Best of 2014 - Number 9

Titanfall

Respawn Entertainment
Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC

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No other shooter this year gave me the same amount of sheer thrill and joy as Titanfall did. I came into it late as I didn't own a Xbox One until a few months ago (October, actually), but I made sure that Titanfall was the first game I experienced on it. For this year, there probably wasn't a more rewarding and awesome experience as hearing the words "Standby for Titanfall", witnessing your hulking metal Titan scorch through the sky and crash into the earth. I can't help but stand still and watch my Titan arrive each time I call it in, even if that sometimes (alright, all the time) gets me killed. I rarely get into online shooters much, but Titanfall proved to be one of the most addictive and fun gaming experiences of the year.

As awesome and intuitive as the Titans are, I really dug the traversal mechanics in the game. Being able to double jump and run along walls added an entirely new element to the game and changes the way I (and many other gamers) think about shooters. Tight controls and smooth shooting only make an already awesome game better. It may be a bit lacking in the content department (though the recently added Frontier Defense mode gave the game some much needed variety), but Titanfall is still a very tight, cohesive package. And it's ridiculously fun. And it has robots. 'Nuff said.