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'Titanfall 2' kicks off its open multiplayer test this Friday
Titanfall 2 is hosting its Open Multiplayer Technical Test beginning this weekend on Friday, August 19th to run for two weekends.
Titanfall update brings co-op to Xbox 360 next week
The Xbox 360 version of Titanfall will receive update number eight next Monday, December 1, Respawn Entertainment announced. The update adds Frontier Defense to the game, Titanfall's cooperative multiplayer mode that arrived on PC and Xbox One just over one month ago. Frontier Defense puts a team of four players in charge of defending a "vital objective" from waves of enemies, which increase in difficulty with each mob. Like the update last month, next week's patch also introduces ranked online play to the first-person shooter, which features Rank Chips that act as "expensive pedometers," measuring players' activity in Titanfall and occasionally doling out rewards. Rank Chips can be turned off at any point, so the ranked play system isn't map-specific. The update also adds new Titan insignias and a full-screen mini-map option to the game. [Image: EA Games]
Titanfall $20 on Xbox One, $10 on PC today at Amazon
Prepare for price drop. The retail Xbox One version of Respawn Entertainment's mech-battling first-person shooter Titanfall is $19.99 on Amazon today, while an Origin code for the PC edition is only $10. Get 'em while they're hot, folks – these deals may not last long. Titanfall premiered for PC and Xbox platforms earlier this year, earning 4.5 stars in our review. The game's third and final Season Pass DLC map pack launched in September, making it a great time to join the fight with your jetpacking buddies. [Image: Respawn]
Titanfall update gets cooperative, adds ranked play
The next major update for Titanfall will land tomorrow on Xbox One and PC, Respawn announced today. The patch is the "biggest update ever," according to the developer's blog, which revealed the inclusion of new modes in the update. For starters, Titanfall players will have a new "Frontier Defense" cooperative multiplayer mode in which teams of four stand their ground against waves of AI enemies, getting assistance from stationary turrets and loadout crates. The other major addition is ranked play, which will be in beta through the end of the month. Respawn's dedicated discussion on its ranked play system for Titanfall notes that players will receive "Rank Chips," which act as "expensive pedometers" that measure players' prowess in the game. Players will have the ability to turn off their Rank Chips as well, so ranked play in Titanfall won't boil down to a separate set of maps or playlists. The update will introduce a multitude of other fixes and improvements, such as the ability to go full-screen with the mini-map, a "sudden death" addition to Capture the Flag mode and seven new Titan insignias. [Image: EA Games]
Titanfall orders IMC Rising DLC onto Xbox 360 next week
Xbox 360 owners of Titanfall have been left waiting for the metal gear of "IMC Rising," but they can get their revengeance next week when the third and final piece of season pass DLC arrives on October 21. Pilots can buy in for $10 or get it as part of the $25 season pass. IMC Rising, which came to Xbox One and PC last month, includes three extra maps in the form of Backwater, Zone 18 and Sand Trap. Backwater is a mix of open fields, underground grain storage facilities (there's an experience grain joke in there somewhere) and railways up above. Zone 18, meanwhile, is a robotics facility full of passageways to sneak along and rooftops to drop onto. Finally, Sand Trap is a mix of big open areas and tiny little wall-gaps perfect for wall-running and wall-flailing-and-falling-to-your-doom. [Image: EA]
Titanfall's third DLC pack, IMC Rising, arrives on September 25
Titanfall's third and final Season Pass DLC map pack "IMC Rising" deploys tomorrow, developer Respawn Entertainment announced. The package features the new Backwater map, which gives players the chance to battle their mechs within the confines of a multi-story bootlegging colony. Also included are the labyrinthine robotics facility Zone 18 and Sand Trap, a fuel storage complex that features several wide-open areas for titan combat. IMC Rising launches on September 25 for Xbox One and PC platforms. The pack is priced at $9.99 as a standalone download, and is free for Season Pass buyers. [Video: EA]
Titanfall's third and final DLC pack, IMC Rising
The third DLC pack for Titanfall is titled IMC Rising, Respawn announced at EA's Gamescom press conference. It's due out in the fall and it contains three new multiplayer maps. This is the last planned DLC pack for Titanfall, capping the number of maps released post-launch at nine. The previous maps are Frontier's Edge and Expedition. Yesterday, we learned that this announcement would appear at EA's show. Viola!
