Titanfall Beta: Not Quite Perfect, But Incredibly Fun

Titanfall has garnered a lot of attention since E3 2013, and now, after the public beta and with the imminent release of the final game, it’s literally on everyone’s mouth. I had the pleasure of trying a couple of matches back in Gamescom 2013, but of course I was able to learn a lot more in the game during the six days long beta. Can Titanfall live up to the lofty hype, then?

For the most part, it could, even though there are some clear shortcomings in Respawn‘s first product. Let’s address the most obvious aspect of any game first, graphics: even on a powerful PC, running higher than FullHD resolution, Titanfall simply cannot compare to its competitors in the FPS genre. I’m not just talking about the recent Battlefield 4, but even games such as Crysis 3 and Far Cry 3, launched respectively in February 2013 and November 2012, look a lot better.

This is because they use cutting edge technology, while Respawn opted for Valve‘s Source engine which is now, quite frankly, behind the times. This decision still strikes me as odd, as they could have used Unreal Engine 3 and likely get more detailed graphics out of it. The worst part, however, is that the Source engine was supposedly selected for its ease of use and lightweight impact on hardware, but the optimization right now isn’t quite great: the highest texture setting, labeled “Insane”, requires 3GB of VRAM and literally choked even my GTX 680, which handles quite easily all the demanding games listed above. However, the “Insane” setting doesn’t even seem to provide a noticeable boost to graphics and I eventually decided to switch back to “High”, finally getting smooth gameplay. And this is when Titanfall started to win me over.

Granted, there are some things I didn’t quite love about the gameplay as well. For instance, gunplay isn’t as precise as I would like it to be and polygonal models move in a somewhat jerky way, similarly to other Source games such as Left 4 Dead, Counter Strike and others. But Titanfall manages to trump all of this in the end, emerging victorious thanks to a thrilling pace and incredibly satisfying gameplay sequences.

 

Usually I prefer slower, more tactical shooters, but I quickly became addicted to the beta. Every match felt like a burst of adrenaline which left me stunned and amazed afterwards, reliving the memories of what just happened. Respawn did a great job with the setpieces, such as jumping on the back of an enemy Titan to destroy it and quickly move away before it explodes, or crushing a doomed Titan’s armor with your own and then tossing the dead pilot aside; those felt great each time, although of course it remains to be seen if they eventually become stale within the full game.

Of course, one of the most advertised features of Titanfall is the parkour system powered by the jet-pack. The main thing here is learning how to jump from building to building, which isn’t that easy but makes travelling definitely faster; however, only one of the two maps in the beta was set in a city with most buildings close to each other, while the other one had more open spaces, thus preventing this kind of option for skilled pilots. Still, I reckon it will be crucial for those who want to compete at the highest level.

The beta was level capped at 14, but character progression seems solid so far. There was only one type of Titan available and I can’t wait to try the other ones to find out my favourite combination; between Pilot and Titan loadouts, there’s a lot of customization to be done by the clever player.  Overall, this Titanfall beta left me with a very positive impression of the game and despite some flaws, this game should be at the top of the wish list of any FPS fan. To learn if Respawn managed to create a masterpiece or not, we’ll have to wait early March and carefully evaluate every facet of the game; in the meantime, though, stay tuned on Worlds Factory for any related news.