Review: Titanfall 2

For PlayStation gamers the wait for Titanfall has been a long one. Having been done over by the Microsoft exclusivity deal on the original Titanfall the news that Titanfall 2 would be released on all platforms at the same time was welcome news indeed. And yet, with the release schedule also boasting Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty, how could Titanfall possibly hold up well amongst such beefy opposition?

It turns out it holds up very well. In fact, given the choice of all three games it’s Titanfall that I’d pick to keep coming back to in the long term.

Reasons for that are numerous, but all revolve around one key fact: that it feels awesome to play. Whether you’re running around as a pilot, wall-running and harpooning yourself around or suited up in your Titan with its epic firepower and impressive gadgets the movements and weapons all feel great. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt since Killzone 2, the weightiness of the weapons and beefy sounds which accompany them, the satisfying feeling when a volley of bullets hit home, or a grenade taking out two enemies at once. It’s a feeling not shared by the floaty over-paced COD games, and while Battlefield certainly enjoys a similarly satisfying “thwack” when your aim finally lines up, the lengthy multiplayer games can, for some, be a little too much to handle in one sitting. As such the shorter, but no less intense battles of Titanfall’s 2 multiplayer modes combine the best bits of other FPS games to deliver bite-sized matches which feel great, are tense until the end and let you play with the Titans whether you’re racking up kills like a ninja or just serving as target practice for the enemy.

But as good as the multiplayer modes are, that’s not the only string to Titanfall 2’s online bow. The levelling options open up some very cool possibilities which give you great weapons to try, different Titans to hop into and various other gadgets and add-ons to play with. And while the weapons certainly give a bit of an advantage you don’t generally feel like you’re at an unfair disadvantage; earlier weapons may be less powerful but make up for it in other areas, and as such you’re always in with a fighting chance, whether you’ve got 30 hours or 30 minutes under your belt. Casual players certainly aren’t dealt a rough hand, that’s for sure.

But despite what a large proportion of gamers seem to believe nowadays, there’s more to life than playing online. Titanfall 2 also has a hugely enjoyable single player campaign, which isn’t the longest campaign you’ll ever find but certainly serves up a heck of a challenge. Not only that, ramp the difficulty up to the higher options and you’ll be taking part in some truly incredible fights, combining your Titan’s raw power and huge weapons with your own nimble running and a fantastic mix of standard weapons to try out along the way. This hasn’t been bolted on as an alternative option when your internet connection is on the blink, this is a beautifully crafted handful of hours which gives a great insight into the relationship between a pilot and their Titan. If you do pick up this, don’t neglect the campaign whatever you do; you’ll be missing out on something really quite spectacular.

And there’s really not much more to say than that really. Titanfall 2 is a perfect example of what can happen when you ignore convention and fashions in a genre and do your own thing, improving on areas that might not have quite hit the spot first time out. Despite the pilots, Titans and weapons feeling heavy and solid the action never feels sluggish, and were it for a slightly longer campaign (I was enjoying it a lot and would’ve liked a few more hours) I’d struggle to find anything wrong at all.

In the market for a FPS game? Get Titanfall 2.

Reviewed on PS4