Titanfall is the arcade shooter that scratches that certain itch that Call of Duty can no longer do. There is loads of fun to be had with this game and aside from a few short comings, it still manages to feel fresh.
I used to love playing Call of Duty. It's mindless arcade style was so much fun. In more modern times Call of Duty has failed to impress me or even deliver the fun I once had. Instead, I get agitated really fast. After Black Op (Really only due to zombies) Call of Duty was no longer fun or entertaining. Fast forward now, I've been going back to MW2 to get that arcade shooter feel that COD did so well. But now we have Titanfall.
Titanfall is a online multiplayer only game (Something Battlefield should learn to be). Right off the bat it's very easy to pick up and very familiar if you've ever played a Call of Duty game. Its one of the few good things about COD, its easy to pick up. But there is something different about Titanfall; you aren't grounded like other shooters. Here you have jetpacks that can double jump, you can walk run and jump from wall, and finally wall hang. You are given freedom which takes sometime to get use to. You can get pretty much anywhere you want.
The game is fast paced and there really isn't ever a dull moment. You know where the action is and you run and gun towards it. You fight a combination of players and AI. The AI is a bit dull and pretty much there as fodder while the players pose more of a challenge. Then of course comes the Titans. Giant Butt-Kicking Robots with big guns. The Titans change up the gameplay enough to make things interesting and tense. While the robots can kill you almost instantly you are never totally outgunned. Even you can take down a Titan by yourself or with other players on foot with Anti-Titan weapons. Balance is the name of the game and Titanfall blends it perfectly.
Maps are balanced with spaces for Titan battles and spaces for human battles. These spaces are all nicely put into these rather large maps that you can run around pretty quickly. The guns are cool however there are too few of them. While guns don't make the game, it would be nice to have more variety.
The game is a class based system exactly like COD's. Pick your primary, secondary, and anti-titan gun; then pick your perks and power ups. Simple, but again it lacks some variety because there are few perks and such to choose from. Afterwards you customize your Titan the same way. Once again, you only have 3 Titans to choose from which is a bit disappointing. While the lack of customizable options are limited they aren't a huge deal breaker.
While the entire game is multiplayer, there is a campaign. It's an interesting concept but it is executed poorly. Playing through it, I can't tell you what the story is. The story is told through chatter during the match; but the problem is you aren't focused on it. You are focused on the Titan that's about to kill you with a railgun. All I can say is, some military force is fighting a resistance force. I can't tell you who the characters are or why I am fighting; I just follow orders. The story feels like its only there to bring context to the world. You play it for the missions and exp and nothing else. What it needs is more focus, such as cutscenes before/after the match or even some linear event that players are forced to do. That way it changes the players focus not on the match but the story. In the end, the campaign was fun but I have no idea what the story is. I don't know why we're fighting but just give me the gun and tell me who to shoot.
As for the regular multiplayer, is a lot of fun. There are a again a few game types however all of them have their own appeal. Its all the typical modes you'd expect with that Titanfall flavor. But I noticed something; I was very laid back playing this. In Halo, Battlefield, and COD I'd always get frustrated with people being cheap. In those games it felt very personal when I was killed; in Titanfall it feels very impersonal since you fight AI. It was relaxing and made my time all the more enjoyable.
Titanfall is not the revolutionary game for the FPS genre. It does do somethings differently while using COD as a jumping off point. Mechanically its similar to COD but doesn't feel like it. Titanfall is just plain entraining and that's why we play video games. I know at the end of each match I say to myself, "I wish that lasted longer" because whether I win or lose in this game, I enjoyed my time.
There is a lack of content no doubt. COD's multiplayer alone offers more than this game. The game is over priced for what you get however you will get your money's worth in hours of playtime. I hear they will be adding content for free along with DLC, of course. In the end, this game is a lot of fun. I recommend it to all FPS fans especially. If you're thinking about getting it and you have xbox live, I'd say go for it. I can't wait to see what's in store for the future of this game.