Like many Titanfall enjoyers, I look at the gleaming success of battle royale spinoff Apex Legends with both a smidge of pride and a gutful of sadness that I haven’t had any wall-running, mech-dropping FPS adventures since. Indeed, an unannounced single-player Titanfall game was quietly shelved last year, and if there’s any burning sense of unfinished business among series devs Respawn Entertainment, it wasn’t evident during my recent visit to try out Apex Legends’ Season 20 update.
Even so, it turns out some still carry the fire, at least as source of inspiration for Apex lore and mechanics. I asked Respawn’s narrative lead Ashley Reed whether Titanfall was keeping in anyone’s minds, and was told that if anything, the references need reining in.
]]>A lot of stuff happened over the past couple of weeks, so in this week's Electronic Wireless Show podcast we briefly round up some of the Unity nonsense, and some of the more interesting and/or funny bits of the Microsoft leak that happened at the start of the week. But what we really want to talk about is intellectual property rights! Bill Willingham, the man who came up with Fables (the IP that brought you The Wolf Among Us) declared via. blog post that he's making Fables a public domain property. What does that mean? Can we all just make Fables video games now? And what can we do with Sherlock holmes?
Plus: James broke the Lenovo Legion Go, I've been playing lots of games that aren't Starfield, and James recommends more music!
]]>Could Titanfall 3 finally be on the way? It’s a hope that fans of Respawn’s beloved shooter have been holding onto for the best part of a decade now, but recent evidence in the form of quiet updates to Titanfall 2 and a cryptic teaser for its spiritual successor Apex Legends has given them renewed hope that something new might be on the way.
]]>Fans have been clamouring for a sequel to Titanfall 2 since its release in 2016, but it looks like we might need to put those hopes on hold for a little longer. According to a report from Bloomberg, EA have cancelled an unannounced project codenamed Titanfall Legends, a single-player mash-up between Titanfall and Apex Legends - Respawn’s battle royale, set in the same universe. Around 50 devs were working on the game before its cancellation earlier this week. EA are reportedly trying to find other positions for the devs, but those that aren't rehired are being laid off with severance.
]]>An impressive video showing Titanfall 2-esque movement and mechs inside Team Fortress 2 makes me mighty excited for the future of mods in Valve's multiplayer shooter. Valve are currently testing new expanded modding features in TF2, letting modders play with the VScript feature supported by games including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Left 4 Dead 2. While it's not yet clear what will happen, a proof-of-concept video mashing in wallrunning, swish grappling hooks, and pilotable mechs suggests great potential. Come watch!
]]>This week's episode of the Ultimate Audio Bang podcast kicks off with some chat about ice creams, which Imogen then sprinkles with some news shavings. We talk Apex Legends cross-progression, Titanfall hacking drama, and nice buffs. Also, Back 4 Blood is a bit good isn't it? PUBG has naked zombies, Splitgate is doing very well, and one Valorant Agent's feeling a bit stuck.
]]>Last month, hackers took over Apex Legends for a brief period of time to supposedly encourage the developers at Respawn Entertainment to "save" Titanfall. Both Titanfall games, over the last few months especially, have suffered hacks and DDOS attacks leaving them in a bit of a state. At first glance, it would seem the folks participating in the Apex hack were the good guys who only turned to hacking to trying to raise awareness of their troubles. Nope. It turns out the very same group behind the Apex attack are allegedly the cause of Titanfall's issues too, and it's apparently all part of a messy plot to revive the cancelled spin-off, Titanfall Online.
]]>FPS games are a classic PC gaming staple, and whether you've been playing them since the 90s or started your journey more recently with the boom in battle royales, there are plenty to choose from when it comes to the all-time greats. To help you narrow down what to play next, we've created this list of the best FPS games to play right now, from single-player epics to team-based shooters you can play with mates. Heck, some don't even necessarily have guns in them at all, and you may find the odd boomerang or bow in here too.
