Gears of War Ultimate Edition Beta Review

I got to play the beta for the next Gears recently. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. I don't play Gears for the multiplayer MOBA maps. I play it for the stories. It's not that I don't mind getting into a frag-fest every now and again, it's just that I don't always get to go online when my friends do, nor do I always play the same games that they do. So, when a game that has surprisingly good stories comes out, I want the solo play, no matter how good the arena is supposed to be.

There is also the newness factor that comes into play (no pun intended). When a game like Halo or Shadowrun first comes out, there's usually enough people interested in the game to provide a balanced team, whether you're a new or seasoned player. But as time goes on, less new people join, and more of the older people stop. As a result, the teams can be lopsided, or worse, the server is shut down (R.I.P. Avatar).

Although I did have some fun playing the beta, I had a learning curve to deal with. I am not a huge Gears fan. Maybe if all games used the same controller layout, I could have avoided the memory issue of what button reloads, how do I switch weapons, etc. Instead, I had to deal with all of this while avoiding fire. Something that took a bit of the fun out of it for me, a non-Gears fanatic.

The other issue that I had is the standard, "don't choose your side, the game will decide for you," element of team building. I would have preferred to play as a COG, instead of a Locust, had I been given a choice. Instead, I was just thrown into a team of Locust, just before the match started. I didn't even have time to chose Sniper, or even see what the other options are. I had to wait for the second match to do so.

On the positive side, the graphics were far better than I expected, and I really expected something from them. The sound was what I expected, which really wasn't much. Let's face it, in a MOBA, all you need are gunshots, explosions, and grunting from the wounded.

So, would this beta increase my chances of buying the next Gears on release day? No. I can't say that the experience justifies a $60 price tag. If The Coalition wants me to shell out any money for the game, they'll have to wait until the price drops to the "Greatest Hits" value price, or at least give me a demo that lets me check out the game play for solo. Otherwise, I may even wait for it's eventual "free with Gold" offering.

MOBAs are a dime a dozen. A good solo or side-by-side co-op is always worth the extra money to me, because I can play when I want, how I want, without worrying about a server being down or closed. I can enjoy the game without waiting for another player that owns the game to plug it in. At $350 for a console, and however much per game, I think I deserve that much control.

Titanfall: A Year One Review

There have been a lot of mech games over the decades. A lot of them were really good, such as the old Mechwarrior series. Of course, I'm talking about the series before Microsoft bought it. If you have access to an older computer, it isn't hard to find cheap, since so many copies sold. You can also find a watered down, but equally fun, version on the PSOne.

In more recent years, players have been losing interest in mech based games, myself included. The recent generation of games have watered down the game play, mostly to make life easier on the game developers. They took away the most important element in the game play experience: the mech simulation.

The best part of these games was feeling like you were a pilot to one of these massive robot tanks. So many people loved this aspect of the game, that we would spend $8.00 for a single play at VR centers in places like Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York City. We'd be enclosed in a small cockpit, with barely enough room for a chair. Instead of a controller, we had foot pedals, lots of levers, and a joystick. There was no practice time allowed. You were just thrown into the arena, and had to fight it out against the other 11 or so players. No teams, just lots of ammo coming at you.

As developers took away the simulation, the players started to go away as well. Sales for the genre dropped, as the number of gamers started to complain that mech games were boring. Then Respawn Entertainment came along. They put back the critical part of the game. But the question is, was it too late for the genre? Have so many people given up on mechs that it didn't matter how good a game was?

All of the sales figures that I could find were from about a year ago, but as of at least August 5, 2014, the game has sold almost three million copies. In the first sales quarter that the game was out in, it had sold 925,000 units. Not digital downloads, but actual discs. The game has also gathered a strong following since it's release, and gotten some great reviews from the media and fans alike. But is the game good?

I think everyone has a game that they use as a standard when judging a game. Some people compare all the FPS games that they play to Halo (original Xbox), their preferred Call of Duty title, or even Mario.  When it comes to mech games, I use the 1995 classic, Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat, computer version. This 20 year old game had more than I needed to enjoy the game, such as x-ray scanning, the ability to use image frames without textures (it sped up a slow computer), and played beautifully. I don't know a single player that ever had a control issue with the game, unless their keyboard or stick was bad.

So, how does Titanfall measure up to my dream game? Surprisingly well. The controls are incredible, the art is beautiful (something I never thought I'd say about a war game), and the maps are extremely well designed. I still haven't found a passage way (except for some doorways) that my mech would get stuck in. There are plenty of buildings to use for cover, and you get a reasonable amount of ammunition. At least, I don't recall ever running out of bullets while playing.

I truly believe that this game would finally replace the 20 year old classic that I judge by if Respawn Entertainment would just make two minor changes. One of which I don't expect to ever see, since so many people behind the game hate the concept: Single player gaming.

A few of the high ups at Respawn Entertainment don't believe in single gaming anymore. They've stated in many articles that the single play stories either take too much of their time, or that people play one level, get bored, and just focus on shooting other players. Obviously, these people haven't looked at the sales for single play games like The Elder Scrolls series, or games that offer both, like Gears of War. I can respect them wanting to make the game that they want to play, but putting the blame for their laziness on players is just plain rude.

Not everyone has the luxury of high speed internet in this country, and some countries really don't have it, period. It's nice to aim high, but if you really want to get the big sales numbers, you need to be as inclusive as possible for your consumer base. There are also those that don't want a long, drawn out on line session. People with jobs, school, families, or any combination, often can't spend a long stretch of time playing a game. Add to that the need to either wait for more random players to join your lobby, or friends to come on line with you, and you end up burning a lot of time that you could have spent playing the game.

My only other problem with the game is the lack of cockpit time available in the game. Instead of offering a mech only character, everyone starts with the pilot. Sometimes you get to summon your mech right away, other times you need to wait up to two minutes. And then once your mech is totaled, you have to wait another two minutes before you can summon it again. I bought the game to pilot a mech. To add insult to injury, the game was sold on the premiss that other mechs would be on the battle field that you can high jack. Try doing that while its pilot is charging at you. No, it was sold with the mention of some empties on the field that wouldn't try to run you down as you entered.

So, do the complaints outweigh the positives for the game? I don't think so. The mechless play is made up for, mostly, by giving you some decent weapons and skills, I love the auto-locking pistol, and the invisibility works well. Too well at times. Instead of a give away shimmer effect, like Defiance uses, you're totally invisible, even to yourself. I love it when I get a stealth kill with it, but hate it when I get slaughtered by it.

The mechs themselves are so well designed, that I can't find anything to complain about, other than the two minute gaps without them. I don't need them to fly all over the place, like some games do. I don't need the x-ray option (although, I wouldn't complain about it being added). I also don't need 50 foot long swords for my mechs. Leave that to Robotech.

Although this game hasn't given me reason to replace Mechwarrior 2 as my all time favorite mech game, I look forward to Titanfall 2's release. Hopefully with a single play option (even if it's really short), and a chance to be inside a well crafted mech the entire match. Add those two features, and I'll be a Day One buyer. Something I've never done before.

And by-the-way, Respawn Entertainment has stated that all of the add on maps will be free. Having bought the season pass, I shouldn't feel as happy about this, but hey. At least people just coming into the game can get some good freebies.

Get Barker: From the Multi-Player Campaign Mode

Assault on the Sentinel: Also From the Campaign

The Winner, And Still Champ!