Overwatch Gets the NES Treatment
By Alexander Pan 10 October 2016
YouTube channel Rkade Soup gives Blizzard’s hit multiplayer shooter Overwatch the 8-bit NES treatment, reimagining the game as a side-scrolling co-op beat ’em up.
With a player base of over 15 million (and counting), Overwatch has been nothing short of a massive success for Blizzard and has become the subject of an endless stream of fan art and parodies. From tribute rap videos to a quirky cross-over with the iconic 90’s sitcom Seinfeld, it probably goes without saying that Overwatch fans are a creative community of people. The latest tribute is perhaps one of the more impressive ones of late and it answers an all-important question regarding the game – what would Overwatch look like as an 8-bit side-scroller from the late 80’s?
New YouTube channel Rkade Soup decided to take Overwatch‘s roster of memorable characters and locations, and reimagine them as an old-school Nintendo Entertainment System era co-op beat ’em up side-scroller. The result is a glorious 8-bit rendition of a series of fan favourite characters, such as Tracer, Junkrat, D.Va, Mercy and Roadhog, and all of them fight it out in a 2D interpretation of the game’s Hanamura level. The parody video ends on a humorous note with Genji taking on Mei, and suffice to say, the game’s unofficial ice-wielding troll character emerges victorious (with a little help from Widowmaker).
It should be noted that as well-made as this parody is, it isn’t quite a true Nintendo Entertainment System recreation. As the video description notes, there are more colors and pixels used than the console can handle, different sounds were used throughout the video, and of course, it doesn’t capture the frustration of needing to blow dust out of those gray cartridges before it fires up. Having said that, those little artistic deviations take nothing away from what is a loving parody that’s bound to bring a smile to any Overwatch fan’s face.
With the recent leak of Blizzard’s upcoming Overwatch Halloween Terror event, as well as the impending arrival of the game’s mysterious new character Sombra, there will be plenty of additional source material to draw from for a sequel parody video should Rkade Soup decide to make a follow-up recreation.
One thing is for sure, had this Overwatch game come bundled with the upcoming miniature Nintendo Entertainment System, the Big N would quickly recoup all those massive losses it incurred in early 2016.
Overwatch is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
Source: YouTube (via GameInformer)
