Bungie's Eerie Silence Regarding O'Donnell ContinuesApril 19, 2014 by






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Titanfall Review (for PC)March 19, 2014 by

titanfallwallpaper There's no denying the hype that was behind Titanfall ever since it was first shown at E3 2013 as the new debut game to come from the talent behind the first two Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games, the talent that wound up leaving Infinity Ward to create Respawn Entertainment. To many, this game has been thought of as the system seller for the Xbox One, that it would be that good. But is it?

I don't know, this is a PC review.

This game represents a scale of sorts as to what one could consider quality content in a video game. Hype has the gameplay covered, and the hype is correct there. The twitchy gameplay along with the (somewhat) smoothly-operated parkour makes for a great experience, one that only gets even better as the high of owning terrible AI and the occasional pilot gets even higher once you acquire enough points to commence Titanfall. Moments like this are where Titanfall really stands out as a game that is both engaging and rewarding for the player. The only problem I have with the gameplay is that I occasionally get caught on things like doors or windows that I'm just trying to get through, and not wall-jump off of.

Unfortunately, this triple-A title was being sold on more than just it's gameplay. It was also supposed to give context to the matches through a "multiplayer campaign", and that's where things start to unravel. Other than the occasional extended opening sequence to introduce a level, the majority of the 'campaign' is done through audio alone. With how heavily marketed this game must have been, and with the money Microsoft must have been throwing at Respawn to keep the game "Xbox One Exclusive", there's no excuse for this offensively low-quality gimmick. If you're going to expect me to pay for a game you market as having a campaign, I don't necessarily require cutscenes, but having relevant pictures to look at if I wanted to rather than the lobby list would've been enough. The long and short of it all is that the campaign basically was just a radio play that happened in between matches.

Titanfall also, surprisingly, is currently lacking a lot of features that would seem fairly basic to a multiplayer shooter of this caliber. Things such as private lobbies or matches are noticeably absent alongside a bevy of possible customization options that it sounds like fans are asking for, such as customizing the Titan's colors or having some sort of clan tag that can be shown. I also think having some sort of customization for guns would be a fun thing to do, even if it doesn't necessarily translate to tweaks that can alter the performance of the gun. Simple aesthetic things as that could really bring in the player even more, which is why it's surprising that Respawn would decide to launch the game without these types of features, especially considering how the campaign wound up.

I've also heard sporadic reports of questionable spawning, of which I occasionally agreed, though I'm guessing that this was more people just raging than a serious, game-breaking flaw. If anything, the spawn system probably needs a slight tweak. However, this complaint is actually relevant when considering another side of Titanfall, which is that there is nothing (as of this writing) in the way of a balancing mechanic for matches beyond the players themselves. So if you think that after taking a hard beating in a match that the game will auto-adjust to keep the teams fair, don't get your hopes up. You're going to have to leave that lobby and hope for a better, more balanced one.


TF Grunt Concept

Grunts AKA Plebs

TF Spectre Concept

Spectres AKA Robot Plebs












Let's also talk about some finer details of what you can expect to find with Titanfall. Burn Cards are earned as you complete challenges through matchmaking, and act similarly to perks from Call of Duty. What makes them different is that you can choose a three-count set in between matches, and they are one-use only, but you will quickly fill up your deck regardless based on completed challenges. The matches themselves are 6v6, but are also populated by AI in the form of "Grunts" and "Spectres". Grunts are the typical pleb soldiers that they send with you that aren't nearly qualified enough to pilot a Titan, and Spectres are robots that are more adept at fighting Titans, and don't spawn until one is dropped (typically). Throughout each match you can come across small little scenes like a Grunt going wild on a Spectre's head, smashing it over and over. Touches like this are absolutely amazing to me, and I am hoping that more developers learn from this sort of thing (however, more variety in how these scenes end up would be nice too).


From left- Atlas, Ogre, Stryder

There are three different Titan classes: Atlas, Ogre, and Stryder. The Ogre class is slow and has only one boost that eventually regenerates, but has stronger shields than the other two. The Atlas is the typical balanced Titan that has two boosts that regenerate, but slightly worse shields than the Ogre. Finally, the Stryder is a quick Titan that has three boosts, but the weakest shields of the three by far. Each Titan also has a "core upgrade" that can be acquired for earning enough points whilst actually in the Titan (though you may still accumulate time off for activation of the upgrade if it's in auto-titan mode). The Ogre boasts a super-charged shield (making the Ogre temporarily invulnerable to all but pilot rodeos), the Atlas a damage upgrade (increasing damage), and the Stryder gets a boost upgrade (allowing it to have unlimited boosts for a short span of time).

Perhaps the second-largest strength of Titanfall is the variety in maps. While you'll see them all at least twice to unlock the Ogre and Stryder Titans for use in classic multiplayer, they are very obviously crafted with a lot of care for the most fun part of the game, the parkour. One of the consistent highlights of the game that happens about every three matches or so is the inevitable jump-kick parkour battle you can get into with enemy pilots. Moments like these are right up there with calling down a Titan while being hilariously fun, even if you do end up being on the wrong end of a kick to the... face.

The final point I want to talk about is the guns. They're fairly generic. You have slightly lesser versions of the SMG and sniper rifle along with their stronger counter-parts, a shotgun, an LMG, a carbine, and a smart pistol. The only thing among these worth discussing at any length is the smart pistol. The more I play, the more I arrive at the conclusion that the smart pistol is over-powered. It's as simple as that, and it's so over-powered that I decided to just forget it (for the most part) and use the stronger SMG for the majority of my matches once I had it unlocked. The long and short of it is that you don't have to aim, or at least, not necessarily directly at the target you need, you just need to have the desired target in a specific area until the targeting system turns red, indicating the shots will be lethal. I think it would be wise on Respawn's part to consider having some sort of alert system to at least make the pilot aware that he or she is being locked on to, whether that be by some sort of passive tactical ability or even a burn card, it's something that needs to be considered. (Note: I know the shotgun is fairly OP as well, but that's the nature of shotguns at close range anyway. They're lethal.) As previously mentioned, the customization could be expanded a bit as well, though I don't think that the game necessarily LACKS anything because it's not there, it would have ultimately been added value for that $60 price.


