I find it very unproductive that people just review bomb this game. There's things that didn't work out well in the past, like the PvE concept they wanted to bring out big in OW2 not panning out or the fact that OW1 received no new content from 2020 onward to the OW2 release in 2022. Sure, but neither of these things affects the state of the game now; the experience that players get. Furthermore, it's not like Blizzard intentionally let PvE fail or anything, but it just became clear that it's not a workable concept. If you try the optional Invasion mode, you'll quickly see why it didn't.

Moreover, OW1 needed a refresh. I know people will be all mad about 6v6 vs. 5v5, but the fact remains that in OW1, queue times for 6v6 shot up because nobody wanted to queue tank and the player base wasn't there for having two tanks. They discussed that in detail in a blog post a few months ago, I don't need to reiterate the point here. But it's also worth noting that a lot of people joined the game only with OW2 and never experienced 6v6 and are perfectly happy with the game as it were.

Then there's the removed Assault mode (2CP), which is now only accessible in custom games and the arcade. 2CP was just a bad game mode, it was unpopular and so unbalanced that even during OW1 times, two maps had to be removed from the rotation because they were so damn awful. Nobody wants that back.

OW2 also increased the number of events per year significantly and is way faster and reactive in bringing balance fixes and new content when compared to OW1. So that's not it, either.

No, the main reason people are upset is because they feel the monetisation changes with OW2 are worse than the lootboxes of OW1. Okay, look. I understand that skins are expensive, and heck, these collaboration bundles go for 50€ and more. That's a lot of money no question - but it's industry standard. Lootboxes have come under much more scrutiny in recent years, both from popular perception and legally. This model of outright purchases is honestly less abusive than having to gamble for skins hoping there's something for you in there, or for a character you even play. The free lootboxes of OW1 times weren't there because it was charitable, they were there to make you want to spend money on getting more rolls. Is that really what you want back, lootboxes? Then there's the battlepass. It's perfectly in line with what other games charge, usually has good content, you get enough prisms for a mythic skin each season, and there's free premium currency in there that would allow for buying the pass every other season without spending a penny on it.

I'm genuinely having a good time with the game, and I'm sorry to say it, but I can't agree with any of the review bomber's points. It feels to me as if old OW1 players are mad about things changing that had to change inevitably.

I find it very unproductive that people just review bomb this game. There's things that didn't work out well in the past, like the PvE concept they wanted to bring out big in OW2 not panning out or the fact that OW1 received no new content from 2020 onward to the OW2 release in 2022. Sure, but neither of these things affects the state of the game now; the experience that players get. Furthermore, it's not like Blizzard intentionally let PvE fail or anything, but it just became clear that it's not a workable concept. If you try the optional Invasion mode, you'll quickly see why it didn't. Moreover, OW1 needed a refresh. I know people will be all mad about 6v6 vs. 5v5, but the fact remains that in OW1, queue times for 6v6 shot up because nobody wanted to queue tank and the player base wasn't there for having two tanks. They discussed that in detail in a blog post a few months ago, I don't need to reiterate the point here. But it's also worth noting that a lot of people joined the game only with OW2 and never experienced 6v6 and are perfectly happy with the game as it were. Then there's the removed Assault mode (2CP), which is now only accessible in custom games and the arcade. 2CP was just a bad game mode, it was unpopular and so unbalanced that even during OW1 times, two maps had to be removed from the rotation because they were so damn awful. Nobody wants that back. OW2 also increased the number of events per year significantly and is way faster and reactive in bringing balance fixes and new content when compared to OW1. So that's not it, either. No, the main reason people are upset is because they feel the monetisation changes with OW2 are worse than the lootboxes of OW1. Okay, look. I understand that skins are expensive, and heck, these collaboration bundles go for 50€ and more. That's a lot of money no question - but it's industry standard. Lootboxes have come under much more scrutiny in recent years, both from popular perception and legally. This model of outright purchases is honestly less abusive than having to gamble for skins hoping there's something for you in there, or for a character you even play. The free lootboxes of OW1 times weren't there because it was charitable, they were there to make you want to spend money on getting more rolls. Is that really what you want back, lootboxes? Then there's the battlepass. It's perfectly in line with what other games charge, usually has good content, you get enough prisms for a mythic skin each season, and there's free premium currency in there that would allow for buying the pass every other season without spending a penny on it. I'm genuinely having a good time with the game, and I'm sorry to say it, but I can't agree with any of the review bomber's points. It feels to me as if old OW1 players are mad about things changing that had to change inevitably.