Indivisible

Lab Zero Games, creators of the awesome MVC2-style fighting game Skullgirls, are running an Indiegogo campaign for their next game idea: Indivisible.

Indivisible is a different direction for Lab Zero - instead of being another fighting game or something similar, Indivisible is an RPG with action stylings. More accurately: it meshes the RPG style combat and party management of Valkyrie Profile with exploration and ability-based progression from Super Metroid. The result is a RPG with a very active, responsive combat system and surprisingly fun and engaging exploration.

Indivisible has a playable prototype available for free (regardless of whether you have backed the project or not) that will run on Windows and Linux, with a Mac version coming soon. You can find the link to download it at the Indiegogo page, or use this link to access the download page directly.

If you have any interest in the game at all, or even just want something fun to play for a few hours, I highly recommend trying out the prototype. It has a much higher production quality than most alpha/beta materials you've seen elsewhere. Hell, I think its better than some finished games that I've played. It does an excellent job of conveying the gameplay you can expect from the final product, as well as demonstrating how impressive the art and animation is (even at this early stage).

Indivisible represents a very unique project: it is a crowdfunding effort that isn't trying to seduce you with stretch goal bloat or shiny rewards, and unlike a lot of crowdfunded video games they are being extremely transparent and honest about what it really costs for an independent studio to make a game. Their goal may seem ambitious (and in some ways, it is) but it is also a very realistic view of the real cost of bringing your ideas to life in video game form. And, unlike a lot of other crowdfunding efforts, Lab Zero has given us an extremely promising prototype to experience, along with a track record of being able to deliver on their promises.

If you're a fan of RPGs, Valkyrie Profile, Super Metroid, independent game creation, unique art and settings, or awesome action, I highly, highly encourage you to check out this project and consider throwing some money their way. Indivisible is one of the most refreshing, interesting, and exciting video games I have seen in a very, very long time, and it will be a goddamn crying shame if it never sees the light of day.

A Long Time Coming

This is a post about a game that took me way, way too damn long to complete.

Summer Video Game Round Up

Its been awhile since I've talked about anything video game related. Since that is half of the blog title, I figured it was time to check in and share what I've been playing over the summer, and what I'm looking forward to as the year rolls along.

Join me after the break for sweet, sweet vidja game talk.

Mortal Kombat X - Story and Gameplay

Although I had a lot to say the last time I posted about Mortal Kombat X, I actually left a couple of topics on the chopping block. Specifically: the quality of the story and general gameplay of MKX, how both represent significant strides forward in maturity (relatively speaking) and thoughtfulness on the part of NetherRealm Studios (NRS), and how that bodes well for the franchise as a whole.

As I can't quite get these ideas out of my head, another torrent of words and thoughts awaits after the break. Hopefully it won't be quite so long as last time, but I can't promise anything. Best get a snack to be on the safe side.

Mortal Kombat X - The Importance of Tone

Mortal Kombat X (read as "X", not "ten", even though this is the tenth game in the series) is the latest entry in the long running, (in)famously bloody fighting game franchise. Mortal Kombat (hereafter "MK") is a series that has been wildly inconsistent over the years (and that is a somewhat generous reading of some of those games). Although the last game - 2011's reboot of the franchise simply titled Mortal Kombat, but often referred to as MK9 to avoid confusion with the 1992 original - was very well regarded by series fans and well received in general, there was a very real concern that NetherRealm Studios (the modern development house for the series, hereafter "NRS") may not be able to follow it up successfully.

Those fears were allayed early on, as the preview gameplay footage of MKX showed a game that looked to be making positive strides forward in refining the MK fighting engine, while also adding new elements to the mix. The phrase "adding new elements" is often a cause for great concern with MK games - many times has the series added in new gameplay mechanics only to have them turn out to be shallow, clunky, or otherwise worthless - MKX's changes to the formula seemed to be coming from a more carefully considered design mentality. It also didn't hurt that two of the core ideas - the stamina meter and the variants system - are evolutions of earlier ideas; running from MK3 and (roughly) the fighting styles system used in Deception, Deadly Alliance, and Armageddon.

