“Been awhile.”

November 2, 2018 2:44 PM

An explosive train robbery gives McCree the chance to settle some unfinished business with a few former associates in our latest animated short: “Reunion!” [YouTube] [Introducing Ashe]

“She’s the leader of the Deadlock Gang, a group of rowdy desert dwellers who pull off huge heists. According to her hero page, Ashe is a damage-dealing hero whose semi-automatic rifle fires from the hip or, for precision, from a proper position with aim-down sights. She also carries a coach gun that pushes enemies away from her and propels her backwards. On top of that, she’s got dynamite, which can explode when she shoots at it. When she needs to, Ashe can call on B.O.B, an adorable mustachioed robot sidekick. He was her family’s butler, her lore states. When he arrives, he charges toward enemies and pops them into the sky while firing at them with arm canons.” [via: Kotaku]

posted by Fizz (31 comments total)

[Previously.]
posted by Fizz at 2:44 PM on November 2, 2018

My favorite part of this animated short is the mech that sweats oil. I LOL'd.
posted by Fizz at 2:50 PM on November 2, 2018 [4 favorites]

Also, BlizzCon 2018 is in full force. Here's a round-up link of some of the other animated shorts.
posted by Fizz at 2:57 PM on November 2, 2018

Maybe it's too early in the thread to start shitting on Overwatch (and Blizzard as a whole) about their depiction of women, but man, this tweet.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 3:00 PM on November 2, 2018 [4 favorites]

Hey! It's a woman who's not a support...oh...she's a sniper.
posted by thecjm at 3:13 PM on November 2, 2018

It's a woman who's not a support

Not 100% sure what you mean by support, but Tracer and Sombra seem like frontline DPS to me. (I guess Tanks are support? There's not really a pure support category in Overwatch, especially now that they ditched their half-assed attempt with "Defense").
posted by thefoxgod at 3:16 PM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

I spent the video wanting Bob to be the new character, and then he (kind of) was.

I want a tiny hat.
posted by Scattercat at 3:24 PM on November 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

I would bet good money Jennifer Hale is voicing Ashe.
posted by KaizenSoze at 3:26 PM on November 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

Good bet.
posted by thefoxgod at 3:27 PM on November 2, 2018

I hope she says, "I'm on fire, and so are you!" after a kill streak.


Hey! It's a woman who's not a support...oh...she's a sniper.

What about Mei, Zarya, or Pharah? Or Tracer and Sombra, as mentioned.
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 3:30 PM on November 2, 2018

Or Orisa, who seems to identify fairly feminine, at least, and is definitely quite tanky.
posted by Scattercat at 3:34 PM on November 2, 2018

and Symmetra. I think we've kind of put this one to bed.
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:36 PM on November 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

I loved the pacing in the short. They really got the laconic style down.

The details were also really lovely. Was not so happy with the facial animation but that's okay.
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:38 PM on November 2, 2018

Just watched Team USA get upset in the World Cup, which was kind of amusing. Hoping for Finland to take it all, but SK winning once more would also suit me just fine.
posted by rewil at 3:55 PM on November 2, 2018

Oh! And Lucio-ohs are going to be a real cereal! We can put them in our faces soon!
posted by rewil at 3:57 PM on November 2, 2018

I think we've kind of put this one to bed.

Here is a comment I made earlier this year in the previous thread (doesn't include Wrecking Ball):

""Here is a list of all of the added heroes to OW post-launch:

Ana - Egyptian old lady support sniper
Sombra - Young latina stealth hacker
Orisa - Massive centaurish crossing guard robot (designed by girl-genius engineer from Nigeria*)
Doomfist - Middle-aged Nigerian* melee dude who also leads a clandestine organization based on social darwinism
Moira - Middle-aged / young (I can't tell) Irish geneticist support lady who is super into anime (runs like Naruto, lol)
Brigitte - see above (rhymes with Vegeta?)

