Titanfall Review

I bought Titanfall yesterday, and together with my boyfriend, sat down and completed both sides of the campaign. I wasn’t fortunate enough to try out the beta, but at the same time, I’m pretty happy that I didn’t. Though the game is pretty fun and definitely a new way to look at FPS, I wouldn’t say it’s anything groundbreaking.

The campaign isn’t that great

I don’t like the campaign. I don’t give any craps about the story or the two factions–I really just want to kill things in my giant mech. Not to mention that from what we know of the story, it’s not the strongest narrative I’ve ever seen in an FPS. Mostly, though, I just don’t care about it. At all. In any way.

I’m much more attracted to Classic Mode.

I enjoy just going in for a round and killing things rather than sitting through a narrative I don’t care about. I think it’s much more enjoyable to jump in, kill things, and then load the next round. Perhaps Battlefield 4 has spoiled me in that regard. 

The gameplay is super fun

From the weapons to the fast-paced combat, Titanfall is definitely a breath of fresh air. No, it certainly isn’t introducing anything new in terms of maps and modes, but the Titans are definitely a force to be reckoned with. They offer a challenge and a unique way to enter (read: literally smash) combat.

You feel cool when you call for it, you feel cool going in, and you feel cool earning kills with the nuclear ejection.

That being said, I have some issues with combat.

The rounds are short. I wish they were only about 50% longer and that enemies weren’t constantly marked with giant red dots on the minimap. I also wish the matches were bigger– I’d rather play against 15 other pilots, not 6 pilots and a handful of NPCs. Given the varying cooldowns each person has on calling their Titan, I don’t really see why matches are only 6v6. I know NPCs are meant to show new players where to go, but do they have to be in every mode? Why can’t we just have bigger battles in Classic? I would be totally fine with including NPCs in the campaign… but not in Classic.

The maps are all about the same, but there’s a pretty good reason for this. The maps have to have tall buildings, underground areas, etc., and I seriously doubt we’ll ever see any sort of flat playing field. Pilots would get smashed under the feet of falling Titans and it would be impossible to rodeo anyone down.

Let’s just be frank, Titans are cool

The Titans are by far my favorite part. The option to have them run in AI (guard a position or follow you around) is pretty cool. Plus, right now, when an enemy Titan that is being piloted sees your Titan, they tend to focus on it–regardless of whether or not you’re in it. Use your Titan to distract them, climb up a building, a rodeo them down. It’s a pretty great way to win.

You can also kill people by calling your Titan down on them. This works against enemy Titans as well–I mean, holy crap, they come down in a power crouch (three-point landing) at ridiculous speeds. It’s bound to smash anything under it, including full life enemy Titans.

The only downfall? They can’t jump.

They dash, and that’s alright… but man, I wish the Titans could jump. 

The Challenges feel a little… well, silly

The Challenges, at least to me, feel a little silly. Especially the NPC kills, but that’s just because I hate having the NPCs there anyway. I’d rather have real pilots, like I said. The challenges do reward XP, but… I don’t really care about them.

Overall, it’s a fun experience

I love Titanfall. It’s new, it’s fun, and piloting a Titan is by far the coolest thing I’ve done in a FPS. Though I wasn’t enamoured by the campaign, I do really like playing Classic mode and trying out all of the new weapons (like that smart pistol).

I gave it 7/10 because I hated the length of the rounds and inclusion of NPCs rather than just bigger battles. Some of the challenges feel a little arbitrary to me, but I do appreciate that unlike some FPS, there’s a female model for classes.