Titanfall beta first impressions: exactly what you've been hoping for

I got a chance to play Titanfall at TGS and loved it. But that was a long time ago, and it was one round of one game mode only. Over time, I began to wonder whether the game was really as great as I remembered, or whether Respawn Entertainment could really deliver that experience on a larger scale. But after playing the closed beta of the game’s PC version that kicked off today, I realize I shouldn’t have worried.

Gameplay: right on target

Titanfall is a futuristic first-person shooter that puts you into the combat boots of a titan pilot on a distant planet. Humanity has colonized other words, and this one is the site of an ongoing struggle between the IMC (a corporate military force) and the civilian Milita. You’ll play as either side interchangeably, and in the beta the story is pretty much irrelevant because they have the same equipment loadouts.

Pilots

Before you go into a match, you can choose from one of three pilot loadouts, and one of three titan loadouts. At first, your only options are presets in the assault, scout/sniper, and heavy molds, but after you advance a few levels you’ll start unlocking new weapons and the ability to customize your loadouts. There’s still not a ton of variety on display yet, but Respawn has said that the beta is showcasing only a small amount of the content from the final game, so there may be more coming on this front.

This isn’t Call of Duty, though. In addition to all the usual FPS stuff, your pilot is capable of wall-running, can go semi-invisible for brief periods, and is equipped with a jetpack that can be used to shoot through the air for a limited time. This adds a vertical element to the game, and in some ways it feels a little bit like Tribes. It takes a little while to get used to all the running and jumping and start noticing the ways you can take advantage of it, but the controls feel fantastic and it adds a very necessary level of mobility most FPS games don’t have.

Titans

That extra mobility is necessary because of the other thing that sets Titanfall apart from other FPS games: the titans. These giant mechs can be called down from the sky every so often, and your pilot can climb inside one and wreak havoc or choose to have it patrol and area or follow the pilot on foot. (Thankfully, no one can climb inside a titan you’ve called down except you, so there’s no titan-stealing). Titans have shields and they can take (and dish out) a beating, but they don’t last forever. Every pilot is equipped with anti-titan weapons, and you’ll often be fighting enemy titans as well. Luckily, when your titan dies you can eject and continue the game on foot until your next titan is ready.

Minions

Another major difference is the addition of minions: AI-controlled soldiers that fill out the battlefield and that cannot pilot titans. These guys were at the center of some controversy after Respawn announced that Titanfall games would be capped at 6 vs. 6 players, with the rest of the game being filled out by bots. Having played the beta, I can understand why: a 15 vs. 15 player match would be utter chaos because everyone could call their titans at once. I promise you, more than six players on a team would not be fun, at least on the small maps available in the beta. The AI minions help keep the game fast-paced and action-packed even when enemy pilots aren’t nearby, and they also provide some satisfaction for less-skilled players like me: I may not be racking up kills of enemy pilots or titans, but at least I’m helping my team by killing enemy grunts.