So People Are Noticing That Overwatch And Team Fortress 2 Are Quite Similar

[caballitomalo]

I love TF2, don't get me wrong, but behemoth? I agree that it is without a doubt the best PvP FPS (or whatever label people give it) but if I understand it correctly isn't CoD the one people play the most? If anything I always saw TF2 as a niche game that was far superior than Halo, CoD or any other crap people play on consoles this days.

I have to say something in defense of Blizzard. Valve doesn't own nor did it invent the concept of an "engineer" or a "medic". There are a few overlapping abilities here and there but I think Overwatch is just a different game on the same genre. Valve, again, doesn't own nor did it invent "capture the flag", "attack/defend" or "payload" game play.

About character design, well, besides the sniper lady I don't think any of them are over sexualized but that's a highly subjective subject that is also rather volatile so... Idk... let the people who really care about it argue endlessly about it I guess. If anything I really really really glad to see concepts with Asian and Hindu influence (and I'm not from that part of the world at all), Idk to me that just adds a very nice flavor to the game.

 

[The Lunatic]

I thought it was kinda Actiblizzion's thing now?

Make more casual/easier versions of existing games, but with a cartoony artstyle?

 

[Seraj33]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZBgxS9KUY0

This video brings up some pretty good points in my opinion. They come from a semi-professional TF2 player too.

 

[croc3629]

I really have no problem with games sharing close similarities in game type as long as the end product is fun without being too derivitive.

I kinda wish somebody would do the same for the Bethesda style open world rpgs.

 

[Li Mu]

I mean, TF2 is already the WOW of the genre. What exactly is Blizzard hoping to achieve?

An interesting point. I think what put me off of Overwatch the most is the WoW/Pixar style. It just doesn't do it for me.

 

[Vigormortis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZBgxS9KUY0

This video brings up some pretty good points in my opinion. They come from a semi-professional TF2 player too.

Egh, I don't know. He kind of ruined his own argument. What few valid points he had (and they were few, since most of what he said was pure, personal opinion) were undermined by the end. Notably when he said, quote, "...they're like a hardware company now. Valve makes Steam and controllers... They seem to care more about that instead of making games." Of which he then follow up with some fairly adamant fan-boy gushing over Blizzard. It seemed to me that the guy was giving a lot of leeway in his criticisms of Overwatch and it's similarities to Team Fortress 2 because of this.

For clarity's sake:
I, for one, am not one of those claiming Overwatch is a rip-off or clone of Team Fortress 2. It bares striking similarities and clear (if blatant) inspirations from TF2, but I do not believe it to be a rip-off.

Certainly not to the degree Final Combat was.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I mean, TF2 is already the WOW of the genre. What exactly is Blizzard hoping to achieve?

Total Market Dominance.

I think companies are facing facts here, MMOs were good for printing money in ways no one ever heard of back in the day, but the game (forgive the pun) has since changed.

Now, people are thinking I'm already paying a subscription fee, why should I pay more for anything? So fifteen dollars a month is cool.

But people go CRAZY with these 'microtransactions'

Case in point.

Last year, League of Legends mad Riot Games 628 million in microtransactions. This year, they might hit 1 billion [http://www.pcgamer.com/league-of-legends-has-made-almost-1-billion-in-microtransactions/]

Now, Heroes of the Storm is coming out as well.

MMO, MOBA, Team Squad Combat. Blizzard now has IPs in three of the five most popular genres there are (the other two being fighting and fps).

In terms of revenue, it's a brilliant move.

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZBgxS9KUY0

This video brings up some pretty good points in my opinion. They come from a semi-professional TF2 player too.

Oh yeah, that was the video I was thinking of when I saw this article.


To be honest if something's "Like TF2 but with all the crap washed off", that sounds absolutely perfect to me. I especially like the idea of it being like TF2 but adding new characters rather than a million unbalanced, unpolished weapons which defeat the entire point of their original character design making other players instantly recognisable and analysed as threats.

 

[The Great JT]

Let's be honest here... We're all just a tad disappointed they didn't announce a new installment of The Lost Vikings. That was truly "a new concept in video gaming". It even says so on the box!

Sorely missed opportunity.

Never forget!

Seriously, how much money would you make, Blizz, if you announced a new Lost Vikings on PSN, Nintendo Network, XBLA and Steam?

 

[War_Dyn27]

Its just revenge for Valve stealing Dota 2.

You mean that mod that Blizzard had no right to? You mean the mod that the guy Valve hired had been working on it for 5 odd years.

Yeah, funny how nobody was crying "rip-off!" back when Valve was copy-pasting WCIII models and adjusting their colour a bit for DOTA2. I'm sure the fact that bashing Blizzard is cool/in and bashing Valve isn't is just pure coincidence.

