Video Game Character of the Month - June 2016 - Tracer - Overwatch

Video Game Character of the Month

June 2016
Tracer
Overwatch

Overview:

The Cavalry's here! No, not May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but Tracer, one-time pilot now time- travelling British special forces hero with pulse bomb. A Videogame Character of the Month award is the least we can do as thanks for Tracer and the rest of Overwatch stopping the Omnic Crisis over 30 years ago and we would like to present it to you... Where'd she go?

And now some information on Tracer:

Real name: Lena Oxton

Youngest person ever inducted into Overwatch's experimental flight program

Hand-picked to test the teleporting fighter The Slipstream

After The Slipstream malfunctioned on its maiden flight she disappeared

Her molecules are desynchronized from the flow of time

The chronal accelerator (developed by Winston) allows her to maintain a physical form in the present and control her own time

Before the chronal accelerator, Tracer was a living ghost, disappearing from the present and having strange dreams about the past

One of Overwatch's most effective agents

Was stationed at Watchpoint: Gibraltar

Got recalled back to Overwatch by Winston after it was reformed

Admires Tekhartha Mondatta

Originally from London

Can blink forward in time

Can recall backwards in time

Carries two short-range pistols

Carries a pulse-bomb

Sometimes makes appearances in the MOBA Heroes of the Storm

Allowed for her portrait to be used in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Some see her as the mascot character of Overwatch

She is an assault character

She has the joint lowest hitpoints with Zenyatta

Widowmaker is her enemy

Origin of Tracer:

The character was created from the idea of a hero that blinked across the map. After a malfunction in The Slipstream she disappeared and was pronounced dead only to reappear as a living ghost who couldn't stay in one time period for very long and not as a physical form. Winston created the chronal accelerator, allowing her to maintain her physical form and control her own time stream, allowing her to slow or speed it up. This made her one of the best Overwatch agents.

Evolution of Tracer:

Originally not created for the starring role, the developers warmed to her and she has now become the mascot for the game. She originally had a jacket to wear but it kept falling off during time-travel so it was discarded. Players can give her 12 different skins (11 without the Origins edition) and variety of different voice lines and victory poses. Due to controversy surrounding Tracer, Blizzard had to ask her nicely to change one of her victory poses, something she obliged to do.

Games:

Overwatch: released (World Wide) on May 24th, 2016 on Playstation 4/Xbox One/PC

Heroes of the Storm: released (World Wide) on June 2nd, 2015 on PC/Mac - Tracer was released as a character on April 26th, 2016

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty: released (World Wide) on July 27th, 2012 on PC/Mac - Tracer was released as a portrait on April 26th, 2016

Well, that's it for Tracer but, as always, if I've missed something out or made a mistake then please don't hesitate to comment! Or if you want a specific character to win the award then please comment as well!

Thanks for reading, Satamer.

Sources:
http://overwatch.gamepedia.com/Tracer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_of_the_Storm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft_II:_Wings_of_Liberty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwatch_(video_game)
http://overwatch.gamepedia.com/Overwatch_(group)
As well as my own knowledge