"Trust me"
Been a long time since I played a great first-person shooter(FPS). And to my delight, Titanfall 2 exceeded my expectations beyond ‘great’. To the point, it has solidified into one of my favorite FPS games. Trust me, It’s a titanic achievement and one I feel deserves a review. So here it is.
You play as Jack Cooper. A run-of-the-mill rifleman in the distant future. Where humanity somehow has colonized other worlds and where titans, big hulking mechs you can pilot dominate the battlefield. He has been assigned to learn under a mentor who pilots a titan. However, after training, events spiral out of control and he must now stop a corporation called Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation(IMC) from launching a super weapon that threatens a militia planet called Harmony.
Outgunned, outmatched, and without any nearby allies it’s up to him to turn the tide. And boy does the game detail his journey throughout and whether or not he will succeed. Jack doesn’t start with much, but soon enough he can pilot a titan. A titan with personality and artificial intelligence. And one who can converse with Jack. This is an interesting mix to the FPS formula where usually I’m alone in combating many baddies with some occasional support from my allies. Here we see the bond between Jack and his titan called BT-7274(or BT for short) emerge and man it is one of the strongest points the game has to offer. Jack is young, inexperienced, and most of all doesn’t know how to pilot a Titan. And yet BT has no problem showing him the ropes. Awesome to see and integrated, not half-baked either since there are plenty of moments where BT will mentor and guide Jack as they go up against the IMC. Providing a fascinating buddy companion who can think for themselves while allowing you to pilot them and work together to eliminate hostiles.
Super thumbs up on the gameplay. Providing a mirror's edge-esque ability to wall run and jump innately. Keeping the momentum fresh and not awkward. It feels good to go between walls again and again while evading enemy fire. And the checkpoint system here is very balanced, so you don’t lose a lot of progress going from one area to the next upon death. Level-wise it's linear, With areas to explore. Not always corridors either. There’s plenty of open space to explore here. And even better when the game will throw a puzzle here and there to keep the pace ongoing. I can hide using an innate stealth camo. And kill any enemies from behind. Jump into my titan and mow down enemies and seamlessly jump out and fight baddies without my Titan. Level design is very varied and I didn’t see much copy-paste design. Interesting biomes to see, fight and traverse, and enough to tinker your brain with puzzle segments and more. It doesn’t bedazzle us with explosions and more explosions without context. There is motive and purpose here as you progress through the plot to stopping the IMC.
Frenetic, yet balanced. This is how I’d describe the gameplay formula as you blaze your way through new areas. There are plenty of weapons scattered throughout the levels and I feel the game structures the weapon placement pretty well. There’s enough to be varied and quite a lot of grenades to choose from as well. So I didn’t have trouble picking new weaponry or looting ammo. If anything, the weapon diversity is included when you pilot a titan. With their own unique abilities equipped. Some can project a shield to reflect enemy fire. Launch multiple rockets. Place mines on a grid, launch a fire salvo or lay pound the ground and set the ground on fire in a vertical direction to burn soldiers. Each time you pick up a new weapon for BT, you can choose from more than five different weapon load-outs. Each with their own abilities attached and unique ultimate abilities too. Of course, you don’t unlock them all early on. You have to progress through the game to earn it.
I constantly used different titan weaponry load-outs as I fought baddies. You’ll use them extensively since you can’t just mow down enemies inside a titan all day. And its incredibly boring using the same old weapon again and again. So I really love the fact you can switch to different load-outs you have available. There are fights with other larger enemies… So I made good use of which weapon and abilities I needed to combat them. I found those battles to be cool and enjoyed them thoroughly since each one offers a different combat advantage from the other enemies. Not going to say any more on that though. Best to experience it blind in my opinion. One last thing before I delve into my critique.
There is an aspect introduced part way, which elevated the game further in my eyes. It’s done in a way that feels natural and became one of my favorite moments. I want to gush about it more, but I don’t want to keep this review longer than intended.
Now, my mixed feelings.
I kind of wish the campaign was longer. I clocked in at just a little over five hours and every moment was savored throughout the game. I feel just a bit more length could’ve propelled the stronger points to greater heights and explored a deeper sense of world-building in the sense of who and what kind of military are we siding with at the beginning of the game and throughout. Titans history. How they function, how they came to be, their combat effectiveness, and any historical significance regarding major/minor battles in history. Jack Cooper’s background and more. We don’t learn much about him really in his past, his relationships with anyone he knows from familial to friends he made in the past. There are audio logs throughout the game, and I did listen to them. They provide extra detail in the world and characters which I appreciate, but still not enough. I think a codex would be a nice addition to learning more about the world and characters here.
