--Vanessa, Titanfall
Designed by former Call of Duty developers, Titanfall is an excellent multiplayer shooter that is easy to begin playing. There is no single player story; there is only (in addition to a training mode) fast-paced online warfare between footsoldiers and Titans, enormous machines that can be piloted around the battlefield. The game's roughly 10 minute matches can be addictive and rewarding, with a number of challenges making it easy to gain experience points so that new abilities, customization slots, and weapons can be unlocked.
Production Values
Oftentimes, the amount of detail on character models and Titans is superb, yet some other objects (plants) don't look quite as good up close. The frame rate keeps up with all of the chaos, both onscreen and offscreen. I never experienced any lag or slowdown that disoriented me--except when I used a special Titan weapon that must lock onto enemies before it can be fired. Radio chatter and other sounds do not detract from the immersion of the combat. Instead, they organically complement the visuals and the gameplay, as audio should.
Gameplay
Titanfall is a game that can be easily played even without a history of skill with first-person shooter games, meaning it is very friendly to newcomers. Weapons like the Smart Pistol, which automatically locks onto enemy units (after a certain amount of time), exemplify this user friendliness. Minimal respawn times make jumping back into firefights a simple matter. Killing bots is easier than killing other players--this gives lower level players the opportunity to obtain XP even though they lack the advanced weaponry available to veterans.
All pilots/players have one anti-Titan weapon in addition to their primary and secondary firearms. These weapons could be used to kill bots (CPU characters on the ground), but they are the only way that a pilot can realistically fight a Titan without being inside one of his or her own. Leveling up grants access to new anti-Titan, primary, and secondary weapons, as well as attachments like Extended Magazine--a carryover from Call of Duty--that provide a further advantage. Since making kills can drastically reduce the amount of time that must elapse before a Titan can be summoned, these weapon modifications can prove very helpful.
The Titans themselves can be customized by players to set their machines apart. One of the most significant ways to do this is purchasing voice programs using in-game points (my favorite is named Vanessa). If one has a large number of currency points, one can unlock AIs that even speak different languages. These programs, among other things, provide an incentive to obtain as many points as possible.
Although some modes are quite traditional, Titanfall offers a variety of options, including Capture the Flag, Last Titan Standing, Attrition, and a "campaign" that consists of strictly online matches. A favorite mode is Frontier Defense, where four players can defend a massive Harvester drill from multiple waves of soldiers and Titans. Each of the DLC map packs are free, so there are no additional purchases needed to enjoy the entirety of the game. Modes cycle through the maps randomly. Thankfully, there is a fair amount of environmental variety in the maps.
Story
The campaign is a series of multiplayer matches that differs little from the usual fare in other modes in terms of gameplay. In it, two factions, the I.M.C. and the Militia, war against each other on several planets. Ultimately, the factions clash over ideological disputes about how to approach the colonization of other worlds: the I.M.C. is an enormous business that seeks to displace or kill natives that interfere with resource extraction operations, and the Militia is a group that aims to end the tyranny of the I.M.C.'s expansion. The merging of the story with multiplayer does not result in a streamlined, effective narrative, but there is a story.
Intellectual Content
The lack of a developed narrative means there are no significant themes whatsoever. Due to the nature of the gameplay, there is no collectible hunting either.
Conclusion
Anyone looking for an online shooter experience that is beginner-friendly should try Titanfall. It capitalizes on some of the best elements of Call of Duty's multiplayer, while introducing the original concept of regularly switching between human and Titan gameplay in a single match. The lack of a single player campaign might be a major issue for some, but that is something Titanfall 2 remedied. I'll hopefully review the sequel before the year's end!
Content
1. Violence: Despite being very intense, Titanfall is not graphic. One of the most violent ways to kill people is by smashing grounded soldiers or pilots with a Titan's massive fist.
2. Profanity: In the middle of a match, background lines might include "shit."
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