Skip ahead to April 2015, and now everyone has MKX in their grubby little mitts. The general critical consensus is markedly positive, fans seem to be enjoying it, and the competitive community is starting to really dig into it. By all measures it looks like NRS has done it again, producing a game that is just as good (in some ways, better) than it's previous offering. A significant feat considering the series checkered past; a particularly remarkable feat considering that the previous game was actually pretty damn good.

For what it's worth, I wholeheartedly add my endorsement to the pile. Mortal Kombat X is the best game in the series by a fair margin and, just as importantly, it compares favorably to other current, prominent fighting games. It's a lot of fun to play, it looks fantastic (especially considering how janky and bad the series has looked in the past), and it has a ton of single player content (along with passable-but-still-improving multiplayer). If you're on the fence about MKX and you're at all a fan of the franchise, fighting games, or quality games in general, I heavily encourage you to check it out.

What I find most interesting about MKX is what it represents. Independent of it's success or acceptance (though it seems to be getting a healthy amount of both), MKX embodies several significant changes for the franchise that are remarkable and interesting, particularly in light of the current video game industry. In many ways, MKX represents the right way to take an old franchise and reinvigorate it; something many developers are eager (and sometimes struggling) to do with properties that have fallen from public perception.

I could write a lot of words about MKX - and I might, because this game does a shocking number of things right - but for now I want to focus on one of the major factors that makes MKX work so damn well: it's ability to (finally) establish an effective, consistent tone for the Mortal Kombat universe. Join me after the break for musings on how the series has struggled with tone over the years, how MKX gets it right, and why that is so important.

Winter 2014 - Spring 2015 Gaming Round Up

Most of my gaming energy has gone into tabletop games over the past few months - especially with all the Convergence and Wrath of Kings models I've had to put together. I've been taking breaks here and there to play some sweet (and at least one less-sweet) videogames, and I wanted to swing back and give some quick reviews.

Join me after the break for some possible game recommendations. And one entry that will probably be a lot of "damning with faint praise".

Infil's "A Killer Instinct Guide for SFIV Players"

I've been talking a lot about fighting games recently, including my own thoughts about Killer Instinct and it's future. One of the big issues I mentioned in that post is the need for more community resources, more outreach, and more knowledge sharing.

Ask, and ye shall receive. One of the most active members of the KI forums has recently posted up a website that does an absolutely fantastic job of explaining Killer Instinct in a way that is relatable to anyone familiar with Street Fighter IV (which by my count is....almost everyone currently following fighting games.)

But even if you're not familiar with SFIV, don't let that necessarily scare you away. Infil does a great job of explaining the ins and outs of KI in relatively plain terms, with helpful rollover callouts for specific jargon.

It's a great resource for anyone who is interested in KI to learn more about it (and a lot of the concepts are general enough to apply across many different fighting games,) so be sure to check it out:

http://ki.infil.net/

The Problem With Killer Instinct

What follows is a look at the current state of Killer Instinct (2013), some factors related to it's possible long term success or failure, and a cautionary note about loving something so much you slowly smother it to death.

Street Fighter V

Capcom dropped some interesting fighting game news at Sony's recent "Playstation Experience" event.

Capcom's first announcement was something players had suspected for awhile - based on the upcoming PS3/PS4 compatible Ultra Street Fighter 4 fightstick - Ultra Street Fighter 4 will receive a port to the Playstation 4. This is a neat announcement, especially since this release will come with all of the costume packs that have been included so far (and it should be dropping in time for Omega Mode to show up on the system, which will make it more appealing to a new audience).

