My gaming life used to revolve aroundOverwatch. At university, I would frequent the shooter most nights, using it as an excuse to hang out with friends as we grinded for loot boxes and caught up on the latest seasonal event. Millions of others were caught in its grasp, too, since at the time, Overwatch still felt like a fresh and exciting concept. Live service games had yet to evolve into their current form, allowing Blizzard’s charismatic outing to rule the roost.
But after several scandals and the development hell endured by its sequel, Overwatch has failed to maintain this momentum. If anything, outside its hardcore community, the game has turned into somewhat of a joke. Its bloated roster, unclear creative vision, and unsure future after a recent round of layoffs have left confidence at an all-time low, something which can’t be paved over with all the anime crossovers in the world. EvenCowboy Bebop…
Given the sheer number and variety of heroes in its roster, Overwatch 2 has a lot of potential for crossover events - I just wish they had a little more substance.
This isn’t the first time Overwatch 2 has flirted with such collaborations, having done a One Punch Man event shortly after the game’s release, which featured a number of new cosmetics. This event is much the same, with Cassidy, Sombra, Ashe, and Mauga all receiving skins based on iconic characters from the anime.
The animated trailer released before the in-game skins were revealed was incredible, matching the expressiveness of the classic show as heroes dressed up as Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and even the crew’s beloved pet corgi Ein, now coming in the form of an annoying hamster I wish the game killed off permanently years ago. But alas.
The animated trailer presented a tangible reverence for the anime with beautiful visuals and hard-hitting music that felt like the anime’s opening sequence was playing out with many of our favourite Overwatch characters. Sadly, very little of this personality has carried over to the finished product. While the available skins are impressive and resemble the characters somewhat, some of them either feel like shallow cosplay or ill-fitting the characters to which they’re assigned.
Sombra is great as Ed, while Ashe slays as Faye Valentine, but Cassidy’s Spike Spiegel is rough, and I could take or leave Mauga’s take on Jet. The gameplay trailer largely takes place on a single section of the Route 66 map, because it’s the Wild West and cowboys, I suppose, despite the fact that Cowboy Bebop is a sci-fi western that goes much beyond the cliches we’d associate with the genre. Not that Overwatch 2 seems to care.
While the Hammond skin is being given away for free, you’ll have to pay a pretty penny for each of the individual skins or to earn them as part of a bundle, all of which bear prices that Overwatch 2 has already been dragged across the coals for months for. Back in 2016, it was possible to earn skins such as this through loot boxes, earned with each level or bought on the side if you were truly desperate.
But most importantly, skins never felt truly paywalled despite their monetisation, something that Overwatch 2 hammered into the experience while also killing the game that preceded it. An entire community was expected to come along for the ride, but the vast majority of them just walked away.
My passion for Overwatch 2 has been dwindling more and more in recent months, to the point where events and skins which should light a fire in my heart like Pride Month or this Cowboy Bebop collab are passing me by without so much as a whimper. This sentiment appears common amongst the community too, with players either dragging the price for these limited edition skins or wishing the game would evolve beyond cosmetics and the recycled game modes it keeps on introducing.
Half a decade ago, I would have been thrilled to see an event like this come to Overwatch, but today, I just feel nothing. A lot has changed, so maybe it’s time I moved on.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
The sequel to Blizzard’s popular team-based hero shooter, Overwatch 2 features a roster of over 35 fighters and over 20 maps. It features team sizes reduced to five, aiming to create faster and more action-oriented matches, while PvE elements add to the options available.
