "a giant four-sided weapon" __ that Reiner described as "similar to the shuriken used by Yuffie in Final Fantasy VII , but much thick Was there any doubt that Corey would have a strong showing to kick off the Justice's 2020 season? He was possibly the best hitscan player in Stage Four of 2019 and continued that dominance in Philadelphia where he shined on both McCree and Widowmaker. Washington played the Fusion closer than the 3-1 scoreline might suggest and Corey was a big reason for that. There is no doubt he will continue to perform at a high le I can buy skins outright, but they used to be earned through chance, so the value of each skin is twisted in a way that the community is going to take a long time to reconcile. In reality is it no different to how things are done in games like Apex Legends or Fortnite , with the very best skins costing around $15-$20, but we were used to earning them in a much easier way, and thus it feels unfair. For someone like me with more skins than sense, I feel like a dragon sitting atop a mountain of gold unaware of how they stumbled across such riches. I’m serious, using the new values assigned to skins I think my account is worth thousands. Yet it’s also worthless.

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:27, 23 March 2026
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−	<br>~~We recently learned that Overwatch 2 is due to shrink squad sizes from six players per team to just five. As someone with well over 1~~,~~000 hours~~ in the game, ~~who used to play on~~ a ~~team that averaged out at around 3~~,~~600 SR (Masters~~, the ~~second-highest competitive rank~~ in the game, ~~accounting for~~ the ~~top four percent~~ of ~~players worldwide), I’m here to tell you that~~ this, ~~reader~~, is ~~the absolute worst number of players any Overwatch team can h~~<br><br> <br>They wouldn’t even be the exception to the rule, either. Mercy’s skin is based ~~[https://overwatch2Fans.com/ Click On this site]~~ the history of healers, taking inspiration from Florence Nightingale, while Zenyatta’s is a deep sea diver because… well, I’m not sure. It looks cool, I gu<br><br> <br>~~Let’s put our thinking caps~~ on ~~here - we’re not getting Overwatch Ground War~~, ~~meaning that we were never going to see some kind~~ of ~~enormous~~, ~~mayhem-filled match type~~. ~~Although I’d like a battle royale mode for Overwatch~~, ~~that’s not looking particularly likely either. I’d assume~~ the ~~maximum number of players you could ever reasonably expect would be nine~~, ~~increasing~~ the ~~standard 2-2-2 formation to a beefier 3-3-3~~, or any ~~other strategic permutation amounting~~ to the ~~same sum~~ of ~~overall heroes. So now we’ve got a possibility window spanning one to n~~<br><br> <br>~~Before you post this on your angry gamer subreddit~~, ~~hear me out~~. ~~I think paid video game loot boxes are vile. They are predatory~~ in ~~nature~~, ~~designed to exploit players~~ and ~~obscure~~ the ~~real cost~~ of in-~~game items. I think every country in the world should outlaw~~ them~~, and I’m glad Overwatch got rid~~ of ~~them. At~~ the ~~same~~ time~~, Overwatch 2’s monetization is terrible~~. ~~In the transition~~ to ~~free-~~to-play~~, we lost~~ the ~~ability~~ to ~~earn things for free. Though I’m mostly positive on the gameplay changes~~, ~~it’s hard~~ to ~~ignore that Overwatch 2’s progression is worse in almost every way~~. ~~I don~~'t ~~love admitting it, but Overwatch~~ was ~~better off with loot bo~~<br> <br>Overwatch ~~skins are nothing more than costumes~~ to ~~dress your favourite characters up~~ in~~, so it seems silly for someone like me~~, who ~~only plays rarely and not even as Soldier 76,~~ to ~~care about them so much. But it’s not really about whether the skins look good~~, ~~whether I’d want them~~, ~~and whether they’re better or worse than other sets. It’s that Blizzard had~~ the ~~opportunity to embrace~~ the ~~queer culture behind Soldier 76 and Tracer~~, ~~a culture~~ the ~~company is happy to cater to in only the most minor~~ of ~~ways~~, ~~and instead ducked it. A skin~~ that ~~was unabashedly queer was an opportunity to reinforce~~ the ~~diversity Blizzard often talks about, but~~ Overwatch ~~deliberately let the opportunity pass~~<br><br> <br>~~Tanks~~, ~~meanwhile, are divided into main tank and off-tank categories~~. ~~The former includes~~ Reinhardt~~, Orisa, Winston, and sort of Sigma, whereas the latter subset is occupied by Zarya, Roadhog, D.Va, and sort of Wrecking Ball. The "sort of" clauses here are because the more recent tanks added~~ to ~~Overwatch’s roster are mostly aligned with one category~~, but ~~adopt minor inspiration from the other one~~. ~~Ultimately, though, the main distinction has to do with whether or not~~ the ~~tank has a shield~~, ~~which directly affects their ability to function as a main tank, which in turn refers to how effectively they~~ can ~~use their status~~ as ~~a team anchor~~ to ~~control engagem~~<br><br> <br>~~So, let’s crunch~~ the ~~numbers. In a 1v1~~, it doesn’t matter who you pick (although you should probably play DPS or an off-tank, realistically speaking). 2v2 means you’re missing one role, which means you need to outsmart your opponent. 3v3 is a 1-1-~~1 formation~~. ~~4v4 has~~ the ~~opposite strategic makeup~~ to ~~2v2~~, in that ~~you can field one of each role~~ and ~~tactically decide which one to choose~~ for ~~your fourth player~~. ~~5v5~~ is ~~shit~~. ~~6v6 is how~~ it is ~~now~~. ~~7v7 gives you one extra space on top~~ of ~~having one hero from each role and sub~~-~~role~~, ~~and 8v8 does the same~~ but with ~~two extras. 9v9 is 3v3, which actually sounds great provided it would hypothetically be implemented alongside larger m~~<br><br> <br>~~Gargoyle was a strong off-tank for the Contenders team Armament and was brought up to the Florida Mayhem~~ in the latter ~~half~~ of the 2019 season. He ~~played well on Roadhog during that time but he is known~~ for ~~being a good off-tank in the 3-3 meta which raises questions about~~ his ~~ability to play in 2-2-2 comps at~~ a ~~similar high level~~. He ~~is more~~ than ~~capable of it~~, ~~though and D.Va play~~ is important ~~in the league at the moment~~. ~~If Gargoyle steps up, the Florida Mayhem may surprise some people~~ this ~~sea~~<br><br> <br>~~While the main tank functions in this way~~, the ~~off-tank is doing every tanky job~~ the ~~main tank doesn’t have time for - protecting support heroes, supplementing damage heroes~~, and ~~tending~~ to ~~any objective that requires a big~~, ~~chunky health bar~~. ~~From Roadhog’s hook to Zarya’s bubbles~~, ~~each off~~-~~tank has some degree of authority over space manipulation~~, ~~too~~, ~~which allows them to use~~ the ~~main tank’s anchorage to support more active area control~~. ~~They’re an essential part of fluid, facile, and fantastic Overwatch - and guess what? They’ll be~~ the ~~first on the chopping block when it moves to~~<br>	+	<br>Typically, when games try and tell their in-game story outside of the game, it’s because the narrative is a bit naff. I don’t mean stuff like the Life is Strange or Tomb Raider comics, which both expand upon an existing story, I mean the likes of Outriders’ recent short there