For today's musical hit, we have "It Feels Like Christmas" from Panic! At The Disco:
Today's critical rolls: Are you ready for the holidays? Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, most likely you have some time off coming up. What are you planning on doing?
Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.
Dot Esports has a report on how Blizzard's popular shooter Overwatch is booming as an esport in South Korea, and that surprisingly (or not, if you're a female gamer who knows that the amount of female gamers out there is really under-reported), female fans of the game are playing a big role in its popularity.
For today's musical hit, we have Chance the Rapper and "Same Drugs"
Today's critical rolls: Who are some of your favorite women characters from video games? Tell us who and why!
Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.
For today's musical hit, we have Hellsongs and a cover of Iron Maiden's "The Evil That Men Do"
Today's critical rolls: Did you watch the season finale of Supergirl last night? What did you think?
Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.
For today's musical hit, we have Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, and "Run Too Far"
Today's critical rolls: what other optimistic escapism is out there these days that you like, in any genre or medium?
Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.
Because when America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold... British asshole personality Piers Morgan and fabulous defender-against-the-Dark-Arts J.K. Rowling got into a Twitter war over American politics.
For today's musical hit, we have Gnucci and WORK!
Today's critical rolls: Even if you don't do the Twitter thing, Twitter has, without a doubt, become a staple of the 21st Century communication and a big part of online discourse. If you could get into a Twitter war without any famous person, who would it be and why?
Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.
2016 is winding down and we're glad for it. But not everything about 2016 was awful. This week we've been trying to round-up the positives of the year, including news, comics, and movies. Today we're rounding up our favorite games of the year, and stay-tuned for tomorrow's TV edition!
Without further ado, here are Critical Writ's favorite games of 2016.
Every year, there’s one thing in video game releases I crave amid all the exciting title – a surprise. Something I didn’t know of/didn’t think about much that ends up consuming me for a long time. This year it was Overwatch, a game from a genre I never got into: FPS (first person shooter). I love its colorful and diverse cast of characters, its fun (if sometimes absurd) lore, and its surprisingly accessible gameplay. While not without flaws (the cash-grabbing nature of loot boxes, the lack of body diversity in its female characters, the occasionally culturally insensitive skins), it’s a game I just can’t stop playing. (Dominik)
I was giddy about the Tell Tale Batman game from the moment the teaser trailer first appeared, and now that I’ve played almost all of it, I can easily say that I am not disappointed. The focus on choices and story over action lets Batman feel more like a detective and less like a martial arts beat-em-up, but the game still delivers some exciting and impressive action sequences. The only slight complaint I have is that Bruce Wayne looks an awful lot like Archer, but I’ll take Archer over the angry hunk of granite that was a popular look for the character for far too long. (Miz Opifex)
I have been looking forward to Dishonored 2 since it was announced, because I love stealth games and I loved the grimy and bleak steampunk world of Dunwall.
Now, there are things that genuinely sucked about this game, mainly that it was so poorly optimized at launch that certain maps slogged even on the most powerful of gaming rigs. But the story was phenomenal. Whereas Dishonored’s main hero was Corvo, who was avenging the death of his lover the Empress and attempting to rescue his daughter, this game took a different stance. You had the option of playing either Emily or her father Corvo. But if you listen to the dialogue throughout the game, particularly from some of your primary targets, you really get the sense that this is Emily’s story first and foremost. She was a crappy Empress and her lack of care is what allowed her aunt Delilah to seize power from her. This game is about Emily’s redemption as well as recovering her throne. It feels like being able to play Corvo is a consolation prize for dudebros who hate female leads. Truly, this game is about Emily, and she is surrounded by powerful women (her ally, a black disabled woman voiced by Rosario Dawson, some of her assassination targets including Delilah herself, etc). In addition to story, Dishonored 2 is always an excellent stealth game that gives you lots of options in how you handle your targets. (Ivonne)
Some games are exhilarating, some you can just chill with. ConcernedApe’s Stardew Valley -- a spiritual successor to the console-based Harvest Moon series -- is one of the latter. It’s a calm, fun simulation of a farming life in a small village. It’s a beautiful little title, that allows you pretty much unrestricted freedom in building your own little patch of heaven in the titular valley. (Dominik)
While last year’s Alien: Isolation -- a first person sneak/fight ‘em up -- is considered the best official Alien game, Duskers is deserving of the best Alien game unconnected to the franchise. A tense simulation of a drone operator, the game takes place in a similar lo-fi future, and allows control over your robotic helper by typing instructions (and exploring rooms with WASD keys). But you’re never alone on the ships you visit, and how well you end your visit depends both on careful planning and frantic typing of instructions. (Dominik)
What were your favorite games of 2016? Did we miss any? Let us know below!
