This article needs to beupdated.The reason given is: Missing mostly about its appearance on Overwatch 2 for reception and appearances section..(May 2023) |
Doomfist,full nameAkande Ogundimu,is a character who first appears in the 2016 video gameOverwatch,aBlizzard Entertainment–developedfirst-person shooter.His design is based on a powerful,cyberneticgauntlet.As an offensive,brawler-style character, he uses close-range attacks: a charged punch and slam. Doomfist was released in late July 2017 as the title's 25th hero of thefranchise,and the fourth introduced after the game's launch.
| Doomfist | |
|---|---|
| Overwatchcharacter | |
 | |
| First game | Overwatch(2017 update) |
| Designed by | Arnold Tsang[1] David Gibson (animation)[2] |
| Voiced by | Sahr Ngaujah |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Akande Ogundimu |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
Overwatch'sannouncement video,in 2014, contained a stray reference to a gauntlet. Following its obsessive popularity with fans, the developer,Blizzard Entertainment,expanded the gauntlet into a full-fledged, playable character. This period included a series of teasers from the developer and a campaign by actorTerry Crewsto voice the character. Doomfist was ultimately voiced bySahr Ngaujah.In Doomfist's fictional backstory, the playable character became the third generation to wield the gauntlet, and is presented as avillainafter killing his predecessor and becoming a leader of Talon, the game's nemesis group. Adigital comicaccompanied the character's release.
Fans were excited by the character's reveal, and professional players praised thebalanceof his move set. Other critics considered Doomfist too vulnerable to be viable, and insufficiently exciting to rekindle the interest of old players.
Description
editDoomfist is a tank character built as abrawler,with close-range, mostly melee attacks from hiscyberneticgauntlet.For example, his Rocket Punch is a charged attack that launches Doomfist in the direction of the player's aim. It does extra damage if it pummels the enemy into a wall.[3]It is useful for finishing enemies in retreat as well as pushing enemies off edges.[4]The Seismic Slam performs a smashing dive to return to the ground. His only non-melee attack is the short-range Hand Cannon, which shoots a shotgun burst of projectiles from the gauntlet's knuckles.[3]Its four shots of ammunition regenerate passively.[3][4]Doomfist's passive ability gives him extra shields when he deals damage with his abilities. His "ultimate ability", Meteor Strike, launches Doomfist into the air to drop down on a targeted area,[3]and complements other ultimate abilities that pull enemies together.[5][6]
These moves are designed to be used in flurry combinations. For instance, the player can Seismic Slam an opponent, which pulls in enemies, and progress into a Rising Uppercut, which tosses the opponent into the air. During that toss, the player can charge the Rocket Punch and release as the opponent returns to the ground. Alternatively, the player can launch into the air, pick an opponent to slam, and punch them at close range. The character is built for aggressive playstyles and advanced players.[4]
Among his advantages, his move combinations contribute to his high mobility, compared to otherOverwatchplayable characters. Doomfist can easily reach and neutralize enemies occupying high ground, such as snipers. He is most effective against low-mobility opponents, but susceptible to high-mobility opponents, such asPharah,Soldier: 76,andSombra.Among his disadvantages, Doomfist is dependent on his abilities to escape groups of enemies, leaving the player helpless when his abilities are unavailable (on cooldown or hacked by Sombra). Doomfist's large "hitbox", or area for taking damage, disadvantages him to characters such asReaper,Roadhog,andAna's sleep dart.[4]
In professional games, he works best when flanking the enemy team and isolating single opponents out of position. At his release, he was expected to fit well in the "dive" team compositions popular in professional play, in which aggressive characters such asGenjiandWinstonharass the enemy at close range. He was also expected to counterbalance diving enemies by pulling them in, uppercutting them into the air, and removing them from the fight. Doomfist was anticipated to perform well on mostlevels/maps, especially in those with close quarters.[4]Stationary barrier characters (such as Reinhardt andOrisa), though popular in professional team compositions, cannot protect Doomfist, who instead benefits more fromZarya's barrier bubble ability.[5]