Capcom's other big announcement was quite a bombshell: Street Fighter 5 is coming, and it will be console exclusive to the Playstation 4 (with a parallel PC release). It was doubly effective because it ended up being a leak - the YouTube release of the teaser trailer for SF5 ended up going live early, so the news broke earlier than expected and with no accompanying announcement or presentation from Capcom.

Image Source

This leak was a big bonus for the players, however, as Capcom decided to release an actual (early build) gameplay trailer in the slot they had originally planned for the teaser trailer. That gameplay trailer (which was eventually released in glorious 1080p/60fps) dropped some very interesting and exciting hints as to what players can expect from SF5.

Join me after the break for a discussion of what these reveals mean for Street Fighter - the series and the 5th installment in particular - and what it may mean for the fighting game community (FGC) as a whole).

Pocket Rumble

After the initial flurry of Kickstarter madness passed, I've been very leery of investing in any more. A big part of that was my choice of projects to back - miniature wargames are finicky products to get off the ground, taste is very subjective, and its hard to always communicate intentions.

An area that I feel much more comfortable investing in (even though I haven't done it much) is in contributing to video game projects that catch my eye. I always had a nerd dream of developing video games, so I want to support those who have the gumption and drive to do so, but may be lacking the capital.

Some amazing games have come out of Kickstarter in the past year, and that trend doesn't look like it's letting up any time soon. One such game is nearing the end of it's funding, and although I usually don't feel the desire to schill for these things I wanted to put the shout out for this one:

Pocket Rumble by Cardboard Robot Games

This game is looking pretty slick, and the idea is great: a new game in the vein of the "blink and you missed it" excellent Neo Geo Pocket Color fighting games. The developers have some excellent ideas for how to create a portable fighting game that maintains the feel of playing a mechanically sound game, while also abstracting out what is necessary to allow it to play well with the often more limited controls on portable systems.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they're going to hit any of their stretch goals so there won't be any 3DS or Vita ports for it promised right out of the gate, but I have a feeling that (considering it's kind of the ideal market for it) these guys will push for either or both of those platforms as soon as they can. 

So if you dig fighting games, portable games, or somehow shockingly both (the Venn diagram on that one is pretty narrow) check it out. This looks like a game to keep an eye on.

EDIT: And it's funded! Sadly they didn't get much beyond the base funding level, but at least they'll have enough to get the project off the ground. Hopefully future fundraising/PayPal donations/etc can give them some more capital to work with. The team has mentioned that they really want to get Story Mode implemented (and that goal wasn't far off,) and they've listened to backer feedback about various features (such as a 3DS port getting higher priority.)

We'll see how this project turns out. Hopefully by this time next year we'll all have a rumble in our pockets.

Er...

Yeah.

Why I Love: Etrian Odyssey

As is the case every year, my wife and I made the trek down south to spend a week or so with her family for Thanksgiving. Also as is the case every year, I brought along a game or two to keep me occupied. This time of year usually syncs up perfectly with the release of an interesting portable game, and this year was no different: Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth was set to release that week and with it being a mash up of two of my favorite games - modern Persona and Etrian Odyssey - I figured it'd be a great way to fill any down time.

In anticipation of this new game, I decided to fire up the latest Etrian Odyssey (Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan) to get back into the swing of the formula. I greatly enjoyed playing through it when it originally released and I thought it would be fun to take another crack at it with a different party.

Turns out, it was so much fun that I just played EO4 the whole vacation! I was really surprised at how much the game gripped me, especially since I've played through it once before (clearing everything short of the post-game dungeon.)

Having rediscovered my love of Etrian Odyssey, I wanted to take a look at what makes the series so appealing and endearing to me. Join me after the break for those musings.

Fall Gaming Round Up

As I discussed before, this fall has been absolutely lousy with quality game releases. Now that we're getting near the end of that release season, I wanted to give my impressions of the games I played.

Join me after the break for some game recommendations.