No doubt about it. 2016 has kind of been an awful year. With a multitude of celebrity deaths, starting with David Bowie and Alan Rickman at the start of the year, and continuing deep into December with 80s icon George Michael on Christmas day (and it's still going!) And then of course, there was Brexit, which the United States felt obliged to one-up with the election of Donald Trump. And there was plenty of other crappy happenings around the world in between all of that: Aleppo, for example.
But we here at Critical Writ want to encourage everyone to start the new year on a positive note, because 2017 is going to be the year to fight and fight hard to keep existing rights, and make whatever gains we can for marginalized folks.
So for your positive reading pleasure, we have compiled a list of things that didn't suck this year in the following categories: news, games, TV, movies and comics. These lists are by no means meant to be definitive, and you might find that there is plenty missing, because a lot happens in a year (especially news-wise). But we picked out a few things that made us happy, and we hope they make you at least a little happy too.
We've divided these each into their own posts, starting with the news. There is so much missing here! So feel free to link us to your own news that didn't suck, in the comments below!
Cheers, love, the cavalry’s queer! In news that definitely didn’t suck this year, Blizzard revealed that its banner character for hit game Overwatch is gay! Tracer, the very face of this fabulous and popular FPS, has a live-in girlfriend named Emily, and they are freaking adorable! While this fact was not revealed in the game itself (which would be silly, as the game focuses on military-style missions as characters shoot each other), Emily was revealed in a companion comic strip, part of the vast array of lore-related companion media that Blizzard is constantly putting out. Ibn further news that didn’t suck, the general consensus amongst fans has spanned from elated to *shrug,* (the latter is a good thing, as it suggests gayness is normalized for lots of folks these days). The little bit of ugliness on forums, Facebook comments, and even in-game, tends to be quickly shut down by impatient fans who have no time for homophobia as they pwn noobs. (Ivonne)
Thanks to Make-A-Wish, a sixteen-year-old teenager will have an all-star cast and crew for his very own film. Anthony Conti wanted to create a film and the foundation was happy to help. The film will be an apocalyptic zombie tale, co-written by one of the writers for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre film. As for stars, J.K. Simmons, Sam Raimi, Johnny Depp, Penelope Ann Miller, and many more agreed to help. (Zachary)
Cool science news! Scientists discovered a new species of whale in Alaska’s Bering Sea! Considering the rate at which humans are causing various living species to go extinct, it’s cool news to hear that we are still discovering things and we haven’t totally killed everything yet with our carelessness! The oceans represent the final frontier on Earth, and it’s clear we haven’t discovered everything out there yet. A whale carcass washed up in Alaska and scientists sleuthed out the fact that it was a species we’ve never seen before. (Critical Writ staff)
Better late than never! Google waited until December 26, 2016, but they finally did it: they have fixed their search algorithm so that holocaust-denying results no longer appear on the search. For years Google has maintained that they do not alter search results, to prove they are “unbiased.” The algorithm has also been adjusted so that when you ask hateful questions in the search, (such as “are Jews evil”), the results mostly direct you to news about the search results scandal. It’s not perfect, but it is a step towards not normalizing racism, something we desperately need in the US after our presidential election. (Critical Writ staff)
There are plenty more things that don't suck to come, so keep an eye out for the rest of the week as we countdown to 2017 with the best of 2016!
For today's musical hit, here's Ariana Grande live from the 2016 American Music Awards, with "Side to Side." (Ivonne)
Today's critical rolls:
1. Are you excited about the Berlantiverse crossover? What are you looking forward to the most?
— Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: don't be a Dominator who needs to get your ass kicked by superheroes.
