Titanfall

TITANFALL

(published by Electronic Arts, developed by Respawn Entertainment)

platform played - XBOX 360

So, finally locking down some time, I 'dropped' in for some TITANFALL. 

The premise is that you are a pilot, for one of two opposing sides, battling for control of a space frontier.  This multiplayer first-person shooter puts you in 6-on-6 fire-team scenarios, which is the primary draw for gamers interested.  This is also its weakness.

The game starts out strong.  The training stages did a great job walking you through the different maneuvers and understanding Titan combat.  I would almost wish other more complex games embraced this style, would help my dim game-wits and old man controller hands.  After completion, Titanfall begins to stumble.

For the campaign stages, the game offers very little, and that is with making you fight for both sides in the war.  I was able to complete the whole campaign in five hours.  For the multiplayer events, you have five modes to chose from:  Attrition, Pilot Hunter, Hardpoint Domination, Last Titan Standing, and Capture the Flag.  They are all team based and earn your pilot experience to unlock better equipment and perks.  Unfortunately, this is where things get unbalanced.  Players at all levels are matched up, making you attempt, and I use "attempt", to knock out opposing pilots who potentially outmatch your weapons and armor.  Even when you have them dead-to-rights, they still have the upper hand since you can't take them out even after plugging them a few times (thus, giving you away for a nice head shot).  Yes, you and your friends can link up and play as a team, but the chaos that ensues will make things difficult once someone gets picked off.

The storyline is simplistic, which is why it works for the game.  No need to bog playtime down with complex plotlines and too much dialogue.  You only get this during the waiting periods between matches to fill the time.  This allows for cool down after having your ass handed to you and the final numbers are posted so you can see how little you actually contributed to the last match.  Painful.  Don't get me wrong, you will work your way through and continue to climb the ranks, but noobs will probably grow tired of the ground and pound after a point.

Titanfall shows why it has won many awards and has a plethora of great reviews, with large, spacious maps and quick combat, but you will have to put in your time and be cheated with a brief campaign mode.  After suffering through many deaths and humiliations, I can say that Titanfall is fun as a multiplayer game until you hit a slump in a match and start screaming at the TV.  Then it's Game On *****'s.