“I came in like a...”

June 29, 2018 3:55 PM

Overwatch's Latest Hero Is Wrecking Ball, A Hamster In A Mech [Twitter] “It looks like Overwatch’s newest hero might be who—but not what—we thought. Fans speculated that the first-person shooter’s 28th hero could be Hammond, a monkey companion to the genetically-engineered gorilla Winston. So it came as a surprise that Overwatch just released Hammond the hamster, who goes by “Wrecking Ball,” onto the game’s public test realm this afternoon. Hammond is a mischief-making tank hero who fires machine guns out of his mech, which can roll into a “wrecking ball.”” [via: Kotaku] [Origin Story] [Developer Update]
posted by Fizz (34 comments total)

Still no 'Jetpack Cat', this is bullshit!
posted by Fizz at 3:59 PM on June 29, 2018 [8 favorites]

when we asked for more inclusivity blizzard we did not actually mean more talking nonhuman animals
posted by poffin boffin at 4:02 PM on June 29, 2018 [11 favorites]

There's lots of work that has to be done to defeat the trolls, but it looks like there is progress being made.

Overwatch's Trolls Are Losing [Kotaku]

“Overwatch players needed something to incentivize good sportsmanship and, yesterday, they got it. Blizzard’s latest Overwatch patch is toning down the hierarchy of skill and introducing a hierarchy of decency. It’s a masterstroke of features, all interacting to reward civility and cleanse the game of antisocial behavior. At its heart is a new “endorsement” system that gives players points for communicating effectively, playing respectfully and calling shots. A badge that appears next to a player’s name levels up as teammates endorse them. The higher the number, the more sociable other players can assume that Overwatch player is. ”

posted by Fizz at 4:12 PM on June 29, 2018 [4 favorites]

Wrecking Ball isn't piloted by a giant pigmy space hamster named Boo so I don't even know what to do with video games any more.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 4:31 PM on June 29, 2018 [9 favorites]

you might say its a kind of a hamster metal gere
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:43 PM on June 29, 2018 [6 favorites]

when we asked for more inclusivity blizzard we did not actually mean more talking nonhuman animals

I wonder if Blizzard would ever fully go in on an openly trans character or a non-binary character. They after the facted Tracer's queerness with a comic (which I love), but to just fully go in and announce it from the get go. I'd love to see that in a more open kind of way.
posted by Fizz at 4:49 PM on June 29, 2018

Lynx-17 is agender/nb but they're an omnic so it wasn't really a risky choice for blizzard to make. And also obvsly Lynx is so far not an actual playable hero, just a character in someone else's backstory.
posted by poffin boffin at 4:52 PM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'm not an overwatch follower. From that perspective, this developer update video is.... beyond parody.
posted by billjings at 4:59 PM on June 29, 2018

From that perspective, this developer update video is.... beyond parody.

They often feel that way, even if you are an Overwatch fan or player.
posted by Fizz at 5:01 PM on June 29, 2018 [5 favorites]

This was one of the few things that brightened my week. I am so on board with this. My only sad point is that Hammond is a tank, and my most-played characters are already tank heavy (lots of D.Va and Reinhardt).
posted by thefoxgod at 5:09 PM on June 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

I don't care if it's canon; Hammond is totally a Boo nod from Blizz!! I hope they add a "Go for the eyes!" voice line, that would be so cool...

I really enjoyed watching some of the footage of Wrecking Ball in action. My favorite was the one Geguri RTed yesterday, though, which shows what happens to Hammond when he dies... Soo sad. And his little hands!! And the fact that people are racing Wrecking Ball instead of playing the game! I generally don't do the PTR, so I'll probably just wait for it to hit the main game.

As for the Endorsement system, so far I completely love it. There has been some noise by people in-game about "being fake nice for endorsement karma" but that just seems like a bonus benefit. I don't care if you are being nice in order to garner votes or if you are generally just nice. The outcome for me is the same, so that's awesome.
posted by gemmy at 5:11 PM on June 29, 2018 [5 favorites]

(If you're not a player, that sounds partially incomprehensible. Sorry! Geguri is the only female Overwatch League pro player, and she's awesome. PTR is the Public Test Realm, where they try out new game features and tweaks.)
posted by gemmy at 5:19 PM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

i love the endorsements, i love it when a shitty enemy team ragequits when they see that their healer did an insane amount of healing, got the only card, but they lost anyway, so i can give that healer a good sportsmanship endorsement for putting up with what i am certain was 10-15min of infantile whining that the lady with the magic stick couldn't defend a 150hp character from an enemy whose primary fire does 200 damage.
posted by poffin boffin at 5:20 PM on June 29, 2018 [11 favorites]

I had things to do yesterday and instead Blizzard dumped this out and I spent the entire afternoon watching Seagull's stream with the developers and then in the evening watching Fissure laugh like a madman. Thanks, Jeff.
posted by rewil at 6:10 PM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

Oh and I'm choosing to think of it as Shepard's space hamster, fresh from the Normandy and ready to fight.
posted by rewil at 6:11 PM on June 29, 2018 [4 favorites]

I'm not an overwatch follower. From that perspective, this developer update video is.... beyond parody.

