Titanfall [BETA] First Impressions

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

Well I managed to get in a few matches of Titanfall just now so I thought I'd deliver my initial impressions of the extremely hyped game. 

 

Firstly; you complete a training mode which allows you to experience the controls, general feel and the overall combat mechanics. It comprises of 14 or so mini-missions and lasts around 15 minutes. It is extremely well implemented and very helpful before going into battle. The first thing you notice whilst getting to grips with the features is how good the engine is. It is silky smooth and the combat is very satisfying. I have never experienced such an impressive feel to a FPS ever. This absolutely top of the range production in how to produce a quality build.

 

I opted to use my 360 pad to start with and the controls are pretty straightforward with an input binding similar to that of Call of Duty. The only difference really is a cloaking feature on L1 which is the same as what we saw in Crysis 2. The Titan is easy to use also and has rockets and a shield on the shoulder buttons. You can also dash from side to side and forwards in place of the jump function. 

 

My first match was Attrition (TDM) on Angel City which is a urban city based location. You begin by getting air dropped into the map with your team. The map felt pretty good and even the highest buildings could be reached by almost a parkour manner by easily navigating off walls using the jump button. The guns look and feel brilliant also. Unfortunately the AI on the bots has to be called into question; they seem clueless and useless and don't really offer any input into the match. Reminded me of combat training in COD using recruit bots! Fortunately the battle with the opposition is much more trickier and intense. It's a real shame that it's only 6v6 as the NPC units discredit the gameplay but when you have numerous Titans on the map; you can understand why the 12 player count has been sensibly reduced. You seem to get your own mech every few minutes and when you do; the action becomes pretty chaotic and you mow down the bots and battle with players on top of buildings and on the ground along going toe to toe with other Titans. It's pure old-school carnage. If your Titan is on its last legs; you must eject which sees you shot up into the sky and come down to get right back into the action. The pace is fast and furious and very enjoyable although the mode seemed to lack meat which perhaps is expected as it's only team deathmatch.  In terms of gameplay balancing; perhaps it would have been better if they had limited the amount of Titans available; lets say one on a team at a time and allowed for more human players in place of the bots. It feels like this game is ideal for 9v9 or 12v12. 

 

At the end of a match; the team that scores 250 wins and to add a twist; the losing team must reach the evacuation point on the map and the winners must prevent them getting there. Why? I don't know but if you're on a streak; you can grab some last ditch kills. I assume this game ending event is connected to the story or something. 

 

I next played on a very good map called Fracture. It was a much more open setting than Angel City and there were less high buildings so I saw quite a bit of action on the ground. I was initially concerned that there wouldn't be much diversity between the maps but Fracture certainly adds a different dimension to the gameplay in terms of how you approach battles. In Angel City; you were playing off the buildings and trying to work into clear lines of sight but on this map you desperately seek cover from buildings against Titans whilst getting into open areas hunting bots and other human players. It will be interesting to see what other maps will be on offer and how they vary.

 

Visually Titanfall isn't overly-spectacular and the colour pallet is quite drab but the gameplay is fun, frantic, fun and at times spectacular. The general feel is magnificent but the balance between human and AI players along with the Titans could drag the gameplay down. The AI needs drastic improvements also to make the game a viable challenge throughout matches and to keep players engaged. If you like old-school titles like Quake and Unreal Tournament; this game is a pretty astonishing reconstruction of the classic frenzied arcade shooter compiled with the impressive Titan battles. I will delve into the other modes later to see how the gameplay copes with objective play thrown in but overall this game is a pleasant surprise from what initially looked quite a generic shooter. The menu presentation and statistics is extremely polished and the ranking system and unlocks mirror that of the typical COD games. Familiar but nevertheless fresh and interesting going forward.  I will also give it a try using the M+K but so far, so bloody good yeah! 

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

Right, I've kinda worked out the ending to the Attrition matches; the losing team has to evacuate the map after the game is won. If you reach the airship without being killed, you earn extra XP. If you die; you're out and have to watch the remaining action from one of your team mates POV. The winning team can prevent the enemies from escaping by eliminating them one by one or destroying the ship before it leaves. There is good XP on offer after hours and rubbing salt into the wounds of a losing team by preventing them leaving is great fun in a frantic finale. The losers can salvage some dignity by escaping. After the match is over; the ship takes a minute to arrive so it's a good final twist for some last-ditch action.

