Titanfall 2 is a first-person shooter video game sequel to 2014's Titanfall developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It was released worldwide on October 28, 2016, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In Titanfall 2, players control Titans, mecha-style exoskeletons and their pilots, who are agile and equipped with an arsenal of skills ranging from wall-running to cloaking. The game includes six new types of Titans, each having unique skills. Set in a sci-fi universe, the single-player campaign follows the story of Jack Cooper, a rifleman from Frontier Militia, who bonds with his Titan BT-7274 after an accident. Together, they embark on a quest to stop the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC) from launching a superweapon.
The game's development began in mid-2014, and the title had a two-year development cycle. The decision to add a single-player campaign to the game came about because the team wanted to expand the game's player base. They came up with different ideas, known internally as "action blocks", and integrated them to form a single coherent campaign. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet and buddy cop films, as well as video games Half-Life inspired the game's campaign and narrative. The team also overhauled the progression system and made subtle changes to the multiplayer to make the game fairer to players. A heavily modified version of Source powers the game. Stephen Barton returned to compose the game's music.
At launch, the game received critical acclaim. The single-player campaign was praised for its design and execution, and the multiplayer modes for building on the foundation of the original game. Despite the positive reception, Titanfall 2 underperformed commercially, with most attributing its underwhelming performance to its release in a crowded release window. It was nominated for multiple year-end accolades including Game of the Year and Best Shooter awards, by several gaming publications. Respawn continued to support the game after its release, providing several updates and free downloadable content.
Video Titanfall 2
Gameplay
Similar to its predecessor, Titanfall 2 is a first-person shooter game where players can control both a pilot and their Titans - mecha-style exoskeletons. The pilot has an arsenal of abilities that enhance their efficiency during combat. These abilities include cloaking, grappling, and parkour--such as double-jumping and wall-running--with the aid of a jump kit. These movements can be chained together to travel between locations quickly. The game introduces several new gameplay mechanics. These include: a sliding mechanic, the pulse blade which is a throwing knife that reveals the location of any nearby enemy, the holo-pilot, a holographic pilot that mimics players' action to confuse enemies, and a grappling hook, which can be used to slingshot players to a building or an enemy it attaches to. The pilots have a large arsenal of gadgets and weapons, such as shotguns, submachine guns, pistols and grenades to fight their enemies. At close range, players can execute their opponents from behind.
Titans are significantly less mobile than the pilots, but they have stronger firearms and armor. Replacing the three classes featured in the first Titanfall, seven Titans are introduced--Ion, Scorch, Northstar, Ronin, Tone and Legion. Ion uses a directed-energy arsenal. Scorch engages in combat using area-denial incendiary weaponry, Northstar excels in long-range precision attacks and setting traps, and is the only Titan with the ability to hover. Ronin specializes in close quarters combat, using a shotgun and a sword. Tone focuses on mid-range combat with its target locking weapons. Legion uses a minigun designed for defense and controlling combat zones. Finally, Monarch-- added post-release via downloadable content (DLC)--a Vanguard-class chassis that can upgrade itself on the fly. The Titans have their own move sets which are different from those of the pilots--for instance, they can dodge quickly to evade attacks.