]]>I wrote last weekend that Titanfall 2 was enjoying a substantial resurgence in popularity on Steam thanks to its links with the imminent launch of Apex Legends season nine. Now the player numbers are even higher because it's free this weekend on Steam.
]]>Apex Legends' next character is called Valkyrie, and she's the daughter of a Titan pilot you fight in Titanfall 2. She'll be added to the game as part of season 9, which is called the Legacy update.
So it's fitting - and presumably planned - that a lot of folks seem to be playing Titanfall 2 all of a sudden.
]]>They've only gone and put Titanfall 2 on Steam, readers. BT-7274 (and whatever the boring human bloke's name was) have jettisoned from their exclusive spot on Origin, crashing into Valve's house like, well, a hulking great metal man. At a third of the price for the next three weeks, you've no excuse for not checking out one of the finest first-person shooters of the last ten years.
]]>Online multiplayer games aren't usually designed to tell stories. For the most part, they're built around their competitive nature, with titbits of lore to help establish a unique world for players to get invested in. However, the line between these online games and more story driven experiences is starting to blur, as games like Apex Legends begin to throw more narrative into the mix. Storytelling in a battle royale seems like a pretty tough balancing act, so I reached out to Respawn to find out about the challenges, and how it all fits into the future of Apex.
]]>Where are you hiding the mechs, Respawn? Sure, Apex Legends is phenomenal stuff. And Jedi: Fallen Order? Well, it's Star Wars, what else do you want? Mechs, dear reader, that's what I want. But in an interview today, Respawn founder Vince Zampella explained that there are no plans for a Titanfall 2 successor anytime soon - though this summer may not be entirely without another glimpse at something new from the developers.
]]>Oh, to see the sky like Mokeysniper. He's a YouTuber I've mentioned before, whose claim to fame is being really really good at grapple hooks. I'm reminding you about him because a few days ago he uploaded a ten-minute compilation of fabulous swinging in Apex Legends and Titanfall 2, complete with sublime transitions between the two. It's his goodbye to 2019.
]]>Vince Zampella, the head of Titanfall and Apex Legends studio Respawn Entertainment, is taking over Dice LA to launch the studio's very own game for the first time.
"But Dice have released loads of games!" I hear you cry, and yes they have, but those releases have mostly come from the main studio, Dice Stockholm, while the LA developers have acted as more of a support studio, and haven't actually released a game by themselves since the studio was taken over by EA.
]]>And with that we are another year closer to the eagerly anticipated cooling of all matter. You may have read that the concept of weeks, months and years is the culmination of humanity’s collective understanding of a complicated astronomical pattern. It's an interesting take. However, the correct hypothesis was posited by your stoner housemate Jed from university. “Time is, like, a construct,” he said, with the deep wisdom and clarity only three tins of San Miguel can deliver. “The Chinese have a totally different calendar, y’know. Do you want to order takeaway?”
So let’s chronicle games about time, specifically those that prove the passing of years is nothing but a directionless tumble through the jelly-like substance of spacetime. Here are 9 games about time travel. But which of them would you undo?
]]>The last ten years have brought us many joys. We've already celebrated the best games of the past decade, but with such scattergun nomination comes neglect. Only three of the fifty games we picked had grappling hooks, so clearly the entire endeavour was pointless and you will need an alternative resource.
Here's my definitive guide to the swinging tenties. I haven't mentioned Worms, because they get everywhere and I don't want to spend my whole day talking about helminths.
]]>Mech love, not war. That is the lesson we must learn from the futuristic prophecies of the MechWarrior games. Yes, it is very noble to slam your big steel shoes upon a separatist’s bedroom, and to laser him in the head. But would it not bring greater valour, greater unity, greater enlightenment, if those same 65-ton brogues were used … to dance!
No. Here is a list of the 9 stompiest mechs in PC games. The heaviest, most murderous machines we know and trust with our frail human bods. But are they are all good at squashing?