Some of the character's costume customization options ( "skins" ) relate to his fictional cultural heritage, such as theorishagods of theYoruba religionand theAfrican ceremonial mask tradition.[7][8]Doomfist's other aesthetic customization options allude to the boxerMuhammad Ali,thecombo sequencesoffighting video games,and other pop culture references.[9][10]
In March 2022, Blizzard confirmed that Doomfist's role will be changed to a tank inOverwatch 2.[11]Doomfist's Uppercut was eliminated, replaced by a Power Block ability that will let him absorb frontal damage for a short time. His other offensive abilities are weakened to a degree but he was given more health to reflect his tank status. Blizzard explained that rather than having to heavily refine Doomfist's offensive capabilities which had become overpowered, transitioning him to a tank still made him a threatening force that could break up defensive groups.[12]
Development
edit| External videos | |
|---|---|
 The 2014 cinematic,in which the game was first announced and Doomfist's gauntlet first appeared | |
| Doomfist character preview with developer commentary |
Doomfist was a stray reference inOverwatch's originalanimated shortwhose obsessive popularity with fans led the development team to expand his lore with in-game references in the game's Numbani map.[13][14]In the cinematic video used to announce the game in 2014, a boy is excited to see Doomfist's gauntlet on display behind glass at the Overwatch museum.[15]Doomfist's gauntlet was a plot device, and the developers had not planned to create a character to wield it.OverwatchCreative DirectorChris Metzenplayed with compound nouns to give the gauntlet a name reminiscent of a shotgun. The developers expanded the gauntlet into a Doomfist character in bits. In particular, they decided to use the gauntlet as the centerpiece for the game's Numbani environment, in which the gauntlet is encased in the map's objective, the payload, to be delivered to a Doomfist exhibit at a museum. By late 2015, the team decided Doomfist would be a generational hero, like that of superhero universes, were he to be a full-fledged playable character,[16]the fourth additional character to be added to game,[17]and 25th on the roster.[18]
In designing the character, Blizzard's Geoff Goodman said they crafted Doomfist as an "ode to thefighting genre",both in his skill kit and in concept art.[19]Though Blizzard tried to keep all of his attacks as melee, they found, as they had with Genji, that Doomfist needed some type of ranged attack to make him playable; an early attack had been a phantom punch that would have been launched from his fist.[20]Doomfist had also be considered as a Tank class, but Blizzard did not want to make the mistake again of having a high-health character with powerful attacks as they had initially with Roadhog at the game's introduction.[20]At one point during development, Doomfist would have been able to pick up enemies and use them ashuman shieldsor to throw them, but Blizzard dropped this as he was not supposed to be a wrestler orluchador,according to Goodman.[20]They also dropped an ability for him to grab pieces of the ground and throw them.[20]His ultimate ability was originally designed forOrisa,the character introduced prior to Doomfist.[20]
Actor and formerAmerican footballplayerTerry Crewsgenerated support on social media in his bid tovoice the character,which included a mock audition, a visit to the developer's headquarters, an endorsement from fellow actorDwayne Johnson,and a fan campaign.[21][22][23]The character was ultimately voiced bySahr Ngaujah,who previously appeared inMoney MonsterandStomp the Yard.[24]The accent used for Doomfist has been described asWest African.[25]Blizzard's Michael Chu explained that when they were casting for Doomfist specifically looking for "something very specific given his role in the game", Ngaujah's audition significantly impressed them, along with his ability to deliver many different "flavors" that they needed for the character.[19]Crews ultimately felt that Ngaujah was a better fit for Doomfist, and was pleased to have been included, instead, inMicrosoft'sCrackdown 3.[26]Chu did not rule out using Crews elsewhere withinOverwatch.[19]
