You are rifleman Jack Cooper. Sure, your name might be putridly boring and you might be indistinguishable from many other banal video game protagonists out there, but you have something they don't: a giant robot with an enormous personality matched only by his massive guns. B.T.-7274 the Titan is the Artoo to your Threepio; the Jay to your Silent Bob.

Titanfall 2 is finally out, and the franchise's second entry is the first available on every current-gen platform. Finally, PS4 players get a taste of the action. And my, what a sweet taste it is.



Titanfall 2 differs from its predecessor in that it contains a coherent story told through a surprisingly excellent campaign. The multiplayer element is still the biggest draw of the game; however, it's good to see that Respawn listened to their fans (and their hearts) and decided to tell a story within a universe, with a potentially deep well of lore to draw from.

If I have one criticism about the story it would be that it's not great at introducing newcomers to the basic premise of what's going on. This seems like an odd oversight, given that, with the addition of PS4, there's a potentially large influx of fans ignorant to the context of the conflict within the Titanfall universe.

From what I've gleaned, this is a far-future setting. Humanity has spread out amongst the stars (there are subtle mentions of "the Frontier") and have populated various planets and systems. This feels like a mix between the Alien universe and Ender's Game. Just with the overt absence of intelligent aliens to interact with. This is a human and titan affair only (except for some exotic fauna).

The protagonist group is the Militia. They appear to exist for the sole purpose of defending settlements against the IMC, who happen to be the antagonist group. The IMC (Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation. Thanks, Google.) are big space-bullies, going around destroying people's lands and homes and taking their resources. Our dear old Jack Cooper, rifleman, joined up with the Militia because he was sick of that pesky IMC. The story, while rather straightforward, is an absolute joy to play through while discovering what secrets the planet of Typhon has hidden.



Despite how the developers might have talked up the game in the weeks leading up to launch, the campaign doesn't do anything revolutionary for the first-person shooter genre. However, it does deliver a superb and refined campaign, with excellent mechanics, terrific traversal and platforming elements, and an entertaining story that revolves around the bond between man and titan.

The lightest of puzzle elements can be found in the game in the form of subtle visual cues that prompt you to smartly use your enhanced traversal abilities to get around obstacles, find collectibles, and explore different routes around levels. You have a basic double jump and the ability to wall-run. The feeling of lithe, yet weighted, movement and speed is both unique to this franchise and immensely satisfying; refreshing in the current shooter climate.

While the campaign might seem short to the modern gamer, obsessed with game play length, it’s a meaty experience built around well-refined mechanics. Judged purely as a shooter, it’s reliable and somewhat nostalgic. The simplicity of fighting through levels, having to use the weapons you find and scavenge off enemy corpses rather than painstakingly customising loadouts, reminds me of the greats (think Wolfenstein). The campaign is an excellent addition to what is, at its core, a multiplayer-focused franchise. It harkens back to the simple, yet polished, experiences that we associate with the great shooters (at least as viewed through the fog of time and embellished memories).

Your titan companion, B.T.-7274 (AKA B.T.), deserves special mention. Despite some robot-humour tropes and cliched lines, he’s a refreshing, reassuring, and hilarious character that you will instantly adore. You engage in dialogue with him that is both memorable and funny. He offsets Jack Cooper’s unoriginal-protagonist vibe perfectly. Not only that, but his deep, dulcet intonations of “Trust me” during various stages of the campaign set me right at ease.



Multiplayer is undoubtedly where Titanfall 2 wants you to focus your time and energy once you’ve had your fun with the campaign. Fast-paced and frenetic, the eight multiplayer modes (on launch) will rivet your eyes to the screen. As an online shooter, it not only includes the modes we all know and love, but also modes with a unique Titanfall spin on them.

Most modes include the ability to call down your titan from the sky (titan-fall, geddit? Yeah.) The exception being the pilot-only rounds. These can be fun, but given the choice between earning a massive, death-dealing robot a few times a match or merely running around on your own feet, what would you choose? That’s what I thought.

There are six titans, each with their own loadout and special weapon abilities that charge up when you gain enough points. From the utterly devastating chest-laser mounted on the Ion class, to the inexorable stream of death spewing from the Legion class’s humongous machine gun, each titan class has their own playstyle that suits the pilot, mode, or map.

The first mode you’re bound to see in the menus is Bounty. Here you’re pitted against not only the opposing player-controlled team, but against waves of AI minions and titans. Each of these is assigned a bounty in what I assume is space-dollars. You wrack up these dollars during each wave, and then get a period after each onslaught during which you can deposit your blood-soaked bounty in the bank. Get killed, and you lose a portion of your bounty. If you’re feeling particularly skilful, daring, or just plain reckless, you can try hold on to your bounty until the last banking-round, to trump whatever the other team has.



Amped Hardpoint is a new take on a mode familiar to shooter fans. Here you have three points, each of which needs to be captured. Each captured point can be “amped” by staying near them. When amped, a hardpoint gains the team points at twice the normal rate. These battles tend to be surprisingly tactical while moving at the speed of light. Blink, and the enemy will control the map. The presence of titans on these maps adds a dimension of unpredictability and sheer terror if you’re on foot as a pilot.

Making its return is the end-of-match epilogue, in which the losing team get the chance to flee to a pick-up point where a ship will arrive to help them escape. During this end-game section, there is no respawning. It’s an interesting touch, allowing players to redeem themselves after losing the objective of the match.

Networks is Respawn’s genius combination of clans and “looking for group”. Join one or create your own to find like-minded players. Whether you’re looking to play certain modes, at certain times of day, or have other interests in common, you can sign up to make your experience more social online. With a great range of modes to choose from, you’ll be hard-pressed to grow tired of the game any time soon.

Throughout the campaign, and even in the multiplayer modes, the game will show off the wonderful art and crisp aesthetic that speaks to a unique, easy-to-recognise style that defines a franchise. The sky box and backdrops have a painted-on effect that leaves you (unwisely) gaping in awe at the edge of a cliff while enemies are out for your blood. Underscoring these scenes, the original soundtrack is a masterpiece of musical design. Having been launched in the shadow of Battlefield 1, it’s easy to feel desensitised to the effect Titanfall 2’s visual and aural presentation has, but what it offers is truly a distinct work of art.



Respawn have made the decision not to release a paid-for season pass, choosing rather to provide all future content free of charge. This is an unusual and welcome decision, and once again I find myself referring to Titanfall 2 as refreshing. Ahhh.

Titanfall 2 is an excellent shooter, that has fallen victim to a ruthless release schedule. Beset on either side by Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Battlefield 1 (both great games), I can’t help feeling that poor little Titanfall 2 will be overlooked and underrated by many consumers. It’s too late to whine about it here though. Hopefully Drew McCoy was right when he said, “It doesn’t really matter when it comes out. A good game gets noticed.”. On merit alone, Titanfall 2 is automatically in my top 5 games of 2016, so maybe give it a try. Trust me.