Phoenix from Marvel Rivals Drew Me Away from Overwatch 2

Okay, so Marvel Rivals has Phoenix now. You know what that means? Time to shove Overwatch 2 off my screen for a sec and dive back into this chaos. Not that I’m obsessed with Phoenix or anything—I barely know anything about her, really. Just skimmed through Wikipedia when they brought her on for season 3. But here’s the kicker: she moves like a real person. Yep, that’s right. A good ol’ human—okay, mutant. Whatever. It’s refreshing, especially since Rivals felt off to me before.

Ever since Rivals hit the scene in December 2024, there’s been this ongoing Reddit saga about how slow everyone seems. Like, walking-through-mud-in-a-bad-dream slow. Some folks argue it’s just an illusion—’cause, perspective tricks, ya know? First-person in Overwatch gives you that hyped-up, instant caffeine boost vibe. But I totally felt the drag. The sluggishness in every heroic stride made me lose my enthusiasm. Slowly, it chipped away at my playtime. Bit dramatic? Maybe.

Then Overwatch 2 goes and launches its third-person Stadium mode, and bam! I see Phoenix zipping around, and something clicks. My suspicion about Rivals being in slow-mo? Kinda nailed it.

Both games have these practice arenas with distance markers—perfect for my science experiment, right? I’m out there measuring strides, and turns out Rivals characters need like half-a-step more to go the same distance as Overwatch folk. Intriguing, no? But, fun fact, Rivals messes with scale. Five meters there is like 11.5 inches, while Overwatch clocks it at about 10. So, it’s kinda a wash in movement speed. It’s not about how fast they go; it’s all in how it looks.

Characters like Namor and Spider-Man are out there, strutting their stuff like Baywatch extras. Dramatic? Sure. Superheroic? Meh. Attack sounds are soft whispers. Winter Soldier’s gun? Popgun vibes. Scarlet Witch’s magic? Yawn city. This understated elegance thing might be working for some, but where’s the superhero dazzle?

Phoenix is throwing the rulebook out. Her attacks blaze with this intense whoosh, capped by a mini-explosion every three hits. She transforms into this fiery bird for a quick dash—talk about entrance—and pairs it with a second skill that doesn’t have you waiting forever for a cooldown. Her dodging is all about energy and speed, none of this lazy-side-lean nonsense. She’s got that adrenaline-pumping aura, even if she’s matching steps with the others.

So NetEase finally hit that sweet spot of cool style, minus the pudding-wading vibe. Phoenix acts like a fighter who means business. Is she wildly different from the rest? Probably not, in essence. But she feels thrilling to play, and for me? That’s gold.