]]>Speedrunning charity marathon Summer Games Done Quick is barrelling towards us at top speed, and it’ll be here in just a few hours. Raising money for Doctors Without Borders, players will be rushing through more than a hundred games for a non-stop week. If you’ve never seen a speedrun before, imagine how fast you could get through your favourite game. Now throw that idea away, because these people get weirder and glitchier than you could anticipate.
]]>Time to pencil in another week of sick days and sleepless nights, as the competitors and games for this year's Summer Games Done Quick have been announced, broadcasting from Bloomington, Minneapolis. The charity speedrunning marathon kicks off on 5pm BST on June 23rd, demolishing games at record pace around the clock until June 30th. As with their other summer events, they'll be raising fat sacks of money for Médecins Sans Frontières. While there's still time for last-minute changes, the show schedule is here, automatically adjusted to your local timezone.
]]>If Overwatch slash fiction existed [it obviously does - ed.], and there were posited romances between Junkrat and Roadhog [there are so many - ed.], then their lovechild [I believe that would be "mpreg" - ed.] would be Apex Legends’ newest character, Octane.
Masked, shrieking, obsessed with goo and stimulants, and sprinting on two metal legs after an explosion stole his flesh ones, Octane looks like he’s burnt out on Burning Man and acts like a drug-obsessed Roadrunner. He’s quick — much quicker than most of the other characters in Respawn’s first-person Battle Royale — thanks to a suite of syringes that he can jam into his chest in order to get a six second speed boost.
]]>I’m not sure anyone at Respawn has properly busted their ass on the curb. It hurts. The last time I cracked my rear off the concrete in a moment of skating hubris, I was limping for days. Fortunately for the fifty million folks flying around in Apex Legends, a billowing cushion of air has turned what should be an embarrassing accident into the most compelling movement skill in years. There are, uh, a few battle royale games. And each one has had to find its identity to stand out. PUBG has its impossibly large open fields and tense sniper standoffs. Fortnite requires you be a Minecraft building savant to change the level around you during battle. In Apex Legends, though? It’s all about that need for speed.
]]>Battle royale spin-off Apex Legends seems to be doing well, but it's good to know that there's more proper Titanfall still on the way. Titanfall 3 may officially not be on the cards, but according to this tweet from Respawn CEO Vince Zampella, there is something bearing the series name "for later in the year". Of course, this isn't confirmation of much beyond the continuation of the title ("the T word"), but it's nice to know that there is at least a chance we'll meet BT-7274 again, or at least befriend another slightly sassy giant warbot.
]]>Titanfall but battle royale but without the mechs: that's the word on the street about what we can expect from Apex Legends, the next game from Respawn Entertainment. The Titanfall & Titanfall 2 studio, which these days is but one limb on the EA millipede, has confirmed they'll be revealing the game today, and that Apex Legends is indeed its name.
Meanwhile, rumour swirls that it's free-to-play and will even be released this week, in "surprise! We put Bono on your iPhone" fashion. Only, dear God in heaven please, without any tax-dodging rock-lizards, presumably.
Wait, wait - Titanfall without the Mechs?
]]>This is Brendan, broadcasting live from rumour world, where everything is made of a nebulous candy floss-like substance. The locals call it “hope.” Amid this sticky cloud, a figure has formed. It’s Geralt of Rivia, hero of popular Gwent spin-off, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The monster-hunting swordsman will “make an appearance” in another game later this year, according to CD Projekt Red community lead Marcin Momot. Some have asserted that he'll be a guest character in upcoming fighting game Soul Calibur VI. Which makes sense given the close business ties between the Polish studio and Japanese publisher Namco Bandai.
It isn't confirmed. But it does raise the question: who else deserves a place on the stage of history? I asked the RPS treehouse who they’d like to see. Here’s the list we all settled on.
