Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals are in a constant tug-of-war over the hero shooter community. Though the perspectives offered are different, and each game has its own quirks, whether it be Overwatch’s Perks or Rivals’ hero team-ups, they play closely enough that there is significant overlap in their player bases. As such, when one game does something new and fresh, it’s likely to pull in fans from the other title, meaning that the two titles are in a constant state of competition. Ultimately, competition is healthy for the video game industry, as gamers benefit from these competitors pushing each other to be the best they can be. The latest announcements for each game feel as if they are deliberately encroaching on the territory of the other, whether it be lore or co-op gameplay.
Overwatch 2’s Lore Codex Helps It Catch Up to Marvel Rivals’ Stellar Storytelling
The Overwatch 2 universe is full of interesting stories and lore, with most characters having ties to other members of the cast and the series' world filled with bold reimaginings of real-life locales. For this reason, players have long been demanding an Overwatch 2 animated series, as the occasional animated short doesn’t fully take advantage of what’s available to Blizzard. While it remains to be seen if or when fans get their wish, Blizzard has acknowledged that it has to step up its game in regard to storytelling, and its first step at doing so is the lore codex.
This feature is expected to arrive very soon, and it will come with a timeline full of animated shorts, motion comics, and more for players to browse while they’re waiting for their next match. Overwatch 2’s Invasion story missions do feature a lore codex of sorts full of messages between characters and diary entries, but this is hidden behind a Missions menu that few players will click into. The new codex will seemingly be much more accessible and include far more content, allowing players who may not follow Overwatch 2’s external media to catch up on whatever they may have missed.
Overwatch 2’s lore codex is expected to arrive with Season 19’s midseason patch, so it will be added sometime in early November.
Considering how great Marvel Rivals has done with its lore, whether it be the pages of backstory for every single hero or the interesting seasonal stories accessed via the comics in the gallery, this is undoubtedly an area where Rivals has been beating Overwatch 2. While Marvel Rivals will arguably still have an edge until Blizzard can come up with stories for each season that move the plot forward, as well as something as neat as the comic book packaging for the lore, it’s clear that Overwatch 2 is coming for one of Marvel Rivals’ best features.
Marvel Rivals’ First PvE Experience Fills a Void Left By Overwatch 2
On the flip side, Marvel Rivals is taking the fight to Overwatch 2 on the PvE front very soon. Plenty has been said about Overwatch 2’s PvE struggles, whether it be the broken promise that was the original concept for OW2 or the failed Hero Mastery: Gauntlet mode. Archives missions are gathering dust, Invasion missions missed the mark and aren’t being played much at all anymore, and though it had potential, the Diablo-themed Trials of Sanctuary was basically a one-off. While more PvE missions like Wrath of the Bride would be great to see, fans will have to settle for Junkenstein’s Revenge yet again in Season 19. While Overwatch 2 was once a consistent source of engaging PvE LTMs, and had potential to be something more, it has since stagnated — making this the perfect time for Marvel Rivals to strike.
Overwatch’s Junkenstein’s Revenge mode is a very fun horde mode where players have to defend Eichenwalde’s door from bots, but the issue fans have with it is that it’s nearly 9 years old.
Marvel Rivals’ first shot at PvE content comes in the form of a Marvel Zombies-themed horde mode that will work similarly to the aforementioned Junkenstein’s Revenge. Players will choose from Magik, Thor, Blade, Punisher, or Jeff the Land Shark to fight off huge groups of undead NPCs. While it’s unclear if the mode will be a hit, it is likely just the beginning of PvE content for NetEase’s game. Not only is it well-timed because the competition is re-releasing a very old PvE mode in the same month, but because its October 24 launch date puts it in proximity of Halloween. The Marvel Zombies animated series also got some more eyes on that specific concept, so there could certainly be a fair bit of interest in the mode. While Overwatch 2 is finally doing better with its lore, PvE continues to be a sore spot for that franchise, giving Marvel Rivals the perfect reason to keep experimenting with co-op content until it strikes gold.
Overwatch 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 65%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
