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So its finally here. The game Xbox owners have waited impatiently for, the game with countless articles since release of people wanting it on other systems, and the game everyone wants the sequel to in 2 years time. This is always an incredible sign, and a good sign the game will have great sales legs throughout its time. So why so much buzz from gamers of all shapes and sizes around the world? Lets move on and take a look at the Online FPS that is Titanfall.
Make no mistake, Titanfall has been lovingly crafted for all those 10's of millions of Online Multiplayer FPS fans out there who live for pitting themselves against others in a world of sprayed lead. Not since the days of Uneal Tournament / Team Fortress has a developer actually catered solely for this huge group of people. Sure some developers choose to make a game with both single player and Online, but more often than not fail to excel in both. And its only after playing Titanfall extensively do you realise just how average Online segments of BF4 or COD Ghosts really are.
Titanfall is a concept every Online FPS player knows. Its a shooter where the idea is as a team to outdo your opponents. All online titles do this, and Titanfall does nothing new here. Firstly you have Attrition where you earn points for killing Pilots, Titans, Grunts and Spectres. These are called Attrition points. The team with the most AP's wins the round. Then theres the usual Capture the Flag ( Self explanetory ) and Hardpoint, a mode which requires teams to hold 3 points on the map. First to 400 points wins. Respawn have also given us Pilot Hunter which is essentially Team Death Match where only Pilot kills are counted. And finaly Last Titan Standing, where all players begin with a Titan and the winning team is the team with Titans left in battle. All the modes are pretty standard affair, and you could easily begin to think that Titanfall is overhyped and generic rubbish.
If you think that, your going to miss the greatest Online FPS ever made. Yes it is. So then what makes Titanfall a game after 40 hours play, a game you love more than the first day you played it? BALANCE. Forget the Titans a minute, forget the Xbox One forget your love for COD, Halo or Killzone online, Titanfall is the most balanced FPS you will ever play by country mile. This is even more of a feat considering that Respawn have added into the mix the masively powered Titans. If your a newbie Titanfall somehow makes you feel that your good. If your a seasoned Titanfall player it manages to make you feel Skilled. As a Pilot turning the corner to face a Titan would in any other game be an unbalanced overkill mess. Tanks in BF4? Mantis in Halo 4? But in Titanfall you feel a sense of ok, game on. Sure you respect it can destroy you in a second, but you also know you can take it down with some clever play. There is no other FPS out there that gives you the sense of achievement and sense of scale that Titanfall gives you.
Battlefiled 4 has 64 players, Titanfall 12. And yet Titanfall feels like a much bigger battle than Battlefield could ever dream of. Respawn give us 6 v 6, and have added a HUGE new strattegy element to the game in the AI combatants. These are so vital to the flow and feeling of Titanfall its pure genius of game develpment. Pilots sometimes move along with these packs to blend in, you can use these to decrease your Titanfall time or hack the Spectres who will help attack Titans. The fact these AREN'T bots is crucial to why Titanfall is balanced and works so well. By far these Combatants are the best innovation in Online FPS since slice bread.
Then theres the Titans themselves. Although essentially Huge mechs, these Titans arent cumbersome or a pain to control. They act like an extension to the player controls, with obvious power added to your fingertips. Not only can you control these Mechs but also set them to auto guard or Follow whilst you Pilot around the map. Doubleing up firpower. Its an absolute guarentee when you drop your first Titan you will have a grin bigger than Alice in Wonderlands Cheshire cat.
From the off Titafall contains 15 maps. Initially you will have your faveourites, but as time passes you find yorself loving every map you play. Each map has a very different feel, choke points and battle grounds. Theres so much to learn and try that even at my current level of Gen 2 Level 26 I still feel theres so much to learn and master. The level design is phenominal and the sheer options to traverse the geography is testamont to how much thought has gone into its design. Theres always something new you'll discover and something magical you'll pull off, its such a flawless concept its hard to imgine Repawn bettering this.
Gone are the traditional killstreak perks, and replacing these are Buurn Cards. Earned for a variety of feats these cards can be used before a repawn to the battlefield. Ranging from Amped weapons ( higher damage versions of existing weapons ) to a multitude of enhancement cards like cutting down time on your Titanfall drop, or unlimited Ordinance power. Its use only lasts until you are killed and you may only take 3 into battle from your deck of cards. This brings a much better aspect of strategy than the killstreaks found in existing shooters.
Repawn have included an online campaign, essentially a load of multiplayer matches pitted together with a vague story. All I can say about this is Repawn didnt need to do this. playing this mode is still amazing fun as its still perfect gameplay online, but if your buyng a game for its online you wont give 2 hoots as to any story element. And thats further amlified here in Titanfall because its so good as it is.
From the moment you start to play, Titanfall has you. Its so much better than BF4 or COD Ghosts online its almost unfair to even compare them. The fact that in my entire review of Titanfall I havnt mentioned the graphics or sound shows just how much fun Titanfall is to play. I feel sorry for any Shooter that tries to tack on Online multiplayer alongside a story from here on out. Because TItanfall raises the bar for multiplayer perfction so high that other titles feel so half arsed. In all honesty 50 quid spent on BF4 was probably the worst 50 quid I ever spent. And the only good thing is that its trade in value still isnt to bad. All in all this is the best Online FPS Ive ever had the grace of playing, and the first online Shooterthat doesnt feel a chore to play 40 hours in. If anything I want to play it more now than when I didnt have the game.
10/10
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