Overwatch, Blizzard's hit shooter, will be free this weekend in celebration of the game's one-year anniversary.
Starting today at 11 a.m PST until 11:59 on Monday, anyone can jump into the world of Overwatch and try the game out for free. The free-to-play weekend is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the game. However, Xbox One and PS4 users will need to have a subscription to Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus as Overwatch is an online-only game. PC users will need a Battle.net account, which is free to create unlike in Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus.
What Is Overwatch
Originally intended to be a massively multiplayer online game code-named Project Titan, Overwatch has quickly grown into one of Blizzard's most popular games. The company's first foray into the first-person-shooter genre, Overwatch is a six v. six team-based shooter that sees players competing to complete a number of map objectives in order to win the match. These objectives can include king of the hill, escort missions, and others. One of the more interesting modes is an arcade mode that introduces new rules and objectives on a weekly basis.
Characters
As mentioned above, Overwatch is a team-based shooter, but unlike Halo, Overwatch is a class-based shooter. There are currently 24 different characters in the game and each character is grouped into one of several classes. These classes define the character's role in the match. Some, such as the speedy Tracer, are meant to harass the enemy whereas others, such as the hulking Reinhardt, are tanks which mean they protect their allies and soak up damage.
The characters are really what makes Overwatch such an interesting game. Even when characters are from the same class, they are different enough that they all feel interesting. Best of all, there are no restrictions on which characters can be used. During and after this weekend, assuming the game has been purchased, every character will be unlocked. This includes new characters which Blizzard adds periodically.
Loot Boxes
Even though Overwatch does not lock characters behind a paywall, there are some microtransactions in the game. Cosmetic items such as costumes, emojis, and sprays can be unlocked via loot boxes. These loot boxes are rewarded for leveling up individual characters, but they can also be bought with real money. Given that Overwatch is a full-priced game, some might be turned off by the inclusion of these items, but they have no effect on the gameplay so they shouldn't deter anyone from giving the game a shot this weekend.