In the lead-up to Blizzard's official announcement of the playable character, the developers teased his release by modifying the Doomfist gauntlet in Numbani to appear to be stolen from its glass case.[27][22]Blizzard finally confirmed the Doomfist's development with ateaser trailerin early July 2017, a week after news of the release leaked through the game'scrash logs.[13]The reveal cinematic was drawn in an anime-style by Wolf Smoke Studio, based in Shanghai, who had previously expressed and rallied interest in developing an anime in the game's fictional universe.[28]Blizzard also sent an official DoomfistcosplayertoSan Diego Comic-ConandOverwatch World Cup Sydney qualifier.[29][30]Soon after the reveal, Doomfist became playable on the game's test servers,[24]where some of the character's powers were rebalanced to reduce punch distance and vertical mobility.[31]The character was released for all platforms on July 27, 2017.[32]
Lore
edit| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Doomfist origin story,an official, animated short |
Doomfist is presented as a "generational" character who, like theGreen Lanternor theFlash,has passed through two generational eras in which he was known to the fictional world as "The Savior" and "The Scourge".[14]The playable Doomfist is the character's third incarnation, labeled "The Successor" as the third person to be called "Doomfist".[33]
Doomfist is one of the villains of theOverwatchfictional universe.[33]In the backstory of the third Doomfist, Akande Ogundimu is presented as the villainous heir to aprostheticscompany in Nigeria who splits his time between expanding the company andmartial artstraining. During the game's "Omnic War" between humans and rogue Omnic robots, Ogundimu lost his right arm. His prosthetic replacement impressed the second Doomfist (Akinjide Adeyemi), who then trained Ogundimu as his successor, but the student later killed his teacher to claim the gauntlet for himself. Ogundimu became a leader of the Talon group, the nemesis organization to Overwatch, and advocates for his belief that forces of conflict will strengthen humanity. At some point prior to the game's present, Overwatch'sWinston,a playable character from the game, defeats Doomfist and puts the titular gauntlet behind glass in the Overwatch museum, as referenced in the originalOverwatchannouncement video.[15]Blizzard's first teaser for Doomfist's release shows a fictional news report about Talon freeing Doomfist from prison to steal the gauntlet.[24][18]Blizzard had modified the Numbani level during its release of Orisa, the previous playable character released for the game, to imply that Doomfist had attacked the city and stolen the gauntlet; notably, the payload casing had been broken open and the gauntlet missing.[34]
A digital comicaccompanied the playable character's release, featuring Doomfist in aJames Bond-esque casino setting.Masqueradeestablishes the character's motivations and competition following his release from prison.[35][36]
Reception
editUpon Doomfist's official announcement,Kotakureported the fan reaction as "beyond excited".[37]Fan anticipation for the character rivaled that forSombra,a character released the previous year[33]with a prolonged reveal period.[38]Players had hoped for the release of Doomfist each time Blizzard had revealed an additional character for the game.[37]Fans who had lobbied for Terry Crews to play Doomfist's voice were disappointed to discover his absence, but Sahr Ngaujah's performance was praised at the time of Doomfist's formal unveiling,[21]and fans received the character positively anyway.[37]Doomfist also fulfilledOverwatch'ssore lack of asupervillain,according toIGN,in a cast of other morally ambiguous but tragic and redeemable characters. The critic anticipated Doomfist as the start of Blizzard making Talon into a villainous organization à laLegion of Doom(Justice League) orMasters of Evil(Avengers).[33]
Writing forHardcore Gamer,Spencer Rutledge opined that "having [Doomfist] representing his African heritage in the best of ways,Overwatchis making sure to stay at the forefront of representation. "[39]
References
edit- ^Burns, Matt (December 2021).The Art of Overwatch, Volume 2.Titan Books Limited.pp. 14–15.ISBN9781950366668.
- ^David, Gibson [@Poodletime] (May 26, 2018)."When I'm animating a character I create a sheet of inspiration/reference. These guide me & keep me focused on the character I'm animating. I go into more detail about this w/Mei in my 2016 GDC talk: http://goo.gl/esjuOG These are the inspiration sheets I used for Doomfist"(Tweet). Archived fromthe originalon February 27, 2021 – viaTwitter.
- ^abcdGilliam, Ryan (July 6, 2017)."Doomfist's newly announced kit gives Overwatch a big brawler".Heroes Never Die.Archivedfrom the original on August 22, 2017.RetrievedJuly 13,2017.Also seeMoore, Bo (July 7, 2017)."Doomfist abilities list: here's everything Overwatch's new melee hero can do".PC Gamer.Archivedfrom the original on July 8, 2017.RetrievedJuly 10,2017.
