Review: Titanfall 2

Every now and then a game comes along and completely takes me by surprise. Titanfall was such a game. An online only multiplayer shooter is usually the kind of game I avoid at all costs but against all the odds I actually enjoyed it. The sequel has arrived to a lot of praise and it now contains a single player campaign so I dived right in with polar opposite expectations.

There was a hint of a story to Titanfall and whilst there is some reference to the original, newcomers won’t be left scratching their heads. The player controls John Copper who is a soldier for the militia – the good guys in the game. The militia like a bit of wall running, boost jumping and boost sliding so there is a tutorial to let you practice these moves before you are let loose. To finish off your initiation there is a speed run challenge where you combine all of your new skills to get to the finish line in as quick a time as possible. And hopefully remembering to kill the targets in your haste. The leaderboard lets you know how you fared and you can play as many times as you like which is handy as this is the point where the game is still installing.

The impatient player at this point wants to get their hands on one of the titans – the huge metal mechs that will allow you to unleash all manner of devastation and squish some unfortunates. You will sulk like a child as your trainer tells you they are only for pilots. Fear not though, as luck would have it there is an ambush, your ship crash lands on the planet Typhon and you get a fast track promotion to pilot rank and obtain your very own titan called BT 7274. Sadly there is no option to rename him.

BT 7274 is a right chatty boy. This comes as quite a surprise as the titans in the first game didn’t say a thing but BT is full of advice, information and mission briefings. There doesn’t appear to be a mute button but to be fair, he isn’t annoying. The game stops short of giving him a personality but you will converse a lot throughout the game and you do get to choose your responses. The relationship between man and machine does add a little something to the game.

Mobility is a big part of the campaign and it is fortunate the pilots can double jump and wall run as the environment is set up in such a way to demand such abilities. A soldier without any of these abilities would have been back home in time for lunch. At times it almost becomes a wall running platformer as you run and jump from wall to wall to avoid gaps or obstacles. During the more tricky sections this can require a few attempts and I do find the ‘try again’ aspect breaks up the action in what is otherwise a fast paced game. The wall running moments are quite predominant and perhaps lack a bit of variety to prevent it becoming a little repetitive.

Titanfall 2 is all about fast paced action so there will be no taking cover and picking off your targets. The game would rather you keep on the move and use your wall running and jumping abilities which is why the tricky platforming sections I mentioned spoil the flow if you are not successful. There is a wide selection of weapons and you can easily change weapon if you run out of ammo. Finding yourself short of bullets would slow down the pace so there are plenty of weapons to be found whether in conveniently placed storage boxes or from the bodies you leave behind.

Enemies take the form of humans and robots. The humans don’t always seem the brightest whereas the robots are absolutely determined to take you down. The robots exhibit the Terminator mentality in as much as if they lose their legs then they will drag themselves along the ground to bite your ankles. There were a couple of times when I wondered why I couldn’t move only to find a metallic ankle biter holding on to me.

And let’s not forget the stars of the show, the titans. I do like how the titan grabs you and throws you in so you can get straight into battle with no delay. The titans come with all manner of weaponry – the main weapon and the secondary fire, a shield which can have offensive actions too and a special move. There are various loadouts for the titan and I do find I have to keep pausing the action to remind myself what the current setup can do. It might just be my aging memory but perhaps too many options for me. I never did settle on a loadout I completely liked, I would have preferred to pick and choose components of each.

I must admit I have been left a little disappointed in the campaign. I read other reviews and I wonder if I am playing the same game. I suspect I have just become jaded with first person shooter games in general. Titanfall 2 certainly looks great, it is fast and fluid, has lots of weapons and 40 tonne metal beasts so what is not to like? The story is rather lightweight to the point that I stopped really paying much attention and I was simply getting to the objective location and shooting people without a care as to why. It lacks some character, there is no atmosphere and no intensity. Perhaps coming from a game like Bioshock to Titanfall 2 has been my mistake. There are some nice touches in the campaign such as the time manipulation chapter but overall I was expecting more. In its favour, it does split up the titan time and the on foot time well, too much of either would have been to its detriment. And it is also quite short so definitely doesn’t over stay its welcome.

The multiplayer mode is where most people will spend the bulk of their time and where my interest drops off. If the campaign is fast and furious then it is nothing compared to the online. I always feel these games need a section for beginners or for people like that find it soul destroying dying every 10 seconds. Despite having played the first game it took me a while to find my feet and to be honest, giving me a titan is still a complete waste time. I do still enjoy the sound of the titan crashing down to the ground though.

There are 10 different multiplayer modes ranging from pilot only team deathmatch to full on player, titans and AI bots warfare. The inclusion of AI bots is what I like most about Titanfall online. If you aren’t too good against other humans then you can make up for that with the AI grunts. This allows even the weaker players to level up and get access to the better equipment. If you enjoy multiplayer shooting action then I’d put Titanfall 2 above Infinite Warfare and Battlefield 1. Naturally there is more similarity with Call of Duty with the boosted abilities than with the WW1 setting of Battlefield.

Titanfall 2 is a good game but I can’t escape the disappointment. I suspect this is a combination of becoming jaded with shooters and my lack of interest in online multiplayer modes. The single player campaign isn’t showing anything new to inspire me and a lot of it I felt was a bit run of the mill. The titans are the only real difference that Titanfall 2 offers but they aren’t a game changer for me – I actually prefer being on foot no matter how cool it is to have your own titan. However if multiplayer is your thing then I think you will enjoy Titanfall 2.