From the onset you really do feel like you've been thrown into a war zone with a constantly changing and evolving environment despite the maps technically not being dynamic in nature. A flurry of reinforcements in the form of grunts and spectres hurtle towards the ground in large pods like giant metal meteors... these are computer controlled players which may seem like cannon fodder at first but in reality add a lot more to the game. Firstly the grunts are basically human infantry, not especially bright and hardly a challenge although underestimating them can ultimately lead to your downfall, they can very easily add that final nail in your coffin (especially if they catch you in an injured state after an altercation with a pilot or titan). Grunts are also very good at giving away your position, can be useful for hiding a pilot in plain sight when amongst them and be a distraction you when you're trying to line up a shot or use one of your chargeable weapons before firing at an enemy. As for the Spectres, they are more challenging and much like the grunts normally will be found in groups of three (although spectres will be more likely to split up than grunts will), with the ability to leap great heights in a single bound they can practically go anywhere in the map they wish to. Another trait of theirs is being able to take a fair bit of damage before being taken out, you will most certainly want to make sure you have a full clip when taking on a spectre or at least go for a headshot where possible. Grunts and spectres can also be used to hint to the position of cloaked pilots (or pilots using silencers) by utilising the tier two kit "minion detector" to look for groups of them disappearing from the map in a short amount of time when clearly no active titan or pilot is shown on the map.
Then there are the online players which are classed as pilots, there are up to six on each team, all of which have the ability to call upon their own personal titan when available... titans become "on call" when the timer counts down to zero, thus allowing you to mark the drop location for them. This can be sped up by racking up the kills or by using one of the many burn cards that you can obtain by completing challenges (this can be done either during the drop ship cut scene at the start of each game or the cooling off period between being killed and respawning).
There are several game modes you can choose from ranging from the obligatory team deathmatch (known as attrition in Titanfall), capture the flag and hardpoint domination (another FPS staple, capture the three hardpoints highlighted on the map earning points towards your team total) to the Titanfall specific pilot hunter and last titan standing modes. Alternatively you can choose to play the variety pack, which randomly selects a map and mode at the end of each game meaning you can get to try all the modes over a period of time or simply keep things interesting by never knowing what game mode will be selected next. Another option will be presented to you if you have purchased either a standalone map pack or season pass is to play the maps that are only associated to that a specific pack choosing to play the games via the attrition or variety pack modes. Finally Respawn Entertainment (creators of Titanfall) decided to mix things up a bit when they released the forth update by introducing a featured game mode, a new game type available for a limited amount of time and one would assume has the potential to become a permanent addition. The first of these featured game modes is called "marked for death", which is basically a form of hide and seek with guns and giant robots. One player on each team is targeted (with both marked players highlighted on the screen for all to see), your team's job is to kill the enemy player before the marked player on your own team is taken out. So far there isn't much information regarding the second of these featured game modes other than a brief mention in the press release outlining the content in the forth update stating "followed shortly by wingman last titan standing".
Speaking of Titanfall updates, there have been five to date (content details for each update can be found at the very bottom of this post) and each one has not only brought the usual patches as you would expect but extra content for free, greatly adding to the Titanfall experience including Titan burn cards,extra modes and black market purchases. These additions are all commendable, in short because Respawn Entertainment could easily have charged for all the additional content or added in micro DLC or in game purchases over and above the items included in the season pass (as so many games do these days) but have provided them at no extra cost. This relates to the black market especially, it would have been very easy for the consumables (burn cards) and titan insignias to have been chargeable via in game purchases (also known as micro DLC) but instead you can purchase them using credits you earn by playing the game or by discarding your unwanted burn cards. I can't speak for everyone but personally I have to say Respawn Entertainment has earned a great deal of respect in my eyes for the way they have handled the updates and what has been included in them so far. I know some players have complained that the two DLC packs released to date (especially those that have purchased the season pass) have only contained maps, however there is still one more pack to come and besides even if it only holds the final trio of maps I still have to take my hat off to them. The reason being it could have been that the players with the most to spend on the game and subsequent content got the most in depth experience, instead of providing everything other than the twelve extra maps free to all players as they have done. Meaning if you either don't want the new maps or can't afford them your not really missing out, after all with the game enhancements come as standard via the updates there is nothing to stop you buying the map packs somewhere down the line if you would prefer (or if it fits into your budget better that way). It's not like the maps are just generic variations of other maps or gaming stereotypes either... I can honestly say there is not a single map (from the fifteen that come as standard and the six from the first two DLC packs) that I dislike, which in itself is an incredible achievement.