Welcome to "Google-Glance," the feature that asks people to talk at length about something of which they are but dimly aware, based on five minutes of research using only Google Images.
Today’s topic is that wacky summer hit, Overwatch. It is explained by Etienne, who hasn't played a triple-A game since Portal 2, and features artwork by Miz Opifex, whose only acquaintance with Overwatch comes from her friends' Facebook posts. Miz was tasked to base her illustrations on what Etienne described, with no access to visual content of any kind.
What is Overwatch?
It’s a video game. I know that much—I’m not going in totally blind here. I think it’s a shooter game, probably along the lines of Team Fortress, except in a colorful sci-fi universe.
The plot
I see there’s a spiky-haired lady and she’s duel-wielding pistols, so I bet she's extremely important. Also, there is a skull-faced dude in a black cloak, and that style rarely bodes well. I guess the spiky-haired lady—we’ll call her Spiky-Do—has some sort of beef with Skull-Face. There’s an angel-winged woman and she looks like she might be related to Spiky-Do, so I’m going to say that Skull-Face kidnapped Spiky-Do’s Angel Auntie. There’s also a cyborg gorilla, and a witch in a red dress, and probably a robot army.
To summarize: Spiky-Do, a trigger-happy gymnast in form-fitting armor, uses gun-fu to rescue her Angel Auntie from Skull-Face’s robot horde. She is aided in her anti-robot crusade by Chip Antsy, a cowardly cyborg gorilla, possibly a defector from Skull-Face’s army. In addition to facing terrible technological threats, Spiky-Do must contend with the evil magic of Melissandre—a fanatic priestess of the Lord of Light.
[Artist's note: I confess the main character that I am aware of existing in Overwatch is the one with the pink hair and big muscles. She caught my eye because I also have pink hair and muscles, but I'm not quite that shredded. Still: #goals. I just assumed she is Spiky-Do.] The protagonist
Spiky-Do used to be just a regular spiky-haired gymnast from future-Earth. She would go to future-school, and learn important stuff like somersaulting and marksmanship. Of course, all of that changed when the alien Skull-Face overwhelmed future-Earth’s defences with his unstoppable legion of automata.
Spiky-Do is not one to shy away from a challenge, however: she’s proficient in the use of every kind of firearm, and should she ever run out of ammo, she could probably turn anything into an instrument of murder. When form-fitting armor isn’t enough to get through the day, she has an extensive wardrobe—including a spiffy sniper cloak and a cozy parka.
[Artist note: About here, I realized that maybe Etienne was talking about the girl who wears yellow that got caught in the great big kerfuffle about butts in video games. Oh well, I was committed now. Plus this was fun as hell to draw.] The main antagonist
The sinister Skull-Face started out as an intern at the Amoral Interstellar Corporation that harvests the magic of angel-winged future people. He was a real go-getter, and his no-nonsense approach to violating the fundamental rights of angels soon caught the attention of his superiors. After a vertiginous climb up the corporate ladder, Skull-Face now manages his own branch of Amoral Inc.
Skull-Face doesn’t have anything personal against Spiky-Do or future-Earth: it’s just that robots run on angel magic. Skull-Face is at least half-robot himself. And telekinetic? Yes. We’ll go with that—he’s a telekinetic alien cyborg who runs on magic.
[Artist's note: I'd like to think Unpaid Intern Skull-Face was also super good at getting everyone's coffee order from that terrible overpriced coffee house that was totally gentrifying the neighborhood.]
Okay, but what about this?
That’s Melissandre in her clubbing outfit. And when I say “clubbing,” I mean she goes to the future-Earth’s Rifle Club, where she likes to club everyone with the butt of her magic rifle.
[Artist's note: This is the sort of clothes you wear to the gun club, right?]
And this?
That's a scene from Spiky-Do’s raid on Mélissandre’s library. She is assisted by Janette the Techno-Witch, who is actually from one of those low-gravity planets where the heels she is wearing might be considered reasonable fighting attire. Spiky-Do and Jannette are BFFs.
And this?
That’s a snapshot of a secret meeting between Spiky-Do and an angel whose power has been harvested by the Amoral Corporation. They will not part on good terms, however: Spiky-Do could never condone the former angel’s vengeance-fueled guerilla.
