So,
I think these are probably my final thoughts on the beta. I may play it some more over the course of the weekend, but this is where I sit:
1) The shooting mechanics are ok. the TTK is way too short and needs to be improved. The guns are actually all pretty well done though.
2) Pilot upgrades generally feel more important than those in the first game and I really like the amp giving you little bots to lay down around points you need to hold.
3) The grapple hook is too important to be a perk. The maps were clearly built with the grapple hook in mind and should be standard equipment.
4) Movement is better than last weekend. It generally feels pretty good now.
5) The Titans are far far worse than Titanfall. Too slow, not enough boost, no personal shield means once your Titan is low health it is worthless.
6) The gameplay just isn't the same. People are generally camping on spots and it feels very very different from Titanfall. Not hectic enough, not enough moving around. I've seen 3-4 squad mates sticking together to cover entries and exits to areas. Which is something you see in other FPS, but not really Titanfall. I don't know if it's the maps, the objectives, the Titans or the movement. It's probably all of the above.
7) The maps are the single biggest issue with the game. Even if they fixed every single issue above, the maps are just bad. Wide open spaces, choke points, long corridors with little cover. The game modes also encourage sitting on rooftops or poking out of windows and camping.
I don't think this is by any means a terrible no good game. I think it's an ok game. It's probably in line with a sort of bad version of BLOPS with mechs and bad map design. It's just not Titanfall, and it's not a game I really feel compelled to own or add to my collection. With CoD and Battlefield both releasing this Christmas, I want to wish Respawn good luck with this, I just don't see how this is positioned to do very well. It seems destined to run off the people who loved Titanfall, and will likely fail to attract anyone from the CoD audience since it doesn't offer much that CoD does not already have. I'm sure negative feedback all over the internet isn't helping to build hype for their game.
I like Respawn as a company, I hope Titanfall 2 does well for them, I think the way the exit from Activision happened was absolutely criminal, but I seriously doubt I'll be there day 1 unless I hear about massive changes, really good maps or a single player experience that I just have to play. But given where I'm at now, I doubt we'll see much more than mediocre to bad impressions.