Single-player
Unlike its predecessor, Titanfall 2 has a single-player story campaign with gameplay split between commanding the Titan and controlling the pilot. It features a linear story, but levels offer players multiple paths to explore. For most parts of the game the Titan BT-7274 accompanies players. It can change its weapon loadouts under players' command to maximize its efficiency when combating different Titan variants. These loadouts are unlocked after players defeat an enemy boss. Players are allowed to use multiple ways to complete objectives and attack enemies, such as utilizing stealth, or using the long or short-range weapons provided in the game. Maps are sprawling, and there are multiple paths for players to choose from to reach their destination. The game also features platform elements, which task players to make use of Cooper's parkour abilities to solve environmental puzzles, and travel to previously inaccessible areas. Some weapons are level-specific and can only be used in certain regions. There are also level-specific gameplay mechanics. For instance, in the "Effect and Cause" level, requires players to shift between modern times and the past with a temporal device. Players can also select dialogue options and talk to the Titan at certain points in the campaign. The single-player also features a training gauntlet, which acts as a tutorial for players. The faster they complete the gauntlet, the higher their position will be on a leaderboard.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer mode introduces a Titan meter, which fills slowly when the player is playing the game. It fills faster when the player kills an opponent, inflicts damage on enemies, or completes certain objectives. When a certain percentage of the meter is filled, the player can summon a Titan, which descends from the sky. A Titan can crush opponents if it lands on one when summoned. When the Titan meter is filled completely while in a Titan, the Titan can use their core ability, which inflicts a lot more damage than typical attacks. Players can rodeo an enemy's Titan and steal its battery causing damage to it. The battery can also be taken and implemented on a friendly Titan, recharging its shield and filling the Titan meter. Players can disembark from their Titan at any time. It will continue attacking nearby opponents under "follow mode", where the Titan follows the pilot as closely as it can. Players can also set it to "guard mode" and it will stay put.
Players earn "merits" based on their performance in a multiplayer match whether their team wins or loses. Merits are experience points through participating in the match or getting access to unlocks. Players need to accumulate merits to level up, which unlocks more weapons, abilities and more. There are also other ways to earn merits, like surviving the evacuation phase when the players' team loses a match. Players can also earn Credits, a form of currency used to buy weapons, boosts, Titans, or abilities before they are unlocked. These can be earned by gaining merits and completing challenges. The game's customization options have expanded significantly compared to Titanfall. Players' outfits and weapons, as well as Titans' appearances and combat efficiency, can be extensively customized. Boosts replace burn cards featured in the earlier game. They are tactical abilities that enhance the players' combat efficiency. Each boost has its own specific access requirement. Ticks, which are explosive mines that track enemies, for example, require 65% of the Titan meter filled. Amped Weapons, where players inflict more damage with their firearms, need 80%. Players must decide which boost they are going to use before a match begins; they cannot swap their boost during the game.
Titanfall 2 features a number of multiplayer modes at launch. These modes include:
- Amped Hardpoint: In this mode, teams receive points if they can hold control points for an extensive period of time. The team that accumulates more points wins.
- Bounty Hunt: Players are rewarded with money if they kill enemies, opponents or AI-controlled grunts. Players need to return to specific points to deposit the money. Players can also steal opponents' money by killing them. The team that has the highest score wins.
- Pilot vs. Pilot: A standard team deathmatch mode but players cannot summon any Titan.
- Capture the Flag: Players are tasked to capture the flag of an enemy and bring it to their team's base, while preventing opponents from stealing the player's flag.
- Attrition: A standard team deathmatch mode in which players can summon Titans. Points are rewarded to a player's team when they kill a human-controlled enemy or an AI-controlled grunt. When a team earns enough points, the game transitions into another phase. The losing team needs to reach the evacuation zone and escape, while the winning team needs to eliminate all opponents.
- Skirmish: This mode is similar to Attrition, but there is no AI-controlled grunt and the score needed for phase transitioning is lower.
- Last Titan Standing: A standard team deathmatch mode, but players cannot eject from their titan.
- Free For All: Players are tasked to kill each other in this mode. All other players will be marked as their opponents.
- Coliseum: This is a one-versus-one multiplayer mode where the player is tasked to eliminate the other player. Players can gain access to this mode through Coliseum tickets. These are earned by playing other multiplayer modes, buying them with credits or receiving them in gifts granted when the player levels up a faction.
- Titan Brawl: A standard team deathmatch mode, but players spawn with their titans and cannot eject or disembark from their titans.
- Frontier Defense: A player versus environment (PvE) multiplayer game mode where four players must face up to five waves of Enemies.
