I saw Phoenix in Marvel Rivals. Made me wanna toss Overwatch 2 aside for once and dive back into NetEase’s hero shooter. Not ‘cause I’m, like, a Phoenix superfan or anything. Honestly, my knowledge on her? Limited to a quick Wikipedia scroll and that one juicy fact from her trailer: she moves like a regular human. Or, well, mutant. Pretty thrilling, especially compared to how Rivals was before.
Ever since the game dropped in December 2024, people have been whining on Reddit about how characters move like they’re in molasses. Some claim it’s like watching paint dry, others say it’s just tricky camera angles making Overwatch seem faster. Personally, I’m with team Molasses and eventually got so ticked off that I just played less. Was it getting under my skin? Yup.
Now there’s this Stadium mode in Overwatch 2 with a third-person view, and watching Phoenix zip around made me think, “Okay, let’s see if Rivals really is as slow as a snail.” And guess what? Yeah, sorta.
So, here’s where I get nerdy. Both games have a practice spot with marked distances to check things like damage drop-off. Perfect for my little speed test. Played with different characters, and well, turns out characters in Rivals take just a tad longer—half a stride or so—to cross five meters compared to those in Overwatch 2. But go figure, measuring’s different, too. In Rivals, five meters is about 11.5 inches, but just 10 in Overwatch 2.
And you’re thinking, “Why’s this even matter?” Well, that means in reality, Rivals’ characters might be moving just as fast as Overwatch’s crew. Or faster. It’s really all about perception, man, not speed.
Characters like Cloak and Dagger — they prance, kind of like they’re trying out for a part in Baywatch. Slow, elegant, whatever. Battles feel almost… ballet-like? Attacks sound like they’re coming from a cap gun. Scarlet Witch, come on, your life-suck needs some life. Beautiful? Maybe. Exciting? Nope.
Then Phoenix crashes the party. Whoosh sounds with every attack, and after a few hits, boom, mini blast. She zips around like a fiery bird and has this cool movement skill with no ridiculous cooldown. When she dodges, it’s quick. Not lounging around like she’s half-asleep. Actually, gives this rush, even if her speed stats match Cloak and Dagger’s shuffle.
Finally, it’s like NetEase got it right, mixing flair with function. Phoenix feels like a real fighter, lively and thrilling. Even if underneath she’s not much different from her comrades, she’s fun. And you know what? That’s good enough for me.
