Arguably the most popular video game genre aside from strategy titles like League of Legends or Starcraft, first person shooters have seen a number of innovations since DOOM first released in 1993. GoldenEye had us fragging our friends in our living rooms, Halo 2 changed the way that console gamers played against each other, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare provided the de facto jumping off point for the most successful entertainment franchise in history. However, because of that success, there has recently been a great deal of stagnation in the genre, as every other FPS released finds itself falling victim to Call of Duty clone syndrome.
Enter Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall. Making its massive debut at the end of Microsoft’s E3 conference, Titanfall has been garnering award after award, due to its impressive mechanics and fresh approach to competitive multiplayer gaming. Building on its showings at E3, Gamescom, and PAX, here are three reasons why Titanfall could just be that breath of fresh air that FPS gamers have been waiting for.
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A New Way to Move
One of the biggest changes that Titanfall brings to FPS gameplay is the ability of the players (as Pilots) to use jetpacks and wall running for the purposes of map traversal. Although the notion of giving players jetpacks is hardly new, combining jetpacks with the ability to run on walls and other parkour abilities like ledge grabbing opens up a load of new possibilities for movement that, when all put together, will essentially change the way that we look at maps when playing shooters. Gone will be the days when the only way to get to the second floor of a building is the stairs. When players can enter windows from any number of angles and positions on the map, accessibility is the name of the game.
Running on walls provides all sorts of new perspectives and possibilities.
Perhaps the biggest demonstrator of this game-changing movement is the moment in the Gamescom gameplay footage where the player gained access to a roof through wall-running on one building, jumping to another, and then jetpack-jumping at 180 degrees back to the first building. It was fast, beautiful to watch, and demonstrative of the fact that, for skilled players, any and all parts of the map are going to be potential vantage points for them.
A Titanic Approach to Mech Gameplay
The second major innovation that Respawn is bringing to Titanfall is the inclusion of the titular Titans. These 24 foot tall mechs are available to everyone, and are attained when the countdown timer reaches zero. Players may decrease the amount of time on their Titans’ countdown timer by getting kills or completing game objectives. While this timer is itself an interesting approach to rewarding players for their performance (but at the same time avoiding the now trite notion of killstreak rewards), perhaps the most interesting aspect of Titan gameplay comes from the ways in which you interact with your giant robot.
Unlike previous games, where mechs are up for grabs for anyone (i.e. the Mantis in Halo 4), the Titan that you call in is your Titan. You may pilot it until forced to eject in spectacular fashion, have it defend a particular location, or order it to follow you, providing rear cover. This opens up a new realm of possibilities for strategic gameplay. Imagine: you’re playing an objective-based game and your objective is inside a building – where the Titan cannot itself enter. You could have it guarding the entrance to the building, making sure that you don’t get flanked, while you take care of business inside. Apply this multiple times for multiple players, and you’ve got yourself a stronghold.
It’s a great feeling, knowing a giant robot can have your back.
However, perhaps the most important part of the inclusion of Titans is the nature of Pilot vs. Titan combat. It appears that Respawn has made it so that games are not going to be dominated by players in Titans, as the Pilots have some serious means for taking them out. While the Titans do appear to be quite mobile, they’re not nearly as agile as the Pilots themselves. Therefore, due to the previously mentioned innovations in player movement, it becomes a reasonably simple task to outmaneuver the relatively cumbersome mechs. Additionally, Pilots seem to have ready access to anti-Titan weaponry, making the prospect of taking one down much less daunting than we might otherwise believe. Although the Titans look to be fairly monstrous forces of destruction, they are hardly invincible, and that is a very good thing.
Focused Gameplay from a Small Studio
A final reason why Titanfall could present gamers with a real treat is the focus on multiplayer gaming. Rather than splitting the game into campaign and multiplayer sections, Respawn has opted for what they’re calling a “multiplayer campaign.” While nothing like what Bungie is attempting with Destiny, there is a story being told in Titanfall, albeit through a multiplayer-only setting. Why is this a good thing? Well, Respawn entertainment is hardly a large studio.
Formed by the former heads of Infinity Ward, the studio works with about 60 people – a great deal less than many of the larger studios. By focusing on multiplayer, they are preventing themselves from being spread too thin, and keeping a very tight focus on the single aspect of their game that they want to present people with. Had this approach not been taken, we likely would be seeing a half-hearted campaign, along with a more poorly executed multiplayer experience.
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