Destiny: Updated Impressions

Before I sat down to write my original post about Destiny, I wanted to make sure I gave the game some time to breathe; really let my thoughts settle. Any MMO style game takes some time to really get a feel for. I didn't want to kick out a bunch of first impressions that would be rendered invalid a short time later.

Well, it turns out I should have waited a little longer before typing anything up. After spending quite a bit of time playing the game this weekend - and having progressed up to level 25 overall - my feelings towards the game aren't quite so positive.

I still like the game. And there are a few things being patched soon - lower Strike boss health, engrams will no longer decrypt to lower rarity values - that will only make the game better. But there are a few things about the game that are starting to become issues, and I wanted to share those concerns to paint a full picture of Destiny and where it may be headed.

Destiny

Earlier this month, Bungie's epic gaming project Destiny dropped on current and last-gen consoles. The hype surrounding the game prior to release was high, but as seems to be the case with many hyped up releases, reviews have been mixed.

Reviewers struggled to answer the hard questions: Is it possible that Destiny is somehow less great than sliced bread? Can this bread deficiency be addressed in future content and patches? Does Bungie have their bread equalization plan in place, or are they unprepared to handle this yeasty debacle?

While I am not prepared to discuss how wonderful Destiny is relative to everyone's favorite means of sandwich construction, after a couple of weeks battling moon wizards I do feel comfortable discussing my thoughts on the game.

The End of The Summer Release Drought

Every year, without fail, there is a massive hole in the release list for video games around the summer months. This used to drive me crazy when I was younger; why wouldn't companies release games during the time when kids wanted them the most!?

Now that I'm older, I understand the phenomenon more clearly. And a different phenomenon has become apparent (which is much more damaging to my wallet.) Also, for the record, all of this pertains to dedicated video game consoles. PC is a platform I'm much less familiar with, and so I can't say for sure if these patterns hold up.

Quick Hits and LTTP: Bastion

Bastion is a game that most people played when it came out waaaaaay back in July 2011. The game was pretty much universally praised for a variety of reasons: vibrant art style, excellent soundtrack, solid gameplay, and interesting narrator implementation.

For whatever reason, I didn't get around to playing Bastion until a week or so ago. And, just to add one more lump of praises onto the pile: this game is exactly as good as everyone says it is. Which is saying a lot considering how glowing a lot of the praise is.

Part of the reason I never picked the game up was because I thought it would be too simple or easy. I have attention span issues with games, and one of the best ways a game can keep me hooked it to have a compelling difficulty curve; if I feel challenged, I'll keep coming back. Most "action RPG" style games don't do a great job of maintaining that difficulty curve; once the novelty of the systems and setting wear off, the game usually becomes kind of rote.

Bastion circumvents this problem very cleverly by allowing the player to custom tune their difficulty. There are in-game settings (which are much more integrated and "fluffy" than I'm making it sound) that one can toggle to up the game's difficulty in different ways. For every toggle enabled, you get more EXP and "money" (I think in this game it's shards,) but more importantly you can set the difficulty of the game almost exactly where you want it.

So right about when I found myself at the point where I'd have gotten over the initial shock and awe phase of playing a new game, I was able to re-tune the difficulty, and pull myself right back in. Since I can change those setting almost on the fly, I can make sure the difficulty doesn't get too frustrating (so I won't rage quit or stall out,) or too easy. Combine that with a relatively short length (estimates put completing the main game at around 6.5 hours, which is appropriate for a game like this,) and Bastion will probably make it onto the increasingly short list of games I've actually played and completed.

Now that I'm playing the game, I also need to add my own gushing for the art, narrator, and the music. Other people have said plenty about these facets of the game, and I'm sure they're better equipped than I am to describe why they work so well. I'll just add that games usually don't impress me with visuals, narration, or music, and Bastion has absolutely wowed me with all three.

