The Art of Titanfall
big talk Respawn’s revolutionary game throws giant robots and menacing aliens into the mix, resulting in a whole load of art to gawp at
Titanfall’s central concept is such a simple one that it makes you wonder why no one thought of it before: as well as your standard Call of Duty-style men shooting each other, the game throws giant robotic armour suits into the mix. If your team’s losing you can simply jump in a giant mechanised suit of armour and pepper the opposing team with lead.
This Making Of book covers every aspect of the game: the human characters, their ridiculously oversized robo-suits, the threatening alien inhabitants of the game’s setting, and the sci-fi universe all these things inhabit. Developer Respawn Entertainment has certainly put a lot of effort into making the entire game look unique, and some of the concept art is stunning: Tu Bui’s Leviathan – an elephantine creature many times taller than mountains – is terrifying in its humongousness.
The book also drills down to the smaller components, such as weaponry, armour and logos and concludes with maquettes by Joel Emslie, and even the creation of a fullsize Titan for the E3 2013 trade show.
It’s a great example of what a gamemaking book should be, and Titanfall looks a world away (literally) from the current crop of first-person shooters.