Now Playing: Titanfall

Titanfall is a new sci-fi FPS. It’s online only, meaning no single player campaign, but it does contain a two faction multi-player campaign mode. There are 15 maps in this release version, with 5 game modes. I’ve written about Titanfall before when I was playing the Beta. That convinced me enough to get the game on release and I’m glad I did, because as I said then, Titanfall is a very slick and enjoyable game to play, but it’s certainly not without its problems.

Let’s start with the graphics. I’ve seen a lot of criticism of how Titanfall looks, which I don’t really understand. I guess if you stop and scrutinise every texture you’ll find something to moan about, but Titanfall isn’t a game designed to be hugging walls or crouched behind cover. No, this game is all about speed and fluidity of movement. And when you’re bouncing from the walls like a pinball with a rocket up your ass, you don’t exactly notice any less than perfect background textures.

To me, Titanfall looks great for what it needs to do. The game is also (99% of the time) silky smooth, even on the highest settings, although it should be noted that there are a couple of maps with slight frame drops – Lagoon, for example, so this is something they need to iron out. In terms of its audio, the music is fine and the VA is good. You’ll be hearing a lot of audio as you play, from your commanders over a video feed or from the AI grunts on the field with you.

Gameplay wise, it’s a more casual based FPS, in the sense that weapons have next to no recoil and very quick snap to aim iron sights. You have a default run setting and unlimited sprint ability. But what sets Titanfall apart in terms of its infantry combat is the movement system, whereby you can chain bounce from one wall to the next, building up a constant speed and momentum. Combine this with a lot of verticality within the maps, and you have a system that feels fast, fresh and unique in a genre that’s become an increasingly slow, on the ground camp fest.

Matches are 6v6, not including all of the AI bots that fight on each side. These bots may be rather useless, but they do a great job of creating a sense of a much larger battle, as well as adding a ton of welcome atmosphere to each game, something else that sets Titanfall apart from its rivals. In certain game modes, they also play their part in adding to your score, so they’re not just there for background candy.

There’s also some interactivity on certain maps, with the ability to hack AI robots to fight alongside you, or take control of gun turrets. There’s also a lot going on in the background, with fighter jets racing overhead, strange creatures swooping down and drop pods plunging to the earth with fresh reinforcements. It may mostly be cosmetic fluff, but it’s top quality and fantastic to watch.

In terms of weapons and abilities, Titanfall has a varied roster, although a little more conventional than I would have expected from a game with this setting, particularly for the Pilot weapons. The Titans do get access to some slightly more advanced weaponry though, which is nice. Oh yes, the Titans. Every player gets a timer to call one down, although this can be sped up in different ways. The Titans have their own weapons and special abilities and are a ton of fun to fight in and around. They add another layer of complexity to the battles which without, would be a little lacking.

The maps are fairly varied and are all generally neatly designed for the way the game plays. Although I must say that a few of them are a bit too similar in terms of aesthetic. Many are more industrial/city based, and a few more unique and exotic maps (such as Lagoon and Boneyard) would have been most welcome. I should also point out that a couple of them which are larger and a little more open, really are screaming out for a mode with an increased player count.

As you fight, you’ll progress through 50 levels (I did it in about 12 hours or so) and then you get the option to ‘Regenerate’ back to level 1. You get a fancy badge, if that’s your thing. There are many different abilities, attachments and weapons to unlock as you go, allowing you to customise your Pilot/Titan (sadly not on a cosmetic level), as well as Challenges to complete. You also have the Burn card system, which is something I really like.

These are one-use ‘boost’ cards you can play each life, giving you a range of different enhancements and effects. One may allow you to remain invisible for example, another ‘hacks’ the map revealing enemy positions, another increasing your running speed and so on. None are game breaking, as you lose them when you die, and the more powerful cards are rare to collect.

So Titanfall looks good and plays well. It’s neatly designed, smartly balanced and it’s got a load of atmospheric little touches to keep you engaged. But what about those flaws I mentioned? Well, I already mentioned in my Beta post that Titanfall doesn’t have a lot of depth to it. It’s undeniably fun to play, but will I still be playing it in a month or two, or six months down the line? I guess that depends on how they handle the DLC.

Of the 5 game modes, Attrition, Hardpoint and Last Titan Standing were my games of choice. You also have CTF, which I just found a little weird and dull to play, plus Pilot Hunter, which is basically Attrition but bot kills don’t count. So yeah, the modes do the job, but there’s nothing really that creative there. What about a Horde mode style Pilots vs waves of Bots?

Or something which brings the bots and turrets into play more, as objectives to capture and kill? Maybe they didn’t want to spread people out across too many game modes, but it’s an area I hope we see something new in the future. And as I said, some maps are large enough to accommodate more players, so why not a 12v12 Titan Warfare mode?

I also need to talk about the ‘campaign’ such as it is. I actually quite like the setting and I think it has potential for a really interesting single player, or even multi-player campaign mode. But sadly, Titanfall doesn’t give us either. It’s basically just 9 maps strung together in some sort of order. You get audio briefings before each fight, and usually a longer intro cut-scene before you land. But aside from one or two missions, these extended intros don’t add anything to the experience. (The Demeter mission intro is great though, regardless of if you’re playing as IMC or Militia).

On top of that, the story has stuff happening, but I couldn’t really tell you what, as updates pop up during fights and due to the fast paced frantic nature of the combat, you don’t exactly have time to stop and pay any great attention to the video feed. Honestly, I had no clue what was going on in terms of the story most of the time on either side.

So yes, I feel like the Campaign mode is a rather wasted opportunity as it had a lot more potential than what we got. Aside from that, you have the classic game modes, which as I’ve said, are a little limited and not very creative, and the maps, which though well designed, aren’t as varied or unique as I’d have liked. Oh, and the 6v6 system does have its problems when the teams aren’t well balanced in terms of player skill. Just 2-3 players not pulling their weight can lead to heavy defeats, which may frustrate some. I know I got a bit irritated at times when I felt I was babysitting my team and practically dragging them across the victory line (see image above).

So where does this leave us? Well, I’d personally rate Titanfall as the best online FPS for a long while, at least in the sense of how much I’ve enjoyed playing it. It adds a lot of cool dynamic and engaging features to what are normally static online battlefields. It’s also fiendishly addictive. However, it’s also a game that feels a little shallow and short in terms of content and long-term value. And while I enjoyed the campaign mode for what it offered, it was still a disappointing experience overall, because I could see so much more potential for it.

So would I recommend Titanfall? Certainly. Even with all of its issues, Titanfall is just plain fun to play. Hopefully the DLC will add more value with new (and more creative) maps and modes, and perhaps Titanfall 2 will give us the proper campaign mode this game deserves.

7/10 (Updated Score - 8/10 - Post-Release Content)