Breakfast Topic: Are you picking up Overwatch?

The release date for Overwatch has finally been announced — and players who preorder will get early access to the beta. Overwatch is a different kind of game for Blizzard, the team-based first-person shooter doesn’t really have a lot of story involved, nor does it have an ever-expanding cast of characters like Heroes of the Storm. I’m a story person who usually sticks to games that have quests and things to do, some kind of ongoing, overarching narrative, and an end that leaves me if not happy, at least satisfied with the conclusion.

Overwatch is … none of those things. But I preordered the Origins edition anyway. Why?

Because it’s fun. It’s the kind of multiplayer game I enjoy playing — the kind where you get together with friends and go nuts. I’m not really looking for some sort of competitive ranking, I’m just looking for something that, at the end of the day when I’m tired of all that deep story stuff, I can just go play without really thinking too hard about what’s going on beyond “Hey there’s a Widowmaker up on the right sniping our healer!”

Diablo 3 filled that spot in a way, because mindlessly crushing demons is always a good time. But Diablo 3 was also a game I could play solo — and frankly, I kind of prefer to play it solo. Stopping to loot items is tedious and makes me feel like I’m falling behind the team. Not being the same level as everyone else makes me feel vaguely useless, or like I’m not helping out. That’s not really a problem in Overwatch — sure, you get levels, but levels do nothing to your overall performance. Being able to swap out heroes at a moment’s notice means there’s never a moment where I’m not feeling useful.

And there’s something kind of addictive about the bright, beautiful, smooth and candy-colored world Blizzard created. I really enjoy it. What about you guys — are you excited for Overwatch? Are you going to pick it up when it comes out, or are you going to preorder it? Are you grabbing it for PC, or for console? Or is it just the kind of game you’re not really interested in trying out?