Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing Titanfall, Respawn entertainment’s breakout title and bid for revenge against Activision. This fast paced, mech filled shooter was met with mixed reviews. Many players agreed that it was a sound, fun and frenetic shooter, but it severely lacked content. It has been recently confirmed that Titanfall 2 is indeed in development, and will be coming to multiple consoles. This begs the question, “What will we see from the sequel to one of the most hyped titles of 2014?”. Here are a few of the thing’s we would like to see.
Single Player Campaign
Respawn reportedly left out single player in Titanfall, in an attempt to craft a perfect multiplayer experience. Another reason for this choice, was to keep a unified team working on Titanfall, rather than splitting efforts into two different camps. This was also done in the assumption that most core FPS’ feature single player campaigns that are mostly ignored.
While this makes sense from a development standpoint, it does not translate to the consumer experience. Titanfall seemed to feature an expansive world, with a somewhat deep backstory, yet this was not conveyed effectively. Meager audio clips that played before a match, were used in a weak attempt to convey story. Rather than wanting to know more, I wanted the characters to shut up so I could shoot something. I would love to play through an actual campaign, taking me to the different planets featured in Titanfall’s various maps. It would be interesting to play as a member of the rebellion against the greedy corporation, the IMC.
Customization
As the life cycle of Titanfall progressed, developers continued to listen to community feedback. One huge request from fans was the addition of ways in which to customize Titans. Nose art and small decals were added, but in the face of an already dwindling player base, this seemed too little too late.
A huge addition to Titanfall 2 would be the ability to customize our titans with not only decals, but by changing colors or applying themes. Marrying themes and color schemes to achievements could also be a cool way to tie the appearance of a Titan to the accomplishments and personal story of its pilot.
Pilot Customization
And speaking of pilot customization, Titanfall 2 needs it. Being able to outfit your pilot with meaningful upgrades that change the way you play, or that buff you on the battlefield, would definitely be interesting. This would also be an appropriate answer to Advanced Warfare’s upgradeable exo-suits. Aside from being able to build a badass pilot, this would effectively extend playtime as we grind for hours in an effort to earn that helmet or upgrade.
Community Events
Respawn listened closely to the needs of it’s community, but further engagement among its members could have helped them hold onto their player base even longer. The main narrative of Titanfall follows the struggle between the mega corporation IMC, and a rebel force. It would be fun to see players more heavily involved within each faction. With Titanfall already featuring maps that span various planets, it would be interesting to have “contested planets”, where at the end of each week, players can see which side dominated a specific map or planet.
Further Weapon Customization
The original Titanfall contained weapon upgrades, lending to somewhat unique character builds and loadouts. I would however, like to see a deeper amount of customization going forward, leading to more unique weapons rather than a linear upgrade system.
Whatever becomes of Titanfall 2, it will most likely continue the tradition of frenzied, faced paced gunplay. While speculation fills the air, this title will most likely not hit consoles until next year. It seems we will all have to stand by for Titanfall.