You mean those characters that all now have their own unique models, voices and personalities, many of which were renamed and remodelled later just to make avoid the slim chance of Blizzard having another dummy spit. Yes Characters like Venomancer and Tresdin the Legion Commander are totally iconic Warcraft characters, amiright?

I seriously hope you guys are joking, because if not, you are very ignorant indeed. Dota 2 is completely separate from Warcraft. it has its own setting, characters and lore, any Warcraft references have been purged from the game.

The real reason Blizzard was mad was because they were too stupid to realise the potential of dota as a stand alone game, and had a sook when someone else beat them to it.

 

[linwolf]

snip

There are still a lot of character models that look like their warcraft origin and skill the is strait up the same. And that is fine because as you said it have its own setting, characters and lore. But unless the dwarven character starts taking in a Texas accent is is more removed from TF2 than some of DOTA2 from Warcraft.

 

[Aeshi]

You mean those characters that all now have their own unique models, voices and personalities, many of which were renamed and remodelled later just to make avoid the slim chance of Blizzard having another dummy spit. Yes Characters like Venomancer and Tresdin the Legion Commander are totally iconic Warcraft characters, amiright?

Nice (cherry) picking, but I was thinking more along the lines of:

- Morphling (aka "He's totally different to the Water Elemental, he's a slightly different shade of blue!")
- Pudge (aka "Abomination with a second eye and a hairdo")
- Enchantress (aka "Dryad with adjusted colours")
- Alchemist (aka "Swap Goblin for Gnome")
- Ogre Magi (aka "Warcaft Ogres don't have pointy ears, so he's not a Warcraft Ogre rite?")

That's not even counting heroes like Earthshaker who are unique model-wise but very obvious copies concept-wise (yeah, I'm sure they thought up the concept of a Large hooved humanoid who bludgeons people with a totem all on their own!) or counting the options added by cosmetics (one of the aforementioned Earthshaker's cosmetics adds horns and a ring through his nose, which makes his evidence to a Tauren even MORE blatant), if only because then my list could basically consist of a link to the DOTA2 wiki's "Heroes" page.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I don't think it's an exact copy (yes I admit the dwarf reminded me of Engi and I chuckle with Bastion and Soldier) since Reaper is far more offence than the spy sneaky backstap and Zenyatta is nowhere near similar to Pyro other than having a mash). Granted I would ship Scout and Tracer together if it weren't for Pauling.
Even if it is a copy, so what? Companies copies each other all the time like.

 

[Robot-Jesus]

I thought it looked distinct, but obviously based off the core engagement of TF2. No idea is completely original, and this is a genre Bilz doesn't have a horse in; I think it makes perfect sense, from a business perspective.

 

[Ticklefist]

Like I'd be caught dead on tumblr. With out going into the whole "Sexualized" issue which is totally only in the head of feminist critics all I'm saying is its obvious blizzard set out to make their own take on the small scale class based co op shooter. Which is how we got overwatch.

Except the head of Blizzard made a statement about "Not all the women in Overwatch are going to be glorified sex objects"... and yet, all I've seen in the trailer is glorified sex objects.

You're trying too hard if all those women are all glorified sex objects.

 

[vallorn]

Are we calling games TF2 clones now? Because UT2004 and HL were totally DOOM clones!

Anyway, Scout has a hot piece of ass in the Tracer's outfit!

Oh god I cannot keep a straight face when looking at Scout's expression in that picture. Pfffft.

Also that Medic Mercy hybrid needs to be a thing in some game.

Ok now onto my points. Yeah it looks and probably plays a lot like TF2 (it's an arena shooter too), However Blizzard seem to be trying for character and ability design much closer to a MOBA than a class based shooter with items like TF2.

 

[Ticklefist]

I thought it was kinda Actiblizzion's thing now?

Make more casual/easier versions of existing games, but with a cartoony artstyle?

Lower the barrier for entry, raise the skill cap.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

It's almost too much of a coincidence how well the TF2 classes slot into Overwatch's efforts.

Yeah, because when I saw Zenyata, my immediate first thought was "He is such a rip-off of the Pyro." *Eyeroll*

I said it once, and I'll say it again: People are trying WAY too hard to find reasons to slam on this game.

 

[RedDeadFred]

For everyone asking why Blizzard has done this, it's because they're going to make a ton of money off of it. People didn't think Hearthstone would be successful since MTG was already dominating card games in video games. I'm pretty sure it has made them a lot of money.

As for copying... who cares?. Games copy each other all the time. People are just more butthurt (sorry, I normally hate that word) about it this time because Valve is seen as the pinnacle of gaming and Gabe is revered as a god. We'd have hardly any games if no one copied anyone. This isn't new and it will certainly not be the last time it happens.

 

[GrumbleGrump]

Here's an idea. How about playing the fucking game first eh?