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Titanfall: Game Preview

Jan 03, 2014

Note: ESRB Game Rating Pending

The final showpiece to a strong E3 showing for Microsoft, Titanfall, coming to Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC, blew the roof off the building and since then more fantastic footage of Titanfall has been released and now we also have a release date.

Stand-by for Titanfall, March 11th, 2014.

The view from on foot as you battle side by side with Titans.The view from on foot as you battle side by side with Titans.Courtesy of Respawn Entertainment

Titanfall is the first game from start-up game development studio, Respawn Entertainment but they are not new to to the shooter genre, which is occupied by monstrous hits such as Halo 4. On the contrary, Respawn is founded by Vince Zampella and Jason West (West, has since left the company to be with family) and if those two names don't ring a bell to you, they will soon.

Zampella and West founded Infinity Ward previously and created the smash hit, billion dollar selling Call Of Duty franchise. Modern Warfare 2 being their last effort with the series before leaving Activision and Infinity Ward to found Respawn Entertainment and then create the epicness you see here today in Titanfall.

When inside your own Titan, you can pull other pilots out of theirs.When inside your own Titan, you can pull other pilots out of theirs.Courtesy of Respawn Entertainment

Titanfall is a competitive, fast paced online-only, futuristic military shooter where players and teams battle on foot one minute then pilot a 30 foot tall "Titan" mech the next,  The combat is truly frenetic as you run, jump, use parkour to scale walls and then blast across huge gaps with you jet-pack. Yes, your jet-pack.

Use your jet-pack to parkour along walls and reach high roof tops.Use your jet-pack to parkour along walls and reach high roof tops.Courtesy of Respawn Entertainment

when on foot in Titanfall, you have the ability to navigate the environments with such nimble speed that even one soldier alone can bring down a hulking Titan as you leap onto the Titans back, opening up it's armor and destroying its operating core. But truthfully no words do the game justice, you simply have to watch it in action yourself. Enjoy a short, live-recorded match of Titanfall, below.

Titanfall: Live-Recorded Gameplay Demo

 

While on-foot action is constant and fresh thanks to parkour and jet-packs, it's the Titans themselves that are the real centerpiece of the game. So far, 3 classes of Titans have been revealed to play. The Atlas, which is the default well-rounded Titan. Then there is the Ogre, which is the "tank" class of Titan with heavy weapons and strong armor but the slowest. Finally (so far) is the Stryder class, which is the lightest and quickest moving Titan. Its weapons and armor don't pack as much punch as the other two classes but the Stryder is able to out maneuver anything else on the battlefield.

Titanfall: Ogre Reveal Trailer

 

The Titans can be entered and exited freely at any time once you have one called down. And getting in and out is as simple as hitting a single button, keeping the momentum moving and the adrenaline pumping.

Another piece to Titanfall that sets it apart from other online competitive shooters is that it features some single-player game characteristics, like a plot in order to give battles context, as well as character banter amongst additional AI bots that have been injected into each fight to increase the scale and add extra fodder for your K/D ratio as you complete objectives.

On foot or in a Titan, there is no sure-thing thanks to balanced gameplay.On foot or in a Titan, there is no sure-thing thanks to balanced gameplay.Courtesy of Respawn

If there was ever a competitive shooter on the horizon that looked set to take some of the spotlight and popularity away from Call Of Duty, it's Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall.

Titanfall, releases March 11th, for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. It is not yet rated by the ESRB.

Have Your Say!

Do you play Halo, Battlefield or Call Of Duty online? Think Titanfall could be the next big thing? Let us know in the comments below!