Anyone that follows my blog will know that Titanfall is a game that i am really looking forward too, so when i was told that a beta was to be released i was very keen on being a part of it. I was one of the fortunate people that managed to get onto it a couple of days before it became open, and since then it’s pretty much all that i’ve played.
The beta features two maps, Angel City, a small futuristic metropolis, which is the more close quarter of the two, and Fracture, which is quite a bit bigger, it still has a lot of close quarters combat but it is more suited suited to long range weapons than Angel City.
There are three game modes to choose from on the beta, but i have stuck almost exclusively to Attrition, which is a basic team deathmatch, the other two modes that are available are Last Titan Standing, which is pretty self explanatory, and Hardpoint, which is a domination type mode in which teams fight to control three points on the map.
Weapon wise it’s your standard FPS gun selection, you have the choice of an assault rifle, shotgun, sub machine gun, sniper rifle, and then there’s the smart pistol, a pistol which locks onto targets, which at first seemed a bit overpowered to me, but in truth, with the beta at least, the whole game seems really well balanced and the gunplay is solid
My personal favourite setup after a few hours of play is the SMG paired with the extended mags and optic sight, but that’s because i’m that guy you always see running into battle like a headless chicken.
The other side to the battle is the Titans, these can be unlocked fairly easily which i think is good, you basically start off with a couple of minutes until your titan is ready, then for killing enemies and engaging in battles the timer goes down quicker, basically the more you engage the enemy, the quicker you’ll get your Titan. I love this idea because not only does it deter players from ‘camping’, it also means you don’t have to be amazing to get your Titan, i’d say 9 times out of 10 you WILL get a Titan at least once a game.
The movement of the Pilot is another great aspect of this game, you are able to leap from building to building using your equipment and the wall running is as smooth as butter, the whole game just flows so well and fits in incredibly well with the fast paced nature of the battle.
As you’d imagine if you’re a foot soldier and you come across a Titan the best policy tends to be to run, but usually Titans end up going against each other rather than picking of the pilots, this doesn’t mean that a pilot can’t down a Titan though, you do have an anti Titan weapon, but they are best used when a titan is pre occupied with another, as in a one on one you’re always going to struggle to match the Titans firepower, you can also jump on top of opposition Titans and shoot them straight where it hurts, but again getting close enough to do so can be problematic.
When you call your Titan in it feels great, you place your marker down and as it plummets to the Earth, you can hear the sound of it ripping through the atmosphere as it hurtles towards you, when it lands you jump into it in which starts a neat animation of you being placed into the Titan, it’s only a two second thing, but it all feels very satisfying, and when you’re in control you really do feel powerful, big, and when you’re battling against the other Titans it really feels epic.
The whole game feels very fast paced and is undoubtedly the best FPS i’ve played in a very long time, the biggest compliment i can pay it is that you really can tell that it’s the people that were behind Call Of Duty 4, one of the most coveted shooters in history, and having played a few hours of Titanfall i really do think it has the potential to be as good as Call Of Duty 4, if this game is done right, it could set a new benchmark, and become a classic.
The one flaw it does seem to have at the moment is the AI, when you go into battle it’s a 6 vs 6, but you have to add the AI onto that, you have Grunts, the basic low level foot soldiers, and the Spectres who are a level above them, but the point is, they are both useless, now i don’t know if this is the worst thing in the world, mowing down the Grunts is fun, and it can make a bad player feel like he’s doing well, it also means everyone can contribute to the team, so in my opinion although they need improving, i don’t think they should make them too powerful.
Since playing the beta i’ve gone and pre ordered my copy and it’s now only a few weeks away, i really can’t wait to get my hands on the full game, i think this might be one of those games that prevents me from seeing any sunlight, i really hope the full game is as much fun as it looks like it’s going to be, Ladies and Gentlemen, could this be the COD killer we’ve been waiting for? I vote yes

Titanfall beta trailer, from Youtube User: Official EA UK