Matchmaking is also enhanced, with the game automatically helping players to find a new match after the end of every match. The game also introduces a new feature called "Networks", which allows players to form a group, similar to a guild. The game automatically groups both the player and other members of the network together in a match. Players can join more than one network, and can switch between joined networks in-game. Each network has its own "happy hour". If the player plays the game during this period, they gain extra merits.
Maps Titanfall 2
Synopsis
Setting
The game's conflict takes place in "The Frontier", a region of star systems far removed from the "Core Systems" where Earth is located. The Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC) and the Frontier Militia battle for control of the Frontier. The IMC seeks to exploit the Frontier's rich resources regardless of the consequences for planetary environments and civilian populations, while the Militia fight to expel the IMC and gain the Frontier's independence. In the wake of the Battle of Demeter, the Militia is on the offensive; battling for resources and control of the Frontier planets. The IMC, though weakened by the lack of reinforcements from the core systems as a result of the destruction of the refueling facility by James MacAllan, are still a dominant fighting force attempting to drive the Militia out and put down any resistance to their control of the Frontier.
In the singleplayer campaign the player assumes control of Jack Cooper, a class three rifleman from the Frontier Militia, sent to the alien planet of Typhon who must join his former squadmate's Titan--named BT-7274--to fight local alien creatures and human enemies from the IMC.
Plot
Jack Cooper is a class three rifleman in the Militia. He aspires to become a Titan Pilot for the Militia, and is receiving off-the-books training from Captain Tai Lastimosa in preparation for Cooper's candidacy. The two are part of a Militia force which attacks the IMC-held planet of Typhon. In the initial battle, the Apex Predators, a group of mercenaries contracted to the IMC and led by Blisk, mortally wound Lastimosa and incapacitate his Vanguard-class Titan, BT-7274. Lastimosa transfers control of BT to Cooper. BT explains that Cooper has also inherited Lastimosa's mission, Special Operation 217: to rendezvous with Major Anderson and assist in the completion of their original assignment. Anderson's last known position is at an IMC laboratory. BT and Cooper are forced to detour through a manufacturing plant where they are ambushed and separated. Cooper fights through the factory alone until he is trapped in a combat simulation being run by the mercenary Ash, who is using captured Militia soldiers as test subjects to test the potency of IMC machine units. Cooper escapes, and after being reunited with BT, defeats Ash.
BT and Cooper continue to the IMC laboratory only to find it destroyed, and corpses artificially aged due to time-travel distortion. Anderson is present, though also deceased from a time-travel mishap. Cooper learns Anderson was gathering intelligence on a new IMC device, the "Fold Weapon", which utilizes time-displacement technology to destroy entire planets. The planet Harmony, which houses the Militia headquarters, will be the first target. Fortunately for the Militia, the Fold Weapon is dependent upon a power source known as the Ark. Cooper and BT hijack an IMC communications array and broadcast a signal to the Militia fleet. The transmission contained sensor data on the Ark's electromagnetic signature so that the Militia could find and seize it.
After receiving the transmission, Militia's military unit, the Marauder Corps, leads an assault against the IMC-held installation where the Ark is being kept. Arriving too late to prevent it from being loaded onto an IMC transport, the Militia give chase in hijacked IMC ships. The mercenary Viper nearly kills BT and Cooper by throwing them off their transport, but freelance pilot Barker rescues them by catching them with his dropship. Cooper regroups with a friendly mercenary group called the Six Four, and the Pilots secure the IMC ship nearest to the Draconis, the transport carrying the Ark. Barker drops off BT and Cooper. They face off with Viper who falls out of the sky after a short skirmish. BT and Cooper attempt to board the Draconis but are again interrupted by Viper. BT loses an arm in the battle, but Cooper kills Viper by shooting his exposed body after his Titan's hatch is blown off.
