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Titanfall on PCs will soon support 4K and NVIDIA's latest graphics tricks (updated)
Many gamers already argue that the PC version of Titanfall is the best-looking of the bunch. Pretty soon, though, it won't even be a contest. Respawn plans to update its robotic shooter to handle both 4K displays as well as a host of technology from NVIDIA's GameWorks program, including full support for multiple GeForce cards, improved antialiasing and more realistic shadow effects. The upgrades aren't all that surprising. Some modern video hardware is powerful enough for 4K gaming, and developers have already used GameWorks to spruce up flagship titles like Assassin's Creed 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts. Still, the visual improvements are bound to make a big impact -- Titanfall is one of the most important games of the year, and a good excuse to pick up a new gaming rig. Update: Right now however, Titanfall is getting some tweaks on its servers that will change how it plays on PC and Xbox One. The updates will roll out over the next day, but you can see a changelog on Respawn's forums here. There are a number of fixes and updates included, and among them it appears the controversial Smart Pistol is having its effectiveness reduced, with slightly lower accuracy from hip fire and decreased damage when it's not locked-on. A troublesome glitch that allowed Burn Cards to be duplicated has also been fixed, and point values for certain actions in Hardpoint and Capture The Flag games have been adjusted.
Titanfall bundle discounted by $50 at Walmart
Walmart is offering a $50 discount on the new Titanfall Xbox One bundle, bringing it down from $500 to $450. The deal looks to be available both online and in stores, and should you prefer you can get your new console minus giant mechs by picking up the standard Xbox One bundle for the same price. Walmart isn't indicating how long the discounted price will be available for. Microsoft released the Titanfall Xbox One bundle alongside Respawn's multiplayer shooter last week, priced $500 in North America as per the system's launch price. The Xbox One did get a price cut in the UK, though, after Microsoft reduced the suggested tag from £430 to £400, including the Titanfall bundle. [Image: Microsoft]
Rumor: Titanfall 2 rights secured by EA, won't be Microsoft-exclusive
Electronic Arts has the rights to publish the sequel to Respawn shooter Titanfall, according to what GameSpot describes as a "reputable source." EA refused to comment on "rumor and speculation" to GameSpot, but the site says EA's option to secure the rights was based on the first game's sales performance. Polygon backs the claim EA secured the rights to a Titanfall sequel, adding that according to its sources the game won't be a Microsoft exclusive. EA is only releasing Titanfall on Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Windows PC. While EA is refusing to comment and the sources' claims aren't confirmed, the bits and pieces we've heard from EA and Respawn seem to back up the speculation. Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella already assured fans that his studio will make games for the PS4, just "not the first Titanfall." EA Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen previously said, "I'm sure that there will be future Titanfalls at some point that may be on multiple product platforms. [I] don't know, that's up to the teams that are going through that now." In any case, the Xbox 360 is still waiting on the first Titanfall. The Bluepoint-developed version was due to hit the platform on March 25, but EA delayed it yesterday to early April. [Image: EA]
Titanfall developer wants to see game on OS X
Titanfall -- a first-person shooter from a team comprised of many former Call of Duty development veterans -- debuted this week for Windows and Xbox One. It's a massively popular game that has a good chance of becoming a franchise in short order, and according Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella's twitter account, the team is interested in seeing the game on Apple's hardware. When asked by a Twitter user if his company's new baby would appear on OS X, Zampella claimed that talks are already in the works about just such a thing. "We are talking to Aspyr," Zampella tweeted, "they should do it." "Aspyr" is Aspyr Games, a publisher that specializes in bringing beloved games to Apple's various platforms. In fact, Aspyr is the same company responsible for the Knights of the Old Republic on iOS, which I happen to love. The company's other work includes BioShock Infinite, Borderlands 2, and several Call of Duty releases. If Titanfall were to appear alongside those titles on OS X, it would be a pretty big deal for Mac gamers, so keep your fingers crossed. [via Joystiq]
Titanfall State of Service: Day Three
This is State of Service, an ongoing review of the online service of a recently launched game. See our scored review of Titanfall here. Friday, March 14 | T-minus 27 days until final verdict Current State of Service: Good Summary: Launch day problems resolved. PC experiencing limited issues. Australia receives dedicated servers. It appears that Titanfall's launch day kinks have mostly been ironed out. The Xbox One and PC versions seem to be running as intended, with Joystiq staff reporting no significant problems on either platform since launch day. Some PC players are reporting an error that produces an infinitely looping loading screen. The Respawn Twitter account advises players encountering this problem to lower their in-game texture settings. Some PC users with Belkin routers are also having trouble connecting. Respawn has stated this problem will have to be addressed by Belkin. Also of note, Australia now has access to dedicated servers for Titanfall. The servers were quickly inundated with players. As of earlier today, more servers are being put online. If you encounter any problems with Titanfall, let us know in the comments or on Joystiq's Twitter or Facebook accounts (use the hashtag #sos and don't forget to specify your platform!).