]]>The earth-encrusted behemoth known as EA is buying robot-befriending studio Respawn Entertainment for as much as $455 million. The publisher is going to pay $315 million in stock and cash, and a further $140 million if the Titanfall creators hit their “incentive targets” - in other words, if the games they’re currently working on get an aesthetically pleasant arbitrary number on Metacritic when they're released. The rock-em-sock-em-up makers had been offered a deal by South Korean publisher Nexon, according to Kotaku, which EA had 30 days to match. Looks like they decided to do that.
]]>Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time.
Titanfall 2 [official site] changes little of the parkour-and-mechs formula from the first game, but it employs that formula within a singleplayer mode for the first time. It's a brilliant level design showcase.
]]>A four-player cooperative wave survival mode is coming free to Titanfall 2 [official site] next week. 'Frontier Defense' mode will have players defending a doodad as enemies flood in, buying helpful gadgets as you go. New maps for other modes are coming too.
The developers have also announced that the game's active player count is still growing, eight months after launch. That's pretty great. It's almost as if players like games which get bigger and better over time with free updates, rather than ones which divide and drain players with a swarm of paid DLC. Who would've guessed, eh?
]]>Titanfall 2’s [official site] pilots need to be light on their feet, what with all the parkour, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t want to lug around lots of heavy weapons. But surely in the distant future humanity will discover a way to solve this problem? And it looks like they have, as the War Games update, along with introducing new maps and bunch of improvements, finally allows pilots to carry three weapons at once. The future truly is an incredible place.
]]>Titanfall 2 pilots – you're in luck. The game's getting a free update next week (27 June) called The War Games, which adds two maps and a few new features.
If that DLC title sounds familiar then that's because it's named after a map from the original Titanfall, War Games, which will now be available in the sequel. It's a simulated high-rise city where you can scamper across windows and on top of huge garages. I have fond memories of wall-running around the buildings in the first game, so I'm excited that it's coming back.
]]>Titanfall 2 [official site] has launched a big free update adding a new map and more so, to celebrate, a free trial is running this weekend. Until Monday, all and sundry can swing by Origin to play the full multiplayer side and one singleplayer chapter. Titanfall 2 was our favourite FPS of 2016 for bringing together the two best things in FPSs -- giant robots and fun, fast movement -- and I heartily recommend giving it a go.
]]>A new Titanfall 2 [official site] multiplayer mode, Live Fire, arrives today in a free update. Two teams of six have left their robot buddies at home for the day, and will scampering around on foot (and jets, and grapple lines) to shoot each other to pieces in one-minute rounds. Live Fire sounds pretty intense and fun, so I look forward to giving it a crack when it arrives... soon? Respawn Entertainment haven't said quite yet when it'll launch. Today. With a little luck, before I finish work. Here, peep at this trailer:
]]>A zippy new multiplayer mode is coming to Titanfall 2 [official site], offering 6v6 Pilot-only close-quarters action with one-minute rounds. I know a lot of our gushing about our favourite FPS of 2016 has focused on its campaign but the multiplayer is cracking too. It doesn't hurt that all new multiplayer modes and modes are free. So yes, the new mode is named Live Fire and it should arrive in the next big content update with two maps of its own.
]]>If DOOM was the year's second best hell then what was its best first-person shooter? Day 23 of The RPS Advent Calendar, which highlights our favourite games of the year, brings...
]]>Of the big three killshoots that we have seen vying for supremacy in the closing moments of hellyear 2016, Titanfall 2 [official site] has earned our respect the most. It has giant robots and magic boots, everything a growing FPS fan needs. If you didn’t pick it up in the recent silly sale, don’t fret, there’s still a chance to see if it’s worth the full price, because its multiplayer side will be free to try this weekend.
