Have you played Titanfall 2 yet? If you own a PS4, Xbox One or gaming PC, you really owe it to yourself to check out one of the best first-person shooter (FPS) games ever made, and one of the best games of the year.
If you haven’t heard much about it, I won’t blame you. The Titanfall series is still new (the first game, released in 2014, was an Xbox One exclusive, and multiplayer-only) and doesn’t have the name recognition and marketing muscle of the Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises.
No wonder then that games journalists have been scratching their heads over why EA would choose to release Titanfall 2 a week after its own Battlefield 1, and a week before competitor Activision’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
What it lacks in marketing budget and fame it makes up for in pedigree: Respawn Entertainment was founded by the brains behind the original Medal of Honor and Call of Duty games, who left publisher Activision a few months before the release of the iconic Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Jason West and Vince Zampella breathed new life into the FPS genre with the first Modern Warfare game, so Respawn Entertainment’s first game was much anticipated.
While Titanfall was well-received, the lack of a single player campaign meant that its appeal would always be limited.
Titanfall 2 rectifies this problem. Instead of simply tacking on a lacklustre single-player campaign as some former multiplayer-only games have done in the past (hi there, Battlefield 3!), it features one of the most original, fun and engaging experiences this genre has seen in years.
It’s not very long, but Respawn has managed to pack more fun into the about five hours you’ll spend finishing the story as than many games manage to provide in 30-plus hour campaigns.
This is a game that really does make you feel like a super soldier as you use your impressive running, jumping and parkour skills to flank and get behind enemies for incredibly satisfying kills.
The slight loss of mobility you suffer when you get inside your mech, BT-7274 is more than compensated for by the incredible increase in firepower now at your disposal. BT may be a robot, but the bond you build with him makes him seem more human than many a character you’ve encountered in other games.
If this was all there was to the game, it would already be a must-buy, but the multiplayer is as good - no, even better - than the single player portion. Its fast, fun and just-one-more-game addictive. I haven’t had this much fun in an online shooter since Halo 3 and the first Modern Warfare.
Those worried about what the bizarre launch date has meant for the online population needn’t be concerned - player numbers are very healthy, and sure to keep growing for quite some time over the upcoming holiday period in America and Europe. If you like excellent games, and want to support developers who don’t hide content behind season passes and paid-for DLC, Titanfall 2 is a must-buy.
Rating: 10/10
Platform: Xbox One/PS4/PC