Australia gets dedicated Titanfall servers
Good news for Titanfall fans living Down Under: EA has announced that Australia now has dedicated servers for Respawn's robot-infused first-person shooter. According to EA's help site, that applies to all platforms, so both Xbox One and PC players should be able to take advantage of the new, local servers. Respawn engineer Jon Shiring stated on Twitter that Australia's new servers were "tapped pretty quickly," and that more servers are already being added. [Image: EA]
Titanfall PC's 48GB install the result of uncompressed audio
PC players will have to spend quite a bit longer waiting for their Titanfall download to drop than those on Xbox One. The PC download of Titanfall clocks in at a substantial 48 gigabytes, considerably larger than the 17GB download on Xbox One. The reason for the size discrepancy, developer Respawn tells Eurogamer, comes down to uncompressed audio. Respawn opted to use uncompressed audio in the PC version to account for less powerful hardware configurations, specifically dual core machines, which meet the minimum specs required by Titanfall. The concern, according to Respawn lead engineer Richard Baker, was that "a two-core machine would dedicate a huge chunk of one core to just decompressing audio," so the studio decided to use completely uncompressed audio – 35 gigs of it – in order to optimize performance. If you haven't started your download yet, you might want to get on that. [Image: Electronic Arts]
Watch us play Titanfall for Xbox One (poorly) right here! (update: and it's over!)
Xbox One's first major release officially drops this week: Titanfall, from the folks who made Call of Duty into the 800-lb. gorilla it is today. Well, specifically, it launches tomorrow, but we've got it right now and thought you'd like a taste before deciding if it's your next thousand-hour addiction, so we're streaming it via Twitch just below the break. Though both Ben Gilbert (that's me!) and Tim Seppala are on the stream today, you'll have to settle for just Ben's audio as we try and figure out how to incorporate more editors into the mix. Technology is hard, folks. And hey, this is our first stream, so let us know what you think in the comments: love it? hate it? what would you like to see? what don't you? Your input is appreciated! Now let's go shoot some robots. Update: Sorry for the troubles, folks. With the Xbox One Twitch app still in beta, we're having some issues keeping a stream up and running. Bear with us! Update 2: Okay folks, we're out! Again, please let us know how you feel about this concept in the comments/via email/on Twitter/etc.! Head below for the archived video, and thanks very much for joining us!
Titanfall: The Joystiq Review
Titanfall is strictly coiled around the player. You couldn't excise even one piece without slackening it like a ruined kidnapper's rope. The serpentine level design, the liberating sense of movement, the flawless controls and yes, the enormous bipedal tanks dropping from the sky, are equally indispensable in this arresting shooter. Given the studio's splintered status as a former Call of Duty custodian, Respawn Entertainment has made a multiplayer game fit for those who have spent years peering through the eyes of a speedy killing machine – a seasoned six against six in battles for land or a higher kill count. A history with rapid-fire aim and fleet-footed 3D movement is not essential here, but recommended. Click here for more
Titanfall review: Prime delivery
Titanfall is strictly coiled around the player. You couldn't excise even one piece without slackening it like a ruined kidnapper's rope. The serpentine level design, the liberating sense of movement, the flawless controls and yes, the enormous bipedal tanks dropping from the sky, are equally indispensable in this arresting shooter. Given the studio's splintered status as a former Call of Duty custodian, Respawn Entertainment has made a multiplayer game fit for those who have spent years peering through the eyes of a speedy killing machine – a seasoned six against six in battles for land or a higher kill count. A history with rapid-fire aim and fleet-footed 3D movement is not essential here, but recommended.
