Be advised: I was wrong about Titanfall

Eurogamer - Titanfall is not the game I was expecting.

It was billed as a shot in the arm for the multiplayer first-person shooter - specifically Call of Duty and games created in its image - but that just felt like hype to me. It's the same guys making it! The mechs looked nice, but I figured it would all boil down to the usual questions: How do we handle perks? How many guns do we carry? When's the DLC coming out?

[Gazondaily]

A really good read and I think the key question here is this too:

"The lingering question is whether all the things that Titanfall makes easy and accessible are backed up by other things that can keep it interesting over the days and months that follow"

I really do hope so. Titanfall has everything in place to be a stellar game.

[Volkama]

I kinda wish they took the pilots with their wall running and stuck them on some more tightly designed maps, akin to the arena shooters of old.

The Titans are cool, you certainly get some epic moments. But imo the core quality that would make the game stand the test of time is the parkour, and I feel the open levels that are necessary for the Titans (and AI the occupy the space) detract from that joy of movement.

Maybe less of an attractive sales proposition without mechs, but it'd have a stronger core to the gameplay.

Let someone else make a game more properly dedicated to Mech combat, a game that goes all-out on destruction.

Having said that, I've been sinking a lot of time in the beta so it must be fun, and I'll definitely buy it for March.

[Spinal]

Let's hope you never become a dev :)

The parkour an mechs are fine together. I just wish the game had bigger maps.

[JokesOnYou]

Oh Euro gamer just get in line and wait your turn to praise Titanfall.

lol, I get it of course there are always some who genuinely don't like a game, in regards to Titanfall it looks to be very few, either way you can usually tell though because it's a brief of opinion with valid points. Then they just move on, no agenda to spread and I actually appreciate a honest difference of opinion very much but its NOT a coincidence those that have a history of hating micro/360 think of course Titanfall is "overhyped", just browse a few Titanfall threads you’ll notice the trend, fortunately nobody wants to troll KZ SF, but such is the burden of poplarity because the truth is outside of n4g where reality waits Titanfall is a very likeable game, its fast paced, its wall running, its jet packs, its titans, its bots, its big maps, its just fun, its so much more than "COD with mechs", and its a welcome new change of pace in the super popular fps arena (btw unlike most I don't hate COD for being successful)= the hype is justified and its backed up by winning tons of accolades/awards since E3 and NOW the beta has cemented this game as the best game of next gen so far.

Sad part is the party poppers would rather see it fail because it's not on ps4, and like typical haters expect to see them again and again telling us why the game they dont care about "isnt that good", its a shame instead of realizing as always a successful new IP by hardworking devs is always good for the industry, sure there will be copy cat games but the more important lesson to devs should be just do your own thing,(most already do) make it fun (easier said than done) and success will come.

[joab777]

The amazing thing is that they can do anything with what they have. They can easily create different modes, maybe one with no mechanics and vice versa. Also, I dont know how true it is, but many maps have been mentioned for launch...so I guess we will see.

[RedSky]

I really question their decision to include bots in competitive multiplayer. I am all but certain that had they increased player count and just increase titan cooldown to compensate, it would have been much more fun.

That and on the PC side, forcing us to use their dedicated servers. That's the main thing stopping me from picking this game up. Having to put up with 180ms ping to SE Asia servers just because I live in Australia is BS and if they're neglecting my country/platform, they don't get my money.

[Volkama]

There are 2 Azure data centres being built in Australia. When those are ready to roll you'll be able to play Titanfall on them, but unfortunately I can't tell you when that will be.

In your position I'd probably hold off of buying it until they were ready.

[H0RSE]

The problem with people claiming the game is overhyped, is that the hype for this game is justified. It isn't just some empty promises or marketing speak building up the game. Titanfall has won a record amount of awards, it has had overwhelming positive reception from nearly every facet, including those who played it at game shows, the alpha and the beta, along with press/media coverage. It's been demonstrated hands-on by both the media and the community. If "the proof is in the pudding," Titanfall thus far has proven its "pudding" so much, that it should have Bill Cosby trying to sell it...

As for saying it's just a "typical shooter" and then mentioning that is a contradiction in itself. Regardless of Brink's poor scores, the game itself brought interesting ideas to the genre. The movement system itself (the portion in which TF is drawing inspiration from) made it unique, and other aspects like different body-types and the sole focus on class-based objective gameplay, just added to this.