Cooper and BT successfully get aboard the Draconis holding the Ark, and they secure it before the ship crashes. BT becomes incapacitated from damage sustained in his fight with Viper, and the duo are captured by Blisk and his second-in-command, Slone. BT surrenders the Ark to save Cooper, but is destroyed by Slone for trying to help Cooper escape. However, BT gives Cooper his data core before he dies, and Cooper uses it to revive BT by installing it in a Vanguard chassis provided by Briggs after he escapes captivity. Reunited, Cooper and BT fight their way to the base where the Fold Weapon is being prepared for use against Harmony. They kill Slone, earning Blisk's respect; Blisk spares Cooper because the IMC never included killing Cooper in their contract and he does not work for free. He offers Cooper a place in the Apex Predators before departing. BT and Cooper then launch themselves into the Fold Weapon's superstructure where the Ark has already been installed. BT hurls Cooper free before sacrificing himself by killing himself, destroying the Ark and the Fold Weapon and the planet Complex.
The game ends with a monologue by Cooper, talking about having his status as a pilot affirmed and being inducted into the Marauder Corps, as well as reminiscing over his experiences with BT. The Titan neural link to Cooper's helmet flashes with the message "Jack?" encoded in binary.
Development
The game was developed by Respawn Entertainment, founded by Vince Zampella. Respawn entrusted a team of 90 people to develop the game. The original Titanfall's director, Steve Fukuda, producer, Drew McCoy, and composer Stephen Barton returned for the sequel. Production of the title began in mid 2014 and the game had a two-year development cycle, with publisher Electronic Arts providing funding and marketing support. Development of the game was completed on September 29, 2016, with Respawn confirming that the game had been declared gold, indicating it was being prepared for duplication and release.
Single-player
Titanfall had a low engagement with players post-release despite huge initial sales and Fukuda believed that the dwindling size of the community is mainly due to the game's lack of a single-player campaign. Zampella added that the introduction of a single-player campaign was intended to expand the player base, and McCoy believed that the addition of a campaign can make the overall package more complete. The team's vision for the campaign was to make it different from other first-person shooters, especially Call of Duty. This proved to be a challenge for the team since many of them worked in Infinity Ward, the developer of Call of Duty before joining Respawn and they had become accustomed to making the campaign of that style. According to McCoy, the team initially tried to put all the mechanics from the first Titanfall to the campaign but it did not work out for the team. As a result, the team decided to host numerous game jams within the studio, in which team members were free to create new designs and experiment with technology with little constraints other than the fact that they must adhere to Titanfall's existing mechanics. The team was tasked not to follow traditional shooter campaign's design conventions and were free to build prototypes for the campaign, which would then be integrated together to form a coherent campaign. These prototypes were internally referred to as "action blocks", which allowed the team to introduce "ideas after ideas" in the full game since these blocks were often independent of each other and had unique gameplay features. For instance, players would be time traveling in one level and assaulting Titans in the next. These blocks enabled the team to discover new ideas and found out the structure of the overall campaign, which was called internally as "211", in which every level consists of two parts involving Pilot combat, one part involving pilot movement and puzzle solving, and one part involving Titan combat.
