With EA and Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall 2 all set for an 28 October release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, a beta was inevitable.
While we didn’t get a ‘beta’ per se, players on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were able to partake in a “Pre-Alpha Tech Test” between 19 and 21 August. A second test is due to happen this weekend, between 26 and 28 August (so don’t delete your files if you’ve downloaded them, or clear your calendar in case you missed the first test).
There was going to be no such test on PC, because Respawn apparently were afraid that some overzealous fan would data-mine the heck out of the install files to expose content which may or may not make its way into the final product.
Perhaps their concerns are valid, but I had one big concern: was the console experience going to stack up to the one I had with the original on PC? I’m happy to say, Titanfall 2 runs rather swimmingly on PlayStation 4.
Let’s talk graphics first. Despite running only at 900p on PS4, the game looks very good. The fast-paced nature of the game calls for consistent 60fps performance, and the game hits this mark more often than not. Very occasionally, the game drops frames, particularly in the game’s “Bounty Hunt” mode, given that the maps are populated by a significant number of NPCs in the form of Spectres and Grunts via drop pods.
Titanfall 2, like it predecessor runs on a modified version of Valve’s Source engine, but its visual upgrade over the first game is significant. The lighting, post process and alpha effects really contribute to the mayhem of the gameplay. Overall, I really liked the look and feel of this game, and this is thanks in no small part to the graphics engine and the visual style.
On to the core of the game: gunplay. All the weapons I unlocked over last weekend felt great to shoot, and while I ended up going back to the assault rifle when things got sweaty, there’s enough time until the game’s release for Respawn to balance the game’s various weapons. Time-to-kill felt short and almost Call of Duty-esque, with the first player to initiate an engagement usually coming out on top. I’m not sure if this needs tweaking at this point, but the developers have probably gathered enough data on this to make any relevant changes.
The tech test featured two Titans: Ion and Scorch. Both are clunky, immobile beasts with high damage output potential. Perhaps we should have got a taste of one juggernaut and one rapid moving Titan, like Titanfall’s Stryder.
Titans no longer feature regenerating shields — the new system replacing it requires players to steal power cells from enemy Titans or down pilots carrying stolen cells (you can simply steal one, by hitting the interact button near an enemy Titan). This struck me as a bit odd, but then again, the “rodeo” system of pilots mounting titans and shooting them at point blank range with weapons has been replaced with a system that requires pilots to initiate takedown moves on rival Titans repeatedly to cause damage. Overall, the power which comes with occupying the cockpit of a destructive hunk of metal remains, but I was a little underwhelmed by the options available.
Parkour was an integral part of Titanfall’s gameplay experience — it was an entirely new way to play first-person games at the time, having influenced the likes of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Black Ops III since. The feel of the movement in the tech test was fantastic; running to an objective, scaling walls, sliding and hip-firing an SMG and using the new grappling hook to enhance mobility.
However, the showcased maps, “Homestead” and “Boomtown” were less than conducive to fully using the game’s wall-running ability, with bumpy geometry. There are some specific areas where players could combo all mobility options and string together flawless parkour routines (such as the centre silo in Homestead), but these are likely to take time to discover.
The grappling hook deserves special mention. It takes a little getting used to, but it really is a multi-utility tactical ability. It also has a high skill ceiling — not only is it likely to feature in montage clips on YouTube, but higher-level players will get the most out of it in competitive play.
The tech test featured three game modes: Pilot vs. Pilot (a mode sans Titans), Amped Hardpoint (a take on the Domination game type from Call of Duty) and Bounty Hunt (a variant of Attrition from the original Titanfall). I spent the least amount of time playing Pilot vs. Pilot given that I might as well be playing a Call of Duty game instead.
Amped Hardpoint allows teams to ‘amp’ control points by capturing them and staying in its capture radius for faster scoring — this gives teams who don’t have map control the opportunity to make a comeback in a game they’re losing.
Bounty Hunt is an interesting game-type that requires players to eliminate AI in designated zones for money and then deposit them in a bank within a time window. Dying with money causes you to lose half of whatever you’re carrying, transferring it to the player who eliminated you.
The biggest issue with Amped Hardpoint was infrequent Titanfalls because of the scoring system (Titans no longer drop based on a fixed timer, and instead only when a player scores). But this was patched by Respawn on the third day of the tech test. Bounty Hunt, however, contributes to a very passive style of play — players just sit back in the ‘bank’ areas, waiting for their enemies to do the hard work of eliminating AI and then cap them as they’re depositing their cash. A scoring system fix is definitely required for this mode.
The maps still maintain the feel of the original game, featuring wide, open spaces with a lot of vertical space and flanking routes. As I mentioned earlier, they are not particularly conducive to wall running at the moment and just like the game’s Titans themselves, are probably not reflective of how the final retail release of the game will play.
The biggest positive, from my experience was the net-code and dedicated servers. With datacenters located in Singapore, I experienced a latency of no more than 30-35ms and my online experience was better for it.
Hit registration felt on point, while the flow and pace of the game was very fluid thanks to the lack of connectivity hiccups. If you live in India, you shouldn’t have trouble connecting to any of Respawn’s datacenters with a maximum latency of 100ms.
Good connectivity and lag-free lobbies are crucial for a fast paced shooter like Titanfall, and it’s good to see that Respawn have gone down the dedicated server route.
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