The soundtrack in particular is stunning. It's so fresh, interesting, and listenable, all while capturing the feel of the game and setting. I've had it downloaded since shortly after starting the game, and I can't stop listening to it. Video game soundtracks rarely have this much personality and quality (but I blame that more on the AAA nature of the current industry than any failings on music folks.)

So, if you haven't played Bastion yet, do it. It's one of the most remarkable games released in the past generation, and you can get it on just about anything. The only thing I don't like about Bastion is that it reminds me that Transistor is PS4/PC only (at least for now) and I only own an Xbone.

Also: pick up a copy of the soundtrack. Even if you don't play the game. If "Setting Sail, Coming Home" doesn't do at least a little something to/for you, get your ass to a doctor ASAP. Something is broken inside you.

E3 2014

E3 2014 is done, and as is the case every year it's left us all with a lot to digest. This year was an interesting one: Sony and Microsoft are battling against one another to win gamers over to their newest console while Nintendo struggles to find it's footing in the wake of Wii U's serious under performance.

Thoughts on each company's showing, as well as stand out games, after the break.

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma and Killer Instinct Season One Finale

Hey, remember those fighting games? The other half of the title? I forgot I play those sometimes too; Dark Souls 2 has been devouring my video gaming time, and Warmachine continues to permeate my thoughts. But I do still fire up the fight stick now and again, and I'm hoping to up the frequency a little more as I near the end of Dark Souls 2 (its going to be very difficult to not dive right in to NG+.)

Dying Again: Dark Souls 2 Impressions

My history with the Souls series (I don't love that name, but there isn't really a better way to refer to the series) is a bit of an odd one.

My experience is that most players try out Demon's Souls and either immediately fall in love with the series forever (though no one knew it was going to be a series at that point,) or it becomes very obvious that the series isn't for them and they stay away.

I had a negative impression of Demon's Souls when I played it, and for the life of me I can't really figure out why. I think a big part of it was how deliberate the game is (a trait that has persisted throughout the series.) I don't think I was prepared for that facet of the game; most of my experience with 3rd person action games was stuff like Devil May Cry which has a very different approach to how action is handled.

Another facet I wasn't prepared for was how much the game expects you to work at it. Success comes less from raw skill and more from repetition and preparation. You may make it through some situations on your first try, but most of the gameplay in the Souls series comes from the player's ability to observe, deduce, and infer the right solution to a problem. Your character is (purposefully) too clumsy to style your way past peril and even the weakest enemies do enough damage that you can't really strong arm your way through the game either.

The final point that probably turned me off to Demon's Souls is one that I can't mince words about: this series is willfully, almost cruelly obtuse. While other games will bury you under tutorials, contextual help, and long winded explanations, the Souls series expects you to either figure things out on your own via trial and error, or go to Google and find the answers you're looking for. Items don't always have obvious uses or benefits, stats may not have obvious effects on how your character performs, and bigger numbers are not always better. It's the anti-JRPG.

All of those factors combined to make Demon's Souls a game that I wanted to like, but couldn't really get into. I had some friends that played all the way through it and loved it, but I quit trying pretty early on.

That experience always stuck with me, because Demon's Souls felt like a game I should like. I like games that challenge me; that shake up expectations; that require my attention. With the rise of the Let's Play phenomenon, I was able to track down a very entertaining and educational video LP of the game that dramatically changed my opinion of it. As I was watching that LP I realized that I had been trying to play Demon's Souls the wrong way (i.e. the way 90% of other, similar games work,) and instead of adapting and learning, I kept trying to get the game to conform to how I wanted it to play (with inevitably unsuccessful results.)

I always had a hankering to go back and try Demon's Souls again, but From Software provided an alternative: a "sequel" (mechanically the same, but no story ties to the previous game,) Dark Souls. I decided that I'd try my hand at that game, armed with the knowledge I'd gleaned from Demon's Souls. I was going to take my time with this game and learn how to play it, I'd consult outside sources as necessary to avoid undue frustration, and I'd try to appreciate the structure of the game before passing any lasting judgment.