The "action blocks" approach meant that the game's gameplay was designed before the story. The team intended to make the game similar to the Half-Life series, in which a mystery takes center stage of the story and that players will be hooked to continue exploring it, thus drawing them to complete the campaign. Portal also influenced the game's design. One of the major components of the campaign is the interactions between the player character Jack Cooper and his Titan BT-7274. Fukuda described it as a "buddy" story, inspired by buddy cop films like Lethal Weapon or Beverly Hills Cop, as well as anime Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. "BT" stood for "Buddy Titan", which is a name the team hated but Fukuda insisted on having. To increase the chemistry between the duo, the two characters have opposite personalities: Jack was enthusiastic, while BT is robotic and calm. Jack Cooper was difficult to write for the team since his personality may not align with player's choices or vision for the character. While the team intentionally avoided making BT similar to Optimus Prime and cute robots such as Wall-E, they found BT's personality difficult to write, as they must find a balance between making it "a lovable partner and 20-foot-tall war machine". Early drafts made for BT's scripts were deemed too "bossy", and five writers took five months to rework it. To make BT more human, the team designed a large emotive eye for BT so that players would know where the titan is looking, and a small pair of robotic arms that allow it to interact with other characters in a more natural way. The front of BT is filled with colored paints which inform the players the Titan's head movement. Inspired by narrative games like BioShock and Uncharted, the team added a design choice that let players communicate with BT, which enabled players to bond with the Titan without using any cutscene. This also provided players with more insights regarding the game's world, though some staff questioned the decision since Half-Life's protagonist is silenced. To make player feel that Jack Cooper and BT are separate entities even when they are controlling the Titan, the team made several small graphical hints to remind players and that BT will still continue to talk to the player character. To create the unique physical appearance and the expression of BT, animator Shawn Lee Wilson was inspired by Akira Kurosawa films and Clint Eastwood and Sam Elliott's cowboy roles. Apache helicopter and other military technologies also inspired BT's design. Lee Wilson provided motion capture for the Titan.
While designing the game's single-player, one of the team's goals was to retaining the energy present in Titanfall's multiplayer. The team wanted to make the campaign more creative instead of simple having robots in the campaign, and that both the unique traits of pilots and Titans must be utilized and expanded upon. Therefore, the team decided to create both intricate environments for pilots' transversal and large open space for titan combat, instead of making a corridor shooter. According to gameplay designer Mohammed Alavi, this granted players greater control and freedom over the character's movement. The team put a huge focus on platforming, which was designed to further expand the use of the pilot movement sets. Many team members created action blocks dedicated to platforming, with ideas such as having players solving puzzles to find a new surface to wall-run on, and Titan being able to throw the pilot so that they could travel over long distance. The concept of Titan throwing pilots was ultimately discarded from gameplay and became part of a cinematic cutscene because the team had trouble implmenting it due to its lack of interactivity. The game also features a wide variety of puzzles inspired by BioShock and Half-Life, in which players maintain "a certain level of speed" while solving puzzles. There are also puzzles which change the game's pace and require players to stop to think of a solution.
The most acclaimed level "Effect and Cause", which involves time travel, was an action block created by designer Jake Keating. Keating was inspired by X2's Nightcrawler and documentary series Life After People. Keating had the idea prior to the development of Titanfall, and he experimented the idea with one of the multiplayer maps of Titanfall. The action block was warmly welcomed by the entire development team, with some feeling that it has the potential to be the main feature throughout the entire game rather than confining it to one level. However, Keating insisted on limiting its use to one level so that the mechanic will not beoming boring for players. To make the level, the team created two building computer models with one on top of another. As the player switch timeline, they are teleported from one building to another. Fukuda added that it was the landmark level the team looking for and that the level did not require demanding technology. However, he added that the level created additional workload to the team since the two buildings, each with different features and characteristics, need to be built twice.
The game's single-player starts with simple missions before gradually introducing players to more complicated situations which demand more skills and precision. The game story also supplements this, as Jack Cooper transformed from a normal grunt of Frontier to a skillful pilot at the end. The campaign was created as a stepping stone for inexperienced players by providing a more "relaxing" environment that teaches players' the basic gameplay mechanics, training them before they join the multiplayer matches.
Multiplayer
The team evaluated the multiplayer for Titanfall and listened to both feedback and analytical research from gaming journalists, and singled out two major concerns: there was not enough content for players, and that at times the game became too chaotic. The team slowed down the gameplay pace of multiplayer so that players can make decision actively thus relying less on reflex. The team also improved the game's map design by introducing more verticality to each map. Fukuda described it as the 3D swiss cheese effect. The team also employed the strategy of "window pane", in which each map has three obvious paths: left, middle and right. This helped to make each map's environments more predictable to players. The game also features a brighter color pattern and environment when compared with both the first game and other military shooters, with the team aiming for graphical quality that is "postcard-worthy". There were also a larger variety of environments featured in the multiplayer maps, ranging from industrial centers to outdoor maps with more foliage.