to give backstory and establish the lore of the game. Maybe just... do that in the game? But again, Overwatch is an exception to the rule. Overwatch’s character reveals feel like you’re reading a secret diary, it’s like you’re being let in on something special, not having a crumpled up piece of paper with the word ‘BaCkStOrY’ written on it in crayon - this, by the way, is exactly what watching that Outriders short felt l<br><br> <br>They wouldn’t even be the exception to the rule, either. Mercy’s skin is based on the history of healers, taking inspiration from Florence Nightingale, while Zenyatta’s is a deep sea diver because… well, I’m not sure. It looks cool, I gu<br><br> <br>That’s an issue for another day though. Today, I want to focus on the Archives skins, particularly those of our queer characters, Soldier 76 and Tracer. The Archives event is running until April 27, and brings eight new skins to the game, each designed around a given character’s cultural history. Both Soldier 76 and Tracer are included in the event, but it’s extremely telling that neither of their cultural histories includes any reference to queerness. Soldier 76 is becoming Soldier 1776 which, I admit, is a good pun. The American soldier is donning the jacket of the Revolutionaries, these days probably best known from the musical Hamil<br><br> <br>Next, the first major content update coming to World of Warcraft: Shadowlands was announced. Chains of Damnation will bring players to a new zone in The Maw called Korthia, the City of Secrets, where new quests and world activities will be availa<br><br> <br>Eqo was a major factor during Philadelphia's Grand Finals run in the 2018 season of the Overwatch League. His versatility and smart decision making paired well with superstar DPS teammate Jae-hyeok "Carpe" Lee making them one of the best duos at the time. Both had a downturn in 2019 thanks to unfavorable metas and stuck on heroes neither quite knew how to play. If the Fusion want to make a deep run this year, Eqo will need to play to his 2018 potential. Let's see what happens over the weekend and hopefully he won't be stuck in Mei jail like he was at the end of 2<br><br> <br>We recently learned that Overwatch 2 is due to shrink squad sizes from six players per team to just five. As someone with well over 1,000 hours in the game, who used to play on a team that averaged out at around 3,600 SR (Masters, the second-highest competitive rank in the game, accounting for the top four percent of players worldwide), I’m here to tell you that this, reader, is the absolute worst number of players any Overwatch team can h<br><br> <br>For example, you can utilize Reinhardt's new ability to stop his charge. Reinhardt would have to slam into a wall or let his blast charge run out before stopping, but now it can be stopped manually. People would previously fly enemies off the map, but now you can stay alive as you take someone off the edge and stop to prevent sacrificing yours<br><br> <br>Despite my praise for the designs, Overwatch is not a game with in-depth characters - it’s all skin deep. Any attempt to flesh them out usually comes through fine print in the lore, promo reels, or external material like comic books. I understand why fans want these great designs to be built upon further, and I appreciate that a hero shooter all about utilising powers and fast PvP play is not the ideal genre for deep, interconnected stories. Overwatch has two queer characters, which is more than most triple-A games, but it’s hard to give it too much credit when their queerness has been so completely downplayed. It’s often lauded for its diversity - it even once had a GLAAD nomination - but that fact is its two queer characters are white, cis, and straight passing, while there are more playable animals and playable robots than there are playable Black women. That’s not too much of a stretch though, given that there are zero Black women in Overwatch’s heaving roster right now - Sojourn will join in Overwatch 2, but that feels too late for a game with playable 32 charact<br><br> <br>Corey dominated in the latter part of the 2019 Overwatch League season with insane Hanzo play and [https://Overwatch2Fans.com/ Overwatch2Fans.com writes] high potential on a number of hitscan heroes. He earned Role Star honors for his efforts and was a big component of Team USA's Overwatch World Cup victory. He essentially carried the Washington Justice during the last stage or so of the 2019 season and while the Justice are better overall than last season, he is the most important player on their team. Expect him to pop-off this weekend as Washington tries to make a statement ea<br><br> <br>As a - very - casual Overwatch fan , the characters have always been my favourite thing about the hero shooter. They only tell vague stories, but they’re so well designed and are bursting with such life that they feel like bigger characters than they actually are. They’re similar to comic book characters; you don’t need to have read the decades long history between Batman and the Joker, you just see their iconic designs and you instantly feel as if you know them. Whether it’s Ashe and her Wild West gunslinger aesthetic, D.Va’s e-girl vibe, or Winston the science monke, the character designs tell their own stories. That’s why the recent Archives event feels like a big missed opportun<br>

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:41, 23 March 2026
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−	<br>~~I prefer a scoreboard in general. Transparent information~~ is ~~just more useful and easier~~ to ~~parse, and the medal system never functioned the way it was intended~~ to. ~~However~~, ~~I do think something valuable was lost~~ in the ~~transition. In Overwatch~~, ~~every match would end with~~ a ~~score screen~~ that ~~revealed all of your medals. In Overwatch 2~~, ~~matches just end. On~~ the ~~one hand~~, ~~getting~~ players ~~back into the queue~~ to ~~play another round as quickly as possible~~ is ~~a good priority to have. On~~ the ~~other, where are my shiny medals god damn~~<br><br> <br>~~Corey dominated in~~ the ~~latter part of~~ the ~~2019 Overwatch League season with insane Hanzo play and high potential on a number of hitscan heroes~~. ~~He earned Role Star honors for his efforts and was a big component of Team USA's Overwatch World Cup victory~~. ~~He essentially carried~~ the ~~Washington Justice during the last stage or so~~ of ~~the 2019 season and~~ while ~~the Justice are better overall than last season~~, ~~he is the most important player on their team~~. ~~Expect him to pop-off this weekend as Washington tries to make a statement ea~~<br><br> <br>~~There~~ were ~~a lot~~ of ~~mixed narratives about Carpe coming out of the 2019 season~~. ~~He shut down all the doubters during Fusion's opening homestand weekend~~, ~~though and delivered an iconic Carpe moment in~~ the ~~first map~~ of the ~~first match with~~ a ~~clutch 4K after swapping~~ to ~~Widowmaker in overtime. His stats over~~ the ~~weekend won't blow anyone out~~ of ~~the water but his presence alone factored caused both the Justice and Mayhem to try and focus on him~~. ~~He stepped up when he needed~~ to ~~despite the pressure and