While I did appreciate the short campaign nature. The additional missions could've helped let the game breathe so to speak. Granted there are moments, where the pace will let you slow down and breathe, but these moments are few and far in between to truly grasp the world here and the main plot. I feel Titanfall 2 fails in this aspect to immerse me further. I would've included cutscenes, to flesh out the main character and BT more. Along with the villains and side-cast as well. Moreover, briefings could be longer to let the player ask questions and delve more into the tactical, and strategic side of things. Thereby, allowing Jack and BT to have more moments to shine throughout the game and show more moments where it's not just fighting.
Additionally, this may be a hot take, but I would like a health bar to see when I'm fighting on foot. I died more on foot than my time piloting a titan. Since I could adjust and know when to retreat. Here the health bar is when the screen would darken with blood on all corners of my screen and would become larger the more Jack is hit. I feel this isn’t a good way to implement a health system. And while I appreciate the immersiveness of it, I think players would be better off with a visible health bar so they can know when to retreat and recover health naturally.
It's weird having these mixed feelings since there were plenty of moments that stood out to me. In areas where it does have strengths and lows where it needs improvement to go from excellent to truly masterful. There is potential here. And I am here for it. If the developers at Respawn Entertainment ever come back to making another Titanfall campaign.
And that’s it! I don't play a lot of FPS. But this one exceeded my expectations a lot. It doesn't boast the sheer scale of Halo. Nor does it reach the banter I love from the Bad Company games. Doesn't even touch the powerful abilities like Crysis. Nor delving deep into psychological themes like Spec Ops: The Line. Instead, Titanfall 2 shines in the sheer mobility of run and gun here. Interesting level design and transitions kept my interest afloat and I haven’t personally seen it done in other FPS games. Even going above and beyond by introducing an aspect I love and the developers deciding “Let’s go wack” only adds to the sheer balls of them to do so. And it just works. Fluidly and organically without throwing my suspense of disbelief and destroying it with a meteor strike. The fact you can pilot a mech and they can talk to you adds so much to the gameplay and level structure. Great bonding moments between man and machine. Easily a must-play for any FPS fan and even those curious to try an first person shooter for the first time.
8/10
Been a long time since I played a great first-person shooter(FPS). And to my delight, Titanfall 2 exceeded my expectations beyond ‘great’. To the point, it has solidified into one of my favorite FPS games. Trust me, It’s a titanic achievement and one I feel deserves a review. So here it is.
You play as Jack Cooper. A run-of-the-mill rifleman in the distant future. Where humanity somehow has colonized other worlds and where titans, big hulking mechs you can pilot dominate the battlefield. He has been assigned to learn under a mentor who pilots a titan. However, after training, events spiral out of control and he must now stop a corporation called Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation(IMC) from launching a super weapon that threatens a militia planet called Harmony.
Outgunned, outmatched, and without any nearby allies it’s up to him to turn the tide. And boy does the game detail his journey throughout and whether or not he will succeed. Jack doesn’t start with much, but soon enough he can pilot a titan. A titan with personality and artificial intelligence. And one who can converse with Jack. This is an interesting mix to the FPS formula where usually I’m alone in combating many baddies with some occasional support from my allies. Here we see the bond between Jack and his titan called BT-7274(or BT for short) emerge and man it is one of the strongest points the game has to offer. Jack is young, inexperienced, and most of all doesn’t know how to pilot a Titan. And yet BT has no problem showing him the ropes. Awesome to see and integrated, not half-baked either since there are plenty of moments where BT will mentor and guide Jack as they go up against the IMC. Providing a fascinating buddy companion who can think for themselves while allowing you to pilot them and work together to eliminate hostiles.
Super thumbs up on the gameplay. Providing a mirror's edge-esque ability to wall run and jump innately. Keeping the momentum fresh and not awkward. It feels good to go between walls again and again while evading enemy fire. And the checkpoint system here is very balanced, so you don’t lose a lot of progress going from one area to the next upon death. Level-wise it's linear, With areas to explore. Not always corridors either. There’s plenty of open space to explore here. And even better when the game will throw a puzzle here and there to keep the pace ongoing. I can hide using an innate stealth camo. And kill any enemies from behind. Jump into my titan and mow down enemies and seamlessly jump out and fight baddies without my Titan. Level design is very varied and I didn’t see much copy-paste design. Interesting biomes to see, fight and traverse, and enough to tinker your brain with puzzle segments and more. It doesn’t bedazzle us with explosions and more explosions without context. There is motive and purpose here as you progress through the plot to stopping the IMC.
