So I was lucky enough to have some time to play the Titanfall beta this week. Little did I know that the actual game is coming out March 11th... If anybody has any constructive input please feel free to throw it in. The beta actually offers a decent amount of multiplayer content along with a training simulator.

-Similarities with CoD

Titanfall feels almost exactly like Call of Duty with some obvious additional features. There’s customized load outs, unlockable guns, challenges, perks, etc. When you shoot an enemy you see points pop on the screen giving you experience. Your character levels up, giving you access to further gear. There are 3 game types available. Attrition is pretty much team deathmatch. Hardpoint is domination. Last Titan Standing is pretty straight forwards; everyone spawns as a titan and you fight until you're the last titan. There's one more game type that is a medley of the three previously mentioned. Blah blah blah, sounds just like CoD right?

These are minor aspects of a game that most multiplayer shooters have incorporated in some way. There’s nothing like an FPS with RPG elements. It adds depth and replay ability. But enough about the things it has similar with CoD.

-New features Respawn is bringing to the FPS world

I’m not sure if everything they’re incorporating into this game can be considered new, due to the fact that I haven’t played every game(saving myself from the flamers), but features like wall jumping, double jumping, and the different classes of titans in general are extremely refreshing. The combat is incredibly fast paced and fluid. Being able to scale buildings with ease to reach that dope sniper spot is exhilarating. The increased movability over the soldiers of CoD adds depth to the combat of the FPS scene.

Another great new feature is the spawning of allied and enemy NPCs across the map. Yes, this happens in multiplayer. Killing an NPC (Grunt or Spectre depending on your faction) gives you less experience than killing an actual player, but there are enough of them that the points quickly add up. I will say their AI seems kind of basic, but I have to pay more attention to them.

So far there are 3 titan classes to choose from, Assault, Tank, and Artillery. Each have different weapons and different play styles. Assault is very mobile, carries a chain gun, and allows quick bursts of speed every couple of seconds. The Tank can take a lot of damage and has a cannon weapon. The Artillery has a quad rocket launcher (I couldn't really figure out any other distinguishing features). Each titan has an “Ordinance” which is activated and on a cooldown. The only ordinance available is a corkscrewing rocket salvo. They each also have an activated ability that increases your damage output.

-Conclusion

I’m not really going to comment too much on how I feel simply because it’s a beta, but I’m definitely excited for the release of this game to see more of what it has to offer. Being one of the most anticipated games ever coming from a controversial game studio, one can only imagine the possibilities.

Not sure if this has ever been mentioned, but if any console maker is going to dominate the mobile gaming market it would be Nintendo. Nintendo has the most experience with hand held gaming out of Sony and Microsoft (Microsoft hasn't even tried in the lucrative market of handheld gaming). Considering their most recent financial results (projected sales results of the Wii U dropped from 9m to 2.8m in the next 12 months), Nintendo needs some new ideas and needs to take some serious risks in order to come out on top. So what can they do?

Software/gaming development for mobile devices

For one, Nintendo needs to make its way into the mobile scene; Sony and Microsoft are already there (both companies have their own form of tablet and phone and Microsoft has Windows 8 as well). When it comes to hardware, Nintendo has always been left in the dust. If they focus on gaming/software development I think they can carve their own little piece of the market. It seems Nintendo's goal is to create innovative products that are different from everything else on the market. It is imperative that Nintendo brings that innovation to mobile entertainment. The market for these products are not as long term as hardware, and therefore would be more cost effective and low-risk to flop on an app or a game.

Mobile peripherals?

Nintendo has also developed some creative peripherals for their consoles and handheld devices. Anybody remember those quirky yet awesome attachments for your Gameboy? I think there would be a large market for accessories like that but for phones and tablets. Most kids these days have smart phones so they already have a platform to develop on.

How about the phone market?

In my opinion, I don’t think Nintendo could possibly compete against Apple and Samsung. Microsoft and Sony have been struggling and they’ve been trying for years. Nintendo has no experience in this market and I think at this point it would be pointless to even try.

A potential new image for Nintendo

All in all Nintendo consoles need a new image if they want to stay in the market of gaming consoles. They lack appeal to hardcore and online multiplayer gamers (the two largest demographics of gamers). I can’t speak for anyone else but when I think of Nintendo I think cheaper alternative meant for the elementary school kid. I think of sub-par graphics and flying sparks instead of blood. Although there is definitely a market for this category of gamer, I believe it to be very limited. An elementary school kid has no form of income and therefore won’t be able to get every game they want, relying on their parents who most likely don’t support gaming in the first place.

Nostalgia?

I think Nintendo has a huge market for their old school games. Combined with the peripherals I mentioned earlier I think this would appeal to the 25-34 year old gamer. They could release their older games on phones/tablets. They could go one step further and create an accessory that attaches to your phone that makes it feel like a game boy did.

Conclusion

Whatever Nintendo has in store for the future it’s obvious that some changes need to be made. I’m excited to see what they have in store. Nintendo has proven in the past that they have what it takes to create great products that appeal to a wide range of people.

Lately I've been thinking.. There hasn't been a single game recently that has caught my attention and had me playing for any longer than a month before I get bored. The only games that usually ever do this are MMO's because of their great replayability. The only games I've ever been absolutely enthralled with to play are socom 2 for ps2, WoW, and Starcraft. I know, WoW isn't that good of a game (immature, too easy, daily grind), but it had that thing about it that kept me coming back... Anyways, I know I sound like a Blizzard fanboy, but they seriously make some great games. Starcraft is my favorite game of all time, and if they were to postpone SC2 any further I'd probably hunt Blizzard down and kill them. Diablo is also an amazing series that I just realized I spent a lot of time with as well... Maybe i am sort of a Blizzard fanboy... But really name a game besides those random starcraft expansions that they made that isn't good hahahaha.