'Titanfall 2' Must Improve On the Franchise to Thrive

Originally released on March 11 in 2014, Titanfall was one of the most highly anticipated first-person shooters for the current generation. Developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, it was a flagship game for Microsoft’s Xbox One, spawned by many former Call of Duty creators. While it delivered in a few areas, it wasn’t definitive multiplayer experience gamers were looking for.

After an announcement from McFarlane Toys about their partnership with Respawn — to make a line of figures based on Titanfall 2 — buzz around the next installment rose in early February. So it’s time to look back and see what’s worth asking for come Titanfall 2’s release.

A Story Mode

Back in 2014, many Titanfall players complained that no single-player campaign explained the story. With the sequel, it’s safe to say we’ll be getting one. In an interview with Forbes Titanfall’s lead writer Jesse Stern briefly explained the next installment:

“So we are doing our best to deliver a vision of grand global colonial warfare retelling the story of the American Revolution and the American Civil War in space. We imagined the next generation of immigrants moving out to the new frontier of an inhabitable planet.”

So it’s safe to say we might be getting a more grounded universe the second time around, which is great news – especially since the lore already exists, and it’s a phenomenal concept. In 2014, Titanfall’s website had a ton of background about the game’s world, and it was compelling, believable and unique. Honestly, it reminded me of a Firefly-like world mixed with a little bit of StarCraft. It looks like this rich universe will realize fruition in Titanfall 2.

More Customization for Titans

The Titans themselves are largely what made Titanfall feel so unique. This idea, that once again we could step into the cockpits of massive machines and fight in giant robot battles, was something we hadn’t seen in the gaming industry since MechWarrior and MechAssault. Titanfall did that quite well, and I’ll always remember the first time I saw my Titan drop in from orbit. However, I never felt that my Titan was actually mine. There was no personalization, no customization and more importantly – nothing outside of three basic models to choose from. So with Titanfall 2 around the corner, Respawn should expand on this drastically, and develop multiple parts to the Titan itself. This would allow for detailed customization, similar to Armored Core.

A Living, Breathing Multiplayer World

When Titanfall was first announced, many people assumed that it would be a more ambitious project. So when the online world appeared and was limited to a few different game modes on a decent selection of maps, I couldn’t help but wonder what Titanfall could have been — if they had an alliance system and a persistent online world featuring the game’s two factions, the IMC and Militia. By developing an alliance or allegiance-based system into Titanfall 2’s multiplayer similar to that in Mortal Kombat or The Last of Us, Respawn could create one hell of a multiplayer experience for everyone who hops online to play.

Essentially, players could choose between the IMC and Militia factions for a limited amount of time. By doing so, Respawn Entertainment could conceive an online multiplayer world where players could fight for specific territories that provide bonuses. Similar to Star Wars Battlefront’s galactic conquest, different factions could compete in regular multiplayer matches to gain control of different planets and bases across the Frontier. Each of these matches can feature a set of different game modes for both player factions – and the winning faction would take control of the planet/base along with bonuses. These bonuses could include additional Titan customization parts, player abilities and more. Not only would these modifications fill out the world Respawn Entertainment worked so hard to create, they allow backstory to develop through multiplayer.