We had the opportunity to check out EA Play, an event taking place apart from E3. During our visit, we had the opportunity to get hands-on with Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2.
Titanfall 2 was a very refreshing reboot of the original game – which was an Xbox and PC exclusive. Dropping in for Titanfall felt great and the game ran perfectly on the Playstation 4, which displayed a crisp 60 frames a second and 1080p resolution, something I find you don’t see a lot in today’s industry.
Since Titanfall 2 wasn’t my first visit to the series, I picked it up fairly well, with a similar control and gameplay layout as the first title. Kill enemies, get your Titan, and use it to further wreck your enemies. Simple concept, and it still works. However, even with the addition of new weapons and abilities, Titanfall is the same formula. Despite this though, the gameplay felt faster, as the maps were designed to be smaller and more close-quarters. I had to be vigilant around every corner as there were times where I would be accepting fire from every direction.
That’s what I would say changed significantly with Titanfall 2. You are consistently on your toes, and there is action everywhere, from the moment you respawn. This could have been because of the map choice, but it kept me engaged with the experience and I wanted more because of it. The only complaint I had, was that it felt too much of the same game. If it wasn’t for the smaller map, I may have been less excited about the sequel. The one thing I can say though, is that if you enjoyed the original Titanfall game, you are going to want to pick up Titanfall 2 as it keeps the core gameplay while utilizing new features.
Battlefield 1 is what sent shivers down my spine. Playing in World War 1 with the familiar feel of rustic weapons felt natural, especially when you are walking across a battlefield filled with broken down structures and fallen debris. Everything is a factor in Battlefield 1, from your weapon choices to the weather conditions. Throughout the demo, the weather changed multiple times in the 20 minutes I played – from rain to fog, and it affected how I proceeded from objective to objective. In the fog, I chose to stay lower to the ground, with the sniper rifle that the Scout class uses, as I picked off tens of enemies. As soon as the weather changed to sunny though, I was revealed in the light of day and was forced to go mobile, utilizing a machine gun and entering buildings to find a better vantage point.
The Behemoth made an appearance during my game, which is a colossal blimp filled with tons of firepower. The blimp can really change the course of battle, which is exactly what happened during my time with the game. While my team was in the lead, the enemy team took control of the monstrous air vehicle and with it, rained hell by dropping bombs and placing heavy fire on our aircrafts. Before I knew it, the enemy team was winning and we had a problem on our hands with this blimp. While very hard to take down, we managed to make the thing go up in flames, with the blimp crashing down onto the scorched earth beneath it, wiping out two small towns on objectives. The whole thing felt so destructive and it left me craving more.
Battlefield 1 is scheduled to launch on October 21st, 2016 while Titanfall 2 is due to arrive on October 28th, 2016; both for the Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC.
