Titanfall First Impressions

Originally published in April 2014 My first hours with Titanfall (Xbox One): First Campaign Who would think that in a FPS (First Person Shooter), that the choice between operating a big hulking mech with overpowered weaponry and the choice of running around on foot with fairly regular weapons would be a tough decision, but that balance is the strength of Titanfall. For the uninitiated, Titanfall is a pure Multiplayer Shooter from the original developers of Call of Duty. And you can tell. What will be familiar to you is the fast twitch, 60 Frame Per Second Mayhem that COD is known for, but, it also couldn’t be more different. The inclusion of Titans (large mech like exo-skeleton’s) and the parkour abilities of PIlots (the default solder class). In addition to the obvious strategies of playing on foot or in a Titan, the level of versatility is a welcome wrinkle to the COD-esque play style. What Titanfall does right (so far): Titan on Titan battles are amazing and chaotic. Its a balance of strategy and aptitude with the weapons or tools at your disposal. Knowing how to use the vortex shield (the ability to absorb incoming fire and redirect it), secondary weapons or detonating your nuclear core when all else is loss is always thrilling. Plus, that satisfaction of melee-ing another Titan as a death blow, that causes you to rip the pilot from its harness and hurl them 40 feet, never, ever, gets old. The environments work well. There is some variance in the aesthetic, even …