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‘Titanfall 2’ beats the sophomore slump

“Titanfall 2” is the second release by Respawn Entertainment since its formation in 2010. (Courtesy of Electronic Arts)

Andrew Haverty
Connector Contributor

“Titanfall 2” is the sequel to a game that was both overhyped before it was released and underrated afterwards. Even before its release it was deemed by many to be “the COD killer”, but two years later, we now know that just was not the case. However, “Titanfall” was a fresh, adrenaline-fueled rush of a game. While wall running and jetpacks were not necessarily new ideas to the genre, its exuberant use of them provided a one of a kind feeling. Above all, it introduced the “Titanfall,” a gameplay mechanic that allowed the player to call down a giant-sized robot from the space above, watch it crash onto the earth before your eyes, and climb right into it, allowing you to control a stomping, intimidating hulk of a mech carrying an oversized cannon for a weapon. This year, “Titanfall 2” aims to build upon the original in new and exciting ways.

The original “Titanfall” lacked a single player campaign, something that is common in most modern first person shooters. Online multiplayer was the only option, and Respawn Entertainment made the ambitious decision of incorporating a plot into its multiplayer matches. The concept ended up just being a confusing mess, and honestly a failure. The problem is that nobody cared about what was happening in the video of the corner of their screen when they had 20 foot robots shooting rockets in their general direction. The online matches were just too hectic to pay any attention to the story. Thankfully, “Titanfall 2” gives us the single player campaign experience fans wanted dearly and with truly entertaining results.

The single player campaign takes you through various environments, from murky rainforests with Avatar-like animals, to steel construction sites full of armed robots, and abandoned research labs containing secret information, all of which look amazing and are a blast to traverse. Gameplay is actually reminiscent of the “Crysis” series, where you are constantly encouraged to get the upper hand on your enemy by using your jet-pack and wall running abilities as well as a cloaking device that allows you to sneak up on your enemy for an execution or flee from danger when you are in need of a breather.

The campaign really shines when you get to manually take control your Titan, BT-7274. Getting into your Titan and turning the tables on the enemy soldiers is incredibly satisfying as you tower over your foes and punch them into a mist of blood. But then things get even more interesting when enemy Titans come into play. The Titan AI in the single player is just as formidable as the human ones you will face online. It makes for smart, intense battles where you really have to plan out your next move fast or deal with facing the consequences.

The plot of the campaign is frequently enjoyable thanks to the brisk pace and fun relationship between Pilot and Titan. BT is a gigantic talking machine and strictly thinks rationally, meaning the main character’s sarcastic remarks are always met with dead-serious responses which often end up with hilarious results. The story’s ending is a bit predictable, but the gameplay was anything but, making Titanfall’s first single player experience one that is definitely worth checking out.

While the first game was lacking in fun and original modes in it is multiplayer from the start, this sequel provides multiple game modes that are more exciting than its predecessor’s. Among its new and returning game modes, two really shine: Amped Hardpoint and Bounty Hunter. Amped Hardpoint is essentially the original game’s Hardpoint Domination, except this time when you capture a point, you can amp it causing your team to earn double the points from that hardpoint. It is easy enough to capture a point, but takes about double the time to amp it, creating heroic stands when holding your ground from enemies who do not want you to earn those double points. The other game mode, Bounty Hunter is definitely the fan favorite this time around. In Bounty Hunter, you earn cash for yourself and for your team by eliminating AI enemies with various cash bounties on their heads. However, in order to score even more for your team, you need to deposit your earnings in banks that spawn on the map periodically throughout the match. And because those banks are not specifically tied to your team, it becomes both a race and battle to the depositories between the two teams. The big catch is that if you eliminate a human player, you take half their earnings and vice versa. This constantly makes depository runs intense as you never know if there might be an enemy player waiting a bank to take your cash and deposit them for his own team.

With all of the games that have released this month, it is amazing how much “Titanfall 2” stands out from the pack. It is entertaining and first ever single player campaign is a blast to play through, and its multiplayer is better than ever. For those who enjoyed the first game, this one is a must play. Those simply looking for a different FPS experience this holiday season should turn to what I believe is the freshest shooter on the market today.

Final Grade: A-

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