If you like first-person shooters, there are plenty to choose from. Over the past few years the market has become jam-packed with run and gun military-themed shooters loaded with soldiers running faster than humanly possible. So, how can Respawn Entertainment’s new game stand out in such a crowded space? Five words: “your titan is now ready.”
Overview
The story pushing Titanfall isn’t really that heavy. It’s the future and mankind has colonized space, which has pushed rebels to fight back against its corporate-funded government. Coincidentally, both sides fight on foot and with large mechs known as titans. Controlled by pilots, these mechanical monsters give Titanfall a real sci-fi Robotech/Gundam feel with a splash of western influence.
While this might sound interesting, don’t get too ahead of yourself, because Titanfall is online only and its so-called story runs more like a voiceover between multiplayer matches. If you don’t pay close attention, you’ll hardly even know it’s there.
Gameplay
You and your five human teammates start each match as a pilot dropped onto a battlefield. Although you can’t slide or peek around corners, you’re equipped with jet packs, which makes the men and women of Titanfall extremely mobile. Pilots can double jump, run along walls and parkour their way across just about every obstacle on the game’s 15 maps.
While so many freedoms might sound intimidating, they’re not. Titanfall’s streamlined controls are rock solid. Double jumping is a cinch and wall running is easy as directing your character towards a wall and jumping on it. Once you make it through the game’s training level, you’re pretty much fit for full duty and should be ready for just about any scenario the game will throw at you.
Environments in Titanfall are set up like obstacle courses that challenge you to find the fastest routes to and from your objectives, be it a vulnerable enemy or a boarding drop ship. Although pilots in Titanfall are extremely agile, there are some areas within a map that hard to get to. If you find an enemy out of your reach, odds are that there’s an alternate route such as a zipline or a unique wall running sequence.
I found myself running around maps trying to see where I could get to on foot or what required parkour or ziplines. The ability to roam about makes the maps in Titanfall feel larger than they truly are. This also gives the game a very vertical feel. I’m not sure if this was Respawn’s intent, but I definitely like it. Most shooters focus on large, flat landscapes and fail to offer any type of depth. Thanks to Titanfall’s layered map design, danger can come from just about anywhere, making combat feel more authentic.
Life as a pilot is fast and exciting, however it’s only one piece of Respawn’s grand puzzle. As you rack up kills, not only will you earn XP towards a higher rank and unlockable in-game items, you’ll also shave precious seconds off your titan’s build time. That’s right. While you’re out completing objectives, your titan is being prepped for combat on a command ship. Once complete, you’ll be notified that your titan is ready for action and you’ll have the choice to call for it right away or use it at a spawn point after dying.
Like the pilots who operate them, titans are fast, however they’re nowhere near as nimble. To compensate for a lack of mobility, these death dealing robots pack a lot of power and crush just about anything that finds itself under their feet, be it man or machine.
The mix between pilots and titans does a great job of keeping Titanfall’s scale in perspective. While pilots are more vulnerable, they’re pretty much free to roam about as they please. On the other hand, titans pack a lot more power, but they’re restricted from some areas and in the interest of fairness their bullets cannot pierce walls.
Not only does this prevent a lot of cheap titan-fueled killing sprees, it also adds an element of strategy to the game’s multiplayer. For example, when playing a round of Attrition (deathmatch), a pilot can use a structure as cover when confronted by a titan. This helps maintain a much needed balance. If titans were able to destroy buildings and shoot through walls, no one would ever use pilots. However, Titanfall’s human cast members aren’t powerless by any means. In my experience, the most dangerous thing in a titan’s path is a well-placed pilot with an anti-titan weapon.
While every map has its share of quirks, I ultimately found myself shuffling between the role of titan and pilot depending on the task. In a match of Hardpoint (domination), titans are typically tasked with defending territories, while pilots are running and dodging in hopes of scoring points. Respawn did a sublime job balancing the pros and cons of playing as a pilot or titan. There really doesn’t seem to be a one-size-fits-all solution.
