Reviews// Titanfall 2

This time round they've been made as means to unlock cosmetic items. They feel less like hurdles to jump over in order to progress and more of a way of rewarding players that enjoy this side of the game. I could ignore challenges altogether or chose to engage with them, and if I do I'll be rewarded with a new skid for my gun, titan or pilot.

And you won't be short of things to unlock. Leveling up is now longer exclusive to the pilot. Titans and Guns also have a levelling system and I was delighted when I saw that hitting level 20 with my weapon of choice meant that I could add a lifetime kill count indicator to it. An absolutely brilliant idea in a game full of brilliant ideas.

Along with the various tweaks to gameplay the new content is just as excellent. Bounty Hunt is simply incredible, with players fighting it out to take down AI-controlled titans and grunts to build up cash, and then rushing back with what they've earned to neutral zones.

The ebb and flow of these matches is thrilling. You'll go from avoiding combat with the opposition and focusing on earning money to trying to take over a base around a bank to make sure your team can cash in. And if any unfortunate enemy enters the room with a pocket full of change without backup then they'll barely see the bank before they're torn to pieces and re-spawn with half of what they've fought hard to earn.

The Colosseum is more focused on the hardcore, offering one-on-one duels in an empty map. There's a fee to get in, be it credits earned from the other modes or a paid ticket. You'll rarely dip into this but when you do you'll be greeted with a tense face-off that feels more like Quake Arena than the usual Titanfall and one that brings one of the more interesting mechanics of the single-player game into play.

Game modes you're used to haven't just been ported across into the new game, either. Hardpoint is now Amped Hardpoint, allowing you to capture each zone and add additional security by waiting a little longer on your base. This again allows for more tactical decisions as you'll question whether its worth rushing to an already claimed space rather than doubling down on the protection of the ones you already have.

And it continues throughout. Titanfall 2 is the least lazy sequel I've ever played. It still feels like the original but doesn't rest on what was so good about it. It looks to improve over everything it has already established and manages to hit the mark at every turn.

Expectation is a hard thing to manage, no doubt, but when a game comes out that not only meets those expectations but goes beyond everything you hoped and wanted it to be then you know that what you're playing is truly something special. The most stunning thing about it is that Titanfall does this with such confidence and swagger that it almost seems like a joke.

No frames are dropped, nothing feels cheap or forced. Titanfall 2 takes what the first game did and improves on it without feeling like it's even tried, which might seems a bit ignorant to say because when you really dip into what makes this game work it's clear that Respawn has put everything it has into it.

The result is a game that's essential. A game that will keep me playing for hundreds of hours and a game that makes me so excited that I just want to play more and more.

If you're torn between the three shooters involved in the Battle of Winter 2016 and can only afford one, then look no further than Titanfall 2, because I challenge anyone to play this without a smile on their face. It's a absolute homerun.

Pros:
+ Every addition over the debut is a successful one
+ A surprisingly excellent single play game
+ Rock solid online

Cons:
- Nope

SPOnG Score: 10/10