You look up to see an atmospheric explosion and the gift you have been waiting for drops like a giant metallic smorgasbord of gun-toting goodness. This is Titanfall and we could be looking at the release of the next huge franchise in gaming. The hype has been created ever since we first saw news of the game at the 2013 E3 Xbox presser and since then the game has only grown in expectation. This was aided, in no small part, from the game’s Beta where players were able to get to grips with some of what the game has to offer. The internet and YouTube in particular were full of gameplay videos showing off the gaming experience. You can read our Beta impressions here.

Titanfall is the first title from the newly established studio, Respawn Entertainment, and will be published by Electronic Arts. They were however formed from the studio that brought us Call of Duty, Modern Warfare so they already have a pretty sizable pedigree.

We have seen mechs in games before so why is Titanfall different?

The best way to explain it is the way you (as a pilot) interact with your Titan. You are able to pilot your titan from the outset, or activate the Guard or follow mode. These allow you to utilise the Titan’s firepower while you can gain a handy kill or two on the battlefield. Of course, should you want to you can hop back into the Titan at a moment’s notice. Visually speaking it can be great to see all the different boarding techniques available for gaining access to your Titan, but the most important aspect is the fluidity of entry and how you are only out of the game for a matter of seconds.

Once you are in the pilot’s seat a whole new world of weaponry is opened up to you and you can take delight in the fact that you can be an FPS god. That is until you encounter another Titan and then the game really comes into its own.

Even though the Titans are roughly the same design, they do have class strengths and weaknesses that a good pilot can exploit. Mix these with various weapons and powers and you can really make your mech feel like an extension of the pilot. The Titan-on-Titan battles can be epic in scale. Even if the worst happens and your Titan gets destroyed, you can still eliminate the responsible party with your heavy weapons or by going rodeo on the giant’s back, exposing its brain and unloading a few clips.

With these new features and a universal entry standard, Titanfall is shaping up to be the first Next-Gen must have and could well be the system seller for the Xbox One.  With a host of future DLC packs in the works, this could be the game to rule 2014 and beyond. We will be bringing you more on Titanfall very soon.

Titanfall will be available on Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Launch date is the 14th March. 

This post has been sponsored by EA Games, but all thoughts are our own.

Curve Digital has announced the third title in a month of announcements: Titan Invasion.  The game is being offered for one price as a cross-buy title on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.

The Titan Invasion collection will include two action titles from UK developer, Puppygames: ‘Titan Attacks!’ and ‘Revenge of the Titans’.

Titan Attacks! is an arcade action title inspired by games like Space Invaders and Galaga, but with many modern features including a full ship upgrade system, online leaderboards and stylish, neo-retro visuals. Revenge of the Titans keeps the frantic action and the distinctive visual style, but expands the game into a unique mash-up of Real Time Strategy and Tower Defence including over 25 different types of buildings and a deep upgrade system as players progress for 50 challenging levels.

Titan Invasion will be available on all PlayStation consoles this summer. Curve Digital has also announced puzzle-platform MouseCraft and Stealth Inc: Ultimate Edition this month, with one more announcement to go.