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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Keith Stuart

Overwatch 2 review – a free-to-play shooter for the rest of us

Overwatch 2 video game artwork.
Characters have been tweaked, buffed and nerfed …Overwatch 2 video game artwork. Photograph: Activision Blizzard

If Overwatch 2 were a movie, it would probably be called a reboot or a reimagining rather than a sequel. This is the same team-based sci-fi shooter we’ve been playing since 2016, with mostly the same characters battling it out with familiar moves. The biggest change is economic: Overwatch has now gone free-to-play, meaning you can download it on to your PC or console and start blasting without paying a penny.

The game has been refitted to work with that infamous talisman of the free-to-play shooter: the Fortnite-style battle pass. If you want to customise your costume and weapons – or play as Kiriko, one of the three new characters – you’ll either need to play a lot of the game, completing daily challenges and working your way through the tiers before the season ends … or just buy the Battle Pass. Some cosmetic items will only be available if you pay for a subscription or buy them directly from the shop. You don’t need them, but if you’re a completist about weapon charms and rare costumes, you might find your cursor inching toward the “buy credits” button.

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