cemented his return as one of the best players in the lea~~<br><br> <br>~~The first online~~-~~only BlizzCon kicked off today with an announcement-filled opening ceremony~~. ~~The livestream featured updates~~, ~~reveals~~, ~~surprises~~, ~~and new game announcements~~, ~~including some~~ that ~~are already available today~~. ~~Here~~'~~s a look at everything announced during the BlizzConline 2021 opening cerem~~<br><br> ~~<br>It was convoluted~~ and ~~it didn’t do~~ much ~~to cut back on toxicity~~. ~~Instead of antagonizing your teammates for~~ not ~~getting enough kills~~, ~~players would just rub their gold medals in each~~ other~~'s faces~~. In the ~~end~~, it ~~just led~~ to ~~bullying with extra steps~~, ~~so for~~ Overwatch 2, the ~~developers replaced it with a good old-fashioned scoreboard. Now players can see exactly how many elimins, assists, and deaths everyone has right away. Flaming your teammates has never been eas~~<br><br> <br>~~Despite my praise for the designs~~, ~~Overwatch is not a game with in-depth characters~~ - ~~it’s all skin deep~~. ~~Any attempt to flesh them out usually comes through fine print in~~ the ~~lore~~, ~~promo reels~~, ~~or external material like comic books~~. ~~I understand why fans want these great designs to be built upon further~~, and ~~I appreciate that a hero shooter all about utilising powers and fast PvP play is not~~ the ~~ideal genre for deep~~, ~~interconnected stories~~. ~~Overwatch has two queer characters~~, ~~which is more than most triple-A games~~, ~~but it’s hard~~ to ~~give it too much credit when their queerness~~ has ~~been so completely downplayed. It’s often lauded for its diversity - it even once had~~ a ~~GLAAD nomination - but that fact is its two queer characters are white~~, ~~cis, and straight passing, while there are more playable animals and playable robots than there are playable Black women. That’s not too much of~~ a ~~stretch though~~, ~~given that there are zero Black women~~ in ~~Overwatch’s heaving roster right now - Sojourn will join in [https://overwatch2Fans.com/ Overwatch 2 Updates\|https://overwatch2Fans.com/] 2, but that feels too late for~~ a ~~game with playable 32 charact~~<br><br> <br>~~The thing is~~, ~~Overwatch pitches itself as~~ a ~~lovingly inclusive universe where all manner of people~~, ~~robots~~, ~~and other living beings can co~~-~~exist~~ in ~~harmony~~. ~~Much~~ of ~~its lore explores past conflicts~~ and ~~moments of history~~, but ~~the sequel intends to focus on the present~~. ~~If Blizzard can take time to flesh out talking animals amongst its cast~~, ~~I’m sure the queer characters also deserve a spotli~~<br><br> <br>~~It will be interesting seeing MekO in a Houston Outlaws jersey. He~~ was a ~~steady pillar through two~~ strong ~~season~~ for the ~~New York Excelsior but now he gets a fresh start with a~~ team ~~capable~~ of ~~surprising some people~~. ~~His playstyle differs from~~ a ~~lot of other top-tier~~ off-~~tanks~~ in the ~~league so all eyes will be on him this weekend~~ to ~~see if he was~~ a ~~product~~ of the ~~Excelsior's coordinated team play or if he can be a difference-maker outside of that atmosphere~~. ~~The Outlaws will need him to perform well not only~~ this ~~weekend but the entire season for them to be taken seriou~~<br><br> <br>~~I loved seeing three or four gold medals pop up at~~ the ~~end of a particularly good match. It was~~ the ~~perfect cap on a great experience. Sometimes when my team played well, we’d sit on~~ the ~~medal screen~~ for ~~a minute or two talking about the high points of the match~~ and ~~bragging about our medals. I took~~ a ~~screenshot of my last Overwatch game before the servers shut down where I earned three gold medals and three career bests~~. ~~In Overwatch 2~~, ~~matches just sort~~ of ~~end. There’s no fanfare~~, ~~no time~~ to ~~reflect on how well you did~~. ~~You can’t even see~~ the ~~scoreboard anymore once~~ the ~~game is over. I’m glad we have a real scoreboard, but we didn’t have~~ to ~~give up the medal completely, did~~<br>	+	<br>We recently learned that Overwatch 2 is due to shrink squad sizes from six players per team to just five. As someone with well over 1,000 hours in the game, who used to play on a team that averaged out at around 3,600 SR (Masters, the second-highest competitive rank in the game, accounting for the top four percent of players worldwide), I’m here to tell you that this, reader, is the absolute worst number of players any Overwatch team can h<br><br> <br>They wouldn’t even be the exception to the rule, either. Mercy’s skin is based [https://overwatch2Fans.com/ Click On this site] the history of healers, taking inspiration from Florence Nightingale, while Zenyatta’s is a deep sea diver because… well, I’m not sure. It looks cool, I gu<br><br> <br>Let’s put our thinking caps on here - we’re not getting Overwatch Ground War, meaning that we were never going to see some kind of enormous, mayhem-filled match type. Although I’d like a battle royale mode for Overwatch, that’s not looking particularly likely either. I’d assume the maximum number of players you could ever reasonably expect would be nine, increasing the standard 2-2-2 formation to a beefier 3-3-3, or any other strategic permutation amounting to the same sum of overall heroes. So now we’ve got a possibility window spanning one to n<br><br> <br>Before you post this on your angry gamer subreddit, hear me out. I think paid video game loot boxes are vile. They are predatory in nature, designed to exploit players and obscure the real cost of in-game items. I think every country in the world should outlaw them, and I’m glad Overwatch got rid of them. At the same time, Overwatch 2’s monetization is terrible. In the transition to free-to-play, we lost the ability to earn things for free. Though I’m mostly positive on the gameplay changes, it’s hard to ignore that Overwatch 2’s progression is worse in almost every way. I don't love admitting it, but Overwatch was better off with loot bo<br> <br>Overwatch skins are nothing more than costumes to dress your favourite characters up in, so it seems silly for someone like me, who only plays rarely and not even as Soldier 76, to care about them so much. But it’s not really about whether the skins look good, whether I’d want them, and whether they’re better or worse than other sets. It’s that Blizzard had the opportunity to embrace the queer culture behind Soldier 76 and Tracer, a culture the company is happy to cater to in only the most minor of ways, and instead ducked it. A skin that was unabashedly queer was an opportunity to reinforce the diversity Blizzard often talks about, but Overwatch deliberately let the opportunity pass<br><br> <br>Tanks, meanwhile, are divided into main tank and off-tank categories. The former includes Reinhardt, Orisa, Winston, and sort of Sigma, whereas the latter subset is occupied by Zarya, Roadhog, D.Va, and sort of Wrecking Ball. The "sort of" clauses here are because the more recent tanks added to Overwatch’s roster are mostly aligned with one category, but adopt minor inspiration from the other one. Ultimately, though, the main distinction has to do with whether or not the tank has a shield, which directly affects their ability to function as a main tank, which in turn refers to how effectively they can use their status as a team anchor to control engagem<br><br> <br>So, let’s crunch the numbers. In a 1v1, it doesn’t matter who you pick (although you should probably play DPS or an off-tank, realistically speaking). 