 

I also tried Hardpoint which is basically COD Domination. It is tremendous fast paced fun where objectives can change hands over and over. The bots seem to help out quite a bit here even if they are useless in combat.

 

I don't know whether it's down to being a beta or because the people are new to the game but in general; the community seems to be playing this game properly without the politics that plagued Call of Duty. Nobody seems to be camping, everyone is getting stuck in and the general pace keeps the matches flowing at a good rate.

 

I've also had a look at the custom loadout options and challenge unlocks which mimics that of Call of Duty and it looks very interesting indeed. Although the format seems to be inspired by COD; it looks incredibly well implemented and exciting. With everything being unknown at this time; you have no idea what you're unlocking and how good it's likely to be.  There is no predictable weapons or lethals on show so everything intrigues. The way it is presented on screen is tidy and easy to use. Much better than the dreary Ghosts root-menus or the messy Battlelog selections.

 

It's still early days but Titanfall has all the hallmarks that made Modern Warfare so unique. Playing this game feels like Call of Duty has been reborn. The player counts and bots may be questionable and the balance with Titans on the map in numbers may need ironing out but this title is gaming on another level.  This will kill COD once and for all. I think   

[Dattebayo 446]

Thanks a billion for the review!

Titanfall certainly looks very interesting.

How do you think the transition from COD will be like, when everything is taken into account?

Seamless? Bumpy? A sexy, sexy middle ground?

[L_C_Scipio 395]

I *almost* wish I'd gotten an XB1. Almost.

I think for it to really be a "CoD killer" (though I'm not sure why everyone wants that so badly) it can't be an exclusive.

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

Thanks a billion for the review!

Titanfall certainly looks very interesting.

How do you think the transition from COD will be like, when everything is taken into account?

Seamless? Bumpy? A sexy, sexy middle ground?

I feel Titanfall will grab a significant of interest from the Call of Duty fans by being of such a polished quality and offering a similar gameplay infrastructure along with action that is pure fun. This game will capture a huge audience and will inevitably grow through the existing hype and in general passive interest. The biggest and most unforgiving annoyance is the fact this game is tied purely to Xbox 360/One and PC. I'd say they are comfortably losing out on 25m potential sales for the sake of smooching with Microsoft for a one-off fee. It's an absolute corporate tragedy in today's exclusivity atrocities. It is one EA will ultimately regret. I don't know if this game with drum up enough interest to sell a hoard of Xbox One units but for the sake of gaming in general; the exclusive contract is an absolute disaster move.

 

COD fans will absolutely love this game I think as it feels familiar but fresh on a huge level.  The engine is probably the most tidiest I have ever seen in a videogame. This really puts into perspective how dated and stale COD really is but the sad aspect is what Call of Duty could have been with the old Infinity Ward still tied to the franchise. Titanfall is prime evidence of development of the highest quality along with technical execution. You can really appreciate what Jason West and Vince Zampella did for COD and how the likes of the new IW have failed so miserably in claiming their divine name.

 

The hype which I found rather too heavy is now completely justified for me. It feels like we're back to the early COD days of sheer anticipation and interest being rejuvenated. I can see this game going far but the fact it is absent on PS4 is an absolute disgrace to modern gaming. Sony seem to work hard investing in their development partners and sourcing quality individuals and teams to create wonderful titles whilst Microsoft just flash the cash in the hope of pulling people towards buying their consoles by acquiring rights to certain games. It's the gamers and the games that will ultimately suffer.     

[Chookes 965]

I have to admit, I've watched a few videos about Titanfall and this game looks fun.

[Racist Giraffe 73]

Played a few games just now and holy crap this game is amazing

[TigerBurge 2,375]

My son got his code for it. I'll be trying it later tomorrow.

[Dattebayo 446]

Played a few games just now and holy crap this game is amazing

Holy f*ck Frace, where've you been? xD

[Harrison 202]

FRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE

[Racist Giraffe 73]

Holy f*ck Frace, where've you been? xD

 

No where have you been

 

FRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE

 

Hey!

[Dattebayo 446]

No where have you been

 

 

Hey!

