A PILOT EJECTS themself from their combustable mech, allowing them the opportunity to fight on foot until their next Titan drop.Hearing the words, “Pilot, your titan is ready,” evokes an empowering response. An overwhelming sense of power and security embraces you as you desperately lunge into the arms of the 40-foot beast that is “your titan.”
Armed to the teeth in sturdy and robust armor, the player takes the role of a titan pilot, playing for one of the two competing factions of the game, the Militia or the IMC. Both sides offer different narratives of the gameplay. While IMC offers structure from the ground and space, Militia adds a sense of guerilla warfare and intermittent attacks.
Titanfall works similarly to many other first-person shooter games. The player is offered five separate classes that can be unlocked at various levels. Different weapons and attachments can also be unlocked due to war trophies and tasks. Titanfall’s light doesn’t truly shine until the player is introduced to burn cards. Burn cards are playable cards that can be obtained through completing certain challenges offered within the Barracks section of the game. The cards can completely alter the way in which a player sees the battlefield; whether through thermal broadcasting, echolocation, supercharged weapons, or auto titans, they add a sensation of dominance and assurance when running through a firefight between four separate titans.
With every shining light, there always needs to be the ever-creeping darkness in pursuit. Even though Titanfall was released less than two weeks ago, I was hoping for more diversity in the structure of available maps or even gameplay modes. For example, more than half of the maps feature giant dinosaur-like creatures, which easily stand more than 40 stories high, and the player is just supposed to admire and scenery and move on to the next kill. There is no interaction with the external environment besides the occasional zip-line and wall run. The game offers two modes of play: Attrition (Team Deathmatch) and Hardpoint Dominion (Domination). Each has its perks, but I wish there was more diversity in the sense that I, as the player, could choose what game mode I was feeling at that particular instant.
Don’t get me wrong, Titanfall is an excellent game which offers adrenaline packed action at the touch of a button. The constant flux of power between the well-armored 40-foot “Titan” and the weak wall-running pilot is more than enough to keep a player entertained, until the minor adjustments are fixed with the maps and modes. The unison and interplay between the graphics, large map design, and constant danger lulls the gamer into a sense of awe and accomplishment. Titanfall offers a masterful diversity that few other games can muster.
Titanfall fights right into my list of the top games of 2014, and I award the game a 9/10.