[VENOMACR1227]

Not everyone is going to love the game. Even some Xbox owners don't like it. But that's like any other game too. Titanfall isn't the exception. Don't get me wrong, I'm buying it Day 1 and going to play the heck out of it.

[hello12]

I am x box 1 user and to be honest i wasn't that impressed with how the game plays.

I'm competitive gamer at heart, i hated the bots, the game needs more players.

[VENOMACR1227]

Bots are a non-issue. And having more players is a positive and negative. Yes, you can fit 20v20 pilots only. But 40 titans? No way. As it is now you can have 12v12 (6 pilots and their titan). Killing bots is more of an issue in Attrition because they count for 1 point, where in Hardpoint they dont do anything for the outcome. I think the player max could be 8v8 but that's about it. I never have a problem finding pilots or titans.

[Bdub2000]

I felt the same way, I hated the bots. But I was bored and spent a couple hours playing the beta, it's a really fun game after all, and once I really got in to the flow of the game and maps I was able to avoid the bots and find more pilots to kill. I am consistently getting more pilot kills now, and it is a lot more fun. All the bots make it seem like a huge battle is going on around you, which is turning out to be quite fun for me.

I guess what I'm saying KNWS, maybe give it some more time and the game may surprise you.

[Hicken]

They're NOT a non issue. Stop saying that crap. People didn't like the idea of so many bots before putting their hands on the game, and people don't like it after.

That's an issue.

Just because you would let Titanfall sleep with your wife doesn't mean other people find it faultless.

[PONTIAC08G8GT]

So because the guy says bots aren't an issue for him, immediately go for personal attacks? Not everyone is a Titanfall fan boy just because they like the game. My god some of you are so damn touchy, grow up. If you've played the demo and talk to anyone who has, almost everyone will agree bots are a non issue. Seems the only people that have issues with them are those who either A) own a Playstation, or B) want this to be a hardcore shooter. It's good that the bots and pilots blend in. There are burn cards to look like certain bots. Would you like the pilots to wear bright orange and bots white so you can distinguish? How about just shooting anything that moves? Problem solved.

The game is good, it's going to sell a ton of copies regardless of bots. I played the demo and if you kill bots all game your team is going to lose because you get way more points killing pilots and titans. The bots are for casual gamers, pilots and titans for serious. They provide some humor in the game and can be used in multiple ways.

[mediate-this]

Why are you commenting? You're so negative all the time, all you do is bash tf in every tf article and you bash in every non tf article.

You have your opinion but you rehash the thr same argument. You dont have a xb, xb1 or a gaming pc you just want to bash it. Why be a hater.

You even diss tf in the order articles, if you played tf you would know that the bots are useless, they are there for cinematic feel and noobs. I hunt the pilots and the titans.

Your campaign is getting tiring

[IanVanCheese]

Great article. People calling it Call of Duty with mechs are doing the game a great disservice.

So long as it remains balanced and fun in the months after launch, it's going to be a smash hit.

[gamer7804]

its a very good mp game, unfortunately, its missing single player, hopefully next time around they add a SP campaign

[jackanderson1985]

No-one except Respawn now what the MP integrated campaign will be like (my understanding is that it's a seperate mode outside those in the Beta) so it could turn out to be an absolutely fantastic thing that will impact future games.

these kinda games are rarely purchased for the SP... look at the BLOPS2 (think it was BLOPS) stats on the number of SP campaigns completed they're abysmal... i'm currently only doing the SP of BF4 for the weapon unlocks as i bought the game for it's MP portion (well worth it in my eyes)

[IIC0mPLeXII]

Good luck. Half the stuff in the campaign takes several attempts to actually unlock and save. The characters were annoying the first time through. How many times I've beaten it, I literally can't stand any of them.

[famoussasjohn]

I wonder if there will be something story related after each match because it's about 90 seconds or so before the next round begins. Don't know how that will play out, but I'm interested in seeing how the story is throughout the MP experience.

IIC0mPLeXII - lol agreed all the campaign was "Wrecker do this, Wrecker, do that. Wrecker, Wrecker, Wrecker!"

