Overwatch gameplay video puts McCree in the spotlight

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Over the last several days, Blizzard has released Overwatch gameplay footage featuring Zenyatta, an "omnic monk" support character, and Mercy, a winged medic. Now it's time for a look at McCree, a "mad dog" gunfighter with a smooth drawl and a sci-fi six-shooter called the Peacemaker. I'm willing to be it isn't all that peaceful.

McCree's profile describes him as a 37-year-old bounty hunter hailing from New Mexico, who was a member of the Overwatch covert ops division Blackwatch prior to leaving the organization entirely. Along with his sidearm, he also carries flash-bang grenades, can simultaneously dodge enemy fire and reload his weapon in a combat roll. His ult Deadeye ability involves a volley of hipfire that will hit every enemy in his line of sight. He also wears a belt buckle that says "BAMF," I guess because he's a big fan of the X-Men character Nightcrawler.

McCree seems like a pretty straightforward character—the kind of guy you want to be when all you want to do is shoot stuff. And really, deep down, isn't that all of us? Sign up for the Overwatch beta, which is expected to begin later this year, on Battle.net, and find out more about what's cooking in our February hands-on.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.