Then we have the two of three DLC packs available to purchase now (with IMC Rising to be released at some point in the near future)... Expedition (currently on offer to Gold members at £5.59) and Frontier's Edge. Each map pack has an RRP of £7.99 or you can purchase a season pass at £19.99 for all three packs, giving you a saving of up to £3.98 opposed to buying them separately. I know there are several players that hoped the DLC packs would include more than just maps (which may still happen when the 3rd pack comes out) however look how long it has taken other titles like Call of Duty to provide packs that contain content other than maps.
The first pack, "Expedition" includes Swamplands, Runoff and War Games, each bringing their own unique attributes and challenges to the table making each one as enjoyable to play as the next. I must admit Swamplands was the one I instantly liked the look of but although it is an excellent map it ended up coming a close second to War Games when I actually got to play them.
SWAMPLANDS: Fortified structures hide within an ancient forest with giant trees that dominating the landscape, it is an adaptive map allowing you to traverse from one point to the other on foot by leaping from tree to tree or engaging in epic titan battles in one of the many more open sections of the map.
WAR GAMES: Technically an extension of the training sections you experience at the beginning of the game but that is just the tip of the iceberg. War Games is probably one of the most well rounded and adaptive maps you will come across and is an absolute pleasure to play.
RUNOFF: Based around a water treatment plant, Runoff provides 3 levels of play from the rooftops, to ground level going between the 2 main buildings and many walkways and finally the trenches which run under and around most of the playable area. This is one map where you are really going to have to have your wits about you, there can quite literally be danger coming from almost any angle at any time but in truth that just adds to the appeal.
Frontier's Edge, the second map pack packs a titan sized punch in the form of Export, Haven and Dig Site... each one differs greatly from the last but somehow work very well together providing a complete experience overall.
EXPORT: My personal favourite from the second DLC, the mining hub located on the side of a mountain offers plenty of indoor as well as outdoor spaces and includes a shocking surprise in the form of an electric fence (which you can activate by shooting the column in the centre of the building shown in the top right part of the image below).
DIG SITE: Playing host to the latest IMC vs Militia conflict is this mining facility, you can practically taste the dust in the air as you run through the corridors or fly from rooftop to cliff face and even a giant (working) excavator. Offering a breath of fresh air (so to speak), managing to capture the feel of the mining operation perfectly and even achieving a claustrophobic feeling in certain areas of the map, Dig Site delivers something very different than almost all the other maps Titanfall has to offer and does a good job of it.
Finally focusing on the game from purely a pain management viewpoint, I have to say I have not come across anything to date that equals what I can get out of this game in relation to distracting from highly intense pain and managing to lower it to a manageable level. The way it achieves this is by offering such a diverse selection of playing options allowing you to pick one that suits your ability and focus at any given time but while still feeling completely emerged in the game. Think of it like completing in game challenges but instead of going after as many minions as you can or trying to rodeo every enemy titan you come across because your trying to earn burn cards or achievements you're doing it to keep your brain singled in on the gaming experience and away from pain. The only downside I have found is the games can be quite lengthy (after all you never really want to leave in the middle of a game if you can help it), given the point of using games as part of a pain management regime is to quickly get your mind somewhere else thus reducing the pain intensity and allowing you to continue with physical tasks. I think if they could introduce a shortened version of attrition (over and above the current game modes) or some form of blitz mode where the game can be played in its entirety within say 5 to 7 minutes it would be ideal for the times you need a momentary distraction (not to mention for gamers with limited time to play).
Personally Titanfall ticks more than a few boxes when you take into consideration the (free) additional features and items (black market, titan burn cards, Titan insignias etc), the quality of the maps overall and the total cost for the game plus all available content. I can also say I have been astounded how little people camp (hiding in the map waiting to kill players that unwittingly cross their path), the almost complete lack of LAG and minimal amount of cheating there seems to be. It just goes to show the level of passion, dedication and creativity that has gone into making Titanfall the game it is, after all you can't forget this is Respawn Entertainments first title opposed to a branded game that has been producing a series of similar games year after year.
As always, thanks for reading and feel free to comment about this or any other posts made in the future and don't forget to check out the Pain and Game social media pages. Also keep an eye on the blog and our social media pages for information regarding the Titanfall competitions.
Detailed information regarding the full content of each of the 5 updates released so far.
Update 1: http://help.ea.com/uk/article/titanfall-patch-information/
Update 2: http://www.titanfall.com/game-update-two
Update 3: http://www.titanfall.com/game-update-three
Update 4: http://www.titanfall.com/game-update-four
Update 5: http://www.titanfall.com/game-update-five
Interesting reading :)
ReplyDeleteGood article.
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