Everywhere, but nowhere at once.

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

The Titanfall beta has been extended by an additional day and will be open to ALL PC users with an Origin account and Xbox One gamers tomorrow. So if you haven't had beta access; you can still experience the game for a period shortly http://mp1st.com/2014/02/15/titanfall-xbox-one-beta-extended-least-day-now-open-xbox-live-gold-members/#.UwCiPfl_vKc

 

Get on it!

[TigerBurge 2,375]

Awesome game. Movement is great. Guns are good. The mechanics of the game is brilliant. I understand its the beta but its so smooth. My only complaint is that its not on PS4. Fuck you EA and double fuck you Microsoft.

I wonder if stuff will change as far as early access and such now that the PS4 has out sold Xbone by about two million units?

[L_C_Scipio 395]

The exclusivity deal is just for the first game and EA would have to be the biggest morons on the planet to renew it.

Maybe it's just an elaborate scheme to build anticipation in the PS4 community lol.

[Racist Giraffe 73]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGTDL3uGUOs

 

Recorded this earlier! The whole parkour movement style is what makes me love this game!

 

Everywhere, but nowhere at once.

 

Datteninja!

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

Quality kill Fraaace! This is definitely the best engine I have ever seen in a FPS. The controls and the smoothness are absolutely pristine and the way they have implemented the parkour elements in such a clean and fluid way is beyond perfection. 

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

Another positive about the gameplay pace and fluidity means camping has literally no value or point. There are no places where you can sit comfortably on a map and you can get to even the hardest to reach areas in a matter of seconds. I saw a guy on a rooftop on Angel City sniping and after clocking him; I sprinted and darted off two walls upwards, came from the side, cloaked and blew his brains out from behind. All this in 5 seconds from a seemingly significant distance away. The gameplay elements force you to be constantly moving and with so much action on the maps; you'll never be stuck for something to shoot. The utterly fantastic and precise controls and slick engine make moving an absolute joy. Even 3rd floor interiors are not a safe haven as you can dart in through the window and obliterate anything inside in a split second. Points and kills really wrack up when getting stuck in and I think with what is on offer; people will play this game objectively without the Call of Duty politics of gameplay image and the general noob behaviors that plague the series continuously.  

 

There is a good leak on NeoGaf of what else is on offer http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=101030552#post101030552

[L_C_Scipio 395]

I think with what is on offer; people will play this game objectively without the Call of Duty politics of gameplay image and the general noob behaviors that plague the series continuously.

There is a good leak on NeoGaf of what else is on offer http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=101030552#post101030552

A little over-optimistic, don't you think? Time will tell but people are people. There will always be trolls and noobs and people who don't play the objective.

IMO the one sure way to get people to PTO is to remove kill/death ratio as a tracked statistic. As long as you have that meaningless number to look at, you'll have people who will make it their top priority at the expense of completing objectives and winning games.

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

A little over-optimistic, don't you think? Time will tell but people are people. There will always be trolls and noobs and people who don't play the objective.

IMO the one sure way to get people to PTO is to remove kill/death ratio as a tracked statistic. As long as you have that meaningless number to look at, you'll have people who will make it their top priority at the expense of completing objectives and winning games.

Thankfully the modes don't seem too objective-heavy and the focus is more on gunplay even away from Attrition. I think this game could really bring the best out of even the most noobiest of players

[Harrison 202]

Frace that kill was sexy, this game is sexy,

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

First impressions from YouTube:

 

Sandy Ravage

 

Drift0r

 

TBNRfrags

 

Ali-A

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

The beta has been extended to the end of Wednesday 19th and is still open to all Origin users on PC and Xbox One

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

Right, I've maxed out XP and as this is likely to be the last day of the beta; I was wondering what everyone's thought about the game are? 

 

I think this game has massive potential. It ran flawlessly throughout and everything was of a ludicrously high standard. This could go down as one of the greatest multiplayer games ever created. Just simply mind-blowing! Finally I understand what all the hype was about. 

 

This is definitely a day one purchase on PC for me. 

 

I haven't had this feeling of anticipation since the MW2 days! 

[TigerBurge 2,375]

The few games I got to play one the Xbone it was nice. Sucks its not coming to the PS4