2v2 means you’re missing one role, which means you need to outsmart your opponent. 3v3 is a 1-1-1 formation. 4v4 has the opposite strategic makeup to 2v2, in that you can field one of each role and tactically decide which one to choose for your fourth player. 5v5 is shit. 6v6 is how it is now. 7v7 gives you one extra space on top of having one hero from each role and sub-role, and 8v8 does the same but with two extras. 9v9 is 3v3, which actually sounds great provided it would hypothetically be implemented alongside larger m<br><br> <br>Gargoyle was a strong off-tank for the Contenders team Armament and was brought up to the Florida Mayhem in the latter half of the 2019 season. He played well on Roadhog during that time but he is known for being a good off-tank in the 3-3 meta which raises questions about his ability to play in 2-2-2 comps at a similar high level. He is more than capable of it, though and D.Va play is important in the league at the moment. If Gargoyle steps up, the Florida Mayhem may surprise some people this sea<br><br> <br>While the main tank functions in this way, the off-tank is doing every tanky job the main tank doesn’t have time for - protecting support heroes, supplementing damage heroes, and tending to any objective that requires a big, chunky health bar. From Roadhog’s hook to Zarya’s bubbles, each off-tank has some degree of authority over space manipulation, too, which allows them to use the main tank’s anchorage to support more active area control. They’re an essential part of fluid, facile, and fantastic Overwatch - and guess what? They’ll be the first on the chopping block when it moves to<br>

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:33, 23 March 2026
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−	<br>~~That’s an issue for another day though. Today,~~ I ~~want to focus on the Archives skins, particularly those of our queer characters, Soldier 76 and Tracer~~. ~~The Archives event~~ is ~~running until April 27~~, and ~~brings eight new skins~~ to ~~the game~~, ~~each designed around a given character’s cultural history. Both Soldier 76 and Tracer are included~~ in the ~~event~~, ~~but it’s extremely telling~~ that ~~neither~~ of ~~their cultural histories includes any reference to queerness~~. ~~Soldier 76 is becoming Soldier 1776 which~~, ~~I admit~~, is a good ~~pun~~. ~~The American soldier is donning~~ the ~~jacket of the Revolutionaries~~, ~~these days probably best known from the musical Hamil~~<br><br> <br>~~Seasonal events still have~~ a ~~place in~~ Overwatch ~~2, but they simply can’t exist in their current form~~. In the ~~years since 2016, we’ve seen~~ the ~~emergence~~ of ~~Fortnite, virtual metaverses~~ and the ~~battle pass~~, ~~with~~ the ~~latter point going~~ on ~~to define all of the biggest multiplayer games on the market~~. ~~Blizzard needs~~ to ~~take these inspirations into account when crafting the upcoming hero shooter~~ to ~~ensure it can stand alongside the big hitters in the modern landscape. Since right now, it feels downright archaic in compari~~<br><br> <br>~~Paladins,~~ a ~~free-to-play shooter which took a _~~ lot _ of ~~inspiration from Overwatch, has a battle pass~~, and ~~it functions brilliantly. Now imagine this~~ with ~~Blizzard’s budget. I used~~ to ~~be filled with excitement when Overwatch introduced new seasonal events, hoping that my favourite trio of heroes would receive skins I could flaunt on the battlefield~~. ~~Now, I’m just indifferent, rolling my eyes as~~ the ~~same optional modes,~~ the ~~same skins, and~~ the ~~same aesthetic are rolled out again~~ and ~~again~~ to ~~keep us ha<br><br>Right now I have almost everything I could ever want,~~ and ~~I’m smart enough now to avoid wasting money~~ on ~~currency unless there is something I desperately want~~. ~~The battle pass is~~ one of the ~~few means of progression right now, with the character levelling system teased~~ in ~~earlier trailers abandoned until PvE rolls around. Seasonal skins that used to justify events are now available whenever we like, or a part of bundles that cycle through~~ the ~~store each and every day.~~<br><br>~~Overwatch 2 is going through~~ an ~~identity crisis right now~~, ~~even if this weird transition was one that me~~ and ~~so many others expected. It will be a better~~ game ~~in the end because of this awkward growth~~, ~~but right now my investment in Overwatch has arguably lessened the investment I have in its successor because there is less in it for me from the off~~. ~~Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely~~ a ~~me problem , but aside from pushing through~~ the ~~battle pass I’m now stuck waiting to see what else awaits me on the horizon.~~<br><br> <br>~~We probably won't be~~ getting ~~much more information about these unknown heroes any time soon~~, ~~as we don~~'~~t even have a confirmed release date~~ for Overwatch 2 ~~as of yet~~. ~~Hopefully~~, ~~some more news will start to trickle out over the upcoming mon~~<br><br> <br>~~Now~~, ~~these were just the outlines of new~~ characters ~~so there's not much to go on yet~~. ~~However, Game Informer did have some vague descriptions of the potential new heroes. According~~ to the ~~site~~, ~~three of the four looked~~ like ~~they could~~ be ~~female. As for the one possible male character~~, ~~writer Andrew Reiner wrote~~ that ~~it "held~~ a ~~crooked staff~~, ~~looking somewhat like a wizard~~, ~~warlock~~, ~~or voodoo priest~~.~~" Maybe~~ a ~~Diablo 4 slide got mixed in by accident? There was also a hero who seemed to have an animal companion~~, and "a ~~giant four~~-~~sided weapon" __ that Reiner described as "similar to the shuriken used by Yuffie~~ in ~~Final Fantasy VII~~ , but ~~much thick~~<br><br> <br>~~There was a time only a few short years ago when~~ Overwatch ~~was untouchable. Blizzard’s hero shooter was~~ a ~~fresh~~, ~~energetic entry~~ in ~~a genre that was slowly but surely growing stale~~. ~~The beloved developer saw this gap in the market~~ and ~~pounced upon it~~, ~~delivering a diverse multiplayer experience that would hold our attention for years~~ to ~~come~~. ~~Fast forward~~ to ~~2021~~, ~~and~~ the ~~picture appears infinitely more bl~~<br><br> <br>As the ~~years moved on and seasonal events began to repeat, I fell out~~ of ~~love with Overwatch~~. ~~I returned following~~ the ~~surprise debut~~ of ~~Archives, which promised a more intricate delving into~~ the ~~lore behind my favourite operatives, but it was~~ a ~~surface level exploration~~ of ~~narrative elements~~ that ~~simply didn’t do enough~~. ~~A few skins caught my eye, tempting me~~ to ~~indulge in free loot boxes and~~ to ~~grind for a couple alongside friends who returned for similar reas~~<br><br> <br>~~Blizzard took~~ the ~~mantle~~ of ~~#1 hero shooter from Valve's Team Fortress 2 in 2016 when they released the best FPS of the 2010s, Overwatch~~ . It's a ~~game that rewards teamwork (unless your teammates are jerks), and with 31 heroes to choose from, there's bound to be a character that suits your play style~~. ~~Yes~~, ~~it's had its ups and downs over~~ the ~~years (seems like~~ a ~~lot~~ of ~~downs recently), but that can't take away~~ the ~~hundreds of hours many have put into this excellent shoo<br><br> <br>We’d hop on Discord~~ and ~~inevitably talk~~ about the ~~state of [https://Overwatch2fans~~.