Titans are a man’s best friend
I should start by saying I’m not too big of a multiplayer person. I appreciate that side of gaming, but it’s just not for me. However, I love the campaigns in shooters (first and third person) and Titanfall 2 is damn good. In fact, in this sea of futuristic, movement focused fps games Titanfall 2 gets my vote as the best.
The single player is by far my favorite part of the experience. The gameplay centers around fast paced firefights, epic set pieces, and platforming sections (which not only work, but feel incredible.) It does take some effort to get truly hooked on it though. The reason for this being the parkour and advanced movements don’t come naturally, you have to learn how to utilize them. Once you get a good grip on the movement everything completely skyrockets. You can easily transition from shooting enemies on the ground during a wall run to sliding into their midst and blasting them to pieces. Titanfall 2 succeeds in making you feel like a godly badass just like the Doom reboot. The campaign focuses on Cooper and his Titan (BT) as they embark on a journey to fight the IMC (Earth’s military.) Cooper feels more like a reflection of the player than an actual character (think Gordon Freeman and Doomguy.) All of his dialogue is presented to the player as two lines and you are tasked with choosing which line he says. It’s never anything deep or heart wrenching, but hey it works. BT is easily my favorite character. They could’ve made him more of a vehicle than an actual character but they didn’t. He has a personality which I formed a bond with. It feels like I embarked on a journey with him and he became my war buddy. The plot is really straight forward. There’s no twists, turns, or thought provoking moments but it doesn’t need any of those. The story is more based on the journey and connection to the characters.
The controls fit into the fps mold that we’ve been accustomed to for a decade now. There are a lot of nice customization options which are rare on console games, such as dead zone on the analog sticks. At first trying to pull off crazy stunts with the advanced movement was tricky and made the platforming a little frustrating. After a while they became natural, fun and rewarding as all hell to perform. These parkour-esque movements blend together perfectly with the gunplay. The graphics and soundtrack are what you would expect from a 2016 release. They’re nothing too exceptional, but they’re not bad by any means.
Overall the multiplayer is a blast, but not a big enough of one to keep me going. There is a plethora of content here. From customization to modes to maps to say I’m impressed would be an understatement. The maps feel tailor made for both titans and pilots. The online feels fair and well balanced. At the end of the day I’d recommend Titanfall 2 to just about anyone. If your interest has been peaked, pick it up. It will deliver on your expectations in spades.