After logging in several hours of gameplay, I couldn’t settle on a specific loadout for my pilot or titan, however I did find myself fond of the EVA-8 Shotgun when playing as the former.
While you’ll likely find yourself performing a juggling act between Titanfall’s hefty combinations of weapons, it’ll always remain crystal clear that this game has fantastic controls that aren’t too taxing on inexperienced players. In addition to reliable handles, combat in Titanfall is rather refined and avoids feeling like a tense twitch session. Instead of watering down the game’s mechanics, it gives gameplay a nice balanced feel.
Modes
As previously stated, Titanfall is all about multiplayer and while Respawn’s take on the first-person shooter offers some new elements to the genre, the game’s competitive modes are very familiar. Attrition is pretty much team deathmatch with a slight twist. Players score points for killing members of the opposing team, however in this game bot killed count towards what’s needed to win.
Hardpoint is Titanfall’s version of territories, where players have to capture and hold specific map points. In addition to fighting over turf, Titanfall features a traditional game of Capture the Flag, with the only real difference being the inclusion of gigantic robots running around.
Players looking for a little something extra will most likely want to try the Titanfall’s last two game types. Pilot Hunter is pretty much Attrition, where points are only earned for killing pilots. If you’re looking for something that appeals to the game’s unique dynamics, Last Titan Standing is your match type. In this hardcore mode, players start out in titans with minions supporting them. The objective with this match type is to kill off the opposing team’s titans, hence the name Last Titan Standing.
Burn Cards
Titanfall features in-game boosters known as Burn Cards. While they’re similar to add-ons and perks that you’ll find in other first-person shooters, there’s a little spice to Respawn’s formula. Players unlock different Burn Cards that offer unique features, such as weapons, spawn advantages, double XP and faster titan build times, however you’re only able to use one card at a time and it’s only good for a single life. So, you’ll have to choose wisely and make each card count.
If I had to pick a favorite, I’d say that I’m pretty fond of Massive Payload, which causes your titan ejection to set off a massive nuclear explosion with a rather large blast radius. Since you work so hard to earn your titan, why not make your opponents pay for forcing you out of your mech?
Graphics & Audio
Titanfall runs at 60 frames per second, but it’s definitely not locked. While gameplay is mostly smooth and consistent, its performance starts to take a dip when multiple titans are on the screen at the same time, battling it out. Throughout my experience with the game, it never became unplayable, but it definitely was noticeable. As for the game’s visuals as a whole, nothing really screams “next-gen!” Titanfall isn’t an ugly game, but its aesthetics won’t be winning any awards – at least not from us. Character models have somewhat of a generic look and feel and due to the game’s major focus on multiplayer; facial animations are pretty much nonexistent. Despite Titanfall’s casual approach to character design, actual pilot movement looks fairly natural.
Now when it comes to making things go boom, Titanfall’s sound manages to rise to the occasion. Guns fire with a satisfying kick and distressed titans sound off with nerve-racking squeals that convey an extreme sense of danger. Should a pilot decide to avoid the aforementioned warning, Titanfall’s audio presentation will reward their exterminator with a delightful explosion.
Conclusion
Make no mistake about it, Titanfall is very fun and it’s a great first showing for Respawn. However, the game isn’t without its flaws. Its tacked on campaign is uninspiring and feels like it should’ve just been left out altogether. And for a title that focuses so heavily on its multiplayer experience, it would’ve been nice to see more unique game types. It’s as if Respawn fine-tuned the game’s mechanics, but went the conservative route with its competitive modes. After a couple of hours of play, things can really start to feel repetitive.
That being said, Titanfall still gets a lot of things right. Respawn didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it managed to make a better wheel than its competitors have produced in a very long time. A wheel that’s fast, fun and rides smoothly. Titanfall may not be the best first-person shooter ever, but it has all of the components in place to dethrone the genre’s top dogs.
Pros
+Rock solid controls
+Excellent balance between pilots and titans
+ Great map design
+Glorious explosions
Cons
-Tacked on campaign mode
– Limited multiplayer modes