Now, this review probably make it seem like I hate the game, which I honestly don't. In fact, I'm probably going to play for a couple hours after I finish writing this review. I would say that instead of hating the game, what you just read is my most critical view of the game as it stands because, after 8 days, the rose-tinted glasses have been taken off. It's easy to fall in love with Titanfall, and leveling up is incredibly addicting, as it was back with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. With the promise of expansions on the way, it's easy to feel that small bit of leftover hype still with me, as I have enjoyed the heck out of this game so far despite the shortcomings relative to Titanfall's direct competition, and can't wait to see what more the team at Respawn has in store for the franchise. A fun shooter featuring parkour and mechs, it's nothing if not addicting. However, because of the aforementioned shortcomings, I can't recommend this game for full price. Thanks for reading, and keep on keepin' on.

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Cal's Top 10 Games of 2013January 4, 2014 by



The Last of Us

 (Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment/ June 14th)



The Swapper 




Tomb Raider

(Crystal Dynamics/ Square Enix/  March 5th)



Gone Home

(The Fullbright Company/ The Fullbright Company/ August 15th)



Grand Theft Auto V

(Rockstar North/ Rockstar Games/ September 17th)


pokemon xy

Pokemon X/Y











The Wolf Among Us S1E1/ The Walking Dead S2E1




Fire Emblem: Awakening

(Intelligent Systems/ Nintendo/ February 4th)



Papers, Please

(Lucas Pope/ Lucas Pope/ August 8th)




#1- Bioshock Infinite

(Irrational Games/ 2K Games/ March 25th)




Honorable Mentions:


Games I'm Looking Forward to in 2014:



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Blabbering About: Modularity vs. Malleability (Gamescom 2013)August 23, 2013 by


So there have been some things said recently, some more jabs at Microsoft from Sony regarding their messaging. While Andrew House essentially said that Sony's message has been consistently for gamers and that Microsoft changes often to fit consumer demands (perhaps a bit more eloquently, without specifically saying "Microsoft"), Microsoft's Phil Spencer then went on to essentially say that it's a good thing that Microsoft has been listening to gamer concerns, and adapted. When I think of these two perspectives, it reminds me of the time I've spent upgrading my computer.

When I first started upgrading my computer, I had only an extremely vague idea of what modularity was, and that was only that PC gamers loved it. So after doing some light research (dictionary.com, set-up tutorials, etc.), I quickly grasped that they were talking about the ability to only have the wires you need associated with, say, the power supply, connected, leaving more room for other cool stuff (not that I have the money for it, but still). When I think of Sony's strategy in selling the Playstation brand (not necessarily just Playstation 4), this is what I think of. You don't want a move controller? Don't get it. You don't want a Playstation Eye? Don't worry about it. You don't want a Playstation Vita? Don't spend your money on it. All the accessories are removable from the experience, and yet the experience remains solid.  However, I am of the mind that Microsoft makes a strong point when they mention that dialogue between the coporation and the consumer is a healthy one, even if it gets a bit heated. With this in mind, I think that the dialogue between Sony and it's customers is slightly behind the times, a sort of "Take it or don't. I don't care what you do." attitude is present. Now, I'm not saying that they never listen to their customers. Absolutely not. Especially with this new report that there are apparently 180 games in development for the PS4, a stark contrast to the old adage they suffered with in the early years of the PS3, that "PS3 has no games" feeling customers had, the Playstation has shown that they are able to listen to their customers.

Now, Microsoft's strategy is incredibly fascinating to keep track of, because they seem to really think that despite all their other policy changes since the announcement, they're really sticking to their guns with the Kinect, and keeping that as a part of the Xbox One package-deal. Now, when I was deciding what power supply to get for my computer, I didn't always consider modularity as the most vital part of why I would buy the part. With that in mind, I looked instead to the possible advantages of what some other non-modular PSUs had to offer, and at what price. Thinking that if I decide to upgrade the rest of my computer, perhaps add another graphics card or an audio card (something I still probably need to get on), some of the options that weren't modular had plenty of wires available that I wouldn't be using, and for a cheaper price than the modular equivalent. When looking at what Microsoft is trying to do with the Xbox One regarding it's cloud processing and possible integration of the Kinect to detect one's pulse and facial expression while playing a game, it feels like it's extra stuff that I don't necessarily need now, but could end up being worth it later on down the line.

All in all, they're both guilty (to an extent) of at least pushing semi-unnecessary changes for both systems. I don't really fault Microsoft for deciding to make that one last stand in the face of customer demand, with Kinect, especially when they were faulted for not sticking to their guns in the first place (though that may not have been completely earnest complaints, i.e. trolling). However, there's also that whole thing about the price being worth it. Those non-modular units were cheaper than their counterparts (at least, the ones I was looking at were), and that $100 difference will end up costing them some sales (as can be seen by the PS4 preorders). As for me, I just had to start paying back my college expenses. I don't have a lot of money just laying about (yet). When I do, maybe then I'll entertain the idea of either the PS4 or Xbox One, but until I feel financially secure, I'll stick with what I have right now, a PC and an Xbox 360.

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Blabbering About: The Importance of CortanaAugust 17, 2013 by








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