Shown at last year's E3, the unveiling of Respawn's first title after the formation of the studio shortly after the mass exodus of Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward, Titanfall took the show by storm. Showing a new twist on familiar multiplayer matches, involving wall running, giant robots, and a structured match with a story to tell, Titanfall had some people hyped up while others were expecting a sci-fi Call of Duty. So does Titanfall live up the enormous hype set by the prestigious studio, the well received beta, and the E3 showing?
The gameplay feels similar to other first person shooters, but feels slick, responsive, and adds a few changes to the formula. In battle players carry a primary and secondary weapon as well as an anti-Titan weapon, along with a player ability (like cloaking or stim), some equipment, and a one time use burn card that gives you an edge in the form of a better gun or faster wall running. At first glance the game even feels similar, allowing you to throw grenades, aim down your weapon sights, and do a quick melee attack on enemies. Past this, Respawn is able to shake up the foundation and change up the way the game plays that separates it greatly from other titles like Battlefield and Call of Duty in a way that can make it hard to return to those titles. The gameplay feels quick and responsive, the matches are paced in a perfect way, starting out with a drop ship, with action that slowly ramps up as objectives are completed and players call in Titans, finally ending with one team attempting to evacuate and the other team attempting to stop the survivors from escaping. A few simple concepts and additions, and they make every match feel epic and incredible. Its the sort of thing I'm shocked more multiplayer titles don't have because it adds so much life and paces the matches so well.
In game, players can wall run, double jump, activate special abilities, and upon waiting a certain amount of time and/or killing a certain amount of enemy pilots and grunts, call in their Titans (of which there are 3 they can customize with different weapons and abilities, but with preset health, speed and core abilities). These few changes are what separate Titanfall from other shooters, changing it from what could have been another slow moving, cover focused first person shooter to one that brings to mind titles like Quake, with fast movement and momentum being as important to survival and points as the ability to aim your gun. The map design reflects this philosophy, with a mix of open ended areas, tight corridors, and various interiors that allow players to chain together routes like they're playing a Tony Hawk title, or stick to the open areas for titan combat and sniping. Many of the weapons also use the sci-fi setting to great effect, and while you'll find the standard assortment of pistols, rifles and shotguns here, you can also find unique weapons like the Smart Pistol which allows you to lock on to enemies, the Kraber AP, an anti-material rifle that fires a devastating slow moving projectile, and the arc mines and grenades, which aren't as lethal as their explosive counterparts, but they blur the vision of Titans and pilots alike.
The game modes on offer include Attrition, Hardpoint Domination, Last Titan Standing, Pilot Hunter, and Capture the Flag, (along with other temporary modes at the time of this writing and new modes being tested for future release). They fill the basic requirements of FPS modes, and are pretty much what they sound like, but the two most interesting ones on display are Attrition and Last Titan Standing. Attrition is basically Team Deathmatch, but with a twist in that destroying enemy equipment, titans, spectres and grunts (AI controlled opponents that don't present much of a threat) adds to your attrition points. A smart team could perform poorly against other players but win the match by wiping out enough reinforcements, and many of the game's weapons are designed for specific roles from support, to cleaning out enemy grunts. One weapon I used was too unwieldy for me to enjoy using consistently, but I found it to be the most effective weapon for climbing on top of a titan and destroying it quickly. Last Titan Standing is a no respawn mode centered around Titan combat, with players dropping in their Titans and attempting to take out the enemy Titans. Survival itself is not so much the goal, since a team of living players will still lose if the enemy team still has at least one Titan standing, even if all the players themselves are dead. Its an interesting game mode that I enjoyed quite a bit, and it was a good way to learn the intricacies of Titan combat and the best weapons and Titans for certain situations. Despite the 12 player limit, the various Titans, the speedy movement, and bevy of AI foes makes the game feel livelier than a full 64 player Battlefield match.
The main issue with Titanfall is that it feels perhaps too ambitious and seems to lack some aspects players have come to know and expect better from. The ranking system and customization is very basic, with only two or three weapons of each type at best, and not nearly as many game modes, weapon attachments, and leveling that occurs extremely quickly, allowing players to see all there is to see. The campaign is a testament to this, with only two extremely short campaigns that can be completed in under 3 hours, and which play out like multiplayer matches with some unique intros/endings and a lot of talking heads that players won't really pay attention to. Its a shame the hyped multiplayer campaign ended up being little more than standard multiplayer matches with some extra dialogue, since there are some very great moments included, and the actual universe of Titanfall is one I would love to see explored in further detail, particularly in regards to the deadly and legendary pilots and the events that led up to this war. I do recommend playing through both campaigns if you can, but at the moment it can be tough to find other campaign players and there isn't much incentive to do so. That said, the game still has more replay value than it is given credit for. While some players may bemoan the lack of unlocks and customization, the gameplay is fiercely entertaining, and similar to Battlefield: Bad Company 2, a game which also received similar complaints about content, Titanfall is able to add replay value by both being an extremely fun game, and allowing for players to perform incredible feats, like ejecting from a Titan and sniping another enemy in the air, or instantly destroying another Titan with a well placed Titanfall.
As of this writing, Respawn has done an admiral job adding life to the title through updates. Balancing weapons to allow more variation instead of full teams carrying the starting carbine, adding new customization emblems for Titan, new game modes (like the recent and exhilarating Marked for Death), the ability to buy and sell burn cards, along with bug fixes and new maps added through DLC. With 15 maps at the start, Titanfall already had a pretty good map count and a fun, balanced game, but its clear that Respawn is in it for the long haul. With an already excellently received first title, its clear that EA has another title they can be proud of. I think we can rest assured that this isn't a one hit wonder for Respawn given their pedigree, and I look forward to playing more matches as I try to hit the max regeneration rank (this game's version of prestige mode) and play the latest new maps. I also look forward to its future once the last generation isn't a factor and the team is properly settled in to make the game's ambitions become fully realized. Titanfall is a fun, competitive game, and hopefully a title that comes to be an integral part of this generation with a few improvements.
