Titanfall, you probably heard a LOT about it, and rightly so. In short it’s a first person sci-fi shooter from the makers of Call Of Duty, which, last generation completely defined all first person shooters with Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, like it or not, Modern Warfare was a benchmark in first person shooters and Titanfall looks set to raise it even higher!
Here’s a short history lesson. Infinity Ward is an Activison owned studio, after the release of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Co-Founders Jason West and Vince Zampella were fired in March 2010 over “breaches of contract and insubordination”. Their departure prompted a company wide exodus with 90% of the staff leaving to form Respawn Entertainment, as you can see they’ve been busy bees!
As you probably know, there’s a LOT going on in Titanfall. Players fight either on foot as free-running “pilots” or inside agile mech-style walkers called “Titans” to complete team-based objectives on a derelict and war-torn planet as either the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC) or the Militia. While the game is online multiplayer -only, it injects single-player elements such as plot, character chatter, and non-player characters into its matches. Respawn founder Vince Zampella described the game as bringing “scale, verticality, and story” to first-person shooter multiplayer gaming, I have massive faith in Respawn in doing so!
If you haven’t watched the video, or were to amazed by the spectacle to realise what was going on, here’s the breakdown. Up to twelve human players ,in 6v6 matches (WITH AI) choose their pilot types and are dropped on the map, beginning the game. A timer displays the time until a Titan can be deployed, which is reduced by killing other players (like killstreaks, but big, massive, robots). Once deployed, Titans are protected by a forcefield for about 30 seconds, which protects the player-pilot as well. Pilots are agile and accumulate momentum while running (similar to Tribes ), which lets players run on walls and chain together double jumps.
There are multiple types of Titans, each with unique abilities and animations. Respawn has unveiled three Titan classes: the agile Atlas, the ponderous Ogre, and the nimble Stryder. Pilot and Titan controls are identical except where the pilot’s double jump becomes the Titan’s dash, as Titans cannot jump, crouch, or cover. The mechs are not slow, but their movement is slower than the nimble pilots. Titan game-balancing abilities include the vortex blocker, which stops and returns enemy ammunition in midair, and electrified smoke, which hurts and repels pilots climbing the Titan’s back. Pilot abilities include the Smart Pistol, which shoots around corners. Player-pilots can eject from Titans that take too much damage, and the Titan replacement timer is reset upon the Titan’s death. Titans can also act autonomously when put in guard and follow modes, which directs the Titan either to protect their vicinity or to tail their pilot, respectively. Games end with a race to the losing team’s evacuation dropship.
So yeah, Titanfall, it may just be the game that fully marks the arrival of Generation 8, it drops March 28 for the Xbox 360 and March 13th for the XboxOne and PC. With Beta access open Ciaran will be telling us what he thinks later this week!
