Titanfall: Prepare for Awesome-fall
One aspect of the game that is different from other FPS games is that of the campaign. Respawn Entertainment was open in discussing that Titanfall did not have a traditional campaign like other FPS games do. While there is a "campaign" of sorts, you are playing with and against other players online. There are two factions battling each other known as the Militia and the IMC. In the campaign you will play on the side of each faction on different maps with a combination of attrition (team deathmatch) and hardpoint modes. During both faction campaigns you will see small in game cutscenes and other story driven dialogue from main characters in the game. But like I mentioned before you are playing these matches online against and with other players. There is not a traditional solo campaign in Titanfall. Some players will be turned off by this and others who are more multiplayer focused gamers won't be. While the campaign mode of Titanfall isn't bad, I still wasn't quite sure what was going on story wise when I finished it.
Graphically Titanfall is a good looking game. Yes, the game is not running in 1080p but seriously it's not a big deal. You are moving so fast you really wouldn't notice anyway. Besides that, the game still looks good. Weapon and character models are nicely detailed and there are good lighting effects in the various detailed maps. The three different titan models all look completely different (and play different) and have a lot of detail to them as well. Will Titanfall make your jaw drop at the visuals? Most likely not. But it is still a good looking game that runs incredibly smooth. The controls of the game are also done very well. Any FPS fan can pick up the game and within minutes feel right at home. The parkour movements of your pilot are very fluid, easy to get a hang of, and most importantly are effective.
There is a somewhat standard, yet good variety of weapons to use in the game. You'll have your choice of a couple different assault rifles, sub machine guns, a shotgun, pistols, and sniper rifle. You'll also have a few different explosives at your disposal too. There's the traditional frag grenade, an arc grenade that is effective at shocking at disorienting titans and enemies, and a satchel charge that sticks to any surface and you can remotely detonate. Your pilot is also equipped with different anti-titan weapons which mostly consist of various rocket or grenade launchers. Your titan also has a variety of weapons such as chain guns, pulse beam rifles, rocket launchers, etc. All of the weapons for your pilot and titan have attachments that can be unlocked and equipped to make them even more deadly and effective in battle.
You can also unlock special abilities for both your pilot and titan. Your pilot can use a cloaking shield, a sprint/health regenerating boost, radar pulse to briefly show enemies on the map, and others. The titan will be able to use skills such as special rocket attacks, shield drops, damaging smoke screens, and the very awesome vortex shield that allows you to stop and catch enemy bullets in mid air (Neo from the Matrix style!), then send them flying back at your enemies. Of course you can customize all of your weapons and skills into special loadouts so that you can have the perfect pilot and titan to fit your needs and play style.
A new feature that I think is just great is the use of burn cards. In a way the burn cards act as a quick kill streak reward you'd earn in Call of Duty. You will earn burn cards throughout a match by completing certain challenges and various other things and be able to collect a deck of the burn cards. Each burn card grants the player a special ability. Some cards give you use of a more powerful version of a weapon, more grenades, longer cloaking or sprinting abilities, and much more. The reason they are called burn cards is once you use a card in a match, you only get to use its ability until you die. Once you respawn that card is gone or burned. You can only have three active cards in your "hand" in a match but you can always swap them out or pick new cards between every match. The burn cards give you a little edge and add even more addiction for the collector at heart.
As with most FPS games, Titanfall's real bread and butter is the multiplayer. Which is a good thing seeing how it's basically a multiplayer only focused game. There are several modes at your disposal and most of them are the traditional modes we've come to expect. The modes are Attrition (team deathmatch), Hardpoint (capture and hold A,B,C), Last Titan Standing, and Pilot Hunter. Attrition and Hardpoint are pretty self explanatory, but in Last Titan Standing players are all placed inside a titan and like the name states, the game is over once one team is completely wiped out. Pilot Hunter mode functions a little differently from team deathmatch in that you only get points from killing other pilots. While you do not get points from killing the AI grunts, they still help you knock off time until you can call in your titan.
(See a titan in action!)
All of the multiplayer modes are 6v6 which to some may not sound like much at all. However, with the addition of the AI grunts and titans dropping in, every match feels like a large scale battle. You will constantly see other pilots and grunts running around shooting at each other. Plus when you call in your titan you can set it to "follow mode" where it will automatically attack enemy players and titans. The grunts serve as cannon fodder and a means to help decrease the time you can call in your titan more than anything else. They are not very dangerous or smart but they will fire their weapons at you (even if their aim isn't great). The "smarter" spectre robots will actually leap onto higher places in buildings or perform some evade tactics. The nice thing with the bots is that you earn some points by killing them so it always feels like you are contributing something. To me the 6v6 never seems too small and I think it's the perfect fit for the game.
Of course the multiplayer is progressive and your pilot will level up. This is done by killing enemies and completing challenges. The challenges will range from getting so many kills with particular weapons, wall running a certain distance, staying in a titan for so long, and many more. You will earn experience from killing enemies, bots, titans, and even more from completing challenges. Once you hit the top rank of 50 you are given the option to regenerate, or prestige to you Call of Duty fans. Personally, I never wanted to prestige in Call of Duty because I hated loosing all of the weapons and attachments I worked for. But in Titanfall it doesn't feel like such a pain to regenerate. While you loose all the weapons, skills, and attachments you earned, you get to keep all of the burn cards you've unlocked. That comes in handy when you are back at square one. As of now you can regenerate to a level 10 pilot, but it wouldn't surprise me if Respawn Entertainment increased the regeneration cap in the future.
Titanfall is both a fantastic FPS and game in general and that is because of several different reasons. One major reason is that the game is extremely well balanced. The different weapons, abilities, titans, and attachments all work together so well. You never really feel like you are outbalanced or at an unfair disadvantage. Even when you are starting at level one. The controls are tight and responsive and as I mentioned before the game plays incredibly smooth. I have been playing the game regularly since launch and have hardly experienced any lag at all. Plus it never gets old watching your titan fall onto the battlefield and running up to it and jumping inside. Respawn Entertainment has released the first map pack to the game which added three more great maps to the already fantastic map lineup. A second map pack is on its way and there have been multiple updates to the game as well. The online community for Titanfall is still going strong and it's easy to see why. If you own a Xbox One, Xbox 360, or have a capable PC, I cannot recommend Titanfall enough. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm getting ready to call in my titan.
Final Verdict: 10/10
Written by: Alter Ego 83
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