Frenetic, yet balanced. This is how I’d describe the gameplay formula as you blaze your way through new areas. There are plenty of weapons scattered throughout the levels and I feel the game structures the weapon placement pretty well. There’s enough to be varied and quite a lot of grenades to choose from as well. So I didn’t have trouble picking new weaponry or looting ammo. If anything, the weapon diversity is included when you pilot a titan. With their own unique abilities equipped. Some can project a shield to reflect enemy fire. Launch multiple rockets. Place mines on a grid, launch a fire salvo or lay pound the ground and set the ground on fire in a vertical direction to burn soldiers. Each time you pick up a new weapon for BT, you can choose from more than five different weapon load-outs. Each with their own abilities attached and unique ultimate abilities too. Of course, you don’t unlock them all early on. You have to progress through the game to earn it.
I constantly used different titan weaponry load-outs as I fought baddies. You’ll use them extensively since you can’t just mow down enemies inside a titan all day. And its incredibly boring using the same old weapon again and again. So I really love the fact you can switch to different load-outs you have available. There are fights with other larger enemies… So I made good use of which weapon and abilities I needed to combat them. I found those battles to be cool and enjoyed them thoroughly since each one offers a different combat advantage from the other enemies. Not going to say any more on that though. Best to experience it blind in my opinion. One last thing before I delve into my critique.
There is an aspect introduced part way, which elevated the game further in my eyes. It’s done in a way that feels natural and became one of my favorite moments. I want to gush about it more, but I don’t want to keep this review longer than intended.
Now, my mixed feelings.
I kind of wish the campaign was longer. I clocked in at just a little over five hours and every moment was savored throughout the game. I feel just a bit more length could’ve propelled the stronger points to greater heights and explored a deeper sense of world-building in the sense of who and what kind of military are we siding with at the beginning of the game and throughout. Titans history. How they function, how they came to be, their combat effectiveness, and any historical significance regarding major/minor battles in history. Jack Cooper’s background and more. We don’t learn much about him really in his past, his relationships with anyone he knows from familial to friends he made in the past. There are audio logs throughout the game, and I did listen to them. They provide extra detail in the world and characters which I appreciate, but still not enough. I think a codex would be a nice addition to learning more about the world and characters here.
While I did appreciate the short campaign nature. The additional missions could've helped let the game breathe so to speak. Granted there are moments, where the pace will let you slow down and breathe, but these moments are few and far in between to truly grasp the world here and the main plot. I feel Titanfall 2 fails in this aspect to immerse me further. I would've included cutscenes, to flesh out the main character and BT more. Along with the villains and side-cast as well. Moreover, briefings could be longer to let the player ask questions and delve more into the tactical, and strategic side of things. Thereby, allowing Jack and BT to have more moments to shine throughout the game and show more moments where it's not just fighting.
Additionally, this may be a hot take, but I would like a health bar to see when I'm fighting on foot. I died more on foot than my time piloting a titan. Since I could adjust and know when to retreat. Here the health bar is when the screen would darken with blood on all corners of my screen and would become larger the more Jack is hit. I feel this isn’t a good way to implement a health system. And while I appreciate the immersiveness of it, I think players would be better off with a visible health bar so they can know when to retreat and recover health naturally.
It's weird having these mixed feelings since there were plenty of moments that stood out to me. In areas where it does have strengths and lows where it needs improvement to go from excellent to truly masterful. There is potential here. And I am here for it. If the developers at Respawn Entertainment ever come back to making another Titanfall campaign.
And that’s it! I don't play a lot of FPS. But this one exceeded my expectations a lot. It doesn't boast the sheer scale of Halo. Nor does it reach the banter I love from the Bad Company games. Doesn't even touch the powerful abilities like Crysis. Nor delving deep into psychological themes like Spec Ops: The Line. Instead, Titanfall 2 shines in the sheer mobility of run and gun here. Interesting level design and transitions kept my interest afloat and I haven’t personally seen it done in other FPS games. Even going above and beyond by introducing an aspect I love and the developers deciding “Let’s go wack” only adds to the sheer balls of them to do so. And it just works. Fluidly and organically without throwing my suspense of disbelief and destroying it with a meteor strike. The fact you can pilot a mech and they can talk to you adds so much to the gameplay and level structure. Great bonding moments between man and machine. Easily a must-play for any FPS fan and even those curious to try an first person shooter for the first time.
8/10