Third Titanfall DLC pack to be revealed at EA Gamescom event
Titanfall players: You've taken an Expedition. You've gone to the Frontier's Edge. What scenic locales and adventurous naming scheme will define the third piece of DLC for EA and Respawn's titan-on-human shooter? We're not sure! So why don't we find out together? EA is planning to reveal the DLC during their Gamescom press conference, which will take place at 4 a.m. Eastern, 1 a.m. Pacific. Sorry for the early hours, but war waits for no mech. We'll of course be reporting the news as it happens, but if you're the sort who likes to take matters into your own hands, EA will be streaming their press conference via their Gamescom website hub. [Image: EA]
PSA: Titanfall Frontier's Edge DLC out now
Respawn Entertainment has launched the "Frontier's Edge" expansion DLC for the Xbox One and PC versions of its mech-blasting first-person shooter Titanfall, adding three new maps to its multiplayer modes. Frontier's Edge introduces the "Dig Site," "Export," and "Haven" maps, and is bundled as part of Titanfall's Season Pass. The pack can also be purchased separately for $9.99. Today's DLC release follows up on the recent introduction of an in-game "Black Market" that allows players to purchase burn card packs and insignias using in-game currency. Frontier's Edge is the second in a series of three planned batches of Titanfall Season Pass DLC. [Video: Electronic Arts]
Titanfall adds 'Black Market' and in-game currency system
Respawn Entertainment added a new in-game market to Titanfall known as the "Black Market," which allows players to redeem credits in the game for burn card packs and insignias. For instance, the game's standard burn card pack costs 5,000 credits and contains six random pilot and Titan burn cards. Players will have access to the Black Market once they reach level 11 and have opened the burn card menu. Respawn emphasized that the game's new currency and market updates do not indicate that Titanfall players will be spending real money in the game at any point, driving the point home with an all-caps "NO MICROTRANSACTIONS" note in its announcement.
Titanfall explores three new maps in 'Frontier's Edge' DLC
Respawn has titled its next DLC addition to Titanfall "Frontier's Edge," which seems fitting given that the included maps drop players into wildly disparate parts of the universe. Dig Site sees squishy humans and giant, stomping mechs throw down in the wreckage of an abandoned mining site. Export likewise sees combat in a mining facility, though this one happens to be located on the side of a mountain instead of a rocky pit. Finally, Haven offers players an excursion to a relaxing beach resort, where they're free to shoot one another in peace and tranquility. Respawn has yet to reveal a release date for Frontier's Edge, though we do know the DLC will feature a $10 price tag on debut. Unless, of course, you've purchased the $25 Titanfall Season Pass which includes Frontier's Edge and two other content packs at a slight discount. [Image: EA]
YouTube to introduce support for 60 frames per second
YouTube videos rendered in 48 and 60 frames per second are to finally become a reality in the coming months. Following a year in which 1080p and 60fps have become increasingly familiar bedfellows for the video game industry, YouTube promoted its higher framerates with new videos of Battlefield: Hardline and Titanfall. Among other features coming to the video site including fan-submitted translations and tagged shout-outs to collaborators, the one to keep an eye on is Fan Funding. Essentially an online tip jar, this allows viewers to donate to content creators direct through YouTube. For now, only "a handful of creators" are testing the feature out. Head below the break for the Battlefield: Hardline and Titanfall vids in full 60fps glory.
Titanfall's next update adds insignias, Titan burn cards
Titanfall will receive its fourth update soon, and developer Respawn offered a few details on it today. The update will add featured game modes to Titanfall's playlist rotation for limited periods of time as well as a "Marked For Death" mode, in which one player from each team is "marked for death," forcing teams to protect their marked teammate while seeking to eliminate that of the opponent. The game's forthcoming update will add 14 new Titan burn cards, complete with "enhanced Titan abilities" and Titan weapons. Titanfall's update includes insignias for the mech-like machines, giving players the option to select an emblem that shows off their accomplishments, earned by completing challenges in the game. The update will also improve its online matchmaking and team balancing system and introduce numerous bug fixes. The full list of fixes is available on the game's official site. [Image: EA Games]
Origin offers free time-limited access to games, starting with Titanfall
Titanfall will be free to download and play for 48 hours this weekend as part of Origin's new Game Time service. Unlike Steam's Free Weekend program, Origin is making select games free for a set period of time that starts once you begin playing. Just to note, that's real-time rather than game time, so the free mech-mashing ends after 48 of your Earth hours. EA also says progress during free access is saved, so if you choose to purchase the game afterward you can pick up where you left off. Game Time is the latest of a few recent initiatives to bolster Origin. EA introduced On the House to the portal earlier this year, with the service offering permanent freebies that have included Peggle, Dead Space, Battlefield 3 and Plants vs. Zombies. [Image: EA]
Titanfall 360 patch arrives with match tweaks, crash fixes in tow