]]>As December approaches like a runaway sled and we prepare to say our goodbyes to 2016, it's natural to reflect on the year as a whole. Those reflections could easily take the form of laments but we're keeping our focus firmly on the world of PC games, where we've identified ten trends that may not have defined 2016, but have certainly helped to shape it. We delve into Sorcery and synthwave, DOOM and Danganronpa, and much more besides.
]]>The first new Titanfall 2 [official site] multiplayer map will arrive next week and, well, it's not really a new one. Respawn Entertainment have fancied up the first Titanfall's map Angel City for the sequel, see. They've rolled it into an update along with a new weapon for pilot and new weapon options for titans, and the whole thing will launch next Wednesday. As promised, the map will be free (though there is one bit of silliness afoot, I'll explain in a bit). The gang have also detailed their plans for future updates, including special temporary modes with different rules.
]]>Twenty five quid! Just three weeks ago, at launch, Titanfall 2 [official site] was twice the price on Origin. I'm always wary of telling people whether I think a game offers "value for money" because the value of forty quid is entirely relative to how many quids - or cash of another currency - a person has. When I reviewed Titanfall 2 I did mention the pricetag though because I was keen to recommend the game for its singleplayer as much as for the multiplayer. If you were unlikely to play online, it felt important to mention that fifty quid was getting you a short (but excellent) campaign.
Now, three weeks after release, Amazon UK are selling the game for £25. That gets you an Origin code and plenty of bot for your buck.
]]>I've not had a crack at multiplayer in Titanfall 2 [official site] because oooh isn't that singleplayer fun. However, folks who have leapt into competitive action will be glad to hear that developers Respawn Entertainment gave multiplayer a touch-up with a patch over the weekend. Along with tweaking balance a bit, it also added a support for playing private matches on your tod. If you've fretted about falling flat on your face in the online playground, hey, now you can practise movement and learn maps in quiet solo study.
]]>Adam's review of Titanfall 2 [official site] praised Respawn's mechtastic FPS but he did worry the game might end up overlooked. Titanfall 2 launched at a very busy time for faceshooting, see: one week after Battlefield 1, one week before Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Given that Titanfall has solved some of the issues that stopped the first game from taking off--it has a singleplayer campaign, and all new multiplayer maps and modes will be free--it'd be a shame to see it flop. So what were publishers Electronic Arts thinking here? Turns out, a big load of foolishness.
]]>The Titans are the worst thing about Titanfall 2 [official site]. In the campaign, your robot buddy BT provides occasionally amusing commentary and support, but the game really sings when you're free of him and permitted to engage in the kind of wall-jumping, face-kicking heroics that are usually the domain of cutscenes rather than actual play. Multiplayer is where Titans shine, acting as both a cathartic death-dealing reward in some circumstances, and a welcome change of pace in others, but they're still the worst thing about the game.
They're great though. It's just that everything else is so much better.
]]>I get it: keeping up with news is bor-ing. It's all, "This person said this, the other person said that" with only brief joy in "this skateboarding otter saved that family from a fire" before plunging back into "our country invaded that country, this policy is doing that" and it's like ugh, I'll wait until Hollywood make movies out of the exciting bits, thanks.
So I entirely understand why EA have overzealously blocked Origin users in certain countries, blaming trade sanctions that are already lifted: it's all boring to keep up with.
]]>Titanfall 2 [official site] doesn't quite have my favourite FPS campaign of the year but it's so close that one extra burst of power from its jump kit might have boosted it into first place. To even be close to the gold in the year that brought us id's blisteringly-paced reinvention of DOOM is a hell of an achivement though. Respawn have crafted a singleplayer story that shifts gears more often and more efficiently than a top notch rally driver.
]]>Stomp stomp bompity bomp bomp, goes the big robot. Titanfall 2 [official site] launched overnight, bringing more FPS antics with parkouring soldiers and honking great mechs armed with megaguns and power swords. Adam has strapped himself into a robot's tummy (and in the game) to play so he can tell us all Wot He Thinks, and should be sharing some preliminary thoughts on its campaign late today. All I need to know is: gosh dang it, its mega-chunky revolver is a high-level unlock this time around too. But I want it so much.