The game also made various revisions to the game's multiplayer mode, but McCoy described these changes as "subtle" as the team focused more on adding slight modifications to existing mechanics. The Titans were redesigned so that players can "tell at a glance everything what [they] need to know" so that players can stay prepared in each combat encounter. This also enabled players to have a clearer picture of the combat situations thus facilitating players to learn from each defeat. The team also introduced cosmetic modifications for the pilots and the six Titan class with distinct visual characteristics so that players can identify an opponent easily. The team also attempted to add more depth to the gameplay by introducing more Titans, gadgets and pilot abilities, which allow players to play in accordance to their own playstyle, while adding more variety to the game so that there were more things for players to discover and master. The extensive customization options featured in the game and the class-based progression system aimed at retaining players so that players can "get the most out of the game". Unlike its predecessor, Titans need to be earned through certain gameplay actions. The principle behind such design was to make Titan gameplay more satisfying and rewarding.
Technology
The game utilized a heavily modified version of Valve Corporation's Source as its game engine. Numerous improvements were made to the engine on aspects such as physically based rendering, texture streaming system which was developed in house, high dynamic range and depth of field. The team also made audio changes, such as introducing sound occlusion and reverbation. According to John Haggerty, senior software engineer, the team broke part of the engine's code regarding level progression and saves when they were making the first game, and the programming team found it a huge challenge to fix and reinstate these codes to accommodate the sequel's single-player campaign. The team also made a scripting system from scratch, allowing designers to quickly assemble an action block. The game's artificial intelligence was significantly enhanced, with new moveset and behaviors for pilots and titans in both single-player and multiplayer. As Respawn's first game developed for the PlayStation 4, the engineer team spent more effort and time to get the game running on the platform. A virtual reality version of the game was prototyped but it never went into full production, because according to Joe Emslie, the player would "vomit all over their controller."
Combat animation can be interrupted by players movement, which grants players more direct control instead of needing to wait for the animation to end. Most Titanfall's pilots movesets returned in Titanfall 2 but with some slight modifications. For instance, players no longer fall off as they are wall running near the tops of wall. Before players begin to wall run, the game's camera will also tilt slightly so that players can anticipate the movement.
Release
In May 2014, two months after the first game's release, publisher Electronic Arts announced that they would collaborate with Respawn Entertainment for more experiences set within the Titanfall universe. A sequel was officially confirmed on March 12, 2015 by Zampella at the 12th British Academy Games Awards. He also confirmed that the game would come to PlayStation 4, unlike the first game. EA opened their press conference at EA Play 2016 with Titanfall 2, and announced that the game would be released worldwide on October 28, 2016, meaning that the title would have to compete with other triple-A first-person shooters including Battlefield 1, made by one of EA's studios DICE, and Activision's futuristic Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, developed by Zampella's old studio Infinity Ward. According to McCoy, the release date was confirmed by EA long ago and that the team could not change it. The game's Collector's Edition and Vanguard SRS Collectors Edition, which include additional content, were released on the same day as the standard edition. Titanfall 2 was added to EA Access and Origin Access on July 7, 2017, while an Ultimate Edition, which bundles the base game and all the additional updates as well as some bonus content, were released on the same day.
