(It should be noted that both the Xbox One and PC versions of Titanfall were played during the beta to write this article)
Titanfall is the first game from Respawn Entertainment, the company founded after Vince Zampella and crew left Activision and Infinity Ward following Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
That being said, there has been a huge amount of hype and expectations leading up to the beta we were just in, and the subsequent release of the game on March 11th. Does the game live up to the hype and expectations? Find out after the jump...
Simply put; Titanfall is an absolute joy. Simply put it’s amazing and this is only beta! I've sunk more hours into this beta than most games I've purchased in the past few months and that’s saying something. The game sucks you in, not only with the fast paced matches which allow you to bang out anywhere from 5-10 matches an hour depending on how good (or bad) your team is, but with its (soon to be) seemingly endless customization options and the amazing feeling of playing as a bad ass Titan, you can easily lose track of time just as I did.
A lot of people seemed concerned about the game being developed on the now quite ancient Source Engine. Let me put any doubts or fears to rest when I say that the game is beautiful. I ran the PC version on the highest possible settings, with minimal to no frame drops or screen tears. The Xbox One version was just as beautiful, and I noticed no difference in quality between the two versions.
The controls feel standard to any FPS (First Person Shooter), but for some reason, they feel more fluid on Titanfall than they have with any FPS I've played in quite some time. Allowing you to navigate around the map at a fast pace bringing back verticality into FPS genre. With the addition of burn cards that allow you to move even fast, use amped weaponry with a more powerful kick to take down Titans or pilots. A onetime use perk system rewarded to you for completing challenges.
The combat mechanics both as a Pilot and Titan continue to engage me like no other game has before. With most shooters, eventually I feel as if I'm walking through the same old boring maps again and again. Shoot a guy here, duck over there, and shoot another one down below. With Titanfall, the fast paced & verticality combat as a pilot, combined with the bad-assness of being in your Titan never gets old. There is always a new way to approach a fight. A new way to approach moving up, down, or even sideways on the maps.
Although the beta was not without its bugs, its quirks, and with the limited arsenal and customization options at our disposal, I still had an absolute blast playing Titanfall. It’s different, but familiar all the same. It’s engaging and fun. There were moments when I had thoughts of “OH WOW! DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?” then realized that I did that. No other game has brought so many cool moments packed into short matches like these. If this beta impressed me this much, I can't wait to see what the full game has in store!