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The multiplayer aspect to Titanfall 2 is superb – I didn’t bother with the beta given my earlier mentioned stance on Multiplayer-only games. I wanted to experience this when the game came out without playing the original at all. From what I have read around the net, all issues that the original had have been resolved; Burn cards which were often spammed have been replaced now with a perk, as such (known as Boosts) – these gradually unlock as you level-up, so now these boosts are only available after an amount of participation in a match. Bottom-left you have a circle with an outline of your Titan. Score points from objectives and kills etc and a bar gradually fills round the orb; once two-thirds filled, you can activate your perk once and then not again until the bar has filled to said position. Things like grenades and the knife that is used as a sonar also are limited so cannot be constantly used, while after use you have to wait until the icon has filled again (similar to skills on RPGs).
There are plenty game modes available to suit all tastes – things like Pilot vs Pilot, Titan vs Titan, Capture the Flag, Last Man Standing & Amped Hardpoint to name but a few of them. Amped Hardpoint is my favourite – this is where you capture points on the map, make the capture bar go round the icon twice giving double score. You also have private matches and playlists that changes the game type after each round if you want to mix things up.
There are different Pilots and Titans available so you can go for the style that suits the way you play. For me, I use the ION Titan and the Pilot is the guy (you can choose male or female) that has the sonar dagger, which is handy for spotting incoming enemies when guarding a hardpoint. There’s also a good selection of primary weapons and sidearms, camo for said weapons, Pilot & Titan and many other customisation options, most of which can be unlocked through levelling-up or buying with the merit coins you get from playing the matches. Thankfully, there are no micro transactions and laying down real money to get this stuff.
Most multiplayer game modes usually last around 10 minutes, so you won’t be stuck in a neverending or long battle. Levelling-up isn’t done with a set amount of points like on other multiplayer games. To level-up, you need to have a set amount of merits, which you’ll get from each match. You get one for not quitting a match, plus points for your participation and using weapons effectively and so on, and there are “happy hours” where you can obtain even more merits. Overall, the progression doesn’t feel like a grind, and playing online is just as enjoyable as the campaign. It is the first time in a good while where I have fired up a game to want to play the muliplayer; it is easy to get into, rewards you regardless of your skill level and is just out-and-out fun.
The graphics are powered by a heavily modified version of Valve’s Source Engine. There are long view distances and nice-looking textures across the board. Human characters look great and the NPCs are quite varied. However, all the sentry robots look exactly the same, and one level after you have got into a foyer you are attacked by a load of these robots. There were groups on the floor with the same damage crawling towards you all in synchronisation with their movements. The same goes for the one standing that were damaged and heading towards you. There’s also a lack of variation with the types of soldier – there are only 2 or 3 variations, all looking exactly the same. One that does look different is the soldier that deploys a shield; he appears a bit stockier. The framerate throughout the game is completely stable. Even on the last few levels when all hell is breaking loose with soldiers and Titans everywhere on the battlefield, the game does not suffer controller lag or start stuttering.
The sound direction is great with all NPCs voiced (some enemies in the Titans do sound a bit over the top, and Richter sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger from Commando). There is an excellent tune which that plays on the title screen and I was loading some stuff up on my Amstrad CPC while listening to it as the game installed to my PS4 hard drive. All weapons have different sounds with the heavier ones sounding meatier etc. Once in your Titan, and the massive Robot Jox-style battles your controller shakes and you hear the thud of the footsteps and impacts of the missiles and various weapons up close and personal. Voice acting has a lot of soul on this game – there is true emotion felt with the bond between Cooper and BT, the commander of the Titan unit and so on, meaning it really puts you there. Voice talent is a cast of actors that have many games and animated series under there belt: Matthew Mercer (Monsters University, plus additional Voices and numerous video games), Glenn Steinbaum (The Amazing Spider-man 2), Andreas Beckett (Transformers: Age of Extinction), Amy Pemberton (Legends of Tomorrow) and way to many more to list here.
Summing things up, Titanfall 2 is a success on every level. The campaign is simply awesome. Something I like, in particular, is going back to basics on some things like a great story that captures your attention, not forgetting the excellent level design from the off with each having it’s own specific thing going for it, then the little things like only carrying a main weapon and a sidearm instead of your own personal arsenal. It all adds up to a superb experience. The combat live drop with your Titan is awe-inspiring dropping in from orbit, reminding me of Aliens but you land with a thud and it is time to storm the area with a team of Titans.
The multiplayer is flat-out fast-paced fun, I have spent hours playing the Amped Hardpoint mode. There are plenty of maps and game modes and I NEVER get sick of seeing my Titan drop in from Orbit!
Another big thing that stands out – the Day 1 patch is a mere 90Mb in size. That is nothing in comparison to some Day 1 patches I have experienced over the past few years. Not forgetting that, there is no season pass for this game – all future maps, modes and whatever Respawn Entertainment decide to add to the game will be completely free.
It is just a bit weird that it has launched between two of this years big name titles, Battlefield 1, beforehand, and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare a week later. Hopefully, this won’t affect the sales of what is an awesome game. I certainly hope that Titanfall 2 does well and we see more titles in the future.
Thanks to the Youtube channels featured for the gaming footage.
Titanfall 2 is out now on PS4, Xbox One and PC, and click on the packshot for the full-size version.
Important info:
- Developers: Respawn Entertainment
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Players: Single player, multiplayer
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GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT |
9 9 10 10 |
| OVERALL | 9.5 |
Retro at heart and lover of all things ’80s, especially the computers, the music and the awesome movies and TV shows! Crazy huge retro gaming collection spanning the ’80s and ’90s with hundreds of tapes, discs and carts for various machines on top of a 600+ strong Steam library that is ever-growing. No I am not a serial hoarder, just a dedicated retro gamer!