As consumers of digital media, we love to compartmentalize things. It seems easier to not only lump games into categories (i.e. genres), but also make an immediate attempt to label a new release “the next ‘insert popular game title here.'” When the first footage of TF was shown to the public, this seemingly natural process occurred. Because of the exodus of key artists from Infinity Ward in 2010, spearheaded by lead designers Jason West and Vince Zapella, the obvious first label thrown at it was Call of Duty. Second, for it’s efforts to push the sci-fi FPS sub-set, the second leading term in the tag cloud was Halo. Some secondarily recursive examples were also thrown around, but these two seemed to encapsulate the instant recognition we all love to fall back on before we actually play a game ourselves. Well, I’ve played it for myself, and I can firmly say my first impression is that there is only one game to compare Titanfall to: Titanfall.
Let me be clear before I continue. I am not saying that TF is going to completely revolutionize the FPS in all ways/shapes/forms. There are a ton of “borrowed” things from other, similar titles. Like ALL, I repeat ALL, shooting games do. Sure, pulling the left trigger to draw up the reticle is very similar to CoD. And Battlefield. And Medal of Honor. And any other release in which that function has bee adopted. The movement mechanics are very adventurous, but (as a friend pointed out) we’ve seen this sort of “hectic parkour” style attempted in the Crysis series, probably the closest comparison to how the game “feels” when controlling the Pilot. But all bets are off when the hulking machines begin raining down. Allow me to go into just a little more detail on how TF attempts to leap-from-the-ground-to-the-roof-of-a-building-then-on-to-the-top-of-a-giant-robot away from the standard FPS protocol.
First, the Modern Warfare argument. West & Zapella and Co. are in the position they’re in with their newly minted Respawn Entertainment because of the incredible success of MW and MW2. As a Pilot, engaging enemies feels more purposeful. Unlike the CoD UAV or SATCOM which aren’t very inventive, the radar here seems to feed specific information. Enemy Pilots are represented by a large red circle, AI controlled Grunts and Spectres appear as smaller dots (with the appropriate Perk selected in your loadout), and Titans get big arrows that show the direction they’re facing. One of the concerns I had before I received beta access was that identification between AI “bots” and other Xbox LIVE players would be difficult. The HUD put many of those initial fears to rest. If you keep up with the radar while traversing the landscape, being surprised by the presence of a tango Pilot is rare in close quarter scenarios. Despite playing with randoms, zero team chat, and no previous knowledge of the two beta maps, I never felt lost. Because the HUD offers a clear understanding of enemy positioning, it’s easy to either “stay onside” with friendly help or risk pushing into opposing territory to try and attack Pilots before they get to where they want to be. In this way, TF affords you the opportunity to play each spawn like you want with confidence. Go after the challenges you choose at a given moment. The “avalanche” effect of Call of Duty, where you and/or your team stumbles out of the gate and can never get your feet back underneath you, only happened in two games during my first six or so hours with the beta. You constantly feel empowered, not oppressed or at the mercy of the skill level of the other 11 players in the match. This is a stark divide from this group’s previous work.
The sci-fi theme has led some to push the “Halo killer” label way too far in advance. Halo will continue to be an integral part in team Xbox’s hopes for success (whenever the next chapter in the Reclaimer series happens to arrive). So, if people think this is here to replace a decade’s worth of very successful titles, well, that’s unfounded. In terms of “on the field” comparisons, there are couple. The first is the preferred “play style” of the proceedings. I found the most success as a Pilot when I pushed out and engaged first. I call this “getting the drop” on opposing players. I don’t mean recklessly charging in guns-a-blazing with no regard. Attack without support or a plan and you’ll die quickly. But in 1v1 scenarios with another Pilot, going at them pays dividends. Maybe this is from weapon design; I’ll have to play with more guns to see if that theory is correct. It could also be from the hidden “auto aim” assists. Shooters on consoles will often be coded with certain aids that make using the right thumbstick more manageable. Things like friction and magnetism that make it easier to keep the sight on an engaged target. Halo implements quite a few of these gadgets. Did Respawn implore a similar system with extensive helps? After my first sit down, it sure feels that way. More time will definitely tell. My personal favorite “sample” from the world of Master Chief is the Bumper Jumper controller configuration. In Halo, this assigns jump to the left bumper and melee to the right bumper. TF‘s version puts jump on the LB instead of A, but meets in the “modern combat” middle with melee being click down on the right thumbstick. This feels like a good compromise. And as fluid and fast as the character movement is, I want to keep both thumbs on the sticks as much as possible. Having said these things, outside of the possible coding choices and a button layout, the comparison talk falls flat. The biggest reason is that Pilots don’t have rechargeable shields like Spartans do. The extended shootout duels between the latter that take 4-6 landed shots to earn the kill don’t exist in TF. You’re only an accurate short burst or two from sending a fool to his/her grave. Second, outside of Titans, there are no vehicles. This is maybe the most defining portion of Halo‘s multiplayer that no one talks about. Warthogs, Ghosts, Mongooses, Banshees, ect. The scale of war is pertinently defined by these inventions. And until another sci-fi FPS implements the vehicular component to that degree, equivalent comparisons will not be cleanly applicable.
Also, the pace of TF is too quick when stacked up with previous Bungie/343 Industries releases. Which has led some to compare it to something like Unreal Tournament: hyper twitchy, a seemingly endless supply of ammo, and utter chaos at all times. This too falls short of validity. Yes, Titanfall is quick, but not arena FPS quick. Sure, you’re given an clip or two more per respawn than most of the other popular shooters feature, but there isn’t an infinity symbol next to the mag count, either. When I was careless with shots or went on a good kill streak, my primary ran dry. Speaking of primary, you only get one. A hallmark of the arena shooter is the beloved “weapon wheel,” where you can conceivably pick up and possess every weapon on the map at one time. Here, one primary, one secondary,one grenade type, and your boot. Lastly, the coding in arena games makes hip firing so accurate that it’s used as the aiming style for most guns, sans long range stuff. In TF, you MUST aim down sights if you want to hit anything further than three steps away from you. The hip fire in this game is quite poor. Intended consequence or faulty mechanics? I’ll let folks decide that one on their own. Just know not to chance it.
I’m still not quite sure what to think about the Titans exactly. For anyone worried, it’s very easy to maneuver and fire shots. They definitely don’t feel “clunky.” The beta only features one base model, so I’m leery of delving too deep into their mechanics. It’s something I’ll go in length about in the full game writeup. Just focusing on the argument that Titanfall‘s Pilot gameplay is some CoD-Halo mash up offspring with no originality doesn’t hold up well. Yes, you will have moments where pulling up the scope, fragging someone, and seeing points tally up on the screen will feel Call of Duty-esque. Yes, there will be times that you’ll drop from a high place right behind an absent minded Pilot and perform a “Batman back smack” melee kill a la Halo. Never once, though, did I feel like I was playing some remixed knock off. Never once as a Pilot did I think I had been in that exact same scenario before in another shooter. In the middle of battle, in the heat of the moment, when all attention and focus is on either trying to kill or stay alive, this feels unique. And anyone that believes other shooters on tap for later this year like Destiny and The Division will be wholly different because of their proposed MMO and RPG threads is misguided. Those games will succeed because they’ll put their own spin and spice on top of solid FPS conventions. Conventions that will feel decades old the moment the trigger is pulled. Titanfall does just that. Look for our full review in March.