Dark Souls was one of the absolute best games I played that year, and it's one of the most impressive, well crafted games I've ever played.

That's not to say it's flawless. The "multiplayer" components are ambitious, but not very well implemented. Weapons and stats aren't very well balanced. Pyromancy was, at least when I played through the game, very good and accessible to every player for little cost. The engine has hiccup-y moments, and the game becomes nearly unplayable in Blighttown due to framerate issues.

But all of that pales in comparison to the things Dark Souls does right. The atmosphere is fantastic throughout, even though the game takes you through several different locales. The world is amazingly well constructed; although you have to find you way on foot for much of the game and there is no mini-map, I never felt lost. The creatures you encounter are very well designed; everything from the smallest critter to the biggest boss leaves an impression. The game has an interesting story that you can find if you dig a little, but the game doesn't browbeat you with it nor require that you even know the story. The challenges are fierce but fair; perseverance and a good memory will get you further than twitch reflexes (funny for me to say.)

Dark Souls received a lot of praise following it's release, and in my opinion it deserves every bit. It's not a game for everyone, but if it is the kind of game for you it's an amazing gaming experience. From Software recognized the impact it's sleeper hit had on the gaming landscape, and put a sequel into production.

So, now we have Dark Souls II, a more direct sequel than Dark Souls was to Demon's Souls, though once again not a literal sequel (this game takes place in a similar world, but a different area with different characters.) Having spent a fair bit of time with the game since it's release (probably around 20 hours, and roughly a quarter to a third of the way thorough the game in terms of progression,) I think another title would have been more accurate:

Demon's Souls II: Dark Souls

Dark Souls II is a mix of concepts from Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. The world structure is closer to Demon's Souls - a series of sub-areas that comprise a "level" - while being realized within the more open world structure of Dark Souls (though the world isn't as literally open and traverse-able as it was in Dark Souls.) The mechanics are a mix of the sensibilities between the two games: this game has the harsher death penalty of Demon's Souls but it's tempered - Human Effigies aren't super common, but you can afford to use them judiciously, the maximum health drop is gradual instead of straight chop to 50% (making each individual death sting a little less,) and you can still wear a ring to partially offset the death health penalty (made easier to tolerate by there being 4 rings slots in this game instead of 2 in previous games.)

There's also a lot of polish that went into this game. The various stats seem to be much more carefully considered in this game (it's much harder to just focus on one or two stats for maximum gains like you could in the previous games,) the weapons feel a little better balanced (though I never play the game long enough for that to really matter,) and they seem to have a hit a nice balance between Miracles, Sorceries, and Pyromancy (Pyromancy is still easy to access, but it seems to do less damage outright and has no scaling, while the other schools of magic have better long term payout.)

Multiplayer is supposedly much better this time around, which is great for everyone that is into that facet of this series. I don't really love the idea of invasions or invading other players, though I do like the way you can help out other players (something I really need to do more of,) and I do appreciate the few Covenants that enlist you in protecting certain areas against other players. The connections definitely seem better than they were in Dark Souls and I've been connected to players much more often than I ever did in that game, so it does seem like the multiplayer infrastructure is improved this time around.

Dark Souls II is a very interesting sequel because unlike a lot of other sequels I don't feel like this game in any way invalidates the previous game. Dark Souls works so well for reasons that are well outside of it's mechanical components, so even though Dark Souls II is a big improvement in a lot of ways I definitely think Dark Souls is still worth experiencing. If someone was interested in the Souls series, Dark Souls would be the place I'd tell them to start, and look forward to Dark Souls II once they get finished with it.

Overall, I'm enjoying Dark Souls II a lot. It's not anything groundbreaking, but it's a very solid refinement of the mechanics as established in the Souls series, and I think it's probably the most mechanically sound and accessible of the three (which is still very relative to other games.) For better or worse, it feels like a sequel: the environments don't have quite as much of an impact as they did in Dark Souls, the enemy designs aren't that impressive, and the bosses (while challenging and fun to fight) haven't been really remarkable yet.

