larch
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While Titanfall 2 might be known for its excellent multiplayer, there is something little less know about this title and not many reviews touched on this. Which is why I decided to do a review on only the campaign aspect of the game and not the multiplayer. As much as I enjoyed the multiplayer experience sinking hundreds of hours into it, the one big aspect that really shined in the game was the single player campaign. I was extremely skeptical that the basic concept of mechs-meet-parkour gameplay would translate well into single player, but boy was I surprised. That campaign holds together extremely well over the entire length of the game, it is short between 5-8 hours to complete from start to finish. This is due in part to some extremely clever gameplay gimmicks and very impressive environmental designs.
Titanfall 2’s campaign tells the story of Jack Cooper, a newly initiated rifleman fighting for the interplanetary frontier militia that is fighting against the control of the IMC and its mercenaries. In an attempt to stop them from strip mining their planets and destroying them. The game starts off as Cooper is training to become one of the pilots that get to take control of a massive mech-like Titans. Not to spoil too much of the story, long story short Cooper finds himself thrown into a seat of Titan BT-7274 (BT, for short) after it’s pilot was killed during the opening scenes of the game. The story itself is pretty cliched and it contains pretty much every single AAA trope you can find in an FPS game. The best part of the story and the game itself for me was the budding bromance between BT and Cooper.
The dialogue between BT and Cooper occasionally has fun with the bromance between them. “Are you in love?” asks Cooper when they find a new Titan loadout, to which BT gives a dry logical response. Some of the random dialogue had me laughing out loud during the course of the game. BT somehow ends up being the more empathetic character of the duo, due to some amazing voice work of Glenn Steinbaum also know for his work in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Titanfall 2’s gameplay goes to great lengths to make you feel like an acrobatic superhero, who has a giant mechanized robot as backup. Turning what’s a first-person shooter on the surface into something more like a cross between Shogo: Mobile Armor Division (Showing my age here) and Mirrors Edge with the wall running and other acrobatic moves.
Titanfall 2 really does feel like an FPS from an earlier generation, there are no open levels that are turned into shooting galleries in this game. Instead, you find yourself in an extremely well-designed environment that begs you to use Cooper’s double-jumping, wall run-enabling jetpack abilities. And what a joy it is to use! Luckily the running and jumping in Titan Fall 2 feels effortless and smooth, while it can feel “floaty” at times it can be forgiven due to some of the more tricky levels you need to navigate. One of these levels, in particular, stood out for me, where you traverse a massive robotic assembly line constructing giant artificial cities. This level alone was one of the most well-crafted levels I had the joy of playing in any FPS game.
Titanfall 2 allows you to play the game however you want to play it, want to play it like a cover shooter go for it! Want to play it parkour style sure! Having such a well-crafted levels in the game that ensures that it can support a multitude of play styles is extremely admirable for an FPS game, and RESPAWN should be commended for doing this instead of forcing people into a single playstyle. Also it is worth mentioning that during the course of the campaign, Titanfall 2 finds plenty of ways to separate Cooper and BT from each other, which means it’s always a highly rewarding experience when the two reunite again allowing you to bulldoze through groups of human enemies that would have given you plenty of trouble while on foot.
Graphically Titanfall 2 looks amazing on the PlayStation 4, it really impressed me with all different visual contrast and level designs from lush forests to barren wastes and tech facilities. And the graphical nuts would be glad to hear that Titanfall 2 keeps a steady 1080p/60fps on regular PS4 at all times. Even when the screen is filled with enemies and special effects. Not a small feat, considering that the game looks absolutely amazing with its flashy explosions, weather effects and human and Titan enemies coming for you at every angle. The excellent graphics and solid performance manage to make Titanfall 2 an even better experience, which is critical for an FPS game. Special mention needs to go to the soundtrack and the voice acting as well, as they are the same level of quality as the rest of the game.
While Titanfall 2’s campaign is a tad short for my liking and as previously stated can be finished in a single sitting of between 5-8 hours this does not detract from the brilliant campaign, the characters are amazing, voice acting is great and the level design is amazing. Plus there’s loads of variety in the missions, which is always great for an FPS game. It’s very refreshing in that context. I really wanted more of the spectacular campaign designs and story but unfortunately, you don’t always get what you want. Titanfall 2 is not just a worthy sequel to the original game, but one that improves upon the original while keeping everything that was fun in the original intact. There isn’t a shooter on the market currently that can compare to the spectacle that is Titanfall 2 even though it was released in 2016. I highly recommend picking it up even if it is only for the short campaign.
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