A to Z 2016 : OVERWATCH

Overwatch is an upcoming First Person Shooter (FPS) developed by Blizzard Entertainment (Starcraft, Warcraft/World of Warcraft, Diablo). It marks the company's first foray into that specific genre. Lately, all of their newer endeavors involving branching out from the safety of long running franchises have been panning out. Some of these include Hearthstone (a free-to-play online collectible card video game) and Heroes of the Storm (a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena — MOBA). While these games may borrow elements from their franchise roster, they are completely different in regards to Blizzard's standard fare.

Overwatch is a bit unique in that it's sounding fairly team-based focused. Sure, most FPSs rely on some semblance of team work, but you don't necessarily need to have everybody on the same page. A game like this, featuring a large pool of characters offering different roles (Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support), however, may be a lot more demanding in communication and strategies among players.

I'm really curious about this game and am hoping to play during the Open Beta on Xbox One in May (the game releases later that same month on PC, PS4, and Xbox One) so that I can get a feel for if it's one I'd like for the long run. Believing The Division would be my only major video game purchase for 2016 isn't exactly going as planned. Having just played (and very much enjoyed) Battleborn, and now Overwatch being thrown into the mix, it's very possible I'll be dipping deeper into the piggy bank than anticipated...

Have you heard of Overwatch? Are you planning to play in the Open Beta (or already played in the Closed Beta)? Which character and/or role are you most interested in and why? Have you played other Blizzard Entertainment games? If so, which is your favorite?