[Christopher]

I only question the fact that we're now paying $60 for multi-player only games that ask you to pay even more for future unlocks. It's a bad precedent for the availability of shooter-focused SP games going forward when they can make all their money off of just multiplayer.

[JokesOnYou]

@cgoodno just my opinion...

#1 a great multiplayer only game is worth every bit or arguably more than a great singleplayer game because while SP value is generally from story experience, multi value is undoubtedly from longevity/replayability/social gaming....value is subjective but its undeniable that the heavyweight multiplayer games are PLAYED far, far more on avg per user than even their *great SP counterparts, to each his own but that is a significant plus in favor of *great multi games.

#2 A great game does not NEED DLC= All you have to do is decide if the content at launch stands on its own as something worth YOUR $60....whats released later isnt a big deal if you already know you got your moneys worth. I happily bought games like DR3, Ryse, others at launch, still enjoying them here and there (need a 4 more collectibles for 100% completion of Ryse on Legendary) and I feel not 1 ounce of incentive to purchase any DLC or microtranactions= I flat out hate dlc and especially microtranactions with a passion and I refuse to buy any dlc UNLESS it's truly compelling content I feel was made for 100% fan service AFTER the regular game was finished...sort of like a go between sequels. At any rate my point is it shouldn't bother you that some pay more for dlc to add to their experience as long as you can walk away knowing you got a great game initially upfront for $60.

[Volkama]

So far the vaunted integration of spectacular and cinematic gameplay into the multiplayer environment is not evident at all.

You get a guy that tells you the basic premise of the game type, you get updates on whether you are winning or losing, and in some game modes you get a quite entertaining evacuation attempt for the losing team. That's not anything like what they promised.

BUT as JackAnderson says, maybe the campaign settings are a different game type entirely, and we just haven't seen them yet.

[Ashby_JC]

The stated that the BETA did not have the integrated story/MP portion.

Its in the FULL retail game.

[listenkids]

I've put some quality time into the beta this last weekend, and I'm somewhat disappointed, of course I let the hype get the better of me.

It's fun, in some ways, fast paced and overall solid, but it's just not the saviour of FPS, it's nothing spectacular. The bots take away so much of what MP is about for me. Too many Titans running around without any difficulty in even having access to them ( I get that's the point of the game but it's just messy ).

Graphics, I played maxed out on PC and I believe these are placeholder textures(?) because damn, they better be.

I'm gutted, oh well, disagrees welcome.

[Rooted_Dust]

I kind of got that feeling too. I really feels like a mod or spin-off of Call of Duty to me. It's just a little too Arcade-y for my taste.

I'd still like to see how they work the story elements into it.

[Fishy Fingers]

Saviour of FPS? I didn't realise the undisputed dominate genre in gaming needed saving.

[listenkids]

Tell that to those claiming this is the second coming of Christ.

[Hicken]

It needs saving from itself, which should be prettyobvious.

[Baka-akaB]

I dunno why people feel that such a faster pace and more twitch based mechanics doesnt already makes a world of difference , given the current panel of popular mp fps titles around (hint mostly "slow" military team based stuff , and a more arcade COD).

There is a drought of such pure arcade titles in the landscape , so i welcome the title . No need for singular saviors , such return to variety and nuance will be the saving graces of the genre .

I agree about the bots however .

[Eamon]

Completely agree. There is parkour for crying out loud. In COD you have to climb stairs to reach a higher level - not wall-run sides of buildings!

As for bots, well I dunno. I mostly ignore them. They aren't harmless nor a significant theat. They don't make much difference and fortunately they don't add to your kill score.

And not to mention, the titans completely change the way the battle flows. The only real similarity between Titanfall and COD is that they're both fast paced.

[InSpectre]

This is what is always strange about the gaming press when acclaim is "universal."

Read actual player comments and it's a full range of opinions from love to hate.

[pupa]

TF on PC will be the choice for me! No Xbone required!

[WeAreLegion]

You can watch a minute of game play and know exactly what to expect from Titanfall. Is the author high?

[WeAreLegion]

Crap. Why did everyone think I was being negative? I'm just saying you csn tell from videos exactly how Titanfall plays. It's pure fun.

