Warning: This Post is NOT About an RPG

Titanfall. I never expected you to even blip on my radar. Really, I figured I was done with multiplayer shooters. Call of Duty had long since stopped being something that commanded my attention, and Battlefield, despite multiple attempts on my part, just didn't hook me in any sustainable fashion.

But, Titanfall, despite my attempts to dismiss you, something about you kept beckoning to me to glance at previews and videos of you. I don't know if it's your OG ex-Infinity Ward pedigree, or your science-fiction setting, or your use of mechs, or the fact that you were clearly doing something different from the other Wal-Mart-esque generic shooters, I kept tabs on you.

And holy cow, am I glad I did.

On a whim, I went ahead and registered for beta codes for both PC and XB1. I received them both this past weekend, and quickly hopped into the action.

Titanfall, via its excellent mechanics is, *GASP*, inclusive and accessible in its play. I have never felt so ready to compete, and the fact that I was actually competitive so quickly surprised me.

Granted, a lot of this action is new to most players, so we'll see how that holds up when I only play 5 hours a week, while the rest of the players make it a full-time job.

What was most impressive, though, was that my 8yr old got in there and really tore shit up.

A quick note on that - it's an M-rated game, yes, I know. But I played a fair amount of it before turning him loose on it, and I felt like most of the action was absent any real grotesquerie. I winced a bit at the neck-breaking mêlée attack, but that was it. The rest of it is so out-of-this-world, that it doesn't smack of realism. Please save your holier-than-thou parenting for your own family.

The best moment of the weekend, though, was when he figured out, for both of us, that you could, as a pilot, jump on top of an enemy Titan, rip open its hull, then start drilling it with your gun. He kept insisting that it was doable, and I said, 'fine, it's your life,' and he blew that enemy Titan to pieces. We high-fived and had a great laugh about it.

The lesson: families that play Titanfall together stay together.

So, most of his action was on the Xbox One. I played mostly on PC, and LOVED it.

Visually, both were stunning, and I was surprised at how well they both play. Yeah, PC is a little more accurate with the WASD + mouse, but the XB1 version played beautifully. I rarely found myself getting frustrated with the control.

I ran my PC version at max settings @ 1920x1080 and had no issues. It was silky-smooth.

I'm not sure what resolution the XB1 version is running, but I'm certain a PS4 fanboy could tell you. The correct answer is, 'it's a console game, and I don't care; if I cared about visuals, I'd play it on PC.' It still looks goddam great for a console game.

Both versions played great, both looked great, and I'm really considering getting the game for both, since the boy prefers the console, while I prefer the PC (also, most of my friends are mouth-breathing console players, so I might as well join them.)

The biggest thing, though, was that it was accessible without feeling dumbed-down. That is quite a feat and I tip my hat to Respawn.

What was especially fun was getting to know the game a bit, then deciding on an approach, and then seeing that approach succeed. I decided I want to be a quiet, stealthy dealer of death. I use the Smart Pistol (wow, what a great weapon), which doesn't demand that you be all that accurate, but it does insist that if your target requires more than one hit, you keep the target in a wide bracket of view until the number of hits it needs for a kill all line up. This is fantastic for stealth kills. Additionally, I have a cloak that I can use for a brief time, which is more effective on Titans than pilots. This allows me to actually stealthily approach the Titan until I can jet up to its head, and begin to bring it down.

It's fantastic getting into a game like this, finding your niche, and then using it in concert with the team to bring the other team to its knees. Man, I haven't had that feeling in years.

Also, this is the first game I've ever played whose tutorial is really fun. It was almost like Portal

As I said, I'd sworn off multiplayer shooters, but I am buying this game, and I can't wait to play the hell out of it.

Bringing it full-circle, though, I guess I am describing the most literal terms of 'role-playing.' Maybe this is the multiplayer shooter role-players have been waiting for? I don't know, but I'm amped as hell for this game, and can't wait to play more tonight!

I believe users can directly access the beta from their Xbox One now. Get in there!

-Blaine