Hands-on: Titanfall 2’s second technical test is a major improvement

I turn the corner of the new map Titanfall 2 tech test map, Forwardbase Kodai, only to come face to face with a Titan. Before I can even register the full scope of this hulking mech, it takes a swing at me. Fortunately, I’m able to boost back out of its reach, but it was a close call. I see a grappling hook claw onto its hull: is it an ally trying to remove its battery, or an enemy pilot hitching a ride? Luckily for me, it was one of my teammates, so I dash backward.

If I had been jumping into Titanfall 2 for the first time, I would have tried to take the robot myself, but I know better now. The enemy Titan is focused solely on my teammate, trying to swat at them as if they were a fly. Whilst it's distracted, I pick it apart with my magnetic grenade launcher and between the two of us, we’re able to fell the Titan.

The game mode on the new map is Amped Hardpoint, a unique take on the capture the base game type found in so many modern shooters. On top of trying to hold locations A, B, and C, you can linger at them to amp them up; increasing the speed at which your team acquires points. During the first weekend of Titanfall’s 2 technical test, almost no one got Titans during a match. In the second weekend, Respawn had certainly kept their promise when it came to increasing Titfanfall frequency.

Our team is winning, but not by much. I’m by hardpoint C, which was our initial base. I dash toward it in order to amp it up and widen our lead. But there are two enemy pilots trying to secure it for themselves. “Titan Ready,” my onboard computer reminds me. Perfect. I call in Ion, my robot companion, and latch on with my grappling hook, but I pause and change course at the last second. When playing, your first instinct is to immediately hop into your Titan, but the more you play, the more you get the feel for when to take control and when you need to let your Titan roam free. I move toward the center of the hardpoint and watch as the two enemy pilots are distracted by the big shiny robot. I take one out whilst they’re not looking, and Ion smashes the other with his fist. The hardpoint is ours.

On Forwardbase Kodai, hardpoint B is in the compound itself and is always being contested. It’s a chokepoint hallway that can be utter chaos at times. I leave Ion in guard mode to hold down C as I make my way toward the center of the map. I help my teammates reclaim B, as I see in the corner of my HUD my Titan taking a beating. As soon as we vanquish our foes, I rush back to Ion. On top of the main structure is a battery, which I can use to recharge my Titan. I scoop it up and maneuver toward hardpoint C.

I’m not going to make it. On top of an enemy Titan, there are two more pilots attacking Ion. Before he draws his last mechanical breath, however, a teammate comes to the rescue and inserts a fresh battery. With a new lease on life, Ion pushes the enemy back as I take command. The teammate who saved my robotic companion gets a Titan of his own: Scorch and together we push the enemy away from the hardpoint.

The last remaining pilot hops onto Scorch and removes its battery. This pilot is fast, expertly hopping off and latching back on. THWACK! I take him out with a solid punch as he tries to drop a grenade into the battery port.

With that, we secure victory for our team. The epilog begins, in which any pilot on the losing team has the chance to obtain a bonus by escaping on an evac shuttle. The landing zone is across the map, so I hop out of Ion and blaze across the base. I now have mastered the grappling hook, which instead of pulling you in a straight line will allow to you slingshot, as I do to make it onto the roof of the base. An enemy pilot is sprinting toward the intercept point, which is now actually behind me. He fires, but I break into a slide, avoiding the gunfire and BLAM! A point-blank shotgun blast prevents him from escape.

Titanfall 2, when you understand what sets it apart from other shooters, is incredibly fun and addicting. Problems that plague the first weekend of the technical test, such as mobility and Titanfall frequency, have already been greatly improved. Plus, Forwardbase Kodai, whilst still much more open and larger than any map in the first game, allows for a lot more parkour techniques. I’m itching to play more, but sadly at this point, I will have to wait for the official release on October 28th.