Yes, but is it feminist?
My version sure is! It’s a classic tale of two women overcoming impossible odds in order to be together—like Frozen, only intergenerational. And with robots. A lot more robots.
I do wonder why all future women have roughly the same body type, though. That definitely stretches my suspensions of disbelief. Etienne Domingue is not currently on fire. Ask again later.
Miz Opifex is a union electrician by day and a champion of feminine geekery by night. She lives in the American Rust Belt with her cat and a staggering amount of books, movies, and albums on vinyl.
2. What is something mundane that you feel an inordinate amount of pride in?
3. Who is the most memorable one-off character on The Simpsons? 4. Which DCEU film (so far) is the least awful? 5a. Who is the most memorable fictional scientist? 5b. Villainous scientist? 5c. Heroic scientist? —Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: don't be a fuckin' asshole.
The downside of having Ana debut in Overwatch a month after the game’s release is that she isn’t part of the vast majority of fan videos. Luckily, Instalok has us covered with a song/music videos, Ana Said, featuring Lunity— a parody of Lukas Graham’s Mama Said. (Dominik)
The cast of the female-centered heist movieOcean’s Ocho just gets better and better. This is a good time to revisit Aya de Leon’s article on Bitch Media, about the opportunities missed through the lack of heist movies with women as the (anti)heroes: “After all, heist fantasies are doubly meaningful for women: The big score isn’t just a way to be set for life, it also offers the possibility of being free from patriarchal control.” (Tova)
Feminist professor Renee Ann Cramer talks about why “Bad Moms” aren’t actually bad, and how society’s expectations of women to be perfect mothers are challenged in Bad Moms. (Ivonne)
The rumors were true! Blizzard’s latest addition to Overwatch has been announced, and it’s Ana Amari, support sniper and YOUR MOM (that’s a shout out to Pharah. Sorry, kid, you’re gonna have to deal with it). While Pharah might be less than enthused about her mother showing up to work, how do the fans feel? Here at Critical Writ HQ, we decided to get to the bottom of it by asking ourselves.
Adrian: My co-worker first showed me Ana while our boss was speaking in a team meeting, so I had no choice but to smile and nod quietly, rather than cause any disruption. I’m very excited and intrigued. What was your first reaction?
Ivonne: My first initial reaction was SQUUUUEEEE!!! Because Overwatch! But then I calmed down. Honestly, I was hoping for a Latin woman, because you don’t see many of those as heroes in video games. Latin women often just show up as sexy lampposts at the poolside of drug overlords or whatever. That said, Ana is a welcome addition. An older woman, a woman of color, and she’s lost an eye. I’m totally in and very excited!
James: My initial reaction was that she has a very Mad Max vibe, with the damaged, loose cloth draped over the top, it has a very lived-in feel, not like say, Widowmaker who looks like she drops in/out of missions. We don't normally see a relationship opportunity between parent/child, whilst both being adults; Ana seems quite doting, but Pharah is probably going to be more abrasive, I'd prefer them to be happy, because Genji and Hanzo are already doing the whole bad blood thing.
Adrian: You both touch upon a relevant topic in presentation and representation. First, it’s so often that the old, grizzled “I did what I had to do” veteran who kept his family at arms-length is a man, so it’s refreshing to see a mother and daughter’s relationship play out under those dynamics. I love the animosity and resentment Pharah is harboring for her mother, as it makes for a really intriguing story! Taking that back to what James said, Ana’s clothes look lived-in, and in my opinion sensible and functional for her job. Characterization has gone a long way to make the female heroes of Overwatch more than “sexy lampposts.” What do you think of Ana’s design, characterization, and skins?
Ivonne: What I love about Overwatch are the different kinds of female heroes and different body types. And now we have Ana. An older woman who’s both a mother and a freaking sniper, and who carries herself with a wise weariness, like she’s totally seen some shit, if you’ll forgive the language.
