14 DAY TRIAL // Next up in our Softpedia Game of the Year 2014 awards is the best shooter runner-up – Titanfall – which is available from Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts for the PC, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 platforms.
The shooter genre has been quite popular in 2014, as quite a lot of different studios have offered stellar experiences that allowed, either from a first-person or a third-person view, to shoot down foes left and right. There were some great highlights, such as Wolfenstein: The New Order, not to mention some disappointments, like Destiny, and comebacks, like Advanced Warfare which once again showed that the Call of Duty series can still shine.
However, above almost all of them sits Titanfall, the innovative first-person shooter made by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts for the PC, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 platforms.
The title's launch at the beginning of the year was prefaced by a phenomenal amount of hype, not only in concern to the actual game, which promised to deliver a multiplayer-only first-person shooter that allowed fans to control agile pilots and hulking titans, but also when it came to the studio, which was composed of veterans from Infinity Ward, including its actual co-founders.
Titanfall has something for all shooter fans
The title eventually appeared and immediately impressed through its responsive shooter experience. Call of Duty fans were right at home when controlling the nimble pilots, and everyone soon started mastering the wallrunning and parkour mechanics that are included in the experience.
However, the main attraction arrived a few minutes into a match, when you were able to summon a titan and get on board the hulking mechanized unit. While there are just three different variations, different weapons, abilities, and loadouts led to some varied experiences, depending on your preferences.
The maps were also quite impressive, managing to accommodate both small scale skirmishes between pilots or AI-controlled units, as well as larger battles between two or more titans that were duking it out.
Unfortunately, what kept Titanfall from securing the best shooter title was the lack of a story mode, however short it might have been. Sure, you were able to get story fragments while going through different multiplayer matches but it just wasn't the same, especially for those that like a bit of background about the universe before jumping into the online battles.
What's more, the premium DLC strategy wasn't the greatest, as the map packs failed to generate enough of a following so they're now mostly deserted, although Respawn has rolled out plenty of free updates to enhance the whole experience.
Even so, for its innovation and fun factor, Titanfall is the second best shooter of the year. Check out our review on PC.
