Titanfall 2 (PlayStation 4) Review

For the uninitiated Titanfall 2 is a first person shooter that differentiates itself from its immediate competition by sporadically relinquishing control of a hulking great mech (the Titan of the title) that operates as a heavyweight extension of the central character to scale up the battle at pivotal moments. Respawn's roots are openly evident courtesy of the difficult to disguise Call of Duty DNA prominently ingrained throughout the package, manifesting via blisteringly smooth framerates, intense gunplay and the occasional action packed set piece. It's actually hard not to compare the two franchises given the history though while COD seems to get increasingly staler with each new iteration, Titanfall 2 in contrast feels like a breath of fresh air, crammed full of innovation and smart touches throughout. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and it seems quite ironic that shortly after Respawn's initial E3 reveal, Call of Duty adopted Titanfall's power-slide/boost jump/wall-run movement for Advanced Warfare, a system that has since remained for both consecutive releases in the series to date (albeit feeling slightly more leaden in implementation.)

One thing the first Titanfall game lacked was a proper single player campaign but thankfully it's an omission that Respawn have rectified for this sequel. Billed as an unlikely and possibly unhealthy "bromance" between man and machine the story centres on Jack Cooper, a Militia operative with long held aspirations of becoming a Titan pilot. Unfortunately Cooper's training gets prematurely cut short when he is sent down to the planet Typhon in a strike against a battle weary IMC (the bad guys) who have enlisted the services of a fearsome band of mercenaries known as the Apex Predators led by a particularly ruthless fellow called Blisk. Upon witnessing his mentor Captain Lastimosa get properly battered during a particularly brutal Titan throwdown Cooper heads over to see if he can help only to get thrown in right at the deep end as Lastimosa authorises the control of his downed Titan BT-7274 to him in his dying breath. Time to step up to the plate.

Given the close proximity and finesse required to operate at an elevated efficiency, the Pilot and Titan are intrinsically linked via a neural connection that can't be broken but can be handed over in certain extreme circumstances. A concept that should make perfect sense to anybody that's seen Pacific Rim. Cooper's first order of the day as newly promoted pilot is getting BT-7274 operational via the theft of a number of power cells from the enemy while also avoiding the aggressive indigenous wildlife of Typhon. Once up and running BT-7274 informs Cooper about the existence of a IMS prototype Fold Weapon which, when combined with its power source known as the ARK, had the capacity to rapidly destroy all of the Militia occupied planets. Lastimosa had been assigned a mission to prevent the IMS from realising this threat so Cooper vows to finish off what his mentor had started. The only problem being that Blisk's gang of mercs are all working to the same objective.

Titanfall 2 has a surprisingly well written and engaging campaign that whips along at a cracking pace, manages to remain bloat-free throughout its course and doesn't overstay its welcome. The relationship between man and mech is fully explored and while 'bromance' maybe trivialises the hostile predicament that both the Pilot and Titan find themselves in but they do still manage to have the occasional bonding moment. Indeed, BT-7274's very literal syntax comprehension combined with its soothing, deadpan delivery adds dashes of humour to the dialogue in much the same way that Edward Furlong enjoyed with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2. Set in a richly detailed world, it's a graphical powerhouse that effortlessly maintains a rock solid 60fps throughout some densely action packed sequences, which are further enhanced for owners of the new PS4 Pro.

For an action heavy story it does a great job of making sure that repetition is kept to a bare minimum and ensures that no two levels follow the same format by occasionally splitting the pair up, forcing the usage of an entirely different skillset. There's platforming; parkour; the occasional boss battle against one of Blisk's heavily armed lieutenants; an incredibly creative section that involves time travel and a whole lot of satisfying, meaty gunplay. All the weapons in the extensive armoury are fun to use and feel like they carry considerable heft and BT-7274 doesn't get left out either as occasionally the opportunity to wrench an entirely new loadout from a fallen Titan presents itself which can switched to or from on the fly and acts as a primer for the multiplayer component.

Respawn already have proven expertise in the multiplayer arena so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to find the usual raft of options make an appearance in the form of Attrition (Team Deathmatch), Amped Hardpoint and Capture the Flag. However, there are other playlists that cater to more niche needs such as a Titan-free/Pilots only tear up, an elimination style Last Titan Standing as well as the Coliseum which facilitates a 1 vs 1 ruck operating on an earned ticket entry basis. It differs slightly from most other adversarial multiplayer games in that there are a constant stream of AI controlled Grunts, Spectres, Stalkers and Reapers working for both teams, giving each match a frantic, chaotic overlay that amps up the pace and makes it feel like a real battle is happening. The new Bounty Hunt game type in particular is geared towards earning money by taking out the constantly spawning AI as each team races to earn the specified amount first. The catch? Earnings can only be uploaded to one of the banks in between waves and death results in half of any carried unbanked earnings being stolen by the assailant. Throw in the occasional AI controlled Titan that has a large bounty and both teams scrabble to earn that bonus.

The map design caters well to the fluidly smooth movement system as the pilot is able to slide, wall run, mantle, double jump and grapple to higher ground with consummate ease, rapidly bouncing between buildings courtesy of the very responsive and intuitive controls. The maps are sizable, contain areas inaccessible to Titans yet never feel too cramped when all the pilots have summoned their oversized metallic buddies to the party. Speaking of which there are a total of six different Titans to choose from, all of which feature unique mobility traits, weapons, defence systems as well as a charged special attack and, much like the Pilot and his armaments, the Titan levels up with usage to unlock additional customisation/loadout perks. Pilots are able to call in a Titanfall once the battle meter has charged up to capacity and dependant on the individual's skill it's possible to call in up to three during the course of the match (assuming that the previous Titan's didn't survive).

Balance is always an important issue with online shooters and while Pilot verses Titan might sound like an uneven clash both parties have tools at their disposal to counter their opposite. Agility is the Pilots best friend though if that doesn't quite pan out as intended there are a number of heavy weapons that can be equipped as a backup plan. Probably the most effective tactic against a Titan though is utilising the grappling hook to rodeo it and systematically remove its power cells one by one, weakening it enough to lob a few well placed grenades down the exhaust pipe to finish it off but hey ... watch out for that electric smoke. Discarded power cells can be recycled by clambering up on any nearby friendly, slightly damaged Titans, a kindly act that goes some way to repairing it or indeed it can be saved for personal use later on. Once a team has risen to the top as the victors an Epilogue sequence gets played out which in itself is an exhilaratingly genius way of drawing the game to a close. The losing team need to survive long enough to reach a random extraction point and wait for the rescue dropship while the winners get to hunt them down in cold blood and try to prevent their escape. Why has no other online game ever done this before?