I've been silent for the last couple days with this opinion, certain that many of the other gaming sites would jump in with the exact same opinion I shared about the Overwatch vs. Battleborn debate. To my surprise, across the board, everyone seems to agree that Overwatch is the ultimate gaming experience, and I'm here to tell you that's just not true.
Before I get into Overwatch, I encourage you to check out my Battleborn impression piece which you can find here. It will help in understanding my perspective when playing Overwatch.
When I went into Overwatch I went in assuming that both it and Battleborn were essentially the same game, and this is why they are being compared. The simple fact is that one is a MOBA that says it's a shooter and the other is a shooter that says it's a MOBA but is really Team Fortress 2.
I use the Team Fortress 2 comparison because I heard/read/experienced it at least 100 times in the past 24 hours and it's true in some regard. Truthfully, I compare my time in the game with the recent Doom arena experience except I already have my power ups.
Things move quick. You get kills quick, you respawn quick and the game ends quick. I went through a tutorial but after going 8-2 my first match with a character I never played I wondered if I ever needed to. I didn't follow a strategy, stick with my team, or communicate. I just ran around, and shot a gun.
This varied wildly compared to the skill tree laden, 30 minute plus team battles that captivated me with Battleborn. There I felt like I had to THINK before I acted. Going in guns a blazing to enemy territory resulted in sure death and grief from my teammates...not an Overkill. While some call it cumbersome I welcomed the change into a format that is already chocked full of mindless shooters with little value. I assumed that's what everyone else was on board for.
Ultimately, and this is just my opinion, I felt Overwatch was shallow when put against Battleborn. How can I compare a game that is run and gun multiplayer matches to an RPG shooter that utilizes team tactics and has it's own story mode? Simply put, these are two different games for two different audiences and both companies have done a disservice in convincing you they are at all similar.
I guess the point I am making is that your enjoyment of either Battleborn or Overwatch will vary highly based on what you want from this hybrid era of competitive gaming. If you're someone who loves MOBA play Battleborn, even if you're the most avid of Blizzard fans. I guarantee you will enjoy that experience more than Overwatch. That said, if you're someone not wishing to invest in a "slower" team based shooter, then go Overwatch.
Ultimately, don't let anyone fool you into thinking these two are even remotely the same game.
