Titanfall is probably one of the freshest takes on the FPS genre in a while. When EA released the first entry in 2014, I knew it was going to be massive and rival the likes of Call of Duty and here we are, roughly 2 months away from release. It’ll be going up against Call of Duty and even EA’s own Battlefield, but how does this newcomer hold up against these genre veterans? I got the chance to spend an entire weekend with Titanfall 2 like many other folks and I must confess, the game feels like a step back for the series.
Note: This hands-on is based on a pre-alpha build
Although I thoroughly enjoyed myself while playing the game, I felt like you could sit both Titanfall games side by side and not be able to tell which one is the first game. They look identical, they play identically, and Titanfall 2 actually took some steps back by changing things that didn’t need to be changed.
The first thing I noticed while playing the sequel to 2014’s breakout hit was that the customization seemed significantly reduced from the original game. One of the best parts about Titanfall was the fact that I could personalize my titan how I wanted. It was the ultimate killing machine that I fitted with the weaponry and features I specifically wanted. With Titanfall 2, the titans act as more of a pre-created class with limited customization. I wasn’t allowed to make my own personal titan, all the weapons and abilities were picked for me in advance. It took me a bit of time to adjust to using the Titanfall 2 titan, there was a stark difference to the original metal warrior that I knew the ins and outs.
Allowing players to choose from prefab titans might have come from a need to balance the titans, but it took something away from the game. I missed being able to choose between a variety of weapons abilities that made me feel powerful as hell on the battlefield. In a game that has a campaign focused on a pilot’s relationship with his titan, the decision to remove customization created a disconnection.
Titans also take much longer to earn, even when you’re playing the hell out of the objective. There were entire matches of the hardpoint game mode where I didn’t earn a titan even though I was playing fairly well. In the original Titanfall, the titans were on a timer. The better you played, the less time it would take to earn your titan. This method ensured that every player, no matter your skill level, would get the chance to wreck havoc in a titan. Obviously, this is pre-launch so this will hopefully be tweaked, but it’s something to note.
Another thing that felt odd was the map design. For a game with a core mechanic centered around movement and chaining together epic parkour movements to build momentum, I couldn’t really find that momentum in the two maps included in the technical test. The maps are fairly large, probably close to double the size of some of the original Titanfall maps, there’s a lot more space for titans to duke it out, but seemingly less space for pilots to move across the map smoothly while using the parkour mechanics. One of the maps features an open battleground set out in the middle of nowhere. There are a few buildings, but the map is mostly flat landscape with some trees scattered throughout. There was absolutely nowhere for pilots to chain together awesome moves or navigate the map with the flow seen in the original Titanfall maps. It felt so bizarre to be running so slowly across the flat land with no tight or fast paced action happening – again – this was a technical test so things could change.
On of the two maps was set in the middle of an abandoned, war-torn town filled with two-story buildings where I could see glimmers of those epic Titanfall memories that were built off that pure adrenaline filled gameplay, but it never quite fully reached its maximum potential.
Titanfall 2 attempts to introduce some new innovations to the movement system with the brand new grappling hook, but it sadly feels a bit too clunky to consistently navigate the map with a smooth flow or pull off those awesome moments that the trailers would lead you to believe happen often. I found myself often getting frustrated with the gadget and it would end in my ultimate demise which in turn led to me shouting profanities at my TV. At times, I would shoot my grappling hook at an open window hoping it would attach itself to the ceiling inside the building but the hook would just retract back to me as if the surface was out of reach even though it appeared to be close enough in my eyes.
The hook would also attach itself to things and reel me into my destination, but there would be a slight obstacle that my character couldn’t vault over for whatever reason even though all he would have needed to do was grab onto a ledge and pull himself up. It brought overwhelming frustration for a tool that is supposed to make navigating the maps much easier, however, this could be an issue brought up by the game being in a pre-beta state.
The last thing I want to talk about is the game modes that were in the technical test. There were three game modes in the technical test, Pilot vs Pilot, Bounty Hunt, and Hardpoint. Of the three, Bounty Hunt was the only mode I felt really worked well, there were AI that filled the map and they made the match seem more chaotic and hectic adding the sense of epic large scale battle made up of just 12 real players. AI titans would come in adding a larger sense of danger to the previously cookie-cutter AI enemies, a mix of other grunt type enemies, and much more made the game feel much more alive. Not only were the AI there to fill the screen but they served a purpose. Bounty Hunt serves as a wave-based mode where two teams battle against each other to kill AI to rack up the most points, each player has a virtual “wallet” for each round and must hold on to their points during each round. At the end of each round, players go back to base and deposit their points into an overall team score. If you die before you deposit your points, you lose half of the points on you until you run out. It builds this great feeling of tension and anxiety as you don’t want to die or lose your points so you cautiously go around looking for strategic ways to pick off not only AI but other players. The chaos that ensues when a titan drops and all players rush to take it down to get a big point boost is almost indescribable, it’s something straight out of a sci-fi war film like Rogue One: A Star War Story.
The other modes feel fairly weak and empty, both Pilot vs Pilot and Hardpoint have no AI to build that sense of chaos and epic feeling of war, and at times it felt just strangely quiet. The maps are too large to be focused on just player vs player action, and in a mode like Pilot vs Pilot where there are no titans, it feels oddly uncomfortable. It’s like owning a massive mansion with no furniture to fill it with. Hopefully other maps, not included in the technical test, will allow these modes to work well in the final game.
While Titanfall 2 is fairly fun, it has major issues. Luckily, there's plenty of time between now and launch, for the game to grow strong enough legs to stand on so it doesn't get beaten mercilessly by its competitors. In its current state, Titanfall 2 would surely suffer the same fate as its predecessor and lose a large chunk of its fan base after the first few weeks of launch.
If you want to get a taste of Titanfall 2 for yourself, Respawn is set to hold another technical test this weekend on PS4 and Xbox One.