Much like broad-shouldered and large women (like Zarya), you don’t see older women celebrated in media in general, much less video games. I think she’s fabulous and ground-breaking. I would also like to point out that the internet, as full of dude-bros as it is, has had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the old lady! This tweet is truth:
@innesmck Blizzard: "Our new character is a sixty year old woman"
Industry: 😂😁😂
Internet: ❤❤❤ yes plz!
Industry: 😮😲😤
James: I find her alternative skins to be poor overall, except ‘Captain Amari,’ which is glorious and goes well with the Morrison skin for 76. The ‘Wasteland’ skin and the Witness me vocal line, tip the hat to Mad Max: Fury Road being a conscious reference point, we could tell that anyway... but having it lampshaded like that, feels like a wink and a nod.
Ivonne: The Captain Amari skin is 100% glorious yes, but as much as I love it (and the fact that it goes with the Jack Morrison skin perfectly), using it would also erase the tired old woman Ana, which is what makes that character unique. I don’t care too much for the other skins, though, so I wish she did have better ones. They are just OK.
Adrian: I love both Ana’s Epic and Legendary skins. ‘Merciful’ has a cool, clean look, and ‘Shrike’ just looks badass. It reminds me a bit of Tali from Mass Effect and armors sets from Destiny. The ‘Wasteland’ skin brings to mind Tusken Raiders from Star Wars. ‘Captain Amari’ is adorable.
James: I do have a slight issue because now looking back, it's painfully obvious how sort of un-Arabian Pharah is. Without that comparison Pharah could go under the radar. Now it feels like she needs the developers to do another pass of her design.
Ivonne: Pharah’s skin are a whole other topic. I mean, I don’t think she’s completely un-Arabian. And I really like the Horus eye tattoo on her face. But of course, then you get the crazy and baffling decision on Blizzard’s behalf of having Native American totemic imagery in some of Pharah’s epic skins. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they are gorgeous. But what does that have to do with her character? And why don’t we have a Native American hero to use them instead? I admit, the pessimist in me waited for Ana’s epic skins to be just as tone deaf as Pharah’s in some way… I was relieved that they weren’t.
Adrian: Yes, Pharah’s ‘Thunderbird’ skin is a real conundrum for me. It looks amazing, I want it, but it’s crossed the line into cultural appropriation, where heritage becomes a costume. There’s another example of this with Roadhog’s ‘Islander’ and ‘Toa’ skins. They look wonderful and are very well-done, and part of me is thrilled to simply see Asian-Pacific culture in a mainstream, AAA game, but it also reminds me of how Blizzard has handled Islander and Native cultures in World of Warcraft. It’s a real problem how people of color are so typically “goblinized” in fantasy and science fiction media.
Now, Hindu leaders are asking Blizzard to remove the ‘Devi’ and ‘Goddess’ skins from Symettra’s skin library as it “trivialized Hinduism’s highly revered goddesses.” These are all contributing reasons why I’m feeling pretty satisfied with Ana’s skin options.
Click here to check out Ana's 'Legecy' prequel comic!
“I forgot to mention before, her heroic stance seems like she is cradling the rifle like a baby.” - James
Adrian: Have you had a chance to play as Ana on the PTR? From early reports and videos, it seems like she’s quite effective. How do you see her being used in matches?
James: I haven't tried her, I'm a XP hound and just play the regular servers. Send help ;)
I see her as utility healing like Zenyatta (but much better), her other abilities are mixed between disruption/(de)buffing. She doesn’t have any special mobility abilities and her effects last for a duration so I don’t think she needs line of sight all that often. I’d certainly play her by moving round the back of a payload for protection.
Let's look at her talents:
Sleep Dart: Potentially has a 50% uptime in an ideal situation, taking damage wakes the target so splash damage from Junkrat or Pharah will be a problem. 5 seconds of nap time on Reinhardt, not much competes with that ability. Biotic Grenade: AOE and boosting team healing looks good for making an unbudgeable Roadhog with his 300 self-heal, both are low mobility characters so they can stick together better than Mercy who likes to fly from teammate to teammate. Blocking healing makes a big scare for enemy Roadhogs and 4m AoE makes it risky to crowd round a payload, but good for your own team. Nano Boost: Holy smokes, that is a boost: Damage: +50% Damage: Reduction 50% Speed: +30% Duration: 8 seconds
Mercy's damage boost was also raised to 50% in the PTR, I'm drooling at a combo like that, especially since Caduceus Staff doesn't have a cooldown, it makes such a combo on-the-fly practical.
