Alright, so here’s the deal. I’ve been playing way too much Overwatch 2 lately, but then I heard Phoenix is in Marvel Rivals. Didn’t think much of her at first—honestly, I only dug up some stuff about her from Wikipedia. Not exactly deep research, I know. But I watched her trailer, and there was this one thing that just grabbed me: she actually moves like a person—well, like a mutant but you get the idea. Most of the time in Rivals, characters move like they’re in slow-motion, like they’re wading through a knee-deep pool or something. Ugh.
Okay, so let’s backtrack a sec. Ever since Marvel Rivals hit the scene back in December 2024, folks on Reddit have been up in arms about this sloooow character movement. It’s like you’re watching a sleepy parade. Some blame it on the perspective. First-person games like Overwatch just seem snappier. Probably true? But whatever the case—yeah, Rivals feels sluggish. I noticed it, you noticed it, we all noticed it.
But wait—there’s more? With Overwatch 2 getting this third-person Stadium gig, I decided to conduct a little experiment. Was Rivals really slow, or was I just imagining stuff? Spoiler: I was kinda right, but also kinda not. Yeah, I’m confused too.
So I took a stroll in the practice arena of both games. Turns out, Rivals characters take a bit more time to strut across five meters than those in Overwatch 2. But here’s a twist for ya—distance in Rivals is like 11.5 inches while it’s 10 inches in Overwatch 2 for the same measurement. Weird, right?
Alright, why does this mean anything at all? Well, technically Rivals heroes might move at the same speed or faster than their Overwatch buddies because they cover more ground—sort of. Doesn’t feel that way though. It’s more about style than speed.
Characters like Cloak and Dagger? Namor and Spider-Man? They’re like strutting models or something, taking these exaggerated, dramatic steps. Add in these long pauses during attacks unless you’re someone like Iron Fist—and wow, it turns high-energy brawls into slow dances. Guess Winter Soldier didn’t get the memo either; his gunfire is more pop than pow. Scarlet Witch? Kinda meh.
And then, there’s Phoenix. She’s the game changer. Got this whoosh and boom thing going with her attacks. Explosion here, explosion there—fun stuff! She transforms into this fiery bird and zips around, and thank the gaming gods, her cooldown isn’t eternal. There’s this energy in her moves—a kind of urgent snap, even if she’s technically not faster. Makes you go “whoa!” rather than “yawn.”
Ultimately, it’s this mix of flash and function that keeps me hooked. Phoenix feels like a fighter—pizzazz and all. Might not be revolutionary, but hey, it’s enough to drag me back into Marvel Rivals. Game on!
