Review : Titanfall on the Xbox One

So the long waiting game is over and Titanfall successfully made it into stores to pick up and play without any hassle. Other than a Day 1 patch, which made the game even more stable, the launch of this year’s most anticipated video game sold in vast amounts and boosted sales of the Xbox One console. I’d like to think I’m one of Titanfall’s biggest fans who couldn’t wait any longer in between the public beta and the 3 weeks until official launch and I must say Respawn have once again made an instant classic.

Anyone who read my previous feature ‘T is for Titan’ would remember how satisfied I was with just having the 2 playable levels from the Beta with only 5 weapons and 3 match types. Since launch I’ve continued to be won over whenever I experience something that wasn’t playable before. The map variety is a sufficient number all with different terrain and design keeping Pilots and Titans happy. The weapon variations are strategy and I’d even say map specific to keep players alert to finding the right gun for the situation. Every detail in this game comes across as tried and tested and the balancing has been perfected. So why is it that Titanfall has met and bettered expectations? Here are 3 reasons why I think Titanfall has dominated the market:

Balancing

The secret to having an enjoyable game that offers different playable classes, whether it is solo, co-op, multiplayer or massively multiplayer online role-playing games is balancing. Having the choice to pick a character is always great even if you wanted to customise what they bring with them onto the battlefield but always remember good balancing means you might be stronger for some situations but always weaker in others. In Titanfall you have the option to choose one of three class of Titans, the nimble Strider, the all rounded Atlas, or the tank Ogre. Each handle differently with my personal favourite Strider class having a triple dash with the infinite dash power up. Compared to the Ogre who is built to withstand heavy amounts of damage unlike the Strider it only does a single dash but has an overshield power up meaning it can survive even more damage, an example of good balancing.

It takes a good player to notice this but a better player to work out how to change their loadout to lessen these cons to their classes to be able to stand a chance in battle. Do you go for a Vortex shield to catch any projectiles fired at you before throwing it back or do you go for the Electric Smoke to kill pilots and damage Titans at close range? Strider players like myself must be able to learn that dashing is their best friend when going up against tougher classes as you’ll avoid most of the incoming payload, whereas Ogres are sometimes better to hold defensive positions when playing domination or taking on Titans when outnumbered.

Campaign Multiplayer

Many people have complained that Titanfall isn’t going to be right for them due to the fact there isn’t any campaign mode, the kind with a solo/co-op experience with levels, story and an epic battle as the climax. The campaign multiplayer is a great mode which still incorporates all the above but playable with the other players, think of a war with every solider being played by another player. Amongst these we’re given our grunts and field captains who drive the story forward as well as A.I controlled Titans to tackle at the start of every level unlike the core multiplayer mode. The Story is dictated to you in the pre game lobby screen whilst you’re changing your loadouts and waiting for people to join. You start off playing the IMC side of the battle for the Frontier before switching to the resistant Militia in this 2-part story seeing it from both sides which is a nice touch, similar to the game Brink. Unlike Brink, the story is already set and whether you win or lose each chapter the outcome will be the same story-wise and nothing you do is contextual. Compared to a war scene in any of the Halo games what you do will progress the mission, whether it be destroying a group of enemies or taking down a shield to be able to continue, in Titanfall even though you’re capturing hardpoints or destroying masses of Titans, win or lose the story won’t change.

I don’t have a problem with this mode, in fact I wish I could have understood more from it. By this I mean anyone who’s played campaign multiplayer knows that during each chapter there’s story still going on within the picture-in-picture in the top of your screen and voiceovers. Respawn have made such an action packed engaging game that you’ll forget to care what drama might be happening in the background whilst you’re diving from a building onto the back of a Titan avoiding all incoming rockets, hitting cloak and tearing open a Titan’s hatch, shooting inside before dismounting the exploding metallic beast for the win. I’d love to be able to know what was happing behind the scenes of these battles in-between the lobby screen and the post lobby screen, but too much awesome wall running, Titan rodeo’ing and drop kicking got in the way.

Burn Cards

I’ve played my fair share of online multiplayer games to be able to say kill streak rewards and character perks aren’t exactly a balanced feature even though they try hard to be. Using Call of Duty for example I’ve levelled up to a point in every game where I’ve unlocked something that’ll always give me the advantage over the newer players even if we’re at the same skill level when it comes to games. Titanfall does something different with Burn Cards which is a unique approach to having perks but also keeping the game fair. Burn cards are rewarded to players doing different challenges but most importantly are handed out indiscriminately. You’ll find cards that give you a different weapon, a faster boost to your next Titan or even faster movement but most importantly these cards are expended after activating it and only last as long as you’re alive. With only 3 slots to fill with burn cards per game it adds a tactical approach to every match you’ll play. With the random cards you’ll come across even the newer players might get the chance to call down an instant Titan at the start of the match.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, 3 of my favourite things that has made Titanfall so enjoyable and different to any other shooter out there. The game is worth every hard earned penny and has masses of replayability. With a season pass and new content in the near future Titanfall will only get better. With great balancing every game you’ll play would be different all with memorable moments you’ll share amongst peers at the water cooler or post up online with the Xbox One’s DVR and upload feature. And to think people were worried about having 6 verses 6. We’re in good hands!