Oh wow, so Phoenix joined Marvel Rivals. I’m actually considering giving Overwatch 2 a break because of this. Not because I’m a Phoenix superfan or anything—I only really know about her from a quick dive into Wikipedia after I saw NetEase announced her for Rivals season 3. But I gotta say, watching her in action was kind of refreshing. She actually moves like, you know, a real person. Or maybe I should say mutant? Whatever, you get it. And that’s a big deal for Rivals, which hasn’t had that vibe till now.
You know, since Rivals launched back in December 2024, Reddit’s been buzzing with folks grumbling about how characters lumber along like they’re stuck in molasses. Some folks claim it feels all slow-mo; others think it’s just a camera trick, like Overwatch feels zippier since it’s from a first-person view that’s more dynamic or something. Honestly, I was with the slow-motion camp. I mean, it’s like watching paint dry—characters with snail-speed attacks—that got under my skin after a while, so I started ignoring the game.
But hey, with Overwatch 2 flaunting this third-person Stadium mode and Phoenix looking all speedy, I figured I’d test my theories. So, I dipped back into Rivals. Was I right? Ehh, sorta.
Both games have these practice arenas with distances marked out to check damage ranges, which was perfect for my little speed test. After fooling around with different heroes, I figured out that Rivals’ characters take a tad longer—like half a step more—to cover five meters compared to Overwatch 2. Doesn’t sound too bad, but here’s the kicker: Rivals measures five meters as, like, 11.5 inches, and in Overwatch 2, it’s about 10 inches. So yeah, size matters?
“So what?” you might wonder. Turns out, Rivals’ heroes don’t lag speed-wise—they might even outpace Overwatch 2 characters since they cover more ground in a similar step count. The issue isn’t speed. It’s how they do it.
Cloak and Dagger, Namor, Spider-Man, oh man, they prance across the battlefield like they’re in some slow-motion beach montage. Their attack combos drag, except Iron Fist, he’s quick. And the sound effects? They’re like background noise. Winter Soldier’s gun sounds like a toy, and Scarlet Witch’s magic is… meh. Understated elegance, maybe—but where’s the pizzazz?
Enter Phoenix, who flips the script. Her attacks come with this wild whoosh sound and every third hit? Boom—an explosion. Even her bird-form zoom and mobility skills have quick cooldowns. She darts around like she’s on a mission, no lazy leaning around. Adds this energy to her movements, even if she’s not literally faster (psst, Dagger covers the same space in fewer steps).
Long story short, NetEase found a sweet spot with Phoenix—a mix of style and action that doesn’t bore you to tears. Her battles feel alive, and honestly, that’s a win in my book.
