Having played as much of Titanfall and Dark Souls II as my tight schedule allows, I figured it was time to post my thoughts. Titanfall, being the bigger release, has gotten the bulk of this time, so a full review follows, whereas the sadly neglected Dark Souls II only gets a brief look at my first impressions with the few hours I've spent with it.
The Bigger Release - Titanfall
Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall was one of the most awarded games at E3, and has been highly anticipated for a long time. As the flagship exclusive for the Xbox One, EA has been mercilessly and boldly marketing Titanfall, creating a level of pre-release hype that not even the original Modern Warfare could live up to.
However, as much as it is generally an enjoyable experience, Titanfall tends to fall flat in quite a few ways. Often touted as revolutionary and groundbreaking, it is instead just an incredibly standard multiplayer shooter, albeit with well refined mechanics, and different inspirations than most of the currently over-saturated marketplace. That's not to say that Titanfall is just the sum of its parts, but it's not a whole lot more either.
However, as much as it is generally an enjoyable experience, Titanfall tends to fall flat in quite a few ways. Often touted as revolutionary and groundbreaking, it is instead just an incredibly standard multiplayer shooter, albeit with well refined mechanics, and different inspirations than most of the currently over-saturated marketplace. That's not to say that Titanfall is just the sum of its parts, but it's not a whole lot more either.
There are 5 game modes, and 15 maps available currently. The game modes are Attrition, Pilot Hunter, Hardpoint Domination, Last Titan Standing, and the always present Capture the Flag. Attrition is easily the most basic of the modes, being something of a substitute for a true team deathmatch mode, where AI controlled enemies, other players, and their titans are each worth a certain number of points, and the first team to hit the score cap wins. Pilot Hunter is an even flimsier variation on attrition, where only other players are worth points, but the maps are still gummed up with AI, and the Titans are just as present as in the other modes, making for an occasionally fun, but mostly just irritating experience. Hardpoint Domination is something a little less traditional, but still deeply rooted in Respawn's Infinity Ward origins, and is one of the standout modes in Titanfall. Very similar to the Domination modes seen in Call of Duty: United Offensive, and every release since Modern Warfare, there are 3 designated points on each map, typically one close to each teams starting position, and one closer to the center of the map. The goal is to capture and hold these points, with each second a point is under your team's control adding to your score. Last Titan Standing is a mode in which each pilot begins in their titans, with no respawns, and no replacement titans. Much as the title would lead you to believe, the team with the last titan standing wins the round, with the score cap being 4 rounds. Players switch sides after 3 rounds, and a brief halftime break. Capture the Flag is much the same as it has always been, and doesn't really need much description, but due to the massive array of movement options available to players, it tends to be one of the more fun and exciting modes, feeling far fresher than it has any right to.
Speaking of the movement options that the player has at their disposal, you have the traditional run, sprint, crouch, and jump, but Titanfall has added the ability to wallrun, double jump, and wall hang. These can even be strung together for some very interesting terrain crossings, such as double jumping into a wall run on a billboard, then double jumping across a street to run across the 3rd floor of a building, then double jumping to the 4th floor of another, canceling your wall run into a wall hang, taking out the enemy pursuing you, then finally double jumping again to reach the roof. It all feels very natural and fluid, with wall runs being faster than your standard sprint, and it's very momentum based, similar to Quake and Tribes. Being able to move effectively has won me more than a few games, and it tends to be one of the things that sets the better players in a lobby apart from the weaker ones, and I strongly suggest you take some time getting used to all the tools at your disposal, and how to combine them in your early games. Those who play this like a more traditional modern military shooter tend to get singled out and taken apart from all sides, and you really don't want to be that guy.
After a fair bit of playtime, it becomes readily apparent that not all game modes were taken into consideration when designing the maps, with Training Grounds having one of the worst layouts for both Hardpoint Domination and Capture the Flag, due to it's large, open and mostly cover-less layout. Demeter, on the other hand, is great for Capture the Flag, but generally still bad for Hardpoint Domination, due to the nature of the central structure where point B is placed, often leading to 3v3 titan combat in very close quarters, and points A and C are both too far from their respective team's starting point to keep up with the overall pace of the game mode as played on other maps. Maps like Angel City, Nexus, Smuggler's Cove, and Rise, while great for most modes, tend to not be nearly as good for Last Titan Standing, due to their large number of buildings, narrow paths, and the fact that one side of the map tends to be a bit more open, while the other team gets boxed in, leading to matches that feel very one-sided.
The Burn Card system is an interesting one, with cards being received for completing certain challenges, and also unlocking over the course of general play. You can take up to three into a game with you, and each lasts for one spawn, with a variety of effects. Some let you instantly call in a titan, while others just give you stronger versions of your weapons or pilot's tactical ability. Some of the rarer cards can feel a bit oppressive at times, but you need only kill the holder once to put an end to it, making for far fewer blowout rounds, and much closer games.
The overall weapon balance is fairly decent, and the removal of killstreaks and deathstreaks is something that definitely helps this game feel more like something new, and little less like Call of Duty in Space by people who used to make Call of Duty. It's still got enough of the core formula that it's easy to make comparisons between the two, with the passive perks of CoD becoming the kit and activated tactical abilities in Titanfall, and the ability to restart at level 1 after hitting the cap for a fancy emblem that shows you've done it all before.