*lore-wise, I think Numbani is in Nigeria*

This game now has 12 playable male characters, 12 playable female characters and 3 playable robot/omnic characters (and of these 3, one has a woman's voice, one has a man's voice, and one just beepboops). All 6 civilized continents are represented, and by more than one hero except for S. America (only Lucio so far). As far as gender and ethnic/national diversity goes, OW is doing a pretty good job. /EZ clap""
posted by Groundhog Week at 4:16 PM on November 2, 2018 [7 favorites]

Numbani is "near" Nigeria according to the lore. It's somewhat Wakanda-esque.
posted by thefoxgod at 4:29 PM on November 2, 2018

I like Overwatch, but the lore/story seems to utterly disconnected from what you actually do in the game. TF2, its predecessor and closest cousin, made sense; these are specialists and operatives fighting over objectives and stealing intel and so on. Overwatch is about a big group of heroes who, uh, fight each other objectives. They've got interactions and stories, but those don't really interact with the actual gameplay beyond "in the story the character uses abilities they have in the game."

I dunno, I suppose it's all the result of Overwatch having been put together from the wreckage of Blizzard's Titan MMO which was supposed to be a successor to WoW.
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:11 PM on November 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

The way Overwatch treats its characters reminds me a lot of those people (myself very much included) who are always toying with an interesting story idea but never actually get around to writing it. They make up a cool setting with interesting characters that have detailed backstories, then.... nothing happens because they never write the plot. BUT! they just came up with another cool character with a backstory that ties into these other characters' backstories!

As far as I can tell nothing actually happens past the opening cinematic where Winston goes "Remember Overwatch? We should do that again." Maybe the fights we play out in the game really happen with canonical teams for each side, but really all of Overwatch is backstory and lore that ends the moment you pick up a controller.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:19 PM on November 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

Correct, the gameplay is explicitly non-canonical. The plot is advanced only through the short films and very occasionally through world events (such as Doomfist's gauntlet being stolen from the payload in Numbani.)
posted by Scattercat at 6:25 PM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

No idea what this was but... the main dude -- is he modeled after Ashton Kutcher?
posted by dobbs at 7:00 PM on November 2, 2018

My headcanon is the gameplay is all a simulated danger room like in xmen for training purposes.
posted by xdvesper at 7:45 PM on November 2, 2018

the lore/story seems to utterly disconnected from what you actually do in the game

Yes. That is exactly how it works.

It's not like they're the first franchise to do that; I mean, when you play Mario Kart, you don't really expect a lot of character development based on who wins or loses a particular match.

The lore is set dressing which you can either pay attention to or just ignore, as you see fit. Personally I like it, but I certainly know people who don't give a shit beyond various characters' stats. And if they handle it right, I could see them potentially developing a fanbase centered around the plot, who don't even care about or regularly play the core game.
posted by Kadin2048 at 7:51 PM on November 2, 2018 [5 favorites]

FWIW there is a story behind each Overwatch map. So, you're replaying an event from the lore, but not with the canonical characters or result.

(This is more obvious with some of the Anniversary events, but it's true of all the maps.)
posted by zompist at 9:15 PM on November 2, 2018

Oh, and the new cinematic is the story behind Route 66. Now we know what the payload is!
posted by zompist at 9:20 PM on November 2, 2018

Orisa is best character.

"I was only trying to help... "

Puppy emote...
posted by Windopaene at 11:47 PM on November 2, 2018

EXCUSE ME the horrible "i was only trying to help" line is from mei aka history's greatest monster
posted by poffin boffin at 12:19 AM on November 3, 2018

Orisa IS best in life. If I throw out the puppy emote in spawn and someone shoots at it? I'll do it.

(I'm also a Lawful Good Mei, who will occasionally use that voice line when I try to throw up a wall to isolate an enemy for easy pickings, and it accidentally blocks off someone's rocket or whatever. I'm really sorry!)

Anyway, this cinematic is great, Ashe immediately rocketed to the top of my Want To Cosplay It list (ladies in sharp suits running shit is my jam), and I'll thank whoever called McCree Ashton Kutcher to never say anything that hurtful ever again.
posted by pseudonymph at 2:58 AM on November 3, 2018 [2 favorites]

Behold, BlizzCon’s giant Lego D.Va statue.
posted by Fizz at 3:16 AM on November 3, 2018

EXCUSE ME the horrible "i was only trying to help" line is from mei aka history's greatest monster

listen i think you have to cut mei a little slack - she's really gotten far in life despite her horrific spinal deformity
posted by murphy slaw at 5:47 AM on November 3, 2018

And if they handle it right, I could see them potentially developing a fanbase centered around the plot, who don't even care about or regularly play the core game.

I think you've described my Tumblr dash for the past year.
posted by telophase at 4:36 PM on November 3, 2018 [2 favorites]