Players will no longer be able to crash an entire server with a well-timed satchel charge in the Xbox 360 iteration of Titanfall thanks to a newly-issued update courtesy developer Respawn Entertainment. Prior to this patch, if a player were to place a satchel charge on a departing enemy dropship, they could crash the entire server and disconnect all players by detonating the device after the ship had warped away. Now, the charge will have no effect as it will vanish alongside the departing ship. Though that issue is the highlight of the patch, numerous other changes are listed in Respawn's patch notes. For instance, Private Matches will now require only two players to be locked and loaded prior to launch, instead of the six required previously. Further, player experience point tallies have been adjusted to display properly after rolling past Gen 10, and team colors will now appear more clearly on the game's mini-map. For a full rundown of the update's changes, take a look at the official Titanfall website. Or, if you'd rather dive in and examine things for yourself, you can grab the patch from Xbox Live at no additional cost. [Image: Respawn Entertainment]
Capture the Flag returns to Titanfall after player feedback
Respawn is re-adding Capture the Flag to Titanfall on PC, even though "less than 1% of the player base was even trying to play CTF," a blog post reads. Respawn removed Capture the Flag and Pilot Hunter from playlists last week, meaning those modes were available via private matches and Variety Mode only. "Last week we made some changes to the Titanfall playlists on PC and since then many members of the community have expressed their disappointment with our decision," Respawn writes. "Capture the Flag has been a specific point of contention considering we had just made a significant change to how the mode worked (Titans cannot carry flags after the last patch). If you're just catching up, we made the decision to remove these modes because hardly anyone was playing them and matches were nearly impossible to find." To offset the lower player count in Capture the Flag, Respawn is reworking its matchmaking system to include wider region searches: "If you're searching for 5 minutes without starting a game, Stryder will eventually widen your search to include neighboring continents. This means you might end up in a game with a much higher ping than you're used to, but as players pointed out; playing is preferred to not playing at all!" Read Respawn's breakdown of how matchmaking works right here. [Image: Respawn]
Pilot Hunter, CTF removed from playlists for Titanfall on PC
Noticed there's been a bit of a wait to find other players before Capture the Flag and Pilot Hunter matches begin in the PC version of Titanfall? So has developer Respawn Entertainment, which pulled the modes from playlists yesterday, meaning that both are now available solely through private matches and Variety Mode. A followup post on Titanfall.com notes that the decision was made based on the sparse player base in either mode. Titan pilots are "predominantly playing Attrition and Hardpoints game modes," Respawn's post explains. "CTF and Pilot Hunter have not been widely used modes on the PC version. Players trying to access these modes had overlong wait times to find other users and it was making for a poor experience." The post added that, going forward, Respawn will continue monitoring unpopular playlists and adding new ones. Retracted modes won't be on the sidelines forever, either - Respawn says it will "still rotate Pilot Hunter and CTF in for future playlists" and add tweaks to other game types, which the studio is "currently working on." Even if you find yourself as the sole player of your favorite mode down the road, Respawn has no plans to pull support for playing modes in private matches. As long as you can fill a round's roster with friends or fellow enthusiasts, you should be all set for your preferred brand of Titan-fueled destruction. [Image: EA]
Titanfall's companion app mobilizes your mini-map
The mobile companion to Titanfall is now available to download, and takes some of the extra bits like the mini-map from the main game and pushes them to your smart device. Free to download, the app-tly named Titanfall Companion App offers game stats like players' total kills and favorite weapons. Once connected to an Xbox One, players can use the app to access an interactive mini-map of the Titanfall match they're playing at the moment and check out the ever-updating scoreboard. Titanfall topped another leaderboard recently, as it was number one on NPD's sales charts among video games for the second month in a row. The companion app is available on iOS, Android via Google Play and Windows Phone. [Image: Electronic Arts]
Mech plans: Titanfall gets 'Expedition' DLC this week
Titanfall gets its first DLC on Thursday, May 15, when the Expedition map pack sets off for Xbox One and PC. As detailed previously, the content isn't coming to Xbox 360 until June. Expedition introduces three maps to the Respawn shooter, each with its own distinctive flavor. Swampland lets you explore the great outdoors in all its natural glory, and by that we mean fly-kicking fools into marshes. Runoff is a down-and-dirty industrial complex, while Wargames takes players into a digital-looking virtual simulation, where they get to ride light-bikes and race each other to the death (okay, that last bit's not true as far as we know, but maybe it should be). If you fancy a weekend Expedition, the DLC is priced $10 standalone, and it's part of the $25 season pass that covers two more upcoming DLC packs. [Image: EA]
Go on an Expedition with Titanfall DLC gameplay trailer
As you wander the scorched earth left behind by your umpteen-hundredth battle in Titanfall, you discover what looks like a travel brochure. It reads: Dear Titanfall players: Tired of the same places? Need to get away from it all? Respawn's Expedition travel package has what you need. Try scenic Swampland, where you, your jetpack and your giant robot can crush your enemies in a quiet, natural environment. Then again, if you like the hustle and bustle of modern life, you can always head for Runoff and fight in a more industrial arena. Not the outdoors type? Order a pizza, stay inside your Titan and battle for virtual supremacy in Wargames instead. Titanfall's Expedition DLC (that's short for Dramatic Life enCounters) will be available via Xbox One and PC in May and for Xbox 360 in June for $9.99. Intrepid explorers ready to grab the Titan by the handles can also purchase a Season Pass for $24.99 and automatically receive the Expedition package, as well as two more upcoming DLC packages. [Image: EA]