Speaking of the movement options that the player has at their disposal, you have the traditional run, sprint, crouch, and jump, but Titanfall has added the ability to wallrun, double jump, and wall hang. These can even be strung together for some very interesting terrain crossings, such as double jumping into a wall run on a billboard, then double jumping across a street to run across the 3rd floor of a building, then double jumping to the 4th floor of another, canceling your wall run into a wall hang, taking out the enemy pursuing you, then finally double jumping again to reach the roof. It all feels very natural and fluid, with wall runs being faster than your standard sprint, and it's very momentum based, similar to Quake and Tribes. Being able to move effectively has won me more than a few games, and it tends to be one of the things that sets the better players in a lobby apart from the weaker ones, and I strongly suggest you take some time getting used to all the tools at your disposal, and how to combine them in your early games. Those who play this like a more traditional modern military shooter tend to get singled out and taken apart from all sides, and you really don't want to be that guy.
After a fair bit of playtime, it becomes readily apparent that not all game modes were taken into consideration when designing the maps, with Training Grounds having one of the worst layouts for both Hardpoint Domination and Capture the Flag, due to it's large, open and mostly cover-less layout. Demeter, on the other hand, is great for Capture the Flag, but generally still bad for Hardpoint Domination, due to the nature of the central structure where point B is placed, often leading to 3v3 titan combat in very close quarters, and points A and C are both too far from their respective team's starting point to keep up with the overall pace of the game mode as played on other maps. Maps like Angel City, Nexus, Smuggler's Cove, and Rise, while great for most modes, tend to not be nearly as good for Last Titan Standing, due to their large number of buildings, narrow paths, and the fact that one side of the map tends to be a bit more open, while the other team gets boxed in, leading to matches that feel very one-sided.
The Burn Card system is an interesting one, with cards being received for completing certain challenges, and also unlocking over the course of general play. You can take up to three into a game with you, and each lasts for one spawn, with a variety of effects. Some let you instantly call in a titan, while others just give you stronger versions of your weapons or pilot's tactical ability. Some of the rarer cards can feel a bit oppressive at times, but you need only kill the holder once to put an end to it, making for far fewer blowout rounds, and much closer games.
The overall weapon balance is fairly decent, and the removal of killstreaks and deathstreaks is something that definitely helps this game feel more like something new, and little less like Call of Duty in Space by people who used to make Call of Duty. It's still got enough of the core formula that it's easy to make comparisons between the two, with the passive perks of CoD becoming the kit and activated tactical abilities in Titanfall, and the ability to restart at level 1 after hitting the cap for a fancy emblem that shows you've done it all before.
However, what it's truly lacking is a more traditional campaign, something that Infinity Ward and Treyarch's series has over it in spades. Say what you will about the series' direction, or the feeling of constantly needing to live up to Modern Warfare, at least there's some effort put in there. The campaign in Titanfall takes place over 9 multiplayer missions, and the entire thing feels very phoned in, with the end results of those matches not mattering to the "story", which is told during combat through, at times, nearly indecipherable voice clips. Very little of note actually happens, with each mission's story just feeling like an excuse for why you're there, and why you're going to the next map. It would be totally skippable, and not worth playing, if it weren't for the fact that they locked two of the 3 customizable Titan chassis behind completion, with one for completing the campaign as either side, and the other for having completed it as both sides. It comes off as a giant slap in the face, and a waste of 2 hours per side that could've been better spent in a lobby for a game mode of your choosing. It's just an overall solid multiplayer shooter, but that experience can be found for much less in games like Quake Live, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Loadout, to name a few. It has a few "new" things, and feels different enough to be it's own thing, but it's not really enough to justify the $60 price point, especially when there are 3 DLC packs coming at $10 each.
Final Score: B-
The Better Release - Dark Souls II
I haven't had as much time to play From Software's Dark Souls II as I would like, mostly due to the fact that it's hard to find 500 spare hours in the course of two weeks. What I have played so far, however, has kept me thoroughly entertained and surprised. Dark Souls II is very narratively similar to it's predecessor, insomuch as it tells you very little, and leaves it up to you to explore the environment for clues into the much deeper lore that exists, however it is also a little bit more up front about certain things. It also maintains a large amount of the exploration and open world feel of Dark Souls, but it tends to be a bit more constrained, with fewer areas intersecting outside of the main hub area.
The character creation options are much deeper than the were in the original Dark Souls, and the starting classes tend to be better equipped from the get go, unless you choose to roll a Deprived, who, much like their name suggests, receive the least amount of equipment, and have the lowest starting stats. The early game has been eased up a bit, to allow newcomers to the series to stand a fighting chance, and last a fair amount of time before their first death, but not so much so as to be boring or too easy for veterans. Dark Souls II even has a few answers to those who wish for the game to be harder, with the Bonfire Ascetic item, which can be used to make an areas enemies more difficult. One gift can be chosen upon creating your character, and the Bonfire Ascetic is available as one of those choices. The other option, presented very early in the game, revolves around the covenant system. In the first hub town, you can join the Company of Champions covenant, which engages hard mode. When combined with the Bonfire Ascetic, it can get to be one hell of a struggle, especially if you chose to play as a Deprived.*
Some system changes have been made that do up the overall difficulty as well, with rolling being a bit less effective than in the previous Souls games, and a respawn limit on enemies, which is meant to make the game easier if you're struggling through an area, but makes farming souls more difficult as well.
It looks and plays great, with less stuttering and slow down than I experienced in the original Dark Souls, and while the other changes to the overall system seem to be minor on paper, they have a far greater effect on the actual game.
It's Dark Souls, but even better. What more need be said?
*Yes, I'm speaking from experience here. Countless early deaths were had, but it just felt so rewarding to get past each encounter that I was previously stuck on.
*Yes, I'm speaking from experience here. Countless early deaths were had, but it just felt so rewarding to get past each encounter that I was previously stuck on.
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