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Games : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
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Release Date: April 8th, 2014 Movie Release Year: 2014

Titanfall

Overview -

Ever since Respawn introduced 'Titanfall,' it's been clear that the mech/Titan laden online shooter was a big deal on the Xbox One and PC. What's remained clouded in mystery though, was the announced version for the 360. Surely, a game put forward as synonymous with the Xbox One couldn't be much to see on the 360. That is, unless it was really designed with the 360 in mind. Even as months of 'Titanfall' hype brought endless updates from Microsoft, EA, and Respawn, it wasn't until the last minute that the 360 version's developer, Bluepoint Games, was introduced. As the world began to play 'Titanfall' on the Xbox One and PC, the still under wraps 360 version was pushed back a few times but only in negligible two week intervals. Now that it's out, it's finally time to see 'Titanfall' on the 360, and to see what was being hidden for so long.

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
VIDEO
AUDIO
Tech Specs & Release Details
Video Resolution/Codec:
1040 x 600
Audio Formats:
Dolby Digital 5.1
Release Date:
April 8th, 2014

Video Review

Ranking:

Visually, 'Titanfall' is a triumph, but that’s not to say it’s technically flawless in execution. The game truly pushes the Xbox 360 hardware to its limits. The framerate is firmly around the 30fps and there is some inevitable, noticeable screen tearing that occurs. That said, I’ll gladly take it over huge dips in framerate during crucial moments in the game (for instance, ejecting from a critically damaged Titan). (The game has the option to cap the framerate or 30fps.)  There’s also a fair amount of texture pop-in, almost always relegated to the beginning of a match.  More often than not a scripted in-game cinematic might just feature NPCs and other players for a few seconds before the environment properly renders around them.  It’s initially jarring and to be frank, I never got fully used to it, but it’s an issue I can’t recall noticing during actual gameplay.

From a design standpoint, 'Titanfall' is a work of art, providing a view of the future that isn’t overly bright and shiny. The world has a lived-in feel and despite the future setting, the designs of the characters, weapons, and even Titan’s have a realistic feel. The layouts of the various maps also feel incredibly logical, lending to easy navigation and great use of the freerunning feature. The varying environments add to the sense of scale in the world, with flourishes such as the bones of colossal animals and the occasional flying beast overhead, adding to the immersive nature of the game.  It’s a nearly visually flawless game, only held back slightly by the hardware itself.

Audio Review

Ranking:

The sound aspect of a game for me, is always tricky to review when the gameplay is frantic and chaotic as it tends to be in 'Titanfall,' as the intricacies of the sound design often get lost when the focus is staying alive. That said, 'Titanfall' is a great sounding game. With a solid surround system, it’s an aural treat with great directional effects and good use of the subwoofer, especially when a Titan is nearby. Effects add to the realism of 'Titanfall’s future world and the game’s best sound design is easily attached to the Titan’s themselves, which are feature a full spectrum of clangs and clatters as the trudge forward into battle.

'Titanfall' isn’t going to kill the appeal that the most die-hard 'Call of Duty' players have for their series of choice; there are no clans and the focus of the game is heavily on teamwork as opposed to showing off individually.  That said, 'Titanfall' is indeed the “killer app” pre-release hype proclaimed it to be.  It’s a beautiful game world built on the back of a solid gameplay experience, proving that less is indeed more.  It serves as both a possible swansong to the Xbox 360 while being a beacon of promise for the Xbox One.