2.5/5 ★ – squid0812's review of Titanfall.

Imagine going out to a trendy, new restaurant. You’re initially concerned that it’s all flash and no substance, but then they serve you an excellent appetizer, one that builds the expectations for a superb entree. But then that entree…it just never comes. You wait and wait, until someone finally informs you that your meal will only become available in two years, and that you’re going to have to pay an additional 60 bucks to actually get it. That’s the story of Titanfall for me. In 2014, Respawn gave us a game that has some of the most tactilely pleasing movement mechanics of any first-person shooter. They also gave us a game (at full price!) with a dire lack of substance beneath its surface gameplay mechanics. The most obvious issue here is the lack of narrative content. This isn’t an intrinsic issue per se - a game like Overwatch does just fine operating with only a basic premise rather than a fully developed narrative. The multiplayer mechanics of Titanfall, though novel and enjoyable over a short period, just aren’t complex enough to allow this approach to work. Frustratingly, there are traces of narrative here - if you play on the campaign server, something resembling a story plays in the background as you proceed through a continuously looping series of multiplayer matches. Unfortunately, it’s mostly just background noise that doesn’t do much to provide the kind of context and detail that might have made the setting come alive. Additionally, many of the features here feel like retreads from Call of Duty and its various imitators - the maps (functional but bland), the different modes (generic), the character progression. All of these systems are mailed in a way that precludes the kind of sustained interest that games like this thrive on. Which is too bad, because the moment-to-moment gameplay in Titanfall never feels less than inspired. But it turns out that merely offering excellent traversal and shooting mechanics just isn’t enough when every other element of the game is so thoroughly humdrum. An appealing proof of concept, sure, but not much more.