'Titanfall 2' review roundup: Here's what the critics are saying

The new first-person shooter Titanfall 2, developed by Respawn Entertainment, is out now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Here's what critics have to say about it so far.

Titanfall 2 reviews

Over at Polygon, Arthur Gies said Titanfall 2 had "without a doubt, the smoothest, best controlling player movement in a shooter that I've ever laid hands on," but that Respawn's attempts to expand the game into a single-player campaign and several multiplayer modes left it feeling "uneven" overall.

"Consistency is a problem for Titanfall 2 in general, and it's a game that seems to struggle with a confident direction for its changes," Gies said. "The end result is a collection of fantastic mechanics across its campaign and its multiplayer that often feel hamstrung by difficult to understand design choices. There's clearly more here than before, and the package is offering something more 'complete' by today's standards. But Titanfall 2 throws the series' dynamics off enough to make for something that just doesn't quite click together as well as it did before."

IGN's Brandin Tyrrel was much happier with the game overall, praising Titanfall 2's platforming, weapon variety, new multiplayer modes and single-player campaign. He gave Titanfall 2 a nine out of 10 overall.

"Respawn has doubled down on its compelling formula of breakneck movement and grandiose scale, tapping the vein of those literal and figurative explosive moments that we brag about afterwards," Tyrrel said. "And this time around, the first game's lacking single-player component has been addressed with admirable results, offering an engaging trek through a universe that was begging to be fleshed out."

Tyrrel's only qualms with Titanfall 2 seemed to be with the game's relatively plain storyline, saying, "While I thoroughly enjoyed Titanfall 2's story, its secretive plot twists and character drama probably wouldn't sustain me on another playthrough alone."

In Eurogamer's review, Jon Denton clearly thinks highly of Titanfall 2 as well, saying, "Like the best Mario games, Titanfall 2 picks a trick, themes an entire level around it, and then drops it the second it threatens to become overfamiliar. And just like Mario, it's all backed up by those rock-solid fundamentals that mean when you are just in firefights, or are asked to navigate a chasm using wall-running, everything feels nigh-on flawless."

Chris Thursten at PC Gamer echoes other critics' positive sentiments. "This is essentially a public service announcement," Thursten said. "If you had written off Titanfall 2 as the smallest dog in this year's first person adventure race, stuck awkwardly between Battlefield 1, Call of Duty, and Dishonored 2 — then you need to start paying attention to it. If you've been enjoying the recent renaissance in single-player shooter design from Wolfenstein: The New Order to Doom, then you really owe it to yourself to play this game."

Mic's take on Titanfall 2

Having spent a fair bit of time with the campaign myself, the sentiments echoed above ring true with what I've seen so far. Titanfall 2's sense of movement and platforming is outstanding — such that many of my favorite sections of the campaign involve zero shooting whatsoever.

And, as I said in my brief preview of the game, the story of Titanfall 2 is nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary. If you've seen any action movie in the last decade, you know what you're getting yourself into. That said, the story works well within those stereotypical plot beats, and is competent and smart enough to get you from one mission to the next without getting in the way.

The best part of Titanfall 2, though, is how well it succeeds at offering a variety of gameplay types — its platforming, on-foot shooting, and titan gameplay all offer something different, but none feel under-baked or thrown on last minute. If you've been itching for a good first-person shooter to sink your teeth into, Titanfall 2 should definitely be on your shortlist.