EA partnered with several catering companies to promote the game. Players who purchased food or drink at any Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant would receive a free customization item and access to a multiplayer mode. Similarly, players who purchased Mountain Dew or Doritos would be given a code granting them double XP, early access to a new multiplayer mode, a Titan, and Titan customization items. EA also partnered with toys manufacturer McFarlane Toys to produce a toyline for the game which includes a 7-inches tall Jack Cooper figurine, and a 10-inches tall BT-7274 figurine. Respawn prepared two technical tests for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One users in August 2016, allowing players to try out some of the game's multiplayer modes and maps. Respawn made several major gameplay adjustments after hearing feedback from players participating in these tests. The official Titanfall Twitter account, controlled by EA and not Respawn, also help promoted the game, resorting to suggesting the game to Twitter users who indicated that they were looking for games to play, to mocking its competitors. Players who purchase Battlefield 1 and this game also had exclusive access to a Titan skin inspired by World War One.
At E3 2016, Respawn announced that that all the updates and downloadable content prepared will be free for all players. Inspired by Evolve's free maps model, the team hoped that this approach can make players more satisfied with the full-priced package. Respawn supported the game with multiple pieces of downloadable content in the first year after the game's release, including the following:
Reception
Critical reception
The game's plot received mixed reviews. Nic Rowen from Destructoid found the game's plot to be unsurprising and "by the number" sci-fi plot. However, he was disappointed by the campaign five-hour length and noted that the emotional core of the story lacked development. Javy Gwaltney from Game Informer compared the plot to a "buddy comedy", and remarked positively that BT is a relatable character. Peter Paras from Game Revolution praised the story for being an interesting one, despite commenting that the nine-chapter story is basic. He also liked the personality of BT, calling it a "straight-laced "I take what you say literally" thinking machine" and that the interactions with the Titan successfully added more context to the game's world and setting. Jon Denton from Eurogamer praised BT's character, saying that its lines were skillfully written. Mike Mahardy from GameSpot found the story to be poorly written and that it ended too abruptly. Arthur Gies from Polygon noted that the narrative was subpar, with mediocre voice acting, "corny names" for characters, and insufficient context for players to truly remember the story.
The game's gameplay received critical acclaim. Rowen described it as "frantic and exhilarating", and that the fluidity of gameplay further enhanced the quality of the single-player campaign. Gwaltney shared similar thoughts, saying that no matter how players chose to approach a mission, combat or stealth, the experience offered was satisfying. Further more, he found controlling the Titan an interesting experience that resembles MechWarrior and Star Fox. Mahardy similarly felt that player movement controls remains "invigorating", but he liked the Titan combat more for often presenting "David versus Goliath" scenarios. Mahardy described the game as a "thinking man" shooter, adding that the title required players to think tactically instead of simply having good reflex. David Houghton from GamesRadar praised the game's controls and movement options for turning many seemingly gameplay obstacles and barriers into opportunities for players to manipulate. Chris Thursten from PC Gamer praised the game's large variety of weapons and their sounds, and the "brilliant" freedom of movement.
Rowen praised the level design, which he found to be one of the game "real stars". He was impressed by the variety of settings and set pieces featured in each level and praised the design for having tricky environments for transversal which encouraging free movements. He singled out "Effect and Cause" as one of the most imaginative levels featured in the game, comparing it favorably with Portal. Paras remarked that two chapters featured in the game were extremely impressive, and that they "[re-examine] level design in most action games". Thursten also enjoyed these levels, but added that not all levels share this level of creativity and that he wished some of the novel concepts introduced "stuck around longer" during his playtime. Gwaltney liked the flexibility of the game's campaign, which provides players plenty of freedom to handle combat encounters. He also appreciated the inclusion of the game's puzzles, which requires players to "think outside the box". Both Paras and Houghton liked the levels for incorporating both elements of Pilot gameplay and Titan gameplay, with Paras saying that it added variety to the package, and Houghton saying that it improved the game's pacing, making the game very "exhilarating" to play. Mahardy admired the pacing, attributing its success to the fact that players can switch BT's loadouts to handle various combat situations, presenting a dynamic that is different from multiplayer. Brandin Tyrrel from IGN admired the game's sense of scale and map design, in which each level stage felt large but at the same time linear enough to direct players' progression.
