Every once in a while, a game comes along and just hooks you. If I had to list some of my favorite multiplayer shooters of all time, I’d have to say Counter Strike 1.6, Halo and the original Gears of War are on there. Each of those titles just spoke to me in a way that few games do. They were incredibly fun, and I literally sunk years of game time into each of them. First person shooters have always been my thing, but over the last few years, I haven’t really managed to find something that satisfied me in the same way the above-mentioned games have.
Then I played Titanfall. While the game certainly has its shortcomings and doesn’t reinvent the wheel for shooters, the game is so damn fun. I really haven’t enjoyed a game like this in years. Part MOBA, part shooter, Titanfall puts players in the role of pilots, elite troops who can call down mechs called Titans. The movement and speed is what sets Titanfall apart from other shooters, as players utilize their pilot’s agility and jetpack to parkour about maps like an absolute badass. Moving about is a challenge as you learn to duck, weave, and utilize verticality to your advantage. Just learning how to effectively traverse maps is fun, offering a surprising amount of depth and almost becoming a game all on its own. Advanced players will barely touch the ground as wall-running makes them a harder target and gives a slight boost in speed compared to huffing it on the ground.
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Peppered about maps are countless AI troops, who, as the developers put it, are “popcorn.” They’re easy kills that allow pilots to decrease the amount of time in which they call down their Titan. Enemy pilots, Titans and objectives grant larger bonuses, allowing players to call down their Titans even sooner. And when they do, the game feels like an entirely different title. Piloting a Titan is a stark contrast to huffing it on foot. Titans are slower than pilots, but as you’d expect, their arsenal of weapons pack a far greater punch. Enemy pilots are still a huge threat, however, and have to be treated with care. As I’ve become a better player, I’ve found that even when I call down my Titan, I don’t always stay in it. Like so many things in Titanfall, to be an effective player and teammate, you have to adapt to the situation and objective at hand. Capturing points in the hardpoint game mode doesn’t always necessitate that one remain in their hulking machine of death. Sometime pilots have to hop out and set their Titan on auto pilot as they run in the trenches. And that’s just one of many things that makes the game so amazing. It’s not just fast-paced. It’s insane.
Despite that, it never feels overwhelming. I think that’s because once you you get in the groove, the seemingly maddening cacophony isn’t so daunting. Instead, you come to realize that each match has its ebbs and flows, and for the most part, you are the one in control. I remember playing Halo and Gears of War and just feeling so empowered. Halo’s campaign really made you feel like a super-solider. While Gears of War made me feel powerful by the sheer brutality your character possessed. Titanfall evokes feelings of both, but creates something entirely new – you feel like a conductor of chaos, deftly directing destruction. Nimble, graceful and only brutal when need be, pilots are pretty fucking scary. They’re the pinnacle of what human is capable of. And you ladies and gentleman, are a pilot.
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At the most basic level, you often feel like you’re at least getting something accomplished by knocking off grunts. Things kick it up a notch when you start killing other pilots. For me, that’s the icing on the cake, as it gives you a real sense of accomplishment. Enemy pilots are just as spry as you are, and at this point in the game’s life, most of the players out there are grizzled veterans. Sure, you’ll see an influx of newbies each time there’s a sale, but for every ten people you run across who have no clue on how to play the game, there’s two or three who are often on your level or better. The people that are good at this game are so amazing that it’s almost unreal. Just head over to the official Titanfall subreddit to see the kind of sickness going on. It really is absurd. But it’s fun.
Sure, I’ve got to put the game down occasionally when I’m getting spanked too hard, but the thing about Titanfall is that I keep coming back. I’ve mentioned it many a time, but we’re immersed in a sea of entertainment. So for a game to keep me hooked nowadays… well, it’s something really special. I used to play Titanfall every damn day. I’ve slowed down to about every week now, but I always have a blast. I’m even “regenerating” which is equivalent to CoD’s prestige system where you level up all over again. The interesting thing about regenerating is that to hit your next generation, you have to complete sets of challenges with certain weapons or Titans. This has made me really get out of my comfort zone and try different load-outs and weapons. I’ve become surprisingly decent as a sniper because of this. I’ve also tried weapons in various Titans I would have never considered using.
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Titanfall gets a lot of flak for the seemingly small amount of weapons present. But I feel that each one is pretty balanced. Most have a counterpart, and I’ve seen a pretty wide range of weapons used because of the pros and cons each one offers. I remember reading an article recently about Battlefield 4. One of the biggest problems, it said, was that there were too many guns and attachments. So much so that it was overwhelming.
Coming from that kind of environment has been refreshing to find things a bit leaner and simpler. I’m sure the inevitable Titanfall sequel will kick it up a notch with more variety, but I feel like the team at Respawn is really onto something here – gameplay trumps all. It seems a lot of studios forget that nowadays. It’s not about what’s in your game, it’s about how fun your game is. And that’s where Titanfall just knocks it out of the park. I can’t stress it enough… this game is a blast to play. So if you haven’t checked it out. Do yourself a favor and nab it. Driving a giant robot has never been so fun.
All images courtesy of the Titanfall Facebook page.
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