Overwatch isn’t a new game to me. I’ve spent countless hours grinding my way through seasons on Xbox, trying out all the heroes, giving maps a spin and working to get out of Silver.
Truth be told, I got bored and frustrated. So I haven’t played for a good 10 months or so.
When it came up cheap for Switch, I had some serious concerns about speed, connectivity and consistency, but I just had to know what it was like.
So here we are…….about 8 hours in.
I’m seriously impressed with how well Overwatch has ported over, and I’m having a great time just playing it in handheld, not hogging up the living room TV.
The bad news
As a long-time player, I was seriously disappointed to find that all of my hard-earned skins, emotes etc weren’t carried over when I connected my Nintendo account with my Blizzard account.
In all honesty, Overwatch was the only game that had me wrapped-up in a chase for skins in loot boxes. I spent actual money on some of these things, but they’re chained to my Xbox only. Little bit weird.
Beyond that, I’ve starting from scratch, but it’s not that bad.
I’ve been out of the loop a while and Overwatch is always delivering new stuff. So I’ve got a couple of heroes to test and new maps to learn. It’s not that bad, though, is it?
I guess, the bad news isn’t that bad is it?
There was this expectation that it would be a laggy, low-FPS mess. Based on reviews from places online. But I have the advantage of coming from the console version, not super-high FPS PC land.
It just isn’t.
People have done screen by screen comparisons and noted that certain objects are missing on levels, and resolution checks etc. Is that so important to getting a good game? No, I don’t think so.
What is supposedly lost, is quite honestly, barely noticable. It’s stable, I’ve had less connection issues with it than on Xbox, and it feels exactly like the full game. Not a stripped-down “lite” version.
The good
I think I’ve said it all, already.
Overwatch on Switch, is Overwatch. Plain and simple. It’s bright, it’s fun and everything is responsive.
I have no clue how Blizzard managed it, but I’m playing a game I’ve invested a significant chunk of my life into on Xbox, but on the go. I’ve played in bed, watching TV on the sofa, in the Kitchen. No detriment to the experience whatsoever.
This is why I love the Switch. You know sacrifices are being made somewhere, but bugger me if I can tell.
My enjoyment of the series has been re-ignited and I’m on my way to getting re-qualified for competitive. Christmas lootboxes, the lot.
I wish I had my D.Va playing a game emote, but I’ll just re-earn the coins and re-buy it. Nothing that I’ve not carried over, is detrimental to the core experience of the game.
I love role-queue, too. This came in shortly after I gave up playing, but knowing that I can queue as a tank, means I’m able to just do my thing. I don’t have to try and badly fill a slot, to make up for poor team composition.
Overwatch
This isn’t a big review on the game itself, rather, an insight into the Switch version, compared to the Xbox version.
If you’ve never played Overwatch before and think that this isn’t a “real” version, you’re wrong. This is a great port, and Overwatch is a great game.
If you’ve played it for years, but fancy it on the go. Look no further! Sure, there might be some performance loss if you come from PC, but honestly, this is much smoother and accessible than I expected.
Overwatch on Swich is a good version of Overwatch. Simple really.
I love the game, and it’s re-ignited my love for it.
So, yeah. It isn’t the best game in the world, and you have to watch stuff out of the game to have and grasp on the world and lore (the animated shorts are superb, though!).
If you have a Switch and see it on CDKeys for £12-£15 (it’s always around that), then it’s well worth it.
Recommended, in fact, I’d say “Highly Recommended”!
Now, dive in and help me get a better competitive rank than bloody bronze or silver……