~~com/~~ Overwatch 2 ~~walkthrough\|https://overwatch2fans~~.~~com/]~~, ~~sharing timid excitement for the sequel and~~ how ~~we’d hope it might shake up~~ the ~~subdued nature its progenitor had adopted in~~ the ~~years since its release~~. ~~The world and heroes~~ have ~~so much potential~~, ~~taking~~ the ~~foundations first established here and building them into showcases that aren’t afraid to grow this universe in bold~~, ~~meaningful w~~<br>	+	<br>I prefer a scoreboard in general. Transparent information is just more useful and easier to parse, and the medal system never functioned the way it was intended to. However, I do think something valuable was lost in the transition. In Overwatch, every match would end with a score screen that revealed all of your medals. In Overwatch 2, matches just end. On the one hand, getting players back into the queue to play another round as quickly as possible is a good priority to have. On the other, where are my shiny medals god damn<br><br> <br>Corey dominated in the latter part of the 2019 Overwatch League season with insane Hanzo play and high potential on a number of hitscan heroes. He earned Role Star honors for his efforts and was a big component of Team USA's Overwatch World Cup victory. He essentially carried the Washington Justice during the last stage or so of the 2019 season and while the Justice are better overall than last season, he is the most important player on their team. Expect him to pop-off this weekend as Washington tries to make a statement ea<br><br> <br>There were a lot of mixed narratives about Carpe coming out of the 2019 season. He shut down all the doubters during Fusion's opening homestand weekend, though and delivered an iconic Carpe moment in the first map of the first match with a clutch 4K after swapping to Widowmaker in overtime. His stats over the weekend won't blow anyone out of the water but his presence alone factored caused both the Justice and Mayhem to try and focus on him. He stepped up when he needed to despite the pressure and cemented his return as one of the best players in the lea<br><br> <br>The first online-only BlizzCon kicked off today with an announcement-filled opening ceremony. The livestream featured updates, reveals, surprises, and new game announcements, including some that are already available today. Here's a look at everything announced during the BlizzConline 2021 opening cerem<br><br> <br>It was convoluted and it didn’t do much to cut back on toxicity. Instead of antagonizing your teammates for not getting enough kills, players would just rub their gold medals in each other's faces. In the end, it just led to bullying with extra steps, so for Overwatch 2, the developers replaced it with a good old-fashioned scoreboard. Now players can see exactly how many elimins, assists, and deaths everyone has right away. Flaming your teammates has never been eas<br><br> <br>Despite my praise for the designs, Overwatch is not a game with in-depth characters - it’s all skin deep. Any attempt to flesh them out usually comes through fine print in the lore, promo reels, or external material like comic books. I understand why fans want these great designs to be built upon further, and I appreciate that a hero shooter all about utilising powers and fast PvP play is not the ideal genre for deep, interconnected stories. Overwatch has two queer characters, which is more than most triple-A games, but it’s hard to give it too much credit when their queerness has been so completely downplayed. It’s often lauded for its diversity - it even once had a GLAAD nomination - but that fact is its two queer characters are white, cis, and straight passing, while there are more playable animals and playable robots than there are playable Black women. That’s not too much of a stretch though, given that there are zero Black women in Overwatch’s heaving roster right now - Sojourn will join in [https://overwatch2Fans.com/ Overwatch 2 Updates\|https://overwatch2Fans.com/] 2, but that feels too late for a game with playable 32 charact<br><br> <br>The thing is, Overwatch pitches itself as a lovingly inclusive universe where all manner of people, robots, and other living beings can co-exist in harmony. Much of its lore explores past conflicts and moments of history, but the sequel intends to focus on the present. If Blizzard can take time to flesh out talking animals amongst its cast, I’m sure the queer characters also deserve a spotli<br><br> <br>It will be interesting seeing MekO in a Houston Outlaws jersey. He was a steady pillar through two strong season for the New York Excelsior but now he gets a fresh start with a team capable of surprising some people. His playstyle differs from a lot of other top-tier off-tanks in the league so all eyes will be on him this weekend to see if he was a product of the Excelsior's coordinated team play or if he can be a difference-maker outside of that atmosphere. The Outlaws will need him to perform well not only this weekend but the entire season for them to be taken seriou<br><br> <br>I loved seeing three or four gold medals pop up at the end of a particularly good match. It was the perfect cap on a great experience. Sometimes when my team played well, we’d sit on the medal screen for a minute or two talking about the high points of the match and bragging about our medals. I took a screenshot of my last Overwatch game before the servers shut down where I earned three gold medals and three career bests. In Overwatch 2, matches just sort of end. There’s no fanfare, no time to reflect on how well you did. You can’t even see the scoreboard anymore once the game is over. I’m glad we have a real scoreboard, but we didn’t have to give up the medal completely, did<br>

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:38, 23 March 2026
