The beta is now in full swing and open to all players... and I've been spending a fair bit of time running (and jumping... and stomping) around.  Other than the l-o-n-g-e-s-t tutorial I think I've ever seen in a first-person shooter, the game is a LOT of fun.

At first, it can be a little overwhelming, particularly in the beta.  The first match you're likely to play and, indeed, the one recommended by the game, is a game of Attrition which is, essentially, team deathmatch.  Unfortunately, being just level 1, you're likely to find yourself dying... a lot.  This is especially true while you are getting to grips with the nuances of Titanfall and the pace of the matches.  My first match was bad... really bad... I connected to find my team was made up of mostly level 6 and 7 pilots while the opposite team, with the exception of a single level 12 pilot, was made up of level 14 pilots.  Not exactly a balanced match.  Given that this is, after all, a beta test, it's likely that the matchmaking system still requires some tweaks.

Once you're played a couple of matches, however, the game really starts to open up and you being to understand that Titanfall is almost two different games.  While you are on foot, the trick is to keep moving and stay off the ground.  With the advantage of speed and agility, you can bounce from building to building, running along rooftops, jumping through windows and climbing (or hanging) walls.  Titans pack a punch, but they've got to hit you first.  Once you're in your Titan, it's all about damage management.  Deal out as much as possible while avoiding or blocking anything pointed in your direction.  The Titans, while not exactly sluggish, can not jump or climb, so they are restricted to moving between buildings (well, most buildings... there are a few you can enter).  Of course, just because you've called down your Titan, doesn't mean you have to get inside.  One of the really cool things is to simply leave your Titan guarding a point while you run into a building and flush someone out... or putting you Titan on follow mode and then running across the rooftops through the middle of a firefight.  Any kill your Titan gets... you take credit for!

When you first start playing, you might notice that you are restricted to a fairly limited selection of weapons and gadgets for both you and your Titan with just two fixed 'builds' for each. While this does give you a little customisation, it really begins to open up once you reach higher levels. As well as a selection of fixed builds, you'll also unlock a number of custom ones (similar to a number of other first-person shooters) and then things get really interesting. Each pilot build consists of a primary weapon, a side arm, an anti-Titan weapon, a tactical ability, ordinance and two 'kit' slots. The weapon selections for your pilot are fairly typical, with the exception of the smart pistol which allows you to lock on to targets (a topic of much discussion on the forums) but the lock takes time... a rare commodity in such a fast paced game. The tactical ability and the kit slots provide some more interesting customisation with things like a cloak that hides you from the view of Titan's (but only slightly obscures you from Pilots). Titan builds are fairly similar, but with only one (big) weapon... but they tend to have even more interesting tactical abilities, like the Vortex Shield that allows you to block and collect projectiles... firing them back on release!

If you still want further options, you'll also unlock 'Burn Cards'. These are essentially single-use perks that you can equip and use during spawn times and cover a wide array of abilities from leg implants to run faster, through to replacing your weapons. Once used, they are gone... but you'll get a steady stream of them so there's no real point in hoarding (although you might want to hold on to the rare ones for special occasions).

Anyone still questioning the 6v6 player limit obviously hasn't played much.  Once you've got twelve pilots, with the potential for twelve Titans also running around, it gets pretty crazy.  Add a number of AI controlled Grunts (basic soldiers) and Spectres (not-so-basic soldiers) running around, I'd challenge anyone to find a nice quite spot on the map.

Graphically Titanfall isn't going to blow you away.  That's not to say it's bad, far from it, but if I was looking to find fault I'd at least point out that some of textures look a little rough up close.  That said... if you're spending time looking that closely at the textures, you probably shouldn't be playing (and it still looks inifinitely better that Call of Duty: Ghosts).

As beta's go, this is probably one of the most polished and smoothest FPS betas I've played in (and I've played in quite a lot) and you've still got some time to join in as they've extended it until February 19th!

Still unsure? Check out the videos below...

If everything goes to plan, the game will be releasing on March 14th (March 11th in the US).

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~ Naiboss