New Horizons or Just a Facelift? Overwatch 2 Beta Struggles to Innovate Beyond Its Predecessor

The Overwatch 2 beta captivates players immediately with its impressive visuals that, unexpectedly, do not significantly hinder frame rates. Yet, amid its artistically crafted settings and characters, does this title possess enough substance to be considered a true sequel? I dedicated several hours to explore the ongoing closed beta to find the answer. The alterations in the user interface are quickly noticeable, with the in-game scoreboard adopting a more traditional appearance reminiscent of other first-person shooters. Furthermore, the Hero Select menu has undergone some slight modifications.

Upon installing the game on an SSD, I found the load times to be negligible on PC. Whether I was in the lobby or engaging in a Skirmish, the Overwatch 2 beta transitioned seamlessly into matches. Once in-game, I could immediately communicate with my teammates via voice chat. A chat wheel and a new ping system have also been implemented for players lacking a microphone.

Conversely, the wait times for matchmaking in the Overwatch 2 beta were quite disheartening. Quick Play matchmaking is similarly divided into Tank, Damage, and Support queues like the previous installment. The wait times for Tank and Damage roles exceeded 5 to 10 minutes, while I experienced only a brief wait for Support. The Priority Passes did not notably influence the wait durations either. As this was the inaugural closed beta, I remain optimistic about improvements in the future.

Regarding content, it is regrettable that there are few new or substantial updates to highlight. The Overwatch 2 beta mainly features revamped maps from the original Overwatch, such as Eichenwalde and Ilios. Most of the Heroes remain unchanged apart from their updated appearances.

Orissa and Doomfist are the only two Heroes to undergo significant reworks. The team at Blizzard Entertainment has transitioned Doomfist from a DPS role to a tank position. Conversely, Orissa has received a new set of abilities aimed at rewarding more aggressive gameplay.

A new Hero, Sojourn, has been introduced to the Overwatch 2 beta. She wields a railgun that fires rapid projectiles and features a powerful secondary shot. Sojourn is akin to Soldier: 76 and should be easily accessible for newcomers.

The Overwatch 2 beta also unveils a fresh game mode, Push, set on the Rome map. In this mode, both teams battle for control over a shared payload, the PushBot, striving to cover as much territory as possible until time runs out or they hit the final checkpoint.

One of the most notable changes in Overwatch 2 beta is the shift from 6v6 to 5v5 gameplay. Teams now comprise two healers, two DPS, and a single tank. This transition appears to have led to considerable balancing challenges. Many matches leaned heavily in favor of the team that first established control over the objective.

The lack of a second tank in Overwatch 2 beta meant that teams falling behind were unable to mount a credible counterattack. This may result from the absence of adjustments made to characters initially tailored for 6v6 gameplay.

However, this is where the innovations cease. The Overwatch 2 beta still retains a strong resemblance to its predecessor. I even revisited the original Overwatch to compare the differences. Yet, despite the visual overhaul and some refinements, Overwatch 2 beta does not deliver any significantly novel experiences, with most Heroes feeling and playing similarly.

At this point, the Overwatch 2 beta resembles an expansion to the original title rather than a definitive sequel. In light of the recent uptick in Twitch viewership, Overwatch 2 may also be on a trajectory toward eventual obscurity like its predecessor, unless Blizzard enhances its offerings.

Overwatch 2 beta is available until May 17 exclusively on PC. Blizzard has confirmed that consoles will be included in upcoming betas. My experience with Overwatch 2 beta was on a system with an Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz processor, AMD RX570 8GB graphics card, and 8GB of RAM.