Everything you need to know about the upcoming Titanfall 2
Titanfall 2 Release Date: October 28, 2016
Titanfall 2 Release Trailer
Titanfall 2 lands October 28th, and all signs are pointing to the fact that it’s going to make a splash. Following the success of the original Titanfall (including a staggering six E3 critics awards) Titanfall 2 has its work cut out for it come release day. That being said, those that have tracked the games’ development will agree that it looks like EA just might have pull it off by delivering a truly great sequel.
The second installment of the Titanfall series promises to carry the torch, bringing back the hallmark mechanics that has made the series a standout favorite for many fans of shooters. Even given the success of the first game, relying solely on the beloved features of Titanfall wouldn’t be enough to make a successful sequel, and that’s why EA has a few aces up their sleeves for the much anticipated follow-up.
Let’s take a close look.
Titanfall 2 Trailers
War rages on a collection of planets known as the Frontier. Isolated by lightyears of cold, dead space, two factions clash to control the precious resources of the Frontier planets, both sides hoping they survive the humanity’s journey into deep space.
Single Player Release Trailer
Astute readers will see that the trailer listed above is a single player trailer. That’s right, Titanfall 2 – unlike the original – will feature a full-fledged single player campaign in addition to the intense multiplayer that in the past has been the focus of the series. That means we have twice as much to unpack, so let’s get started.
The new single player campaign concerns Rifleman Jack Cooper. Jack is stranded behind enemy lines and he must rely only on his wits, grit, and a healthy amount of high-tech weaponry and equipment to keep him alive. Likewise, Titan BT-7274’s pilot has been killed in action leaving the Titan a puppet (albeit a capable one) without a puppet master. These two stranded warriors come together to complete their new mission, and, if they can manage it, keep each other alive.
Two buddies surviving a hellish struggle in deep space
Your Titan is the only friend you’ve got deep behind enemy lines, and teamwork is the only way that you’ll succeed. It’s like Titan BT-7274 says before he hurls Jack Cooper across a chasm: “Trust me.”
Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer
The multiplayer trailer highlights changes Titanfall 2 has made to the multiplayer aspect of the game. Considering multiplayer is likely to continue to be the core of the game that keeps players coming back for months and years after release, it’s essential that the changed strike a healthy balance between the old and new. Fans of Titanfall will see right off the bat that the trademark parkour elements of the game are back. The eclectic mix of play has you piloting a lumbering tank on two legs in one second, and nimbly traversing buildings in the very next.
Soldier perched on a building waiting for victim in the streets
What the trailer also shows, however, is that your tech is controlled intuitively. You can use your grappling hook as well as virtual clone diversions as simply as you can use your rifle. The excellent control you have over your tech means that you can string together movements like running on a wall, to grappling up a building, to distracting enemies with a clone into one seamless action. It makes the game a blast, but also creates cinematic moments that feel almost good enough to feel scripted. Victory will take quick thinking, and mastery of all kinds of equipment. After all, it’s the range of weaponry and equipment that separates Titanfall from games of the past that only required the use of a gun and grenade.
It is clear Titanfall 2 is no standard shooter, but how specifically will it separate itself from the original? Well for all that’s the same, there’s a new gameplay element that promises to shake things up so let’s take a closer look at what you can expect on the 28th in both the campaign and multiplayer arenas down below.
Titanfall 2 Gameplay
Story Campaign
The new campaign capitalizes on the dynamic gameplay crafted in the multiplayer arena of the first game, and adapts it to create missions in open environments that provide complete freedom to the player to determine how they would like to accomplish their goal. The story will be linear, but how the player can unravel the story by relying on stealth, picking off enemies at range, or blowing them away in close corners.
Or pick off enemies in very close quarters
One of the most exciting and unique aspects of the game will be the inclusion of puzzle elements. I imagine some readers just read the last line twice, because it’s certainly not what many would expect from a first person shooter franchise. While Titanfall 2 will still be a far cry from Portal 2, the parkour elements of the game lend itself to platforming and the developers have capitalized on that. Players can’t succeed in their campaign running and gunning. Instead, it’ll take a little bit of critical thinking in and outside of the battle.
Multiplayer
Of course, the multiplayer will not see the kind of fundamental change to the game that the single player campaign presents, but there are more than a few surprises and even some significant overhauls that fans need to know about before picking up their copies.
The player count looks to still be up to 12, with two teams of 6 players squaring off in each match. Anybody that has played Titanfall will know that in a game where soldiers fly around like radicalized squirrel monkeys and gigantic murder robots fall from the sky, 12 is plenty.
Let’s talk guns. The full arsenal isn’t 100% known, but you can count on plenty of the old favorites to make a return. It wouldn’t be a sequel without some new guns and there are plenty of new toys to come in Titanfall 2. The most obvious new tool is the grapple hook that can b used to reach hard to reach places, or even rope in airborne enemies. There’s also a pulse knife, which will send pulsar waves that will help detect enemies even through walls. Lastly, there’s the pilot holo. As the name suggests, the holo is a hologram pilot image you can use to distract enemies for the easy kill.
Choose the Tactical loadout that compliments your style
There have also been some significant changes to the actual mechanics, chiefly the addition of a sliding mechanic. Players can now run on walls, double jump, grapple, and slide to move quickly and fluidly throughout the maps.
If you can’t beat ‘em, outrun ‘em
Speaking of maps… Tired of paying more and more for games after the initial release to get new maps, weapons and other content? Titanfall might just be the game for you. All maps released after October 28th will be made available to all for free to keep the user base whole and not divided according to who has which maps.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, however. Before we think ahead to new maps, there’s going to be plenty of new content to sift through in just a few short days. Titanfall 2 with the new additions to multiplayer, the inclusion of a single player, and the revolutionary (at least in today’s market) move to make all DLC available for free, promises to be an incredible gaming experience for fans of the original Titanfall and newcomers alike.
Latest News
If you feel like you still haven’t had your Titanfall 2 fix, and you need something to get you through until the 28th, here’s a little something to scratch that itch. Below is the official Respawn Entertainment Facebook page that has all sorts of updates, clips, and other great content for fans:
https://www.facebook.com/RespawnEntertainment/
The Titanfall twitter page has similar great content as the official Facebook page, so pick your poison:
https://twitter.com/Titanfallgame?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Last there’s the Titanfall web page. The web page hosts a veritable ton of content, and has a forum for you discuss the release with fans just as diehard about yourself:
http://www.titanfall.com/en_us/
Titanfall 2 Price
Titanfall 2 is selling for $59.99 and will be available digitally as well as anywhere PC games are sold. Below is exactly what you’ll need in terms of hardware to run Titanfall 2:
OS - Win 7/8/8.1/10 64bit.
CPU - Intel Core i3-3600t or equivalent.
RAM - 8GB.
HDD Free Space - 45GB.
GPU - NVIDIA Geforce GTX 660 2GB, AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB.
DirectX - 11.
Internet Connection - 512Kbps or faster
Some things won’t be known until release day, but October 28th is shaping up to be a great day for PC gamers. In the words of Titan BT-7274, “Trust me.” After seeing all the trailers and game footage, it’s hard not to trust that Titanfall 2 will be a PC experience that you don’t want to miss.
