An online-only multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Respawn Entertainment – a company founded by ex-Call of Duty developers, Jason West and Vince Zampella – the events of Titanfall take place in a near-distant future, where war is waged by free-running pilots on dystopian battlefields or from inside the belly of Titans – large mech-style robots that shake the earth when they walk or run, delivering merciless damage on foes and the surrounding environment.

 It’s easy to make the call that Titanfall will be the next blockbuster franchise

A recent beta test of the game unsurprisingly had legions of players cheering the game developers and gagging for more. While a limited offering of the full release, the beta demonstrated that a lot of thought has been put into keeping the gameplay simple, while focussing on systems that still allow players a good measure of control over their pilot and Titan weapon kits. From its amazingly rich landscapes, to its intuitive controls, it’s easy to make the call that Titanfall will be the next blockbuster franchise.

Nothing beats the thrill of hearing your Titan’s countdown to readiness; except, of course, for the moment when it thunders to the ground and you climb inside to deliver a little hellstorm on your opponents. Then there’s the exhilaration that comes when you pull out your pilot’s anti-Titan weapon and single-handedly take down one of the giant metal beasts. The pleasure is nothing short of visceral.

But even before the beta, regular teaser trailers, artwork releases and spec announcements created an impressive flurry of game buzz.

We haven’t seen a first-person shooter set the internet alight with this amount of anticipation since Halo

Indeed, we haven’t seen a first-person shooter set the internet alight with this amount of anticipation since Halo. Sure, most fans of the Call of Duty franchise salivate over each new release of the arcade-style shooter, but with every new Titanfall gameplay teaser or feature announcement, imaginations were captured and caressed with the sweet, crushing sound of metal on metal.

Actor Will Arnett tests out the multiplayer action.

At present, Xbox One is the only next-gen console to get the game, although initially it won’t run in 1080p. Respawn has said: “We don’t want to give up anything for higher res.”

Who can blame them? There’s no point having a pretty looking robot to fight other robots with, if the action jumps and stutters. We’ve all seen the heat game developers cop when their multiplayer games experience issues like rubberbanding and server lag – the internet becomes a ruthless flame war.

The game also uses Microsoft’s cloud architecture for non-gameplay, meaning more of your machine’s grunt is focussed on the actual in-game experience. This development alone may make Titanfall a formidable, and beautifully rendered, addition to your game library.

One last point to remember; your internet connection. Being an online-only multiplayer game, if you don’t have the appropriate level of connectivity, you’ll be left crying over your console while the other kids go out and play with their big robots. Contact your Internet Service Provider to ensure you’re on the fastest plan with the most stable connection.

Are there any sweeter words than, ‘YOUR TITAN IS READY’?

Find out now!

Available on Xbox One, Xbox 360 & PC, and digital download from the Xbox Live Marketplace.