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Overwatch‘s New Moon Map Is Heaven For Snipers
Space is the place, and as of yesterday, a new Overwatch map. Overwatch released its Lunar Colony assault map onto its public test realm and it’s certainly a new and uncharted frontier. It’s a labyrinthine maze of hallways, barriers and side-rooms—pulled together by two control points—that’s themed after an abandoned moon base where the gorilla…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published June 1, 2017 -
EsportsLung Collapses Are A Surprisingly Common Esports Injury
Over the last seven years, at least six high-profile esports players have been struck with a debilitating and serious medical condition called spontaneous pneumothorax—a collapsed lung. Some had to withdraw from matches. A couple kept playing, even though it probably wasn’t a great idea. Why is this, of all injuries, common in esports? Aspontaneous pneumothorax,in…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 1, 2017 -
Overwatch‘s New Map Is On The Moon
Overwatch just premiered its newest map, which is set on the moon circa 2060. It’s Horizon Lunar Colony, an assault map where players battle it out to capture the point while discovering clues from the former scientific base. Check it out: Of course, it’s a map for Overwatch’s beloved Winston, a genetically-engineered gorilla who used…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 31, 2017 -
Esports
Overwatch Training Apps Gave Me A Way To Obsess But Not Improve
After a two-week regimen with a pro gamer training app, I’ve made a stunning transformation into… a slightly better Overwatch player. Dojo Madness, an app developer with a whopping $12.75 million in venture capital funding, has put out four different video game training apps for League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Overwatch.…
By Maddy Myers Published May 30, 2017 -
CultureCosplay
Incredible Lucio Cosplay Sounds As Good As It Looks
Here’s Neverending Dreamz with the best damn Lucio cosplay you’ve ever seen (or heard). That music you hear in the video below isn’t coming from the con; it’s coming from the gun, which is an 8-inch subwoofer with two 4-inch speakers on either side. It plays music from his phone, and both the gun and…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 29, 2017 -
Overwatch Double-Ultimate Is A Sight To Behold
Oyana’s team was in overtime when they countered one devastating ult from the opposing Pharah with an exploding mech suit. There were bright lights, tons of explosions, and a lot of dead players. It was beautiful to watch Oyana took out both the Pharah raining down missiles and the Mercy who had just revived her…
By Ethan Gach Published May 27, 2017 -
The Biggest Overwatch ‘Ships, According To Tumblr Data
Overwatch has a massive, near unavoidable fandom. After a year, which ‘ship reigns supreme? For the one year anniversary of Overwatch, Tumblr’s Fandometrics blog, which compiles the most frequently used tags on the platform, took it upon themselves to analyze the fandom juggernaut. “During this 358 day period, the #overwatch tag alone garnered nearly 150…
By Gita Jackson Published May 25, 2017 -
‘Only Girl Syndrome’ Pits Gamer Girls Against One Another
Last week, footage of two women fighting in Overwatch went viral.“You’re one of the worst Mercys I’ve ever played with,” one told her team’s Mercy player. “Me? You’re the Mercy who’s rezzing one person and feel like they’re really good,” the second player, Bailee, shot back. The two women were at each other’s throats, arguing…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 25, 2017 -
Overwatch Players Are Throwing In-Game Dance Parties
Overwatch’s new anniversary event, which kicked off yesterday, is a pinata explosion of celebration and glee. But who actually cares about that? The only thing that matters is dance emotes. Now Overwatch has turned into a giant dance floor. Overwatch players have started using the game’s custom match tools to host dance parties. A lot…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 24, 2017 -
Let’s Talk About Lucio’s New Overwatch Skin, Which Is Bad
Lucio’s new legendary skin for the Overwatch one year anniversary is causing me physical pain. Lucio, unfortunately, has a history of questionable skins. If you’re a Lucio player, you have the exciting potential of being a soccer player, a hockey player, a DJ in a frog mask, or a DJ in a golden frog mask.…
By Gita Jackson Published May 24, 2017 -
Kotaku East
Once Again, Overwatch Isn’t Very Good At Picking Kanji Characters
