The things that make Overwatch work are still here, but the things that make Overwatch not work as smoothly as it could are also still here, giving credence to the typical reaction of "it's just the same game."
It is the same game, and the addition of "2" to the title only signifies a shift to a significantly worse progression system which implements the worst aspects of F2P games and microtransactions as a whole without implementing some of the countermeasures that still make progression in those same F2P games fun. The abolition of the career level (effectively), the removal of earning skins via lootboxes (even if not ideal), and the lack of any sort of progression aside from the battle pass leaves a empty gap for those who like to watch numbers go up. The simple addition of character levels akin to any Hi-Rez game with the ability to earn skins for that specific character would remedy this problem entirely.
I can't speak for balance entirely, but it certainly also does seem like certain characters outshine others, and certain characters outright harm the experience. I honestly can't rag on this too much though, because this is going to be the case in any game that has a hero system ever, the likelihood is that this game will still be following the same pattern of meta-shifting as every other competitive multiplayer game.
Hopefully the PvE update (whenever it comes) will be good enough to justify this marketing gimmick of a faux-sequel that removes more content than it adds, but nonetheless it's still a semi-competent game.
It is the same game, and the addition of "2" to the title only signifies a shift to a significantly worse progression system which implements the worst aspects of F2P games and microtransactions as a whole without implementing some of the countermeasures that still make progression in those same F2P games fun. The abolition of the career level (effectively), the removal of earning skins via lootboxes (even if not ideal), and the lack of any sort of progression aside from the battle pass leaves a empty gap for those who like to watch numbers go up. The simple addition of character levels akin to any Hi-Rez game with the ability to earn skins for that specific character would remedy this problem entirely.
I can't speak for balance entirely, but it certainly also does seem like certain characters outshine others, and certain characters outright harm the experience. I honestly can't rag on this too much though, because this is going to be the case in any game that has a hero system ever, the likelihood is that this game will still be following the same pattern of meta-shifting as every other competitive multiplayer game.
Hopefully the PvE update (whenever it comes) will be good enough to justify this marketing gimmick of a faux-sequel that removes more content than it adds, but nonetheless it's still a semi-competent game.