Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Rrp: £4.49 (Origin) and £24.99 (Steam)
Released: 28th October 2016
Available on: Origin or Steam
Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard
Approximate game length: 14 Hours
It’s been a long time since I played an FPS with mechsuits included, I think the last one was either Shogo: Mobile Armour Division or Mechwarrior 2. In any case its been quite some time which is a shame because there really is room for more mech style combat out there, especially from a first person viewpoint.
Titanfall 2 is the sequel to Titanfall (a shocking revelation, I’m sure) however unlike the original game Titanfall 2 isn’t a multiplayer only experience as it has a campaign attached. A short campaign, but a pretty good one.
So, the first question to ask is; what is a titan? The simple answer is that it’s a mech suit that is piloted by someone. However, what makes these titans more than a mere mech suit is that they have a personality (or the simulation of one) of their own and can operate without a Pilot if needed.
In this game you get to play as a Rifleman named Jack Cooper, who soon gets a field promotion to Pilot. Not just anyone can become a pilot, you have to be trained which takes a lot of work, thankfully Jack was already being trained as a Pilot although he hadn’t actually passed yet. Nothing like a bath of fire to prove your mettle though.
Pilots can’t operate any old titan though, they have to be specifically linked to one and only one titan. If they need to use another then they need to have a ‘neural scrub’ (which sounds pretty unpleasant) before they can link to another. A Pilot also doesn’t just operate the titan they are also specially trained for advanced combat capabilities so that they are a force to be reckoned with even when out of the titan. This training includes usage of a variety of weapons as well as a frankly incredible amount of mobility like running along walls.
Wall running in feels smooth and organic, I think the wall running in this game is better than what was on show in Mirrors Edge Catalyst. The levels are designed in such a way as to encourage the player to really make use of the wall run ability to the point where it becomes a vital component of combat.
Combat is fluid feeling especially when out of the titan. That isn’t to say fighting while in the titan isn’t fun, it’s just not as fast paced. Being in the titan though is a pure power trip… at least until you meet an enemy titan then it becomes a dance of cat and mouse as you swap between loadouts (each of which have very different effects) to best combat that specific titans weaknesses.
You can enter and exit your titan whenever you wish to, even in the middle of combat and the titan will continue to fight without you.
It has to be said that it’s almost as if EA have been trying to tank the Titanfall franchise because they keep releasing the game to be in competition with other games in EA’s lineup. In Titanfall 2’s case EA released Battlefield 1 a week beforehand, meaning that they forced two of their own franchises to compete which makes no sense to me.
On the whole I really enjoyed my time with this game, although I think the writing for the campaign was a little rushed and was attempting to force me to make emotional connections to characters I’d only met a few scenes before.
If this appeals to you perhaps try;
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series
Doom 2016
Crysis series
