Overwatch Nerf Blasters: Playtesting The New Hasbro Rival Line

[Nergal]

 

How old is too old to play with Nerf? Asking for a friend.
Nerf blasters have come a long way since I was a kid. Back then, the coolest thing in the world was the Nerf Bow And Arrow, which fired a comically fat dart at your opponents. Now, Nerf is doing some really cool things with its Rival line by bringing the weapons of Overwatch into the real world.

Sure, the spring-loading technology probably hasn't changed much, but the look and feel of these blasters has. Hasbro gave GameSpot four of its new blasters based on the game Overwatch, and we played around with them. We also fired them a bunch, lost some of the balls, and made sure no one was looking at us in the process.

Check out below the box art and close up looks at what comes with each blaster below, as well as our thoughts on them. One thing is for sure, Nerf may look a whole lot different from what it used to but it still plays the same.

All of these Nerf Rival Overwatch blasters will be available at GameStop in the U.S. and at EB Games in Canada in January 2019.

Nerf Rival Microshots Overwatch
Price: $10

There are three different microshots to choose from: Torbjorn, D.Va, and Tracer. Each one comes with two darts, and it's a very basic blaster, with easy to load and fire mechanics.

Thoughts
Pros: Reminds me of the classic Nerf toys I played with as a kid.

Cons: Obviously, this was made for younger folks, as I don't feel the power of Overwatch holding this.

Nerf Rival Overwatch McCree Blaster
Price: $30

Comes with a die cast McCree badge and five high-powered rounds. The blaster also has a trigger lock to prevent accidental firing.

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This is the only blaster in the line that gets loaded from the back, and it only holds one shot at a time.

Thoughts
Pros: This is probably the coolest-looking blaster in the line. The badge is real sturdy and feels official.

Cons: It has to be loaded with a single round every time you fire. The blaster doesn't hold multiple rounds.

Nerf Rival Overwatch D.Va Blaster
Price: $30

D.Va's straight-forward blaster comes with three rounds and her lucky bunny charm. Additionally, it has a trigger lock to prevent accidental firing.

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Up to three rounds can be loaded into the blaster at a time. The go into the top near the front of the barrel.

Thoughts
Pros: Out of the entire line, this blaster looks most like the weapon from Overwatch. It holds multiple rounds, so you don't have to reload.

Cons: None

Nerf Rival Overwatch Reaper (Wight Edition) Collector Pack
Price: $193

This set comes with two blasters, 16 rounds, and a mask. Like other blasters in the set, these also have a trigger lock to prevent accidental firing.

Each of the blasters can hold eight rounds at a time, and they get loaded at the top of the blaster, right in the middle.

The mask
This thing is nuts. It's pretty durable and doesn't feel cheap by any means, which is nice as many collector packs skip out on the quality of the extra items included. The mask is easy to see out of and fits nicely on the face.

Thoughts
Pros: The mask fits the head and face of a 36-year-old man who has no shame. The blasters are easy to load with one hand, which is important because you'll be carrying both of them at the same time.

Cons: This is pretty pricey, but it is a collectors edition.