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−	<br>~~Despite my praise~~ for ~~the designs~~, ~~Overwatch is not a game with in-depth characters - it’s all skin deep. Any attempt~~ to ~~flesh them out usually comes through fine print in~~ the ~~lore~~, ~~promo reels~~, ~~or external material like comic books~~. ~~I understand why fans want these great designs~~ to ~~be built upon further~~, ~~and I appreciate that~~ a ~~hero shooter all about utilising powers~~ and ~~fast PvP play is not~~ the ~~ideal genre for deep, interconnected stories. [https://Overwatch2fans.com/ Overwatch 2 news\|https://overwatch2Fans.com/] has two queer characters, which is more than most triple-A games~~, but it’s ~~hard~~ to ~~give it too much credit when their~~ queerness ~~has been so completely downplayed~~. ~~It’s often lauded for its diversity - it even once had a GLAAD nomination - but that fact~~ is ~~its two queer characters are white~~, ~~cis~~, ~~and straight passing, while there are more playable animals and playable robots than there are playable Black women~~. ~~That’s not too much~~ of ~~a stretch though~~, ~~given that there are zero Black women in Overwatch’s heaving roster right now - Sojourn will join in Overwatch 2, but that feels too late for a game with playable 32 charact~~<br><br> <br>~~Edgerunners is~~ a ~~new anime set~~ in the ~~world~~ of ~~Cyberpunk 2077~~, the ~~highly-anticipated game that had an infamously rocky and controversial launch~~. ~~It was losing players and support fast. But this new anime has sparked new life~~ into the ~~game, as~~ it now ~~boasts over a million players a day~~, ~~and the general conversations around Cyberpunk 2077 have shifted in tone - people seem to be swinging back around to enjoy this gem~~ in ~~the rou~~<br><br> <br>~~Meanwhile~~, ~~he’ll see Tracer on the other side~~ of ~~the war~~, ~~since she’s~~ a ~~Redcoat Cavalrywoman~~ with ~~twin Revolutionary-era revolvers in her hip holsters~~. I ~~understand the logic behind this; lots~~ of the ~~other characters delve into their national cultural heritage too~~. ~~Widowmaker is a Mousquetaire~~, ~~Zarya a Polyanitsa warrior~~, ~~Genji a samurai~~, and ~~Lucio a Conquistador~~. ~~But for a long time~~, the ~~excuse held up~~ in ~~defence of Tracer and Soldier 76’s queerness only featuring off-screen is~~ that ~~Overwatch simply isn’t the type~~ of ~~game~~ that ~~allows for anything more. Well,~~ the ~~Archives skins do~~. ~~There~~ is so ~~much cultural history~~ in ~~their queerness~~, in ~~Stonewall and~~ the ~~earliest Pride protests,~~ in the ~~punk movement~~, ~~in art~~, ~~and~~ through ~~cultural trailblazers that speak~~ to the ~~heart of who Soldier 76 is far more than just putting him in a different soldier outfit from a few centuries~~ <br><br> <br>~~Another weekend~~ of ~~the Overwatch League is in the books and boy did the Philadelphia home crowd bring the excitement~~. ~~The homestand format is working out really well so far this season and it~~ will ~~be fun~~ to ~~continue the train next week in Washington. Despite a smaller amount of matches~~ over the ~~weekend due to the cancelled homestand in Shanghai, there were a handful of players that started off their season in brilliant fash~~<br><br> <br>~~The Florida Mayhem looked strong in~~ the ~~opening match against the Houston Outlaws (doesn~~'~~t everyone?) but faltered against a tough Philadelphia team~~ to ~~end the weekend~~. ~~Through the ups-and-downs, Gangnamjin~~, the new ~~rookie flex-support shined in his debut~~. ~~His Ana was incredible and already has some~~ of the ~~best stats in the league~~ for the hero~~. He will be extremely important for Florida this season if they want~~ to ~~surprise everyone. Gangnamjin is more than capable of performing at~~ a ~~high level~~, ~~though as he showed all week~~<br><br> <br>~~I loved seeing three or four gold medals pop up at the end of~~ a ~~particularly good match~~. It was ~~the perfect cap on~~ a ~~great experience. Sometimes when my team played well~~, ~~we’d sit on the medal screen for~~ a ~~minute or two talking about the high points of the match and bragging about our medals~~. ~~I took a screenshot of my last Overwatch game before~~ the ~~servers shut down where I earned three gold medals~~ and ~~three career bests. In Overwatch 2~~, ~~matches just sort of end~~. ~~There’s no fanfare, no time~~ to ~~reflect on how well you did. You can’t even see the scoreboard anymore once the game is over. I’m glad we have a real scoreboard~~, ~~but we didn’t have to give up~~ the ~~medal completely, did~~<br><br> <br>~~It was convoluted~~ and ~~it didn’t do much~~ to ~~cut back on toxicity~~. ~~Instead~~ of ~~antagonizing your teammates for not getting enough kills~~, ~~players would just rub their gold medals in each other's faces. In~~ the ~~end~~, it ~~just led to bullying with extra steps, so for Overwatch 2, the developers replaced it with~~ a ~~good old-fashioned scoreboard~~. ~~Now players can see exactly how many elimins, assists~~, and ~~deaths everyone has right away. Flaming your teammates has never been eas~~<br><br> <br>~~A lot~~ of ~~Philadelphia~~'s ~~woes~~ in the ~~2019 season were blamed on Sado at~~ the ~~main tank position~~. It ~~wasn~~'~~t pretty for him~~, ~~but he bounced back big time in front of~~ a ~~Philly home crowd to start his 2020 campaign~~. ~~Sado was the best main-tank throughout the weekend and yes~~, ~~part of~~ it had ~~to do with his superb support line enabling him~~, but ~~he played fearless~~ and ~~was decisive with a lot~~ of ~~his decision~~. ~~His shatters were massive~~ and ~~he ended~~ up ~~setting an Anubis record for most finals blows by Reinhardt with 21~~. If the ~~confidence can remain~~, ~~Sado will surprise a lot of people this sea~~<br>	+	<br>That’s an issue for another day though. Today, I want to focus on the Archives skins, particularly those of our queer characters, Soldier 76 and Tracer. The Archives event is running until April 27, and brings eight new skins to the game, each designed around a given character’s cultural history. Both Soldier 76 and Tracer are included in the event, but it’s extremely telling that neither of their cultural histories includes any reference to queerness. Soldier 76 is becoming Soldier 1776 which, I admit, is a good pun. The American soldier is donning the jacket of the Revolutionaries, these days probably best known from the musical Hamil<br><br> <br>Seasonal events still have a place in Overwatch 2, but they simply can’t exist in their current form. In the years since 2016, we’ve seen the emergence of Fortnite, virtual metaverses and the battle pass, with the latter point going on to define all of the biggest multiplayer games on the market. Blizzard needs to take these inspirations into account when crafting the upcoming hero shooter to ensure it can stand alongside the big hitters in the modern landscape. Since right now, it feels downright archaic in compari<br><br> <br>Paladins, a free-to-play shooter which took a _ lot _ of inspiration from Overwatch, has a battle pass, and it functions brilliantly. Now imagine this with Blizzard’s budget. I used to be filled with excitement when Overwatch introduced new seasonal events, hoping that my favourite trio of heroes would receive skins I could flaunt on the battlefield. Now, I’m just indifferent, rolling my eyes as the same optional modes, the same skins, and the same aesthetic are rolled out again and again to keep us ha<br><br>Right now I have almost everything I could ever want, and I’m smart enough now to avoid wasting money on currency unless there is something I desperately want. The battle pass is one of the few means of progression right now, with the character levelling system teased in earlier trailers abandoned until PvE rolls around. Seasonal skins that used to justify events are now available whenever we like, or a part of bundles that cycle through the store each and every day.<br><br>Overwatch 2 is going through an identity crisis right now, even if this weird transition was one that me and so many others expected. It will be a better game in the end because of this awkward growth, but right now my investment in Overwatch has arguably lessened the investment I have in its successor because there is less in it for me from the off. Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely a me problem , but aside from pushing through the battle pass I’m now stuck waiting to see what else awaits me on the horizon.<br><br> <br>We probably won't be getting much more information about these unknown heroes any time soon, as we don't even have a confirmed release date for Overwatch 2 as of yet. Hopefully, some more news will start to trickle out over the upcoming mon<br><br> <br>Now, these were just the outlines of new characters so there's not much to go on yet. However, Game Informer did have some vague descriptions of the potential new heroes. According to the site, three of the four looked like they could be female. As for the one possible male character, writer Andrew Reiner wrote that it "held a crooked staff, looking somewhat like a wizard, warlock, or voodoo priest." Maybe a Diablo 4 slide got mixed in by accident? There was also a hero who seemed to have an animal companion, and "a giant four-sided weapon" __ that Reiner described as "similar to the shuriken used by Yuffie in Final Fantasy VII , but much thick<br><br> <br>There was a time only a few short years ago when Overwatch was untouchable. Blizzard’s hero shooter was a fresh, energetic entry in a genre that was slowly but surely growing stale. The beloved developer saw this gap in the market and pounced upon it, delivering a diverse multiplayer experience that would hold our attention for years to come. Fast forward to 2021, and the picture appears infinitely more bl<br><br> <br>As the years moved on and seasonal events began to repeat, I fell out of love with Overwatch. I returned following the surprise debut of Archives, which promised a more intricate delving into the lore behind my favourite operatives, but it was a surface level exploration of narrative elements that simply didn’t do enough. A few skins caught my eye, tempting me to indulge in free loot boxes and to grind for a couple alongside friends who returned for similar reas<br><br> <br>Blizzard took the mantle of #1 hero shooter from Valve's Team Fortress 2 in 2016 when they released the best FPS of the 2010s, Overwatch . It's a game that rewards teamwork (unless your teammates are jerks), and with 31 heroes to choose from, there's bound to be a character that suits your play style. Yes, it's had its ups and downs over the years (seems like a lot of downs recently), but that can't take away the hundreds of hours many have put into this excellent shoo<br><br> <br>We’d hop on Discord and inevitably talk about the state of [https://Overwatch2fans.com/ Overwatch 2 walkthrough\|https://overwatch2fans.com/], sharing timid excitement for the sequel and how we’d hope it might shake up the subdued nature its progenitor had adopted in the years since its release. The world and heroes have so much potential, taking the foundations first established here and building them into showcases that aren’t afraid to grow this universe in bold, meaningful w<br>

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:36, 23 March 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	<br>~~A lot of Philadelphia's woes in the 2019 season were blamed on Sado at the main tank position. It wasn't pretty~~ for ~~him, but he bounced back big time in front of a Philly home crowd to start his 2020 campaign. Sado was the best main-tank throughout~~ the ~~weekend and yes~~, ~~part of it had to do with his superb support line enabling him, but he played fearless and was decisive with~~ a ~~lot of his decision. His shatters were massive and he ended up setting an Anubis record for most finals blows by Reinhardt~~ with 21. If the ~~confidence can remain~~, ~~Sado will surprise a lot of people this sea<br><br> <br>Brigitte is a far more relatable character than Mercy~~, ~~and girls with hair~~ like ~~that are always~~ great ~~friends. She's not intimidating like Mercy, instead she knows the solution~~ to ~~most problems is eating ice cream, watching Mean Girls~~, and listening to Taylor Swift. She'll sit in her old threadbare jumper on her cheap couch with her store-bought rose and she'll offer solutions, but it doesn't matter if these solutions are impossible and ridiculous - most problems can be solved by talking about ~~them,~~ and ~~Brigitte's understanding of that makes her~~ the ~~most supportive Support there<br><br> <br>~~[https://~~overwatch2fans~~.com/ Overwatch 2 ~~Maps~~\|~~Https~~://~~Overwatch2Fans~~.~~Com~~/] ~~skins are nothing~~ more than ~~costumes~~ to ~~dress your favourite characters up in,~~ so it ~~seems silly for someone like me, who only plays rarely and not~~ even ~~as Soldier 76~~, ~~to care about them so much. But it’s not really about whether the skins look good~~, ~~whether I’d want them~~, and ~~whether they’re better or worse~~ than ~~other sets~~. ~~It’s~~ that ~~Blizzard had the opportunity to embrace the queer culture behind Soldier 76 and Tracer~~, a ~~culture the company~~ is ~~happy to cater to~~ in ~~only~~ the ~~most minor~~ of ~~ways~~, and ~~instead ducked it~~. ~~A skin that~~ was ~~unabashedly queer was an opportunity to reinforce~~ the ~~diversity Blizzard often talks about~~, ~~but Overwatch deliberately let~~ the ~~opportunity pass~~<br><br> <br>Meanwhile, he’ll see Tracer on the other side of the war, since she’s a Redcoat Cavalrywoman with twin Revolutionary-era revolvers in her hip holsters. I understand the logic behind this; lots of the other characters delve into their national cultural heritage too. Widowmaker is a Mousquetaire, Zarya a Polyanitsa warrior, Genji a samurai, and Lucio a Conquistador. But for a long time, the excuse held up in defence of Tracer and Soldier 76’s queerness only featuring off-screen is that Overwatch simply isn’t the type of game that allows for anything more. Well, the Archives skins do. There is so much cultural history in their queerness, in Stonewall and the earliest Pride protests, in the punk movement, in art, and through cultural trailblazers that speak to the heart of who Soldier 76 is far more than just putting him in a different soldier outfit from a few centuries <br><br> <br>~~They wouldn’t even be~~ the ~~exception to~~ the ~~rule, either~~. ~~Mercy’s skin~~ is ~~based on~~ the ~~history~~ of ~~healers~~, ~~taking inspiration from Florence Nightingale, while Zenyatta’s is~~ a ~~deep sea diver because… well, I’m not sure. It looks cool, I gu~~<br><br>~~Overwatch 2 stumbles into~~ a ~~unique conundrum though, because its cosmetic economy is built on a system so different~~ to ~~what we have now~~. ~~Skins used to be earned randomly~~, ~~with each loot box offering a small chance of us rolling a rare or legendary item that would absolutely make our day~~. It was ~~certainly unhealthy~~ and ~~downright exploitative~~ in ~~how it preyed on vulnerable people like me with no concept~~ of ~~how much money or time they were wasting on such pursuits~~, ~~but now things are so much more definitive.