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Stand by for Twotanfall, Tintanfaller aka “Titanfall 2” with explosions (and my awful puns) galore, at least that’s what you’d expect from an AAA developer who was the think-tank behind “Modern Warfare 4”. Yes, Respawn Entertainment is back in business again (they respawned get it?), and this time with a multi-platform release along with few changes to shake up the Titan-formula.

With the first few hours of playing “Titanfall 2” it all feels very familiar. Mobility is fast and slick and moving while you’re moving around the map. And the guns feel exactly the same. And sadly enough that’s not a great thing. As the weapons serve their purpose, but they’re nothing to write home about…Oh well, at least there is a new addition to the game’s pilot classes. And this time each pilot is a specialist in some area, whether it’s using a hologram system, a grapple hook or a throwable sonar system (wall hacks yay…). And each class suits various play styles. So that means that you don’t have to play the game at 100 miles per hour. In other words, you can simply take it slow and steady if you want and hunker down on an objective. Furthermore, the grappling hook (which basically turns you into Spiderman) is extremely useful in hard to reach places, or for those who want to snipe or ambush enemies from above (If only you could grapple enemies Scorpion style).

Pilots and Titan’s are looking pretty dull in “Titanfall 2”, a dash of color wouldn’t hurt.

Now of course, the Titans are back (there are two available), and unlike last time where it was the case of armour or mobility. They all seem to have their own specialist use, which includes unique abilities (which includes a special attack that powers up over time). The Scorch Titan carries a large grenade launcher and uses fire to smite enemies, his special sending a fiery shockwave which is incredibly powerful. Ion Has a shoulder mounted-missile launcher, and his core ability fires off a Uni beam (which basically is Iron man’s special move). Personally, I found these are positive changes as it gives the Titan’s more of a personality. However, I wasn’t impressed for long as customization is extremely limited for each Titan. As there don´t seem to be variants of their specialist weapon, and there doesn’t seem to be any cosmetic customizations either, and that´s something which the fans really wanted…But it appears as if you don’t always get what you want.

While having character Titans is a good idea, but they lack versatility. As they play different, which makes sense. Nevertheless, there is no reason why you can’t have the option to upgrade or customize a specific Titan that you like. However, characterization of both pilots and Titans is no way near as strong as “Overwatch” or “Black Ops 3” characters.

Scorch is just about to send another victim to the other side.

Gameplay is fast and frantic. And the three modes that are available is “Amped Hard-point“, “Pilots Vs Pilots” and “Bounty Hunt“. Even so, “Bounty Hunt” was my go to game mode. As it allows you to stack up on kills, and gives you the chance to cash in big time. And that makes “Bount Hunt” into a pretty exciting game mode I have to say. Furthermore, there are several waves where cannon fodder AI is dropped in. And you fight over area’s while racking up kills, then making a dash to the bounty drop off points that appear. So if you’re killed in the process, you´ll lose half your currency. And that works as a nice invitation for some great shoot-outs. Especially if you’re escorting a team-mate via Titan providing cover fire has he/she makes a valuable cash in. Imaginative game modes are certainly something that makes “Titanfall” a fun game to play and if the final release has plenty of variety in terms of game modes, then it should keep players busy for a while. However, the previous outing did lack content, so I expect to see an improvement on the final release.

I am not exaggerating when I´m saying that “Titanfall 2” is going to get a really hard time once BF1 launches.

And speaking of improvements, there has been a handful since the last outing such as movement, Abilities and the Titans being more than three different sizes.owever, it’s just a minor improvement on the previous game. So there is still a lot more that could be done better. And right off the bat, the weapons are beyond dull and generic. So none of them feel fun to fire other than serving a purpose of killing your enemies. And even the sound effects are average, if a behemoth of a Titan is running at your side. You should bloody know about it, but their presence isn’t exactly felt. Weapons lack a decent boom. Objective chatter is minimal. The HUD is messy. And the enemy AI (what AI?). It doesn’t feel like a futuristic war. Simply put, “Titanfall 2” doesn’t feel like all out carnage, while there are glimmers (Just like the previous outing) it gets old just as quick. As I never felt like I was knee-deep in shit with shrapnel in all directions. And competition is strong in the MP genre, and “Titanfall 2” needs more to it.

In its current state, “Titanfall 2” doesn´t get anywhere as exciting as this picture.

Respawn has introduced a few decent changes to “Titanfall 2”. However, the overall experience at the moment still feels shallow. Sure, the progression system is okay, but it needs to be bigger and better not a “minor improvement”. Despite everything, it still feels like something is missing in “Titanfall 2”. I mean, sure. Calling in a Titan is great the first few times, but it still gets old after a while. And even though this isn’t exactly “Call of Duty”. I honestly still think that killstreaks wouldn’t feel out-of-place in “Titanfall 2”. You know, just to have something to aim at while achieving in-game goals other than your Titan. Quite frankly, there aren’t enough cons to “Titanfall 2” for me to say “BUY ME I’M BETTER THAN THE OTHER SHOOTERS!” It’s more like, “Hey you can play me if you want, but I understand if you want to play with the other guy, because they’re kinda cool too”

So at this moment in time, I simply can’t see “Titanfall 2” being a day one pick up. Especially since this month is going to be such a busy launch month between the likes of “Battlefield 1” and “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare”. So I think it´s safe to say that Titanfall’s multi-player needs to stand out above and beyond its competitors, as the futuristic shooter genre is getting quite overcrowded. Sure, “Titanfall 2” will with no doubt please fans of the franchise, but I was expecting a noticeable improvement rather than a slight one. And since “Titanfall 2” is set for a release on the 28th of October this year (for Windows, PS4 and Xbox One), I find it really hard to believe that Respawn Entertainment will be able to sort everything out on time for the release. So let´s be honest shall we, you’re more likely to be playing “Skyrim” or “The Last Guardian” instead, because I know I will be.

Pros:
+ Unique Titans
+ Fast paced Gameplay
+ simple pick up and play

Cons:
– Poor customization
– Feels like a step rather than a leap
– Average sound design

Credit:
Robin Ek – Editor