I could not have picked a better time to write my original article about Overwatch, which I'll link here. This one will act as a kind of part 2.

So I mentioned the characters and their uniqueness as one of the hooks of Overwatch. But I've barely scratched the surface of this game's versatility. Recently, I got into a debate with a friend who read my article, and he argues that Team Fortress 2 is the superior game overall. He even linked me to a video on why Overwatch is not as great. And I'm not saying this game is perfect or free from criticism. I ,too, have gripes with people who pub-stomp, refuse to be the team's healer, or just play Genji and Hanzo to live out their fantasies of being edgy ninjas with tragic pasts. But one of the complaints that stuck out to me was that Team Fortress 2 has 9 playable class (or characters, whichever you prefer), whereas Overwatch has, as of right now, 24 playable heroes. This allegedly spreads character development and gameplay mechanics too thinly to the point where certain heroes are left out of the competitive meta and are chosen less frequently across the board.

For instance, D.Va is a very popular, versatile tank hero whose personality revolves around professional gaming and her sassy Korean quips. It's her image and her ultimate tagline of, "Nerf this!" that sells a lot of Overwatch merch, while her shielding ability and capacity to push and control points in-game keeps people playing as her character. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have a hero like Pharah, who on PC is nothing more than a nuisance at best. She can easily be shot down on a mouse and keyboard by a well-seasoned McCree or Mei, and only really has one memorable line tied to her ultimate ability: "Justice rains from above!"

My only counter to this is that different heroes play surprisingly well in other areas. While Pharah may suck on PC for right now, on console she can be a total threat. I've been shot out of a control point on multiple occasions by a Pharah player that won't quit. Plus, it's priceless when you get a multi-kill by using her wrist rocket to push people off the map on Ilios or Nepal. There is a different working meta on each platform Overwatch is released on. Naturally, in trying to cover more ground, certain characters will lack certain useful attributes or death. Pharah isn't only neglected by PC players, she's neglected by the lore of Overwatch as of late. We only know that she is another character's (Ana's) daughter and that she was a security chief for the Egyptian Army. There haven't been many comics written about her, and her wiki entry is pretty thin.

To be clear: there IS value in my friend's criticism. But Overwatch is a series that will more than likely continue for years to come. Much like Destiny, it wouldn't make sense for Blizzard to abandon or not expand upon such a popular and recognizable property. Pharah will have her day, and so will every hero. Eventually.

The last point I want to touch on before going back to the arcade is the updates for Overwatch. This is another shining feature that TF2 doesn't boast unless the community hosts their own. Overwatch has events every few months that vary in style and strategy. Halloween's was Junkenstien's Revenge, a very well recieved PvE Hoard Mode where four heroes fought to defend the castle against waves of AI Omnic Zombies and Halloween-themed enemy heroes like Mercy and Junkrat. This month is Overwatch's one year anniversary, and it is marked by the release of Uprising, a new PvE mode set on the King's Row map during the days of the Omnic Crisis. Fans have been asking for a mode that sent them back in time and let them fight against AI enemies again, and Blizzard listened. The mode gives the world more lore and shows us new skins for the Tracer, Reinhardt, Mercy, and Torbjorn from their original days in Overwatch. We even get a few of the Blackwatch skins and some Null Sector Omnic skins for Bastion and Orisa.

My reason for mentioning this is that the community isn't the only thing that keeps the game fresh. Blizzard listens to its community and actively participates in keeping its game exciting and friendly (For the most part. You overly- competitive assholes who like to ruin games know who you are). These events show us the game's creative limits and give us more of what we want. The fans want to see Tracer and the others kick ass and take names during their prime; heroes are meant to feel heroic. Valve is notorious for not giving their fans what they want, and before you say anything about Steam Sales and CS:GO skins, need I remind you of Half Life 3 or Left for Dead 3? Y'know, the things that don't exist?

Team Fortress has had its time in the sun. I personally draw the line where the community began to salvage the game's worth by basing the in-game economy on hats. Yeah. Hats. Like a top hat for your Heavy. Exciting, right?

It's a ten year old game, people. Yeah, it's still fun; plenty of older games are. But why not give Overwatch its chance? Sure, some heroes may seem more similar than others, and the others may not get picked so often online, but it's better that the options are there and that you get more bang for your buck. I love how many heroes there are and how many different ways there are to play them.

The next time someone criticizes you for liking Overwatch, drop a hammer on them.