~~<br><br> <br>~~However, Jeff Kaplan~~, the ~~lead director~~ of the Overwatch ~~franchise~~, ~~seemed~~ to ~~imply that there would be other heroes that would join~~ the ~~fight alongside this new duo~~. ~~And~~, ~~if rumors are true~~, ~~we may know a little bit about t~~<br><br> <br>~~Now~~, ~~these were~~ just ~~the outlines of new characters so there~~'s ~~not much to go on yet~~. ~~However~~, ~~Game Informer did have some vague descriptions of the potential new heroes. According~~ to ~~the site~~, ~~three of the four looked like they could be female. As~~ for the ~~one possible male character, writer Andrew Reiner wrote that~~ it ~~"held~~ a ~~crooked staff~~, ~~looking somewhat like a wizard~~, ~~warlock, or voodoo priest~~." Maybe a Diablo 4 slide got mixed in by accident? There was also a hero who seemed to have an animal companion, and "a giant four-sided weapon" __ that Reiner described as "similar to the shuriken used by Yuffie in Final Fantasy VII , but much thick<br><br> <br>~~Was there any doubt that Corey would have a strong showing to kick off the Justice~~'s ~~2020 season? He was possibly~~ the ~~best hitscan player in Stage Four of~~ 2019 ~~and continued that dominance in Philadelphia where he shined~~ on ~~both McCree and Widowmaker~~. ~~Washington played the Fusion closer than the 3-1 scoreline might suggest and Corey was a big reason~~ for ~~that. There is no doubt he will continue to perform at a high le<br><br>I can buy skins outright~~, but ~~they used to be earned through chance, so the value~~ of ~~each skin is twisted in~~ a ~~way that the community is going~~ to ~~take a long time to reconcile~~. ~~In reality is it no different to how things are done in games like Apex Legends or Fortnite , with~~ the ~~very~~ best ~~skins costing around $15~~-~~$20~~, ~~but we were used~~ to ~~earning them in a much easier way~~, and ~~thus it feels unfair~~. ~~For someone like me~~ with ~~more skins than sense~~, ~~I feel like~~ a ~~dragon sitting atop a mountain~~ of ~~gold unaware of how they stumbled across such riches. I’m serious, using the new values assigned to skins I think my account is worth thousands. Yet it’s also worthless.~~<br>	+	<br>Despite my praise for the designs, Overwatch is not a game with in-depth characters - it’s all skin deep. Any attempt to flesh them out usually comes through fine print in the lore, promo reels, or external material like comic books. I understand why fans want these great designs to be built upon further, and I appreciate that a hero shooter all about utilising powers and fast PvP play is not the ideal genre for deep, interconnected stories. [https://Overwatch2fans.com/ Overwatch 2 news\|https://overwatch2Fans.com/] has two queer characters, which is more than most triple-A games, but it’s hard to give it too much credit when their queerness has been so completely downplayed. It’s often lauded for its diversity - it even once had a GLAAD nomination - but that fact is its two queer characters are white, cis, and straight passing, while there are more playable animals and playable robots than there are playable Black women. That’s not too much of a stretch though, given that there are zero Black women in Overwatch’s heaving roster right now - Sojourn will join in Overwatch 2, but that feels too late for a game with playable 32 charact<br><br> <br>Edgerunners is a new anime set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, the highly-anticipated game that had an infamously rocky and controversial launch. It was losing players and support fast. But this new anime has sparked new life into the game, as it now boasts over a million players a day, and the general conversations around Cyberpunk 2077 have shifted in tone - people seem to be swinging back around to enjoy this gem in the rou<br><br> <br>Meanwhile, he’ll see Tracer on the other side of the war, since she’s a Redcoat Cavalrywoman with twin Revolutionary-era revolvers in her hip holsters. I understand the logic behind this; lots of the other characters delve into their national cultural heritage too. Widowmaker is a Mousquetaire, Zarya a Polyanitsa warrior, Genji a samurai, and Lucio a Conquistador. But for a long time, the excuse held up in defence of Tracer and Soldier 76’s queerness only featuring off-screen is that Overwatch simply isn’t the type of game that allows for anything more. Well, the Archives skins do. There is so much cultural history in their queerness, in Stonewall and the earliest Pride protests, in the punk movement, in art, and through cultural trailblazers that speak to the heart of who Soldier 76 is far more than just putting him in a different soldier outfit from a few centuries <br><br> <br>Another weekend of the Overwatch League is in the books and boy did the Philadelphia home crowd bring the excitement. The homestand format is working out really well so far this season and it will be fun to continue the train next week in Washington. Despite a smaller amount of matches over the weekend due to the cancelled homestand in Shanghai, there were a handful of players that started off their season in brilliant fash<br><br> <br>The Florida Mayhem looked strong in the opening match against the Houston Outlaws (doesn't everyone?) but faltered against a tough Philadelphia team to end the weekend. Through the ups-and-downs, Gangnamjin, the new rookie flex-support shined in his debut. His Ana was incredible and already has some of the best stats in the league for the hero. He will be extremely important for Florida this season if they want to surprise everyone. Gangnamjin is more than capable of performing at a high level, though as he showed all week<br><br> <br>I loved seeing three or four gold medals pop up at the end of a particularly good match. It was the perfect cap on a great experience. Sometimes when my team played well, we’d sit on the medal screen for a minute or two talking about the high points of the match and bragging about our medals. I took a screenshot of my last Overwatch game before the servers shut down where I earned three gold medals and three career bests. In Overwatch 2, matches just sort of end. There’s no fanfare, no time to reflect on how well you did. You can’t even see the scoreboard anymore once the game is over. I’m glad we have a real scoreboard, but we didn’t have to give up the medal completely, did<br><br> <br>It was convoluted and it didn’t do much to cut back on toxicity. Instead of antagonizing your teammates for not getting enough kills, players would just rub their gold medals in each other's faces. In the end, it just led to bullying with extra steps, so for Overwatch 2, the developers replaced it with a good old-fashioned scoreboard. Now players can see exactly how many elimins, assists, and deaths everyone has right away. Flaming your teammates has never been eas<br><br> <br>A lot of Philadelphia's woes in the 2019 season were blamed on Sado at the main tank position. It wasn't pretty for him, but he bounced back big time in front of a Philly home crowd to start his 2020 campaign. Sado was the best main-tank throughout the weekend and yes, part of it had to do with his superb support line enabling him, but he played fearless and was decisive with a lot of his decision. His shatters were massive and he ended up setting an Anubis record for most finals blows by Reinhardt with 21. If the confidence can remain, Sado will surprise a lot of people this sea<br>