Part of that may also be that I'm still relatively early in the game, so we'll see how I feel about it after I've completed the game. I'm sure I'll be adding quite a few more ticks to the worldwide death counter before I get there.

For anyone on the fence about Dark Souls II after playing (and presumably enjoying Dark Souls), I can easily recommend it. It's a different game, but not at all in a bad way, and the differences are refreshing enough to make this game feel like a different experience (which is pretty remarkable considering how much it's cribbing from it's predecessor.)

For anyone who has had an interest in the Souls series but has always been nervous about it: jump in an try it out! Dark Souls is a fantastic game that you can get on PS3, Xbox 360, or PC, and it's been around long enough that you can probably pick it up on the cheap. Don't let the hype about the series being impossibly hard scare you away: this series is almost always difficult, but it's also almost always fair. If you respect what the game tries to teach you, you'll do remarkably well, and there are a ton of guides/wikis out there that you can use to supplement your adventure and/or help you if you get stuck. The Souls series is a remarkable experience, there's no better way to experience that than diving in for yourself, and it's a great time to do so.

If you do decide to take the plunge, I hope you enjoy yourself. It's a series that is remarkably similar to Warmachine (to tie this back to my main writing topic): every loss is a lesson, every challenge is a test of your accumulated knowledge, and though the road may be long and arduous, the final feeling of success and accomplishment is totally worth it.

Good luck, and Praise the Sun!

Titanfall: Day One Impressions and General Thoughts

After a year plus of waiting and a fun demo experience, the full retail release of Titanfall is finally upon us. Having experienced a decent vertical slice of the game, how does the final version stack up against my beta-heightened expectations?

Short version: Its still very good. Very, very good.

Longer version: Most of my impressions from the beta still hold true. The game is a fast, fluid experience that makes the player feel dynamic and powerful; all things that one would want when indulging in escapism gaming. The graphics look great to me, though I'm definitely not picky in that regard, and the developers have said they're looking into increasing resolution post-release which will be nice if it happens.

Some things are different than what I experienced in beta, and pretty much all of those differences are improvements:

The Titans feel better balanced. I can't tell if it's because we finally have the full suite of chassis to play with or if the Atlas was just oddly tuned in the beta, but the Titans feel like they hit a good spot between vulnerability and toughness. In the beta, Titans felt like they took a ton of punishment to take down; anything short of another Titan wasn't much of a threat and even then it took some serious fighting for one to put the other down. That put Titans at a premium, and a team that was able to keep their Titans in fighting shape (either by getting them all at once, or playing cagey) was able to set up a slow roll of the enemy team that was hard to escape.

Under the current tuning, Titans do very respectable damage to one another with their weapons (so Titan v. Titan fights feel faster and more dangerous,) and the anti-Titan weapons carried by the Pilots feel like they do a lot more than just irritate the Titans (which felt like the case in beta.) It feels like the rodeo maneuver has been changed to compensate for this damage hike a bit: during the beta the rodeo maneuver was (at least in my experience) the fastest and easiest way to take down a Titan. This was very fun, but also felt kind of odd because jumping on the back of a Titan and shooting it to death should be more of a "last resort" tactic than "Plan A (and B)." I can't say for sure, but it feels like the damage you do to a Titan via rodeo shooting has been dialed back a decent bit; it's a good way to soften up a Titan for others to kill or finish off a wounded on, but you're not nearly as likely to take a Titan from fresh to dying with a single, quick rodeo.

I haven't played long enough to unlock full customization options, but out of the few pre-set configurations I've played with the options all seem compelling. The weapons all have enough kick to feel like they're dangerous, and they each have their own niche that makes them compelling (rifles are better at mid-long range, shotguns for close fighting, etc.) Even the Titan weapons have interesting balances between them, though I need to try out the different chassis more to see which one I like the most. I made a beeline for the Ogre as soon as I could because I value durability and punch (literal in this case) most times, but I want to try more games with the Atlas and the Stryder to see how each of them handle.