- ^abcdeHorti, Sam (July 13, 2017)."Overwatch pros analyze Doomfist's strengths, weaknesses, and combos".PC Gamer.Archivedfrom the original on July 15, 2017.RetrievedJuly 14,2017.
- ^abcD'Anastasio, Cecilia (July 7, 2017)."Some Early Thoughts On Overwatch's Doomfist: Fun, Fresh, Flawed".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on July 9, 2017.RetrievedJuly 10,2017.
- ^Examples of characters with ultimate abilities that pull enemies together (also known as "crowd-control" ultimates) includeZarya,Mei,andReinhardt.[5]
- ^Frank, Allegra (July 13, 2017)."Overwatch is embracing Doomfist's Nigerian origins in the coolest way".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on July 13, 2017.RetrievedJuly 13,2017.
- ^Kim, Matt (July 13, 2017)."Doomfist's First Legendary Skins are Live on the Overwatch PTR".USgamer.Archived fromthe originalon November 28, 2020.RetrievedJuly 13,2017.
- ^Frank, Allegra (July 13, 2017)."Doomfist's sprays make 'the greatest' references".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on July 14, 2017.RetrievedJuly 13,2017.
- ^Marshall, Cass (July 13, 2017)."The highlights of Doomfist's POTG intros, sprays, and other PTR goodies".Heroes Never Die.Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2018.RetrievedJuly 16,2017.
- ^Park, Morgan (March 18, 2022)."Doomfist is a tank in Overwatch 2, Blizzard confirms".PC Gamer.Archivedfrom the original on March 19, 2022.RetrievedMarch 19,2022.
- ^Marshall, Cass (April 20, 2022)."Overwatch 2 massively reworks Orisa and Doomfist (who's a tank now)".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2022.RetrievedApril 20,2022.
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- ^Marks, Tom (December 10, 2015)."How Blizzard is making up Overwatch's story as it goes".PC Gamer.p. 2.Archivedfrom the original on July 6, 2017.RetrievedJuly 14,2017.
- ^Lumb, David (July 6, 2017)."Overwatch debuts its fourth new hero: Doomfist".Engadget.Archivedfrom the original on July 8, 2017.RetrievedJuly 10,2017.
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- ^abcHaywald, Justin (July 23, 2017)."Overwatch Devs Explain Why Terry Crews Isn't Doomfist's Voice (And Other Inside Stories)".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on July 24, 2017.RetrievedJuly 23,2017.
- ^abcdePereira, Chris (July 21, 2017)."Overwatch's Doomfist Used To Pick Up And Throw Other Players".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on July 23, 2017.RetrievedJuly 24,2017.
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- ^abGrayson, Nathan (February 8, 2017)."Why Overwatch Players Are Excited About a Character Named 'Doomfist'".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on February 18, 2017.RetrievedJuly 10,2017.
- ^Delahunty-Light, Zoe (January 5, 2017)."Terry Crews wants to voice Overwatch's Doomfist and Twitter has said YES, PLEASE GOD YES".GamesRadar.Archivedfrom the original on January 12, 2017.RetrievedJuly 10,2017.
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- ^Starkey, Brando Simeo (March 19, 2019)."With Baptiste, 'Overwatch' gets black male representation right".Andscape.Archivedfrom the original on June 6, 2023.RetrievedJune 6,2023.
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- ^Pereira, Chris."Overwatch Doomfist Update Now Available; Here Are The Patch Notes".GameSpot.RetrievedAugust 20,2017.
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- ^Marshall, Cass (July 19, 2017)."Doomfist's new comic, Masquerade, gives Talon a ton of spotlight".Heroes Never Die.Archivedfrom the original on August 22, 2017.RetrievedJuly 25,2017.
- ^Marshall, Cass (July 19, 2017)."Ranking the incredible costumes in Overwatch's Masquerade comic".Heroes Never Die.Archivedfrom the original on July 23, 2017.RetrievedJuly 25,2017.
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