So it's been about a week since Titanfall dropped but I still wanted to share some of my experience with the game here. I hope it can also serve as an opinion from someone not affiliated with any huge media sources.
I've been saying it for a while that Respawn did what Infinity Ward and Treyarch, could not. They took the first-person shooter genre and exciting online-play of games like Call of Duty and made it fun again. The game adds enough new features and uses the maps in very creative ways that allow play to flow so smoothly making the experience of playing Titanfall one of the best and unique online shooter experiences I've ever had. When I first sat down to play the game with my brothers, we traded the controller between matches without moving from the couch for at least seven hours. That's something we haven't done since the first Modern Warfare game and there are very few games, even now, that I could play for seven hours straight.
What makes Titanfall so engaging is the versatility the game offers you. The game takes place in the future and players take control of pilots on the battlefield equipped with what Respawn has termed, 'jump-kits.' These jump-kits allow players to traverse along walls, scale buildings and other structures and attack enemy titans from above. The wall-running mechanic works so well and you feel so cool while doing it. You can shoot and aim while wall-running which takes a little more refinement but wall-running works perfectly for reaching new vantage points, flanking and just getting around the map in general in an effective way. The maps are built for this mechanic and there was never a point where I thought, "damn, I wish there was a wall here." It's strange how easy the wall-running comes. In one map, the first time I played, I just started running and jumping and found myself running along the rooftops of buildings. It comes so naturally and the maps flow in a way that make it so simple and fun.
The maps are also designed large enough to fit the massive titans. Theoretically, there can be 12 titans on the map at a time if every player on each team has earned one but the most titans I recall in a game at one time was 8, still an impressive amount. Titans are earned by players racking up kills; each kill reduces the amount of time before your titan is ready. Playing in the titan is where Titanfall is really able to mix things up. Even as an opposing pilot, you need to think and be more cautious with the giant mechs out on the field. One thing to always keep in mind though is that pilots aren't as under-powered as you might think.
For instance, I jumped out of my titan at one point and took to the rooftops while my titan continued fighting another foe on the ground. While my titan engaged the enemy, I jumped from the roof onto the back of the titan and began blasting into the core dealing some heavy damage. This left the pilot in a bit of a predicament. Eventually my titan and myself would cause enough damage to 'doom' the enemy titan. This gives the pilot a certain amount of time to save his or herself and eject before their titan implodes. He could try to save his titan by getting out and trying to shoot me but my titan would make quick work of him. He could also stay in his titan and cause as much damage to my titan as possible before being finished off. You can usually depend on the titan's A.I. to do what you'd expect it to do as well and any kills it earns while you aren't in it count toward your score.
Engaging titan to titan is also a blast. Equipped with giant guns and rocket launchers, the battles can get really out of hand fast if you're not careful. One ability titans have to counter these deadly weapons is a shield that allows them to block all incoming fire and then launch it back at the enemy titan. It's pretty wild seeing all the bullets, rockets and whatever else accumulate mid-air and then send it back. You can also get in close and personal and start throwing punches. Engage a weakened titan in melee combat and you might perform an 'execution' which allows you to rip the enemy pilot from the cockpit and crush them. when your titan takes to much damage, it goes into a 'doomed' state which gives you a certain amount of time to eject from your cockpit, hundreds of feet into the air. One ability I loved to equip my titan with was the 'nuclear ejection.' Upon eject, your titan's nuclear core would obliterate anything in range making it a good tactic if you're ever swarmed by titans.
Customizable loadouts are available for both pilots and titans and offer a wide range of options. You can create the perfect pilot load-out for turning titans into scrap metal or take a stealthier approach with specific skills related to active camo. Customization feels more key when it comes to the titan however. You can chose from three models. The Atlas is the default model balanced in both armor and damage. It has good mobility and can hold its own in a fight while dealing a fair amount of damage. The Ogre on the other hand has the highest damage output and armor but lacks mobility. But if mobility is what you crave, you can chose the Stryder at the sacrifice of damage and armor. With a slew of weapons and perk-like upgrades you can make a titan perfect for many styles of play.
One of my only gripes with Titanfall is the lack of a single player campaign. The campaign is all played online. There are still cut-scenes, character and a story but all the gameplay is done online. It's interesting but I would have preferred the classic single player campaign, or at least a co-op type of deal. However, in campaign, you can play through as both factions offering different unlocks and story perspectives which is cool. I also realize that this genre appeals more to people that don't normally play a campaign and this may be Respawn's way of 'testing the waters.' This doesn't detract from the great experience that Titanfall offers. I definitely recommend playing Titanfall, especially if you're someone that hates Call of Duty. This is leagues ahead of Call of Duty and I expect it to really turn the tide when it comes to the CoD series. It's still early for Titanfall and the Xbox One but I don't doubt that it will eventually replace CoD and become the go-to shooter for fans of the genre.