The game's multiplayer received critical acclaim. Rowen described it as "more than solid" and praised the more complex and extended progression system for rectifying Titanfall's lack of long-term appeal. While Titan's customization became more limited, he felt that this is a necessary change to make the Titan combat deeper and more rewarding. He noted that there were numerous "smart" gameplay adjustments and design changes that emphasize players' skills, but he was disappointed that there were not enough modes featuring AI opponents. Gwaltney, however, felt that there were no significant changes to the multiplayer, but with sufficient subtle design adjustments making it more refined and improved than its predecessor, though he still found the progression system to be lacking in substance. He also appreciated the new gadgets, which make the game more tactical. He commented positively on the game modes' structure, which prompts all types of players to engage in teamwork. Paras criticized the multiplayer for being unforgiving, though he enjoyed some of the game modes, such as Bounty Hunt. Mahardy praised the six new Titans types for being easy to learn and difficult to master. As the six Titan types have distinct controls and attack schemes, Mahardy noted that combat resembles that of fighting game and multiplayer online battle arenas games. Tyrrel praised the overhauled rodeo mechanic, which promoted teamwork, and Boosts, which make the game more balanced. Gies described some of the design changes as "odd" and "difficult to understand", including the rodeo mechanic which he found mostly useless. In addition, he criticized the maps for being too confined, which did not fit with the game's fast gameplay.
Critics generally had a positive reception on the overall's package. Rowen admired the game for being an imaginative and creative shooter, one that no other competitors in the market can achieve. Gwaltney described the game as a "must-play" and that unlike most other shooters, the game offered a complete package with both a fully-fledged single-player campaign and a refined multiplayer. Paras felt that Titanfall 2 successfully delivered the promises made by the first game. Tyrrel also shared similar opinions, calling the game a rare and exceptional title that improved on every aspect of its predecessor. Houghton called the game as the year's surprise, calling it one of the most "creative and rewarding FPS in recent memory". Thursten worried that Titanfall 2 will suffer from the same fate as its predecessor for having a short lifespan due to poor release timing, but he noted that the single-player campaign was the game's true highlight. Denton strongly recommended the game and gave the game the highest possible rating, but he shared the same concern as Thursten. The game received "generally positive reviews" upon release according to review aggregator Metacritic, with the PlayStation 4 version attaining the highest score of 89 out of 100. GamesRadar selected it as their game of the year, while PC Gamer chose it as their shooter of the year.
Sales
Electronic Arts expected the game to sell approximately 9 to 10 million units in its first year of release. However, financial analysts predicted that the game's sales would be substantially disappointing due to EA's decision of releasing the game in late October, a period between the launch of EA's largely popular own Battlefield 1, and Activision's Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Despite that, EA expressed no concern about the release window, as they felt that the player base of Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 would not overlap.
The game was the fourth best-selling retail game in the UK in its week of release, behind Battlefield 1, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition, and FIFA 17. Its first-week sales only reached a quarter of the launch-week sales of Titanfall despite Titanfall 2 being a multi-platform release. Digital sales of the game were also down, only reaching a quarter of its predecessor's sales as well. According to the NPD Group, the game was the ninth best-selling game in October 2016 and the fifth best-selling game in November 2016. In their earnings call for the third quarter of the 2017 fiscal year, EA stated that the game's sales fell below expectations. However, EA CEO Blake Jorgensen went on to say that the company was pleased with the positive reviews the game received and expected it to have strong sales into the next fiscal year. According to Zampella, Titanfall 2 sold well and was successful, but it could have sold even better. In January 2017, financial firm Morgan Stanley estimated that the game had sold 4 million units.
Accolades
Sequel
In October 2016, Zampella claimed that the team would like to deliver more experiences for the player set within the franchise, though a trilogy was not planned. When publisher Electronic Arts acquired Respawn Entertainment, it was revealed that a new mainline Titanfall title was in development.
References
External links
- EA Website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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