‘Overwatch’ gets 3 new heroes, animated shorts planned

 

Everyone’s fallen in love with “Overwatch,” Blizzard Entertainment’s gorgeous-looking multiplayer first-person shooter. Well, it looks like there’s more to look forward to, as it was just announced at BlizzCon 2015 that three new heroes are blasting their way into the game.

 

 

Mei

 

Mei-Ling Zhou is a 31-year-old Chinese scientist whose field of expertise is climatology. She also seems to have an affinity for ice and snow, as all her abilities are cold-based.

 

 

A defensive hero, Mei is able to generate walls of ice that block attacks and allow players to climb to out-of-reach areas. She’s far from helpless, though; with a constant stream of frost from her endothermic blaster, she can slow down and freeze targets, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Her Ultimate Ability, Blizzard, is like the endothermic blaster on steroids, able to cripple enemies in a wide area.

 

D.Va

 

Hana Song, or D.Va, is a 19-year-old pro gamer-turned-mech pilot from South Korea. D.Va is special in that she can fight while on foot, or while driving her robotic war machine.

 

 

While inside her mech, D.Va can fire a continuous barrage of bullets from a duo of rotating cannons. These short-range cannons cause massive damage and need no reloading, but slow the mech’s movement to a crawl. The mech’s boosters also allow D.Va to fly for a limited duration. She can change its direction mid-flight and even bulldoze enemies in her path. Her Ultimate Ability has her ejecting from the mech, then detonating its reactor to deal considerable amounts of pain to all caught in the blast. She can always call down another mech, but while robot-less, D.Va can protect herself using her mid-range gun.

 

Genji

 

35-year-old Genji Shimada once belonged to the Shimada ninja clan, until his brother, Hanzo, brutally injured him. But nearly dying is a small price to pay when you get rescued by Overwatch and transformed into a badass cyborg ninja.

 

 

Genji can reflect projectiles with his sword, fling three throwing stars in rapid succession or in a wide arc, and, like every anime ninja you’ve ever come across, dash forward and slash the enemy for ridiculous damage. Should the enemy die from the slash, he can immediately use the technique once more. He also shares his brother’s ability to scale walls with minimum effort, and can double jump. For his Ultimate Ability, Genji unsheathes his katana for a short duration, giving him the opportunity to instantly murder any foes within range.

 

Hollywood, special editions, and animated shorts

 

Aside from the new playable characters, “Overwatch” is also getting a map called “Hollywood,” which boasts film studios, stages, and a Wild West set.

 

The most basic version of “Overwatch” will sell for $40 for Windows PC, and will include 21 heroes, counting those mentioned above.

 

The $60 special Origins Edition will be launched for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It will come with special skins for Tracer, Pharah, Reaper, Soldier: 76, and Bastion. These skins are not just eye candy; they also flesh out each character’s backstory a little more. Additional goodies include digital items for other Blizzard titles, such as Tracer as a “Heroes of the Storm” hero.

 

 

The Collector’s Edition will include everything offered in the Origins Edition, as well as a soundtrack, a bronze Soldier: 76 statue, and a source book containing artwork and information about the game world.

 

Aside from the game itself, Blizzard also plans to support the brand by releasing “Overwatch” graphic novels and animated short films of the same quality as the Disney-esque cinematic trailer unveiled last year. In fact, a new short is already in development; an animated storyboard featuring Tracer, Hanzo, Genji, Widowmaker, a male scientist, and a young Winston was shown at BlizzCon 2015. Each short will be a self-contained story, and can be watched in any order.

 

Expect “Overwatch” to launch worldwide before June 21, 2016. — TJD, GMA News