It’s rare that a game that’s as hyped up as Titanfall actually lives up to it. In many cases, you’re left with a sense of emptiness in your soul after a game has been talked up so much, and the game rarely lives up to what is promised or rumored to be from the community at large.

TitanfallTitanfall, the new Multiplayer First-Person Mech/Shooter from Respawn Entertainment is a title that definitely lives up to its hype. You man the role of a Pilot from either the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (or IMC), a ruthless commercial empire bent on controlling the galaxy’s resources, or the Militia, the defense force hell-bent on stopping the IMC from attaining galactic domination. The war takes place on the edge of civilization, also known as The Frontier, a place rich with resources and opportunity for pioneers, explorers, and outlaws alike. As a pilot for one of these elite fighting forces, you have the ability to call down massive robotic fighting machines, known as the Titans. These Titans form the brunt of your offensive, and man is it satisfying each and every time you throw yourself into one.

From the first time I stepped into the immense world of the never-ending battle between the Interstellar Mining Corporation and the Militia, I was completely immersed. Through amazing and responsive gameplay and engaging worlds, I was taken into the world and felt a sense of pure enjoyment from the very first moment.

The game itself features several modes, including Attrition (battling against the enemy “Pilots” and npcs), Hardpoint Domination (Three point capture-and-hold), Last Titan Standing (all-out brawl in Titans), Capture the Flag, and Pilot Hunter. Each and every game mode brings a unique twist to the 6v6 playstyle that the game offers. Amidst the pre-release backlash of not supporting more than 6v6, I can understand Respawn’s standpoint on only allowing 6 players to a side. With everything going on every match, be it Titan’s locked up in combat, NPC’s duking it out (and there are a lot of NPC’s) and sometimes six to eight Pilots locked in combat, having more would be more chaos than a bunch of apocalyptic kittens rampaging through the streets.

A great game doesn’t come without its own downfalls, however. The lack of variety in weapons upon release and imbalance in certain weapons (Which Respawn is actively working to resolve) makes the gameplay rather repetitive at times to players, and the lack of a true single-player campaign leaves much to be desired. Respawn has multiple DLC releases planned, and even has a Season Pass released to pre-purchase all of the upcoming DLC releases of the coming year at a discounted rate.

If you have even the slightest temptation to purchase Titanfall, I would say that it’s money well-spent. Jason West and Vince Zampella (The founders of Respawn Entertainment, formerly of Infinity Ward) have done their best to ensure an entertaining spectacle that rivals that of their work on the Call of Duty: Black Ops franchise. The two and a half years they have spent with this project has yielded one of the best games this year, to date. With active feedback from the community and the developers actively working to make the game better each and every day, it will be worthwhile to see what the game evolves into in the coming months!

Titanfall released on March 11th, 2014, and is now available on Origin. With this release was the additional announcement of four upcoming DLC’s, slated for this Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.