Last year, a short Overwatch animation featured some iffy kanji choices. It seems the latest Hanzo skin does, too. Japanese has a rather complex writing system that features kanji characters from China. There are also native writing systems called hiragana and katakana that are used along with kanji in written Japanese. The latest Hanzo skin…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 24, 2017 -
Overwatch Anniversary Event Brings Some Killer Dances
Overwatch’s one-year anniversary event is live—that means tons of new Legendary skins, three new arena maps and a slew of new bringing-me-to-tears adorable dancing emotes. Happy birthday, Overwatch, and may each year bring a new iteration of Sombra doing the Shuffle. First, let’s take a look at some Legendary skins: And my favorite…. The new…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 23, 2017 -
If Overwatch Was A Turn-Based Tactics Game
A modder has brought a little Overwatch to the excellent Invisible Inc., adding two new agents—Sombra and Widowmaker—to the stealth title’s roster of thieves, hackers and spies. The mod, made by Saltrain, may as well be an official and blessed addition. Both agents look great, having had their designs modified to fit Invisible Inc’s art…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 22, 2017 -
Esports
Pro Overwatch Gets An Official Minor League
There’s been quite a bit of discussion around Blizzard’s official Overwatch League and accessibility, given that reports say a slot in the big show could cost between $15 and $25 million. Turns out, that’s not the only Overwatch esports league Blizzard is launching. Today Blizzard announced Overwatch Contenders, which they’re calling “a development league for…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 22, 2017 -
Overwatch Player Drops Genji’s Dragon Blade Ultimate Within 15 Seconds Of The Match Starting
Dragon Blade is Genji’s ultimate. It grants the cyborg ninja 1.17 swings per second, 120 damage per swing, an eight meter per second movement speed and lasts just six seconds. Player KingFluffy was able to fill up the ultimate meter in scarcely twice that time to unleash a brutal onslaught that left the other team…
By Ethan Gach Published May 21, 2017 -
We Talk About Some Very Weird Ways to Play Overwatch
On the latest episode of our Overwatch show, Cecilia, Heather, and I talk about some very particular ways of playing. First, we dig deeper into Cecilia’s experience of paying women to be her in-game BFFs, then we discuss the plight of that reviled creature, the Hanzo main, and finally we talk about esports and Overwatch…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 19, 2017 -
Blizzard May Have Clarified Pharah’s Controversial Background In Overwatch [Correction]
Early in its now year-long life, Overwatch’s Egyptian hero Pharah’s Native American-styled skins sparked wide controversy over cultural appropriation. We spoke to Blizzard about Pharah’s backstory, and while they wouldn’t fully confirm her heritage, Blizzard offered some insight on their controversial design decision. Since Overwatch’s release, Pharah’s heritage has been a point of contention. Two…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 19, 2017 -
First Look At Four New Overwatch Skins
There’s a whole bunch of new stuff coming to Overwatch as part of the game’s first birthday celebrations, among them these four new skins. Via the official Chinese Facebook page for the game (and the Korean Twitter account), below you can see a new look for Bastion, Pharah, Soldier 76 and best of the bunch,…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 18, 2017 -
Blizzard Says Overwatch Wasn’t Meant To Be Political, But It’s Not That Simple
At yesterday’s New York Overwatch event, in a rented-out space in midtown Manhattan, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan stood in front of a slide showcasing an old Egyptian woman, an autistic Indian woman, a bodybuilding Russian woman, a plump Chinese woman and a Mexican hacker woman. “One thing that we did with the game that…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 18, 2017 -
Overwatch Director Says Balancing D.Va Was His ‘Low Point’ Of The Year
It’s no secret that Overwatch players are precious about the game’s balance changes. On the internet, fans act as armchair game devs, flooding the Overwatch forums with strongly-worded opinions whenever there’s an unpopular or surprising change. Most recently, the forums overflowed with salt after the popular tank hero D.va received a brutal nerf, making her…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 17, 2017