Titanfall 2 - Prepare for awesome!
Playing through Titanfall 2's campaign is a very good indication of just how much small amounts of dialogue between characters can evoke a strong sense of empathy. By the end of the Single Player I could believe in the burgeoning friendship between the generically named Jack Cooper (voice provided by Matthew Mercer) and BT-7274 (voice provided by Glenn Steinbaum). I could believe in the Three Protocols and the heroism of the Frontier Militia.
And thats probably the greatest thing the Single Player campaign achieves, but it definitely isnt the only thing. It serves as an intense and enjoyable introduction to a majority of the weapons and abilities you'll be able to use in the multiplayer. Only the various Pilot abilities are missing (apart from the Cloak ability). But in saying that the campaign shouldnt just be played as a way to acclimate onseself to the multiplayer, instead it should be played for its excellent level design, incredible character moments and the absolute audacity of some of the moments it throws at you.
Onto the Multiplayer. It plays like a dream. Very smooth and very easy to learn . The Titans feel needed in almost all of the multiplayer modes, and feeling of getting a first to fall on some of the game modes never really goes away. The different weapons all feel markedly different and you'll fast learn your favourites. Levelling up is a little different in Titanfall 2, and leads in the end to Regeneration (Titanfall 2's version of Prestiging). Each match you'll earn merit points based on several different aspects of your performance in the match, and each time 10 of these is earned, you're Pilot will level up. Each different aspect of your Pilot regenerates on its own, from weapons to Titans and even the Factions you can join (which do nothing but change the person who gives you a pep talk at the beginning of each match and give you different advocate rewards depedning at their levels). Also useful are credits, which can be used to permanently unlock something (meaning when your Pilot regenerates they'll still have access to that item, regardless of the original unlock level).
I dont think I've played a game for a while that i had this much fun playing. It takes a while to get into the swing of things but once youre there its a wild ride. Learning all the multiplayer level nooks, crannies and wall running opportunities gives you a definite advantage until the other team finds out what you're doing, but it never stops being fun to play.
Final words: This game deserves to be played. The amount of care taken in the Single Player and the sheer enjoyment of the Multiplayer will keep me coming back for more in the months to come.
5 out of 5!
