I suspect that this is a game with which I will come to have a love/hate relationship, based on my first exposure to it. We’ve picked up a second hand copy from someone where Lady M works, and finally installed it this evening, so this is very much a first impressions blog that I can go back to once I’ve got a bit more time logged on it.

The basic setup is simple – two teams of variously classed characters are pitched against each other over a series of objectives in timed matches. There is no real story, merely hints at a wider conflict, but to be fair the game knows that’s not what the competitive players are generally here for. No doubt little nuggets will unfold as I earn levels and unlock bonuses, but my first impressions are of a game that is bright, fast-paced and generally fun. The qualifying statement to that is: if you can get a whole game in without losing your connection to the Blizzard servers. 

The basic tutorial and practice arena are both useful ways to introduce basic mechanics and controls, but the flakiness this evening came when I joined the games played against AI opponents. Out of the three games I played, only one went the whole distance without dropping me out. Now, I’m casual enough in how I play to have enjoyed even the partial games, but I can see the dropped connection situation getting old very quickly, especially with Blizzard’s pedigree in hosting online games.

The one thing that these early games have already shown me is that I really need to go back and try out all these new characters before I play them. I’ve enjoyed the robustness of Soldier76, the fluid strikes of Genji, and had great fun with Widowmaker, but I did feel a small panic each time I picked a new character. I forsee some serious mucking about in the practice arena to see what each can do.

Anyone else playing? What have you found effective in terms of play style or tactics?