I also haven't had a chance to try out Campaign mode yet, though since that's just a slightly different take on normal multiplayer I'm not chomping at the bit to play it right away. I'll definitely go through it at some point (probably more than once, since there are delicious cheevos to tempt you back in,) but it's more of a concession to not having a proper story mode than a full alternate way to play the game, as I understand it. Which is just fine, because I'm having a damn good time playing regular 'ol multiplayer (Attrition for now, though I'll try all the modes eventually.)

Titanfall is kind of funny to me because one thing I've read in a number of reviews is that it isn't that big of a departure from the FPS we've been getting for years, although it is a really well done take on it. I partly agree with that - it's still a military shooter and those all share visual and mechanical DNA - but I mostly feel the exact opposite. Titanfall feels extremely fresh, even if it isn't breaking a lot of new ground in some ways.

It's the combination of a lot of little things: the freeform movement, the Titans themselves, the NPC enemies, the (at first experience) well designed levels, the pace of the game, the way it allows you to feel awesome even if your team is losing badly, the extraction phase adding that extra little moment of spite/triumph. All those things combine to make Titanfall a game that feels like a definitive step forward for the "arcade style FPS" genre.

Titanfall represents an evolution of something that started back with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The devs behind that game stepped up the multiplayer in ways that changed the FPS landscape forever, and vaulted competitive FPS play back into the gaming public's eye. Mechanically, Modern Warfare isn't altogether remarkable (though it does play very well,) but the underlying ideas and the pace of combat gave players an experience that most hadn't had before.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was an iteration of the ideas put forth in Modern Warfare. The game was faster, crazier, explodier. Player choice was off the charts, the maps were extremely interesting and (mostly) effective, and matches continued to be fast and furious while also having tons of other crazy things going on (so many killstreaks, coming from the sky, to kill you forever.) It was a broken, frustrating mess sometimes, but the developers were clearly trying to push the game as far as they could, and the results were always spectacular even when things went awry.

I think that those developers (who would later go on to form Respawn Entertainment, the development company behind Titanfall) realized something we've all been experiencing for the past 5 years or so: there's only so far you can push the "modern/semi-modern military shooter." At some point you have to: scale back your ambition (Call of Duty with it's continued iterations with very minor changes year by year,) scale up and take the associated risks (Battlefield with it's in game imbalances and recent server woes,) or move onto a new sandbox and do something familiar but different (Titanfall.)

Titanfall does feel like a military shooter, which makes perfect sense as it's brought to us by the people responsible for the template most modern military shooters adhere to. But in just as many ways as Modern Warfare was, Titanfall represents a big step forward for the FPS genre as a whole: it gives players an experience as fast and crisp as the best Modern Warfare games in a more dynamic, open environment that lets players feel much more empowered and connected to the action (a la Halo or Unreal Tournament at their best.) It may not be absolutely revolutionary, but I'll be surprised if it doesn't have a big impact. I know I can't imagine going back and playing something like Call of Duty or Battlefield after Titanfall.

All of these impressions are day one, so who knows what will change. Modern Warfare 2 was a fantastic game, but it was also fantastic mess that drove me more than a little crazy with its many bugs and exploits. Titanfall feels like it's wound tighter than that game was, but it's impossible to say for sure. I'm hoping that if/when such issues are discovered the devs handle them quickly and efficiently; the worst part about Modern Warfare 2's issues was that they could have been relatively easily fixed via patches, but those patches came very infrequently.

Regardless of how things may turn out, I'm very excited to play more Titanfall and see how it holds up long term. It's one of the very rare games that has met or exceeded my expectations once it finally showed up, and I'm looking forward to enjoying that for as long as I can.