[SuperDan-Dare]

Having played Titanfall, I do believe the controls feel very familiar. Very COD, but I actually like that. I've enjoyed playing it so far. I think it's good that at least based on the beta we've gone back to what look like very simple load outs. At the same time, I'm not sure if I buy into the burn cards. Difference is you're not forced to use them if you dont want to like COD perks.

[McScroggz]

Hope this game is great.

[Phoenix76]

I've been paying close attention to the game for the PC version, but I can't but help and look back at previous games and consoles and see the comparrision's in it. The graphics are only as good as last gen(x360), the source engine 1st was used in (to my knowledge) in Half-life2 (PC), the multiplayer mode reminds me of Timesplitters 2 (PS2) some human players with 3-4 time the amount of AI controlled bots and the AI itself comes across as having as much CPU power to it as the AI was in goldeneye (N64)!
Plus, it's a multiplayer only game, so we are expected to pay full price for something that will like only half of a game, which has no offline single player mode.
I can understand people being excited for because let's be honest here, there is very little else out there right now really that many of us want, but this game is being touted as something more than what it really is guys.

[windblowsagain]

I had quite a few games of Titanfall on PC earlier.

I enjoyed it more this time.

It's a good game to have a blast with, quick games. It's fun tbh.

My opinion has changed abit with regards to it, i still think the grunts need to go. And the look of the enemy should be more coloured.

But it's fast and frantic.

I have not played the xboxone version.

[denero1]

I agree at first I took a break because I was getting bored within 10 minutes I started thinking "god I need to kill some titans" The only true worry I have is will the content be able to outlast my play style when I like a game I go into overdrive without realization it -_-

I've used the three main guns except the smart pistol which i suck at :\ with the shotgun im a monster O.o with the sniper I'm ok the first time i got a headshot on a moving player was soooooo thrilling -_-

titanfall take my freaking money fudge the hype you've earned my praise and I don't enjoy cod at all

[megatron_78]

ive played titanfall on both pc and xbone and can say it is fun ,fast paced and the controls are great ,but in the end my personal fears about about the ai were confirmed just fodder really and i hope they improve it ,i hope they have certain game modes without them,the game though is fun and that is the most important thing in the end ,i hope to see you all when it launches hopefully as i rip your pilots out of their titans and not the other way around ! hype, overhype,sick of people being upset cause others are excited ! who cares i think it ok to get excited about games but at least lets be honest ,wish it was on frostbite !imagine titans getting smashed into buildings! collapsing as u double jump your ass to safety!!

[Slevon]

This game has been a hype train from the start, everyone that initially played it loved it and after the beta I have only seen one bad review and even they said it was fun it just didnt live up to the hype. My time with the game has been nothing but enjoyment, this game was built for fun. "Oh no, they killed my titan!" "Oh well, I guess i'll eject 100 feet in the air"
People are always going to hate popularity or try to find flaws because it was made by a company who started "The Nickelback of games"
Yes it does look similar to call of duty and its a fast twitch based shooter but when you play it, it is so much more. I have not talked to 1 person that has actually played it that didn't have fun, no matter how much they thought it'd be like something else. Whether you think it looks like cod it does not play like it besides the ablility to sprint and aim down site.
If you dont like fps's that fine but you dont have to feel the need to trash the game for it.
and if you trash it for looking like cod, how many people unanimously loved Cod4? If you think Oldschool cod fun + mechs, parkour, jetpacks, monsters is not enough new to capture your attention then I guess your missing out.

[KingDadXVI]

This game to me has reenergized the MP FPS genre for me. COD and BF have long since turned into a quick snipe and camping fest that makes those games fun for the minority that are good at those things but the other 90 who die every 5 seconds quickly lose interest.

TitanFall has all the aspects that will allow players to excel and be competitive but also allows the new and casual players some room to have fun and get better at the game without being quickly massacred buy the early adopters of the game. The learning curve is also very fast. Within 20 matches you have gotten 85% of the skills down pat and the remaining 15% are just nuances that you easily pick up.

Even though I like COD and BF those games have basically turned into an elitist snob fest and the game developers seem to cater exclusively to them.

Halo 4 went the route of COD and look what happened to it with its online multiplayer. It took what was great about Halo 2 and 3 which was that anyone could play and within a couple dozen matches be decent enough to have fun playing the game while still allowing elite competitive players to get their rocks off and turned it into a game where you literally had to spend forever trying to rank so that you would not die every 2 seconds. It was no coincidence that Halo 4 copied COD and 12 weeks later no one wanted to play it online.

