TITANFALL 2
Respawn takes giant robot steps in a new direction
Go big or go home; when you have to compete with Overwatch, Battlefield and COD, there’s really no other choice. Titanfall 2 doesn’t lack for scale, of course, what with its 20-foot Titans and superpowered-yet-squishy Pilots, but it also packs a colossal surprise: an inventive campaign that wallruns all over shooter conventions in the pursuit of flow. It’s a seven-hour slice of experimental, wonderfully daft sci-fi action defined by the joy of movement. At first, it’s a relatively low-key affair involving learning to chain a slide into a dropkick into a wall sprint, all while mowing down bewildered grunts. But layer after layer is added, until you’re also fluidly transitioning between Half-Life-esque puzzle elements, thrilling arena wave brawls, slower mech-vs-mech rumbles and topsy-turvy platforming. What’s most mind-bending of all is how the traversal mechanics hold up to the fusillade of new ideas; there are plenty of enemies to fight in Titanfall 2, but your pad won’t be one of them.
MECH WARRIOR
Not that it’s without flaws. The story is solid, but plugs together clichés like narrative Lego. As Pilot wannabe Jack “Generic Name” Cooper, you inevitably end up stranded behind enemy lines with a Titan of your own, BT-7274, and a mission to finish. Still, while the arc is predictable, the engine at its heart is the genuinely warm bond between boy and ’bot, shaped by Jack’s responses to BT via simple D-pad dialogue choices. In its finest moments, it’s like playing a buddy cop romp with Optimus Prime.
This bond and the energy of the campaign eclipse a number of other issues with the game. Strip it down and you’ll notice that the voice acting is patchy, the collectibles are meaningless, the AI is all kinds of stupid and the sewer level is all too often stitched together by cramped, ugly concrete boxes that stifle the open-ended freedom found elsewhere.
And yet Titanfall 2 is one of those rare games that’s so packed with treats, it barely gives you time to notice. The overblown bosses may not always gel with their delivery, but thanks to their different loadouts and aggressive AI, these mech fights are challenging and characterful regardless. The collectibles may be uninspiring, but it’s such a pleasure to keep moving that you’ll want to scoop them up anyway. When the end comes, and it does abruptly, it’ll leave you wanting more.
CLASH FLOW
Which is when it pays to remember the first Titanfall on PC and Xbox made it by on multiplayer alone, and its
“THE TRAVERSAL MECHANICS REALLY HOLD UP TO THE FUSILLADE OF NEW IDEAS.”
hyperkinetic, open-ended combat loses nothing by slightly slowing down so you can aim. Instead, there’s been a monster tune-up of strategic depth and game modes. At the top of the pile is Bounty Hunt, a devastatingly clever zonebased rumble. Each kill in the specified areas earns money, which can be banked at robot cashpoints for a bonus. The rub is that death halves your purse, leading to real tension between hoovering up marks, dodging death and preventing enemies stowing their score. Meanwhile, Hardpoint (AKA Conquest) gains much from the ability to ‘amp’ the capture points for double the score, keeping the lines of engagement flowing.
All of this is seasoned with seven Pilot abilities that genuinely shift your playing style, and six Titan types that each dominate in different ways. Wear the cloak and you’ll look at the battlefield in terms of surprise attacks and stealth getaways; take the grapple hook and every vantage point opens up. The Titans mesh just as well, each one an intimidating presence, but just vulnerable enough thanks to finite health bars and your punchy weapons. Every combo of mech and Pilot offers a different skew on the game which, combined with a steady progression system, should prevent the early tail-off of Titanfall 2’s predecessor.
Far from the footnote it could have been, Titanfall 2 is a huge, headline shock. In a standout year for the shooter, this interstellar adventure dares to go big and beyond the familiar. What it finds out on the frontier is worth seeing.
VERDICT
Respawn could have settled for big dumb fun, but Titanfall 2’s eclectic, standout campaign and honed multiplayer make for a smart and unusual shooter. A total rush from beginning to end. Matt Clapham