Be very interesting if an enemy sleep dart can effect a Nano boosted character.
Ivonne: I haven’t played on the PTR, but early Youtube videos have shown her making Genji a stronger faster murder machine, which is not a buff he needed. Ana buffs other characters and their ultimates, and I kind of have a feeling that she may get nerfed in the future. But for now, I look forward to playing “Mama Bear” in live. And if you haven’t checked out the videos and comic that Blizzard released for Ana, you should do so! They are beautiful!
Adrian: I can’t wait to play as Ana, get her ultimate, and miss the shot and waste my ultimate. It’s going to be glorious!
Larry Wilmore gave his thoughts on Alton Sterling's murder on the The Nightly Show Wednesday. While Wilmore does crack a few jokes in this segment, it is also a powerful analysis of how the media responds to the deaths of black suspects. (Megan Crittenden)
Loralee Sepsey of Natives In America wrote a poignant personal exposé on the mythologization of her people by J.K. Rowling's recent expansions of the Potterverse. "The description of the Ilvermorny’s humble beginnings feels so much like assimilation; they taught the Native American children the more sophisticated wand magic, of course, in exchange to learn their own ways. Something in me doubts that their ways were taken very seriously." (Etienne)
Genre TV for All is an online database of genre shows that feature women, POCs, LGBTQA+ or disabled characters in the main cast. You can go there to browse through the current content in search for something to watch, but also submit shows yourself: the people behind the website ask us all to help them "...celebrate shows that feature people who look like us, and live like us". Neat, huh? (Tova)
As part of his third Summer of Shakespeare, Kyle Kallgren of Brows Held High reviews (by request of the most of his Patreon supporters) a Swedish/Norwegian adaptation of The Tempest by Per Åhlin, Resan Till Melonia (The Journey to Melonia). (Dominik)
American Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion: The Superhero Afterlife is a thoughtful narratological critique of afterworlds in the superhero genre. It has just been published for the first time in paperback. (Etienne)
A couple of us are Overwatch fanatics here at Critical Writ HQ, so we'd like to take some time to have a very important discussion about very important topics concerning Overwatch, Blizzard's amazing new IP.
Adrian: First, let me start by saying, I'm a little angry. I'm angry that I'm not playing Overwatch right now! There's something about when you first launch the game and the theme song starts, soft and quiet, it just makes you feel right and good.
Ivonne: True story! I get angry being at work and not playing Overwatch! My coworkers and I gush about it daily. I actually just put D.Va’s special as my text message notifications, so I am getting “Nerf this!” all day. But yeah, this game makes me feel happy, even when I’m dying a lot. I’ve yet to feel the need to ragequit. It’s just too much fun.
Adrian: Alright, who is your fav and are there any characters you ship? I don’t normally think about ships, but I was recently tipped off that when Symmetra gives Widowmaker a shield, that she says thank you without her normal brand of aggression and condescension towards others. Symmetra is my favorite, so I'm finding myself into this pairing.
Ivonne: Lúcio is my jam! I love that kid. And can I just say how wonderful it is for Blizzard to give every character a unique back story, and to diversify their characters so much! I’m not Brazilian, but being of Colombian descent, I do carry some pride that there is a South American character in this game. Lúcio’s back story is awesome and they clearly did some research on the culture, where music is super important, especially to the poor living in the crowded favelas.
Adrian: We've already got so many great characters in Overwatch, but what you do you think of the rumored upcoming character, Sombra (supposedly a support sniper)? What would you like to see in a new character?
Ivonne:#Birst is who I want! No but really, I’ve read the fan theories, and I’m super excited about the possibilities behind Sombra. As I noted above, I’m Latina, and I can assure you that I have never played a game with a Latina protagonist. When you see Latin women in video games, they are either sex workers in a game like Vice City, or mafia women in tiny bikinis at the poolside of the mafia Don. So a Latina hero? Sign me up!