A closer look at Titanfall's not-so-secret weapon: Microsoft's cloud
While you were busy running along walls and throwing missiles back at your opponents during the Titanfall beta, countless data centers across the world were making sure that each AI-controlled Titan bodyguard had your back. Much of the frenetic action in Respawn Entertainment's debut game rests on one thing: Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure. Up until last November, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's baby was mostly used for business applications, like virtualization and acting as an enterprise-level email host. With the Xbox One, though, the company opened up its global server farms to game developers, giving them access to more computing power than could reasonably be stuffed into a $500 game console. Since the Xbox One's debut, Microsoft has been crowing about how Azure would let designers create gaming experiences players have never seen before. Now it's time for the product to speak for itself.
Titanfall's ode to 8-bit gaming is proof that robots make everything better
Need further evidence that robots improve just about everything? EA and Respawn are more than happy to provide it. They've launched Titanfall Arcade, a promotional gaming website that thrusts Titanfall's namesake giant machines into classic 8-bit Atari titles. The only working game at present is an Asteroids remake, but it proves the point -- the typically nerve-wracking space shooter becomes easy once a Titan's weaponry comes into play. Tributes to Centipede and Missile Command are coming in the future. The arcade is primarily meant to whet your appetite ahead of Titanfall's release next week, but we'd say it's worth a visit even if you don't plan to buy the game -- it's a nostalgic gaming experience without the frustrating difficulty levels that often come along for the ride.
Xbox One packs in Titanfall, drops price in UK [Update: Pre-orders open]
Microsoft will bundle Titanfall with Xbox One consoles starting March 11 in the United States. Additionally, the Xbox One's price will drop in the UK from £430 ($716.08) to £399.99 ($666.10). The price drop will go into effect this Friday, February 28. The Titanfall bundle will cost the same amount as the Xbox One system typically does in North America, $499.99, and can be seen on Microsoft's website. Players picking up the bundle next month will receive a download code for Titanfall packed in to the box, as opposed to a boxed, retail copy of the game. The bundle will be available for "a limited time only" at select retailers. Titanfall is the first game from Respawn Entertainment, the developer created by former Call of Duty veterans Jason West and Vince Zampella in April 2010. West left the developer in March 2013 after the duo settled with Activision in its Infinity Ward lawsuits in May 2012. Those looking for more Titanfall action should look no further than the six-person beta massacre our daring Joystiq editors took part in. Update: Players can pre-order the bundle through Amazon and the Microsoft Store. [Image: Microsoft]
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Titanfall beta to open to public on Xbox One 'later today,' PC soon
Did you win the Titanfall beta lottery? No, you're just pretending to build a crazy kill-death ratio from the innards of a Titan? Well, it's your lucky day - Major Nelson has announced that Titanfall's Xbox One beta will begin opening to the public "later today." That's right, you won't need a code to join in! In order to enter the beta, sign into your console and look for the download in the "New Game Demos" section of the Game Store. It isn't up just yet, mind you - Major Nelson's post states that the download may "take some time" to appear to all Xbox One users, noting that some users may say it appear before others. Twitter activity from Respawn Entertainment's Vince Zampella reflects the beta plans, while also noting that the PC beta will also open its gates to the public, "maybe tomorrow."
