A couple weeks ago, we talked about Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment’s new hero shooter. For those who missed it, here’s a quick recap on what a hero shooter is. First, what is a “shooter?” A shooter is a game with fast-paced action where the ability to aim well and avoid incoming attacks is the key to victory. One of the characteristics of a shooter is that you have a level playing field. Everyone is playing the same character, basically, and the weapons you pick up and use during a match don’t remain with you. Every match begins with all players having the exact same tools at hand. A hero shooter differs from this in that all characters are NOT the same. Each character has differing capabilities and the game is as much about the strengths and weaknesses of various combinations against each other as it is the fast twitch muscles of the players. In that respect, the hero shooters are much like a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena, which is…never mind, that’s another topic). Overwatch, as we noted two weeks ago, features a number of quite different heroes, and you can switch from one hero to another any time you like, even mid-match. Your heroes never change in any way except cosmetically, with the quick change capability being key to Overwatch’s gameplay. Comps can be adjusted mid-match, if something’s not working. But this isn’t about Overwatch again. But this isn’t about Overwatch again. This is about Battleborn, which is ANOTHER hero shooter This is about Battleborn, which is ANOTHER hero shooter just launched from Gearbox Software. Gearbox gave us one of my favorite single-player and cooperative multiplayer hero shooters, Borderlands. Battleborn looks an AWFUL LOT like Borderlands, which is a good thing, but the story is different. Story matters in Battleborn, because you’ll be interacting with it throughout your time in the game. Battleborn has eight campaign missions through which the story is revealed, and you can play them offline in single-player or online in cooperative multiplayer mode. From there you move into the online competitive multiplayer, and this is where Overwatch and Battleborn directly compete, and significantly differ. Yes they are both hero shooters, where you decide as whom you will play and the game randomly places you on a particular map, while you pray to the random game gods for a map you actually know and like. But, unlike Overwatch, Battleborn lets you improve your character through unlocking new characters, new skills, and obtaining new gear. Those are all MOBA-like elements that Overwatch lacks. I don’t want to put you to sleep with too much detail, but let me just say that you unlock new heroes by ranking up through experience gained both in multiplayer matches and campaign mode. So you can grind your way to any new hero you want. You also level up ten times during a competitive multiplayer match, which unlocks additional skills. That happens each match, you reset back to your base skills for any given character before the next match. Gear is somewhat in between. You permanently acquire gear, like you permanently unlock a hero, but the gear must be activated in each match by collecting shards in the match itself. Just because you put an item in one of your loadouts doesn’t mean you can use it, you have to activate it again for each match you play. Battleborn Launch Trailer So both Overwatch and Battleborn are hero shooters. Which one is better? I haven’t officially rated Overwatch yet, since that game doesn’t release until May 24th, but Battleborn is out now. I’m rating Battleborn a 7 and ½ out of ten and unless something changes I’d give Overwatch an 8. But the games are different enough that you might want to play both. Overwatch is simple. Nothing to gain, nothing to level, just pick a hero,
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