Chris’s Top Ten Videogames of 2016: #5
Titanfall 2
Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
PS4, Xbox One, PC
I feel really sorry for Titanfall 2! Imagine being released in-between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. In an already crowded marketplace these three games came out a week apart from each other. Titanfall 2 appears to be the victim in this release schedule madness, as it has sold poorly compared to the original Titanfall. The annoying thing about this is that Titanfall 2 is arguably the best game of the lot!
For anyone who didn’t play the original Titanfall, it is a futuristic first person shooter. Playing the role of a pilot you are extremely nimble and able to wall run and double jump, making you feel like a ninja on speed! The name of the game comes from huge Titans that can be called into battle. These are giant robots that your pilot can control, which adds a totally different play style. Do you favour the speed and agility of a pilot, or the power and brute force of a Titan? The beauty of Titanfall is that it gives you the option to do both.
It’s arguable that the original Titanfall changed modern day shooters with its fast and fluid gameplay. The sense of speed and ease of being able to quickly move around environments was something that felt fresh and innovative. Nowadays every Call of Duty has wall running and a double jump, but, none of them do it as effortlessly or elegantly as Titanfall.
Titanfall 1 & 2 was made by Respawn Entertainment which consists of people who made Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. This, again, arguably changed the FPS genre and helped make Call of Duty the global hit that it is now. Respawn clearly know how to make great shooters and Titanfall 2 really shows off their quality with amazing confidence.
Despite having an excellent multiplayer mode, the main criticism of the original Titanfall was the lack of a single player story. Titanfall 2 not only rectifies this but, has one of the most thrilling single player campaigns not just from 2016, but from recent years.
You play a soldier called Jack Cooper who finds himself stranded on an alien planet. Facing certain death he meets Titan BT-7274. Against all the odds Jack and BT must work together to complete their mission against a superior opposing force. Ok, so its not the most original story in the world but, it works and it’s the incredible gameplay that keeps you hooked rather than the story.
The greatest achievement in Titanfall 2 is the way it makes running and jumping feel completely effortless. You move so quickly and within moments you are using the environments to your advantage by climbing and taking huge leaps that made my butt clench every time!
The gunplay is also ridiculously good and the feedback from the weapons is spot on. It’s hard to describe but every kill felt really satisfying. As much fun as it was stomping around whilst piloting BT, I much preferred playing as Jack as the sense of freedom was fantastic.
2016 has been a great year for shooters and the final 2 hours of Titanfall 2 is some of the most thrilling FPS action I’ve played in a video game for some time.
Review by Chris (co-host of 60 Minutes With and The Same Coin).