I believe they'd have to pay a licencing fee to Kia. Odds are they didn't want to sell their soul to do that.
posted by rough ashlar at 6:24 PM on June 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

My boyfriend is a dedicated Overwatch player, and his reaction when he saw the hamster thing was to facepalm, mutter something about jumping the shark, and then start speculating that it could still be some kind of joke, until it hit PTR.

As someone familiar with the game but who doesn't play, it does strike me as... off-puttingly daft.
posted by Dysk at 6:45 PM on June 29, 2018

I dunno, they've already got a talking gorilla from the moon. Is a super intelligent hamster in a heavily armed hamster ball really all that crazier?

Personally I think he's cute and fits in well. But I suppose I can see how he'd seem over the top for some people.
posted by sotonohito at 6:54 PM on June 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

facepalm, mutter something about jumping the shark, and then start speculating that it could still be some kind of joke, until it hit PTR.

And yet, I feel like people have had similar reactions to other hero announcements.

NEW HERO LIFECYCLE:
1. Disbelief
2. Scoffing/ridicule
3. PTR
4. Official release
5. “This fucks up the meta, what the hell!?!”
6. “Oooh they patched and the meta is fixed/balanced.”
7. I love this character, this is the best hero ever, look how powerful he/she is.
8. “I hear they're releasing a new hero coming out, look at this comic panel and this fuzzy zoomed in image from the new map. Now read the 500+ comment thread.”

LATHER. REPEAT.
posted by Fizz at 6:58 PM on June 29, 2018 [5 favorites]

I am a thousand percent on board, myself. Overwatch is a happy, colorful, comic-book intellectual property that has a plotline that trends quite easily toward the grim'n'gritty.

THE HAMSTER IS PLEASED.
posted by Scattercat at 7:04 PM on June 29, 2018 [6 favorites]

I sure would love if they threw an easter egg to Richard the Hamster Hammond
posted by symbioid at 7:08 PM on June 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

Overwatch's characters are deeply silly / unrealistic, so I don't get the pushback from (a small number) of players who think _this_ is the over the top point.
posted by thefoxgod at 7:14 PM on June 29, 2018

We're about at 3 to 5. You laugh at the hamster, the hamster will get in his death machine, grapple hook 20 feet in the air, slam down, knock you back, add 400 to his health and put a mine field around the point. His skill level is absurdly high, but he is right now the most mobile tank out there.

A high level player experimenting with the hamster.
posted by zabuni at 7:16 PM on June 29, 2018 [3 favorites]

zabuni, that's wonderful to see.

Also, I need their to be a Rocket League-esque ONLY HAMSTER BALL mode at some point. JUST MAKE THAT HAPPEN BLIZZARD.
posted by Fizz at 7:19 PM on June 29, 2018

And the Symmetra changes...!!!

Though she was totally broken with that lock on. Miss the shield though
posted by Windopaene at 8:01 PM on June 29, 2018

And the Symmetra changes...!!!

It's funny, I also feel like that has gone through phases. There was a time where they kept on fucking with Mercy and now it seems like Symmetra that is always being fixed or broken or updated.
posted by Fizz at 8:20 PM on June 29, 2018

I think Torb’s the next in line for a major rework, and they’re tweaking Sombra. Hanzo and Brig still seem slightly overtuned — I don’t think anyone really misses scatter arrow though. And Rein’s ultimate needs major bug fixes.

Kinda wish the Overwatch League season playoffs would be on a patch with the new Symmetra. I think she’s viable at higher levels now, and I’m interested to see what the pros can do with her kit.
posted by rewil at 8:38 PM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

I thought the hamster sounded silly till I saw this: Overwatch coach Jayne trying out Hammond. He is having so much fun, and what he can do with Hammond is insane. People are going to be cursing this hamster worse than Teemo.

Also, I didn't realize till tonight that Geguri means 'frog'. Neat!
posted by zompist at 10:32 PM on June 29, 2018 [3 favorites]

They should have used Mark Pauline's Guinea pig Stu.
posted by boilermonster at 12:32 AM on June 30, 2018 [1 favorite]

And yet, I feel like people have had similar reactions to other hero announcements.

True, but not my boyfriend. First thing he hasn't been on board with.
posted by Dysk at 2:00 AM on June 30, 2018

I'm one of those people who isn't twitchy enough to aim well, so I loved the old Symmetra lock on beam. The new more powerful and launchable turrets are nice, but I also really miss the old shield.

And, maybe its because people aren't used to it yet, I've never yet played with a group who understood how to use the new teleporter. I kept popping teleporters so people could flank, or get behind enemy strong points, and my team kept ignoring them and just charging to their death at the strong point...

OTOH, at least with Brigette I've still got a character with no aim needed.
posted by sotonohito at 5:41 AM on June 30, 2018 [1 favorite]

Paging Mark Pauline.
posted by craniac at 6:17 AM on June 30, 2018

I look forwards to a wave of really gay fan art of this hamster, and lengthy speculation as to which other Overwatches he’s having sex with.
posted by egypturnash at 10:20 AM on June 30, 2018 [2 favorites]

From the interview notes:

> Started off as a “junkyard magnet bot”

I am very jealous of the Blizzard devs that got to play the internal testing on what apparently started out as KATAMARI HERO.
posted by crysflame at 6:57 AM on July 1, 2018