One of the cool things about Quick Play having such a wide brief is that I can bring you so many kinds of games. Titanfall 2 is unlike what I’ve written about so far and it’s pretty unlike what I usually play. It’s a first-person shooter with mech fighting as a major component and it’s a heck of a lot of fun.
First-person shooters are, I think, primarily known for their multiplayer gaming, which just isn’t where my heart is at, so finding one with a single-player campaign is a rare treat. I enjoy the Borderlands games as much as the next person but getting to mix it up is refreshing.
There are nine missions in Titanfall 2, and it took me around five and a half hours to complete on Normal difficulty. Many plaudits are given to the game for the story nestled in those nine missions, but as I was playing it, I felt like maybe I wasn’t comparing like for like. I haven’t played a lot of first-person shooters so maybe the story is considered good for the genre but in my opinion, the best that could be said for it is that it doesn’t get in the way of the gameplay, aside from a very tedious intro cut scene.
I actually tried to watch a video essay about some of the plots of Call of Duty games to try and compare but honestly, they seem absolutely ridiculous, and I don’t think it helped me make my mind up.
The real joy of Titanfall 2 is the gameplay. It’s very fast-paced, which made an enjoyable change from the games I’ve been spending time with recently where the pace is set primarily by the player rather than the game.
Each one of the missions in Titanfall 2 introduces a new gimmick, but to my immense relief they don’t stack on top of each other – each new toy is introduced in the start of a level and then taken away through some contrivance at the end. They very much left me wanting more, but I think that’s part of the genius of the game – it walks the tightrope of letting you get used to and have fun with each new thing before moving on before it gets frustrating or boring.
It's really hard to choose between all the levels but if you forced me to choose a favourite, I think it’s the timeline swapping level. There are so many smart ways the timeline swapping is used, but it’s at its coolest and most player-empowering when it comes to movement. Running, jumping, wall-running, all the while swapping from timeline to timeline to make platforms appear and obstacles vanish. I felt like an absolute badass every time I made it past a section of the level. And then, before it had quite become second nature, I was through the level, and the time travel device was broken and that was that for the mechanic. Every time I successfully executed a move it felt like a fantastic triumph because it was still novel. Much more and it would have become too familiar to feel especially heroic.
I also really enjoyed the level that took place inside a factory that seemed to be making entire neighbourhoods. Everything in Titanfall 2 is big – it’s a game about mechs so it kinda needs to be – but this scaled-up production line was a thrilling, awe-inspiring, exhilarating experience.
The levels themselves are really excellently designed. There’s no getting around the fact that they are very linear, but honestly? I didn’t mind it. The game demands a frenetic pace and if you had to spend too much time stopping to figure out where to go, it would lose a lot of the momentum it works so hard to create. Most of the levels are really brightly coloured too, which is a really refreshing change from most FPS games I’ve seen that live and die by grey and brown.
Even though I played on Normal difficulty, the game didn’t feel too easy and there were a few points I really struggled with, particularly the boss fights. You actually spend a lot more time outside of your mech than inside it, so I never got very comfortable with the mech’s move set. Instead of making me feel like a badass for achieving some difficult movement, it meant I died quite a few times against the bosses. It also meant that despite there being quite a lot of variety in the mech load-outs available, I stuck with the original one almost all the way through because I was most comfortable with it. I suspect the range of load-outs really shines in multiplayer.
The game also has a weapon degradation system that really reminds me of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Hear me out on this. You cannot rely on a single weapon to get through. There aren’t really ammo pick-ups unless you find another weapon of the same type, but they are distributed in such a way as to make that pretty rare. Much more often you’ll use a weapon until you run out of the ammo it came with, then find another one. There were loads lying around. I liked the Mastiff, a shotgun with a wide spread and a small magazine that necessitated frequent reloading. I did die a few times by stopping in the middle of a firefight to reload. Personally, I would prefer to be able to find a weapon I like and stick with it, but I wasn’t too troubled by the frequent switching. There’s also a short part at the end where you get a handgun that automatically targets and one-hit-kills all the enemies in your line of sight, which was very satisfying.
All in all, if you like shooters, or if you like fast-paced movement, or if you like a game that plays like a showcase of fun ideas, I can’t recommend Titanfall 2 enough. It’s a fast-paced, bombastic, frenzied game that shows you a good time and would never dream of outstaying its welcome. Some games have an important message, make you think or feel in a certain way. Titanfall 2 is brilliant fun, and that’s enough.
Game: Titanfall 2
Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Publisher: EA
Platforms: PC, Playstation, Xbox
I am sure you noticed that there’s no video with this post. I really tried to make it happen but between work, university, and other commitments I couldn’t find the time or energy to record. The point of this project is the written reviews anyway so I hope you can forgive me.
Big fan of Titanfall, ever since the first one, though lacking a campaign, the multiplayer was new and unique! Good stuff Ali.
I like the sound of a game that makes you keep reevaluating how to play by changing the mechanics, feels like it’s keeping you on your toes, forcing you to evolve with the game and create new strategies. FPS’s aren’t really for me but this sounds unique enough that I would give it a go!