TitanFall brings the game back to all the players not to a small select group of gaming adepts. The gaming adepts can still be competitive and will be the best on the maps but the casuals and newbs will be able to have enough fun to encourage them to come back and master the mechanics enough to continue coming back.

That is what is really important for Online MP IMHO. A large community that continues to come back time and again because it is fun for all not just a few.

Couple all of that with great map design, good mechanics, and a relevant reward system in the easily unlocked load outs and burn cards and you have a real game changer. Just want the genre needed.

Now if we can get Vince to call over to 343 Industries and tell them how to not screw up Halo 5's MP that would be great.

[InSpectre]

Good points, just remember that the way it plays right now won't last. Once people figure out the quick snipe and camping equivalents, it will transfer right over into TF. It's happened in every MP title.

It's always the funnest in the beginning so I'm just enjoying it while it's new.

[KingDadXVI]

I agree with you that people will figure out those little nuances like spots to camp, or unique combinations of the mechanics in the game and that is why I said that the elite players and the ones who don't want to engage in the normal mechanics of the game are not shut out, there will be fun for them too. But the ease with which people can pick up the game and the fact that they don't have to spend 200 hours to earn abilities required to enjoy the game and not be totally dominated means that the game should have some staying power.

Yes, it is always the most fun in the beginning but Halo 2 for example (if you liked Halo 2) lasted for a long time. There were literally hundreds of thousands still playing the game 18 months later. Halo 4 copied COD and it lasted only weeks.

TitanFall seems to have found that correct balance that will make FPS MP relevant again for quite a while again.

The proof is in the pudding so we can only wait and see. But it is a good start.

[Bdub2000]

Totally agree, people have already figured out how to camp. The bots can't get on roof tops, so you can chill up there with a sniper and hit your camo and hide... Rinse and repeat. That's only one small sample of ways I've seen people exploit the game play.

[InSpectre]

Yeah, let's hope you're right. I'm a bit cynical these days when cheaters start just a few days in.

http://www.gamereactor.eu/n...

[Ashby_JC]

One thing I did notice while playing hard point was that I got highly rewarded for capping points and staying in those points gave me points.

At the end we won and I didnt have a lot of kills as I was really just getting a feel for different tactics. Like having my titan guard outside the building. I would also jump in him and just stay in that area.

But I did end up leading the team #1. That aspect showed me they are rewarding team and objectives over kills. One guy had like 40 grunt kills but was middle of the pack.

I really look forward to the NEW maps. I hope they have taken the time to make some awesome maps!!!

I look forward to playing a learning March 11!!

[wannabe gamer]

game is fun but gets tiring pretty quick to me, after 4-5 matches in a row im ready to quit. might just be cause there are only 2 maps in beta but im not so sure. the leveling is way way too fast and they either need to have a really high level cap or they need to slow down progression. I can see people maxing out in a week or less for the really hardcore guys. a month for casual play
im gonna hold off on it for a while.

[nltsaved]

Just played the game and had very low expectations for it and i have to say that game is off the chain . I get it now why all the hype

[corvusmd]

Can someone please explain why this article is 590 degrees at the time I'm writing this and less than a day old, but somehow not one of the top 12 stories despite out scoring 5-6 others?

[ThreshStar]

The one thing going for Titanfall is that when I played the open beta, I noticed something that didn't occur in most new FPS games (I'm looking at you Battlefield):

Close, competitive matches.

Battlefield 3 ruined the idea for me that matches could be consistent and above all, competitive. Within the first few minutes of a round I knew instantly if my team would win or lose horribly.

With Titanfall, virtually ALL of my matches were close. In fact, a few of them were starting to get uneven but then the team rallied back to almost pull off a win.

FPS games seem to have molded themselves in needing monster maps with massive chaos and horrid match-making abilities. Titanfall felt fun, quick, and competitive.

I'd love to sink almost 30-45 minutes in a single round of fights, but I don't have that time or desire. Titanfall harkens back to a time of just arcade-style FPS fun.

Nothing wrong with that, even if it's not your cup of tea.