Review: Titanfall

Titanfall has the distinction of being the first major Xbox One release since the console’s launch last November, meaning it has to not only prove the credentials of new developer Respawn but also try to reverse the fortunes of Microsoft’s console after a somewhat rocky beginning. Fortunately then for Xbox fans and Microsoft executives, Titanfall is an excellent game and probably the most exciting thing to appear on an eighth generation console so far. The premise is your standard space marine shooter fare about interstellar corporations and rebellions, but since Titanfall can only be played online, the story very much takes a backseat to gameplay. And the gameplay is sensationally good.

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The first time you play Titanfall it feels like a revelation and the most noticeable difference to other shooters is just how quickly everything moves. The action is blisteringly fast with players sprinting, double jumping and free running across the map at a breakneck speed that rarely slows down. Simply moving around feels like a joy and has to be seen to be appreciated. Things get even more interesting when the titans, giant humanoid robots, get introduced. Stomping around the battlefield in an enormous, machine-gun wielding walking tank is exactly as much fun as it sounds but never feels overpowering. Indeed, the highest praise you can give Titanfall is that it is tremendously and consistently fun.

The balancing of the game as a whole is meticulous. No particular weapon or perk is too powerful and games are generally much closer affairs than their counterparts in other online games. It should also be stressed that the battles, although quick, rarely get too frantic or descend into a test of reflexes. This is a game as much for strategists as it is for fans of twitch shooters. All of this makes playing Titanfall a much less frustrating experience than the average game of Call of Duty.

The graphics, while never astonishing, are as slick as you would expect from a big budget next-gen production and all the environments feel lived-in and detailed, not that you’ll have much time to stand still and admire them. The story (which is really more of a series of connected multiplayer matches) makes a noble attempt to be different by casting the player as a pawn in a grander narrative but it is let down by generic characters and ham-fisted execution.

However Titanfall’s greatest problem is value for money. The mechanics are all polished to near perfection, but with only a perfunctory online-only campaign, fifteen maps and a mere five game modes – none of which do anything innovative – you can see most of what Titanfall has to offer in a weekend. There is also a disappointing lack of variety with regards to weapons and customisation, especially when compared to the extravagance of other online games. These issues will likely be resolved through later (paid) downloadable content but to charge upwards of £40 for a game that at times doesn’t feel like a full package seems disingenuous.

The fact that Titanfall can only be played online also raises concerns about the game’s longevity. Right now the servers are packed and matches can be found easily but this might not be the case six months from now as people get bored and more next-gen titles come out. The exclusively online format also puts players at the mercy of their internet connections; in such a hectic game a slow broadband speed could easily ruin your enjoyment of the entire experience. It goes without saying that if online multiplayer isn’t your thing then you can pretty much write Titanfall off entirely.

For the fans – Microsoft’s limited edition Titanfall controller, released on March 11th in America and March 13th in Europe. Turtlebeach also released a companion Titanfall-themed headset, Earforce Atlas.

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However if you are a fan and you want something to show off your shiny new Xbox One, Titanfall is well worth purchasing, especially given the current dearth of next-gen titles. A stripped down version of the game is also due for release on Xbox 360 soon although only time will tell how it stacks up to its more advanced sibling. The most difficult question to answer is whether Titanfall on Xbox One is good enough to warrant prospective gamers buying a next geneneration console just to play it, and while Respawn’s debut undoubtedly sets a new benchmark for online first-person shooters, as a package it is only just worth the price of the game itself never mind the £400 cost of a new console. With more time and polish Titanfall could have been a genuine game-changer, but as it is, the Xbox One will have to wait a little longer for its killer app.

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