TF2 vs Overwatch

Alright, let's look at TF2 vs Overwatch from a gameplay perspective first, since that matters the most.


It's undeniable that Overwatch lacks mechanical depth. All heroes move at the same speed, mobility is tied to cooldowns, and common game maneuvers like air strafing and "tea bagging" (Which is an actual trick to throw off someone's aim in most games) are nonexistent. Game changing plays are not made from real-time strategy but instead of when you time your press of the Q button.

Ultimates are flawed not by their existence, but by their execution. Typically games with “ultimate” abilities are designed so that they can be game changing, but could be lost if the player is too careless. Like how in TF2 the Soldier’s buff banner will reset upon death, or in Splatoon your special will be cut in half if you get splatted. If a Soldier76 can be killed 16 times constantly but still come back into the fight with an aimbot then that’s just bad game design since it punishes the people killing him, and teaches the 76 nothing on how to improve himself.

This normally wouldn’t be a problem IF it didn’t try to sell itself as an eSport since it’s launch. Overwatch was designed with eSports in mind but it somehow has LESS competitive depth than a game designed for all audiences with children as the focus like Splatoon. That’s honestly very pathetic, and makes the game come off as if it doesn't know what it wants to be. (Also I don’t mean any insult towards Splatoon, I’m just using it as an example.)

Now let’s look at TF2. Just like Overwatch it’s a class based shooter that’s (admittedly very poorly) accessible to new players. Despite both games being team based shooters, TF2 rewards your personal skill much more than it’s counterpart. If you can rocket jump impeccably versus someone who cannot, it’s only natural that you’d be awarded the kill. The domination system even rewards this with if a player gets dominated by another player, they’ll be more incentivised to kill them specifically, which gives them motivation to keep playing the game, which improves their game sense and skills, and could even possibly give them a sense of pride and accomplishment if they get revenge (lol). Because contrary to popular belief, most people don’t just put the game down and cry when they get their ass kicked, they’re actually much more likely to keep playing just to get that smug sense of satisfaction upon getting revenge.

Compare that to the design of Overwatch where it’s rock-paper-scissors format punishes certain match ups, regardless of both player’s personal skill.

For example, Mei is designed to counter high mobility, meaning a Mei who probably just installed the game will still have the strict advantage over a Grand Master Genji. Reaper is designed to shut down tanks, Mercy is designed to heal, etc. Trying to do anything outside of their roles will just yield a quick death. Where as in TF2, a Medic can kick an entire team’s ass by his personal skill alone by managing uber, sniping with the crossbow, gauging the perfect opportunity to strike with the ubersaw, etc. And all that is possible on top of the risk of losing his entire uber. A character like the Medic who was designed for one role can still venture out of it if the player has enough game sense to know when to and how to pull it off.

That’s not even mentioning Overwatch’s fetish for stuns and CC. The TF2 development team discovered that losing control of your character for even a second is not fun for the opposing party and changed it to be more skill based for everyone involved like the Sandman. But that development sense is lost in OW when there’s McCree, Mei, Ana, Brigitte, Roadhog, Lucio, Sombra, Doomfist, Junkrat, Orisa, Winston, and Pharah. Being in the enemy's line of sight isn't bad positioning, there's no excuse for instant kills with a press of a button, it's just incompetent development choices.

All this together makes Overwatch feel very repetitive to play, not rewarding to get good at, and generally not fun once you realize how low the skill ceiling is.


Now from a visual perspective aka game design Mk. II.

1:30 to 2:25 here can word it much better than I can. > https://youtu.be/G3cCr-1UPaU?t=90


Now let’s look from a Map perspective.

Overwatch maps are one extreme or the other, either they accommodate very few playstyles to do well, or they are choke point central such as Eichenwalde, Lunar Colony, and Hanamura. Your best options for victory is to play the same handful of heroes who can actually do something or just give up. the The only map that offers any actual freedom would be Blizzard world, and hopefully that means something good for the future.

Of course, let’s look at TF2 to be fair here. And it’s not even subjective that TF2’s default maps are cancer in every sense of the word (aka 2fort). There are some diamonds in the rough such as goldrush but realistically TF2’s mapping scene only excelled because of community maps, and I’m not even gonna count that because that would make this a unfair comparison.


Now from a Story perspective.

They have clearly two completely different stories, but the method of presenting them can be compared.

Overwatch’s story is based on a group of people rebanding together after their organization was shut down after a string of incidents that run the gamut between robot uprisings to moral corruption while TF2’s is just a band of idiots forced to fight each other because their bosses are petty as fuck over gravel.

Right off the bat, TF2’s story is objectively worse than Overwatch’s due to it’s lack of depth. But in terms of presentation, it’s not even close.

Overwatch tries to sell it’s story and characters as deep and cool, but it falls flat on it’s face with characters that feel like cardboard cutouts. Mercy is the morally good doctor with an angel complex, Soldier is the gruff badass, and Zenyatta is literally just an accessory to Genji’s backstory. 3/4 of the roster is forgettable since their personalities are nothing new and aren’t necessarily memorable. The cinematics only reinforce this idea with there being an 8 minute movie on Hanzo but you don’t learn anything new besides that he tried to kill his brother but now regrets it, which is something you could learn just by playing the game. Compare that to Meet the Sniper, where in just a minute and a half, you learn that the sniper’s parents think he’s crazed gunman, he pisses in bottles like a weirdo, he has a high sense of professionalism in his job, and that he has a sense of humor with the line “You know who has feelings? Blokes that bludgeon their wife to death with a golf trophy.”.

Realistically, the only way any of OW’s characters can be memorable is because of their sex appeal, which is just a cheap replacement for actual character development. The only remotely sexy character in TF2 is realistically Saxton Hale, and he still has one hell of a personality that is only complimented by his handsome looks.

TF2 wins in the story department simply by having competent writing.


Now let’s look at player freedom.

Overwatch is very clear on trying to keep a universal appeal to all audiences, which sounds good on paper but clearly is failing in practice. Banter could get you banned, spamming voicelines can get you banned, one tricking can get you banned, etc. The game paints itself as a safespace for all audiences while turning away the main audience that actually plays the game.

In TF2, for the staggering price of $0, I can have my avatar be Stalin, my spray be some anime chick gargling 40 dicks, and a picket sign with the words “9/11 was a conspiracy” and not have to worry about having my $60 (plus any money spent on lootboxes) taken from me because I didn’t play the game right.

And if I want to play something else, I don’t even have to close the game.


Want to shoot people? Play 2fort.
Want to be spooked? Play slender fortress.
Want to fight bosses? Freak Fortress.
Minigames? TF2ware.
Zombies? Zombie Fortress.
Shitpost? plr_highertower exists if you like that type of thing.


Valve was clear they wanted the community to have freedom in how they played, and in the end that resulted in the TF2 we all know and love. I know I sound like a salty as fuck TF2 fanboy, and you’d be right, but there’s nothing subjective about Overwatch’s flaws. And blindly defending Overwatch from these flaws is equivalent of defending TF2 from it’s flaws.