Since I am not an avid fan of the Call of Duty series, I was reluctant to buy into all the hype for Titanfall which is made by some of the same developers. However, when one combines my favorite genre, the First Person Shooter (FPS), with an all-time favorite of Mechanical beast in the likeness of MechWarrior my curiosity was peaked. I just had to sign up for the beta. Luckily, I was one of the many to be selected for the beta. After sorting out a minor mix-up of my beta key being for the wrong platform, I dove into the beta.Training Mission
Titanfall threw me into the training mission right off the bad. My first impressions of the graphics reminded me of Crysis 2. While not impressive it was still decent and was enough to keep immersion. The training took me through a series of perhaps 10 small challenge levels introducing me to the parkour system, the unique auto locking "Smart Pistol", and the basics of piloting the Titan. Taking about 15-20 minutes I felt the training was worthwhile, but was slightly annoyed at all the loading screens between the mini-challenges. Not really impressed, I moved in to join the actual beta game play.
Multiplayer Gameplay
Once you click into the beta you get a standard option of game modes including:
- Attrition - Basically death match
- Hardpoint - Fight to take and defend a few objectives
- Last Titan Standing - Everyone gets a titan and a single life. Take out all opposing Titans to win the round.
After selecting your game mode you are thrown into a random room with randomly selected opponents with no apparent regard to rank. This can make for some really uneven matches, but this is beta. Hopefully this will improve on release.
I found the game play enjoyable from the very beginning and this only increases as you get unlocks and start to use new tactics. The first time you jump on an enemy Titan and dismantle it, raining bullets into the interior, is a whole new experience.
Titans
Being inside a titan itself you feel powerful, yet vulnerable at the same time. You have to watch out for pilots trying to jump on you while avoiding everyone focusing fire on the giant target you just became. Your guns are powerful and can take out a pilot quickly when well-aimed and you can squish foot enemies beneath your feet like the lowly scum they are. Titan vs. titan battles feels like very little skill involved, but I really do not have the time in a Titan to really tell. After playing for several hours, I found I was more effective jumping out of my titan and placing it on follow mode. The titan AI is actually pretty good, as my titan racked up several kills and distracts the other players while I take them out on foot. Overall Titans are what makes this game unique and are a blast to have on the battlefield.
Infantry
Playing as the pilot on the ground is where I got the most enjoyment. As you get experience in the game you start to really use the parkour effects to get to advantageous places and create effective flanking routes. It is a blast jumping from one building to another, then onto a Titan to dismantle it. You also always have an anti-titan weapon, but you really have to choose were and how you attack a titan. If he gets one or two shots on you you are done. Also, if you get to close to a titan you run the risk of being squashed like a bug by either his feet or his melee attack. Overall, infantry is fast paced, full of strategy, with many options to get were you need to be. All this make the pilot incredibly fun to play.
Weapons
Weapons are my biggest complaint of Call of Duty and I have similar problems with Titanfall. The biggest problem; recoil is nearly non-existent. With the main assault rifle, I never had to burst to remain on target. Overall you get the "feel" of toy weapons, with no weight or inertia. This is a future based fantasy FPS so I can excuse most of this, it just doesn't feel were it should be to me.
The gun play is still fun and you do have the standard rifle, sub machine gun, pistol variations with one exception: the smart pistol. This pistol "locks" on to enemies for you and once you get a red lock you are guaranteed a kill when you pull the trigger. This works incredibly well in its medium sized range, for the AI controlled grunts. Many players absolutely detest this pistol, stating it is OP (over powered) and sell out for cheap players. After playing with this pistol for some time I came to the conclusion it really sucks for taking out even a barely skilled pilot. It takes a long time to get a single lock on a pilot and you must get several to get a kill. Overall, I was not impressed by any of the weapons, including the limited titan arsenal. The game is still beta so there is some hope for improvement and variety.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a really fun, fast paced, unique experience. Make no mistake; I do not consider this a serious or competitive game. In my opinion, this game is a casual, just have some fun and kill an hour (or two) game. It is not going to change the world or even the landscape of first person shooters. Make note, my experience was with a beta product that will most likely only approve. Odds are I will purchase this game just from what I experienced from the beta.
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