]]>It's a sign of how quickly expectations change that Respawn Entertainment's announcement that Titanfall 2 [official site] will not have a Season Pass for post-release content is something of a surprise. The new normal for big releases, particularly those with multiplayer, seems to include a pass that costs as much as the base game, promising oodles of extra maps, modes, and other DLC bits and pieces across an entire season. A season, like a piece of string, is of indeterminate length.
Titanfall 2 is having none of that: "No season pass required: all maps & modes will be free in Titanfall 2 Multiplayer", it says on the site, bold as brass.
]]>Titanfall was OK! It had this excellent lock-on autofiring pistol, a massive boon for folk who aren't masterful at online shooters, which made folk who are masterful at online shooters very cross, and thus only made me love it more. Gosh it was a small game though, if one can say such a thing about big stompy mechs blowing up the world, and hamstrung by far too much tropey unlock gunk. Like a beautiful crystal eye with a nasty infection.
Anyway: just eight days until Titanfall 2 [official site], which is hoping to be the market-straddling megahit the first was not. It's got singleplayer and everything, which is what's on show in this here trailer, as well as what the game will look like on a PC you can never afford.
]]>At a recent gaming convention, I had a brief conversation with someone who described Titanfall as a "dead franchise". That seemed harsh, given that there has only been one Titanfall game, which was fairly well-received even if it didn't set the world on fire. That said, I barely played the first game at all but that's mainly because I'm not a big fan of multiplayer shooters. If only it had taken all of its lovely robots into a singleplayer game.
Oh, hi Titanfall 2's [official site] campaign. You look rather splendid.
]]>Respawn has rolled out its entire titan roster for Titanfall 2 [official site], giving us a look at all six mechs in action in a new trailer. It looks like there's something there for everyone, as all of the giant, stompy robots have unique abilities and weapons to cater to individual play-styles. There are jet-packs, ample lasers, and raw fire, to name just a few of the toys you'll get to play with. Let's take a look!
]]>Titanfall 2 [official site] will stomp out on October 28th, Respawn Entertainment have announced during EA's E3 2016 press event. Along with the usual man vs. man vs. mech multiplayer FPS action, the sequel will introduce a singleplayer campaign. More importantly than that, Respawn shared a look at its grappling hook!
The combination of parkour, pump-action shotgun, stompy murderbot, giant revolver, and grappling hook means that Titanfall 2 is, on paper, surely one of the greatest first-person shooters ever. That's how it works, right? But really, come have a peek at both sides in the singleplayer and multiplayer trailers.
]]>Titanfall 2 [official site] will bring whopping great swords for mechs. That's the important news from the teaser trailer for Respawn's follow-up to their pretty fun FPS. Also something about heroes and jungles and... I don't know, the important point is, a mech has a big sword in it. An electrosword, even. I always found the first Titanfall's mechplay less fun than being diddy little infantry, preferring to wall-run and double-jump around then leap onto mechs and gun their robobrains out, so hopefully this indicates some more fun options for robomen. Sorry, I realise I'm reading too much into a short teaser trailer, but... electromechsword. See:
]]>If you are looking for a tale of magic and science, wrapped up in space warfare it looks like fiscal year 2017* may bring you joy as Titanfall 2's single-player campaign seeks to offer exactly that.
]]>We don't know very much about Mass Effect Andromeda, and the Titanfall sequel has only been heard of in whispers so dull that I don't think we've even mentioned it at RPS. However, we do now know a teensy bit more about both games: they're due to launch before the end of March 2017. A new Battlefield is coming soon too, unsurprisingly. I'm not sure what you'll intend to do with this information. Perhaps you're planning to have a baby in the next 14 months and might want to add some themed names to the list? Beautiful bouncing baby B3 Wingman.
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