Adrian: I agree 100%, I’m excited for Sombra for mostly the same reasons. I’m also intrigued by the other new characters (Liao and Doomfist are two other rumored additions) but I'm not sure we've all had a long enough time to learn the meta game with the existing characters. Which characters combinations do you like most? And what do you think of the latest nerfs?
Ivonne: All I have to say is that McCree needed the nerf. No, sir, it is NOT high noon! As far as new characters go, in Blizzard I Trust. I was reading an interview with Jeff Kaplan where he talks about how during beta they released Mei, D.Va, and Genji all at once and people kind of hated them. So they want to release new characters one at a time and let the game find balance. I think that’s a great way to do it. Release one new character, let people get used to them, let people find their rhythm.
Adrian: I’m not against nerfing and play balancing, but I’m often frustrated by how quickly some of these balance patches hit; again, I feel like we haven’t had quite enough time to make the judgments we do. You can’t complain that five or six Torbjorns are unbeatable when you haven’t tried running five or six D.Vas against them. I think players need to get used to switching up and trying new strats before running to the forums to complain. That being said, the McCree nerf made total sense. Being able to Genji with a stun and right-click make sense, but being able to melt a tank with a right-click is another matter.
Ivonne: There is a twitter account called @reapernames, self explanatory; some of them are kind of gross and misogynistic, I'm afraid, BUT... this one here is one of my favs:
Ivonne: Because Reaper is TOTALLY the kind of emo edgelord who would drop the hard truth on you about Santa!
Adrian: I'd go further and say being crushed by the truth about Santa is what made Reaper go edgelord in the first place! I'm going to wrap this up with a really sweet 'Pharah saves Mercy' GIF where Pharah knocks Roadhog off the platform with a concussive blast right as Roadhog hooked Mercy, dragging her into the pit with him:
Adrian: I like to think that they were on voice and the Mercy was like "oh my gad im falling!!" and Pharah was like "noo turn around fly to mee i've got u" and then the rest of their team was "like yaaaay nice save gj everyone" 😃
Ivonne: I dunno why this game makes me so happy but it does. ❤️
Ivonne Martin is a writer, gamer, and avid consumer of all things geek—and is probably entirely too verbose for her own good. Adrian Martinez is a graphic designer, comic book letterer, hobbyist writer, and all-around geek living in New York City.
Sometimes I need a reminder that the Internet isn’t all MRAs, vile Youtube comment threads, and doxxing. This one did the trick and hit me right in the Feels. First off, if you haven’t looked into Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment’s newest game, you are missing out. It’s a First-Person Shooter, which may immediately turn off a number of folks, but hear me out. This isn’t Call of Duty or some other grim modern warfare scenario. If you actually dig deeper into Blizzard’s site and watch their amazing cinematics, there is a fairly grim story behind it all. But the cartoon style of the graphics—a sort of World of Warcraft aesthetic with all the spectacular upgrades from Borderlands 2—make this game a delight to look at. And it's family-friendly, to boot. Each character in Overwatch has a backstory, along with specific skills and powers. And best of all? The cast of characters is incredibly diverse. About half of the characters are female, and there's a brilliant blend of races and cultures. But before I get excited talking up Overwatch, let’s focus on this delightful exchange: Shane Hickey’s daughter Ava is an Overwatch fan, and she drew up this super cute idea for a new character called Birst, which her dad tweeted at the Overwatch team.
Can I take a moment to squee at a dad gamer cultivating his daughter’s love for not only video games, but self-expression? Inspired by Ava, Blizzard artists got to work and created concept art based on her drawing:
Full disclosure, I am a Blizzard fangurl and have been for a long time. At a time when women and girls seem to be actively discouraged from traditionally masculine pursuits like video games (even though studies have shown that more women than men play them) this is inspiring indeed—even moreso considering all the barriers to including women in the tech industry. Big thanks to Blizzard for not just making a child’s day, but probably providing encouragement and inspiration for a little girl to love video games and art a little more than she already did. And who can say? She might even grow up to become part of the tech industry.
As for right now? I desperately want to play as Birst in Overwatch. Make it so, Blizzard! Ivonne Martin is a writer, gamer, and avid consumer of all things geek—and is probably entirely too verbose for her own good.
