Jason Hidalgo|jhidalgo@rgj.com
Technobubble covers games, gadgets, technology and all things geek. Follow Technobubble poobah Jason Hidalgo’s shenanigans on Twitter @jasonhidalgo
Around this time one year ago, I was lamenting the decline of the shooter genre.
Maybe it was just me. But after playing shooter after shooter for years, the genre’s newer offerings just weren’t holding my interest like they used to. A lot of it had to do with the holding pattern that new shooters seem to be stuck in. With the exception of a few games like the original Titanfall, I just wasn’t seeing any key changes or new mechanics that really propelled shooters forward, even though they certainly showed high levels of polish.
For 2016, I was expecting more of the same. Then this little game called Doom came out. A modernized take on the shooting franchise that arguably started it all, Doom represented the most fun I’ve ever had in a shooting campaign in a long time. Still, I thought Doom would simply be the exception to the rule. I’ve seen many a genre enjoy its time in the limelight from side-scrolling action games to Japanese RPGs, only to give way to the next big thing. Why would shooters be any different?
Then came Battlefield 1. Although its mechanics did not see a significant change overall, the decision to base its campaign and overall aesthetic on World War I proved to be a much welcome breath of fresh air. Suddenly, my list of fun shooters for the year have grown to two. But as they say, two is an accident. In order for something to be a trend, it has to happen three times, right?
Lo and behold, Gears of War 4 comes out like a Lancer chainsaw busting through a wooden door. Gears of War 4’s solid gameplay wasn’t just a win for shooters in general but also for fans of the oft-ignored third-person shooting genre. Then again — to use a figure skating reference — even triple axels are passe, these days. To really get attention, you have to do a quadruple axel.
This brings us to Titanfall 2. Back in 2014, the first Titanfall game generated plenty of buzz thanks to its faster and more vertical gameplay for soldiers, as well as the addition of giant Titan robots that you can call down from the heavens. Although the game looked like the next big thing for first-person shooters, however, the decision to stay exclusive to one console ecosystem in Xbox, combined with the lack of a campaign, took out some of the luster from the game.
It’s a problem that Titanfall 2 definitely learns from as it launches on both Microsoft and Sony systems right off the bat. In addition to being more console agnostic this time around, the sequel also ties a bow around a full-fledged campaign to satisfy folks such as myself who still place great value on story modes for shooters. I say that even as someone who scored the first game highly despite my deep disappointment in its lack of a campaign due to its forward-looking mechanics.
Although Titanfall 2’s campaign appears to be the same one-man jaunt through hostile territory that’s seen in many a shooting campaign, this is actually a buddy adventure at its core — pun so totally intended. You start out as Frontier Militia rifleman Jack Cooper, a young, promising recruit who aspires to become a Titan pilot someday. During a battle with industrial conglomerate Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation, however, Cooper suddenly finds himself taking over the reigns of a classic Vanguard-class Titan known as BT-7274, or “BT” for short. Let’s just say it’s a good thing they didn’t pick DT, at least as far as the Japanese market goes. Anyway, Cooper’s unlikely transformation into a pilot kicks off a six-hour campaign where he tries to survive while unraveling the IMC’s secret plans. Along the way, Cooper develops a bond with his AI partner, which adds an extra dynamic over the lone wolf approach seen in other shooter protagonists.
I found Titanfall 2’s campaign to be quite solid, overall, thanks to an interesting story and well-designed locales that show off its unique gameplay. While shooting campaigns tend to be flat for the most part and typically use stairs, platforms and elevators for level variety, Titanfall 2 builds in verticality into its level design and mechanics. In addition to double jumps, you also encounter plenty of gaps and spaces that require you to do wall runs and wall jumps, sometimes consecutively in order to get to from point A to point B. This makes movement a more essential part of the gameplay that’s actually both challenging and exciting thanks to the use of platforming mechanics. The game also plays faster than your typical modern first-person shooter. It’s not quite as fast the fun third-person shooter from Platinum, Vanquish — a criminally underrated title in my book — but it has a tiny bit of an arena shooter feel to it.
Despite its faster speed, the actual shooting remains excellent and has that familiar rock-solid feel that you get from Respawn games and the Call of Duty series. While I typically prefer the large-scale multiplayer approach of Battlefield, including its use of vehicles, over Call of Duty’s multiplayer design, I actually preferred the feel of COD’s shooting mechanics. It just seems more solid and comfortable for me and that shooting feel is replicated here — no surprise given the Respawn team’s COD pedigree prior to its split with Activision.
Like its predecessor, Titanfall 2 also brings more to the table in multiplayer over COD due to its additional mechanics, larger levels and inclusion of Titan gameplay. Titan gameplay does get a few tweaks in multiplayer mode this time to change things up. One is the more controversial decision to eliminate regenerating shields, which changes Titan combat. This makes stringing kills more difficult while also adding more importance to strength in numbers in Titan vs. Titan encounters.
Tied to the loss of shields is the addition of battery-stealing mechanics when rodeo-riding enemy Titans. Successfully doing so lets you steal a battery, that you can then give to a friendly Titan for a health boost. As a defense, Titan pilots can discharge smoke to rid themselves of pesky rodeo riders, which can be built up to stack. You can also try to reclaim batteries by killing foes after they steal them.
Titan types, meanwhile, double up to six instead of the three from the first game. Examples include the Scorch, an incendiary-based unit that’s a bit reminiscent of the original Ogre. Other Titans specialize in defense or using rockets. Personally, my favorite is the Ronin, which has excellent melee capabilities and allows aggressive players to get up close and personal.
Multiplayer modes are also quite plentiful, including objective-based ones for folks who want to be rewarded for doing things besides killing. You also have Titan-free Pilot vs. Pilot matches or pilot-free Last Titan Standing mode for folks who want to focus on Titan vs. Titan battling. One bit of good news for multiplayer lovers is that I had no issues with the game’s online servers post-launch, with matches running fluid without disconnects and interruptions.
Downsides include enemy AI, which can be brain dead at times for both campaign and multiplayer. If you disliked the presence of AI grunts in online multiplayer before, they return in Titanfall 2 as well, though it’s admittedly nice to have them if you’re a new player trying to get used to the game or simply having a bad day against human players. I also wish multiplayer offered more in the way of stages that really took advantage of the built-in vertical gameplay to separate the game from other shooters. The platforming sections, while enjoyable for me, also can be frustrating for folks who don’t quite get the knack for it, especially when trying to chain wall runs and jumps together. All that being said, I actually enjoyed this game’s multiplayer the most out of all those good shooters I mentioned earlier.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Titanfall 2 returns with a more complete package this time around by supplementing its faster, more vertical gameplay with a much needed campaign mode. The new campaign is a huge improvement over the patchwork story from the first game and a wider selection of Titans makes multiplayer feel more diverse. Changes in Titan health mechanics, admittedly, might be a mixed bag for online players and the game’s multiplayer maps don’t fully take advantage of your pilot’s penchant for going vertical. Overall, however, Titanfall 2 is a fun romp for folks thirsty for a shooting experience that’s different from the norm.
- Rating: 4.25 out of 5
- Cost: $59.99; PC, PS4 and XB1 (reviewed)
- https://www.titanfall.com
