We’ve already addressed why you should play Titanfall 2, Respawn Entertainment’s new shooter that launched last week on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. There’s a tendency in first person shooters to focus heavily on the multiplayer experience. Yes, the the online mode is where Titanfall 2 earns its longevity and lasting appeal, but many buyers gloss over the campaign to head straight onto the online battlegrounds. This would be a mistake when it comes to Titanfall 2. The franchise’s first foray into single player campaigns is a gem that shouldn’t be missed. Here are five reasons why you should play the campaign.
5 Reasons Why You Should Play the Campaign
Titanfall 2 features a brilliant campaign. It’s so good, in fact, that we think you should play it first before jumping online. This list isn’t in any particular order. Each entry is important to the success of one of the best FPS campaigns in recent memory.
1. Nonstop Action
Relentless. That’s perhaps the best adjective to describe it. Playing as newly christened Pilot Jack Cooper, you will be running, jumping, and shooting. There isn’t a lull to be found here. Even the typical FPS tutorial at the beginning of the game is oddly enthralling. I spent at least thirty minutes in the “Pilot’s Gauntlet,” the opening mission that asks you to run through an obstacle course while learning the basics, trying to work my way up to the top spot on the leaderboard (I failed at this). Whether on foot or in the cockpit of BT-7274 (Cooper’s Titan), there is always something exciting happening on screen.
2. The Dialogue
I’ll come right out and say it: the narrative is a cliched, garbled mess. It basically boils down to taking down the “big bad corporation” for reasons that are not explained in any scrutable detail. We know very little about the world that Titanfall 2 exists in as Respawn doesn’t provide us with any backstory. While it would’ve been nice to combine nonstop action with a great story, it doesn’t matter too much in the end. But, boy, the dialogue exchanges between Cooper and BT-7274 are unexpected, and often times hilarious. Without spoiling any of them here, make sure to pick a response when the dialogue tree prompt comes on screen. “BT” is a strangely sentimental being, but sometimes his robotic traits entwine with his humanistic sensibilities and produce some uncanny conversations.
3. “Effect and Cause”
The fifth mission, “Effect and Cause,” to put it simply is one of the best levels in a first person shooter that I’ve ever played. Set in an IMC testing facility (big bad corporation), Cooper gets ahold of a wrist contraption that allows the player to distort time between the armed testing facility and the dilapidated alternate reality of the same space. The mechanic is worked in masterfully, as shifting time is needed to traverse through the facility and find your way back to your Titan. It’s one of the most thoughtful inclusions of time travel in a game without all of the nonsense on why or how it works, and what purpose it serves. It’s fun, that’s its purpose in the story.
4. Top-notch Gunplay
Bottom line: The gunplay in Titanfall 2 is as good as it gets. The precision of aiming and firing a weapon just feels right. This obviously bodes well for the online multiplayer format, but it also shines brightly in the campaign. There’s a sequence in the final mission where Cooper is only armed with a pistol. In these frantic moments, the fluidity of the gun at work is abundantly clear. This extends to Titan control as well, and considering that all of the boss battles are fought as BT-7274, the well-rounded nature of the gunplay is much appreciated.
5. The Level Design
Great gameplay is nothing without complementing, quality level design. Throughout its nine missions Titanfall 2 utilizes every facet of the Pilot’s maneuverability in designing the world around him. For a game that features near endless running and jumping, you would think that the set pieces would just be a series of upward climbs and platform jumps, but Titanfall 2 is varied in its approach to creating a reality for you to live inside for awhile. In multiple occasions, buildings come into place piece-by-piece, demonstrating the care and consideration given to each design choice. It’s breathtaking to watch this unfold, and for that, Titanfall 2 consistently keeps what lies ahead a delightful mystery.