Titanfall PC system requirements revealed
Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella has revealed the minimum specs for Titanfall on PC. As expected, you're going to need a decent rig to run the multiplayer mech shoot-em-up. Minimum requirements for Titanfall on PC: OS: 64-bit Windows 7, 8, 8.1 Processor: AMD Athlon X2 2.8GHz or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz Memory: 4GB RAM Video card: 512MB VRAM, Radeon HD 4770 or GeForce 8800GT In response to the question of a Mac port, Zampella said the studio is "talking about it" and that he'd "like to see it happen." Zampella offered a similar answer when the question of mod support arose last month. Titanfall launches on Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC on March 11. [Image: Respawn Entertainment]
Titanfall special edition Xbox One controller drops this March
Hey, Xbox One Day One Edition owner, we get it: you're into special editions. So how about if we told you there's another opportunity to own yet another piece of "limited edition" swag for your Xbox One? That's exactly the news we've got today, as Microsoft and Respawn Entertainment worked together to create the limited edition Titanfall-themed Xbox One gamepad seen above. Like Titanfall, it'll be available this March and it'll cost over $60. There are some flowery quotes about how it's supposed to look like military tech from the game and stuff, but you really just wanna ogle the gamepad from every angle, right? We thought so. Gallery's below, Vine's after the break.
Ogre class of mechs revealed for Titanfall
A secondary type of mech to the Titans, the heavy-plated Ogre, was revealed for Titanfall during Spike's VGX show. Ogres are a little heavier and slower in movement, but when you're waging war with jetpacks and mechs falling from the sky, options are good! When questioned about a beta, Vince Zampella explained that Respawn Entertainment is "thinking about it." Respawn's debut effort for the new IP will be exclusive to the PC and Xbox platforms "for the life of the title." Titanfall's raging, acrobatic firefights will be open to all once the game titanfalls onto the PC, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on March 11. While that means there won't be a PS4 version of Titanfall, Respawn has clarified that they intend to bring other projects to the PS4.
Titanfall will be PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One exclusive for 'life of the title' (update: studio head speaks out)
Titanfall, one of Microsoft's big reveals at its E3 presser, will remain an PC and Xbox platform exclusive "for the life of the title." That's according to Electronic Arts' CFO Blake Jorgensen, explaining during the gamemaker's financial call today. This comes just a week after developer Respawn Entertainment revealed the game's March 2014 release date and hefty $250 collector's edition. If this is a make-or-break for you on choosing which next-gen console to buy first, maybe there's still an Xbox One pre-order hiding out there somewhere. Update: Respawn studio head Vince Zampella took to Twitter stating that Titanfall had always been planned as a Microsoft exclusive at launch, but that "EA made the deal for the rest, we only found out recently." This makes it sound as if the team had plans to bring the title to other platforms in the future, but the business end put the kibosh on the notion.
Overheard@Gamescom: Titanfall producer goes full Oprah
Titanfall has been generating a ton of buzz at Gamescom 2013. After playing the game (which deserves the praise it's getting so far), we asked about the countdown timer each player gets before they receive the notice that "Titanfall" is available, at which point they can call in one of the game's mechs to drop out of the sky. "Anything you do for your team will reduce your build time. So, anything you kill, any objective you complete reduces your build timer. It's not like a killstreak where you have to do well. Everyone will earn a Titan," said Titanfall Producer Drew McCoy, of developer Respawn Entertainment. "Titans for everyone! And you get a Titan! And you get a Titan! And you get a Titan!" Respawn is just doing Oprah's work.
Respawn Entertainment trademarks 'Titan'
We may know a tiny, tiny bit more about the first game from Respawn Entertainment, the company formed by Jason West and Vince Zampella after the duo's famous firing from Infinity Ward and Activision. The studio has trademarked the word "Titan" for use in video games. Beyond this single word, presumably a title, all we've had to go on is a pair of blurry screenshots and one very close-up image of what appear to be a mouse and gun barrel.Given Zampella and West's involvement with Call of Duty – though West is no longer with the studio – it wouldn't be too surprising if the game ended up being a shooter. Whatever it is, Respawn and publisher Electronic Arts should finally be showing it off at E3 this summer.One cheeky note regarding Titan: That's also reportedly the code name for Blizzard's next MMO, a game belonging to Activision.
