Forget BF6, This Award-Wining 2016 Sci-fi Shooter Proves FPS Stories Can Still Be A Game-Changer For the Genre

There’s no denying that Battlefield 6 has proven to be a tremendous success. Even with a campaign that was heavily criticized by fans and critics alike, it reviewed well, as most realize that the single-player offering is more about checking a box on an expected features list than being a big draw for the game. It’s Battlefield 6’s stellar multiplayer that carried it to being the best-selling game of 2025, and it’s that mode that will continue to keep players coming back. However, years from now when the multiplayer servers are barren or shutdown, few will be revisiting Battlefield 6. On the flip side, even as the game grows older, and its multiplayer servers have become full of cheaters, Titanfall 2 is a timeless title because of its phenomenal campaign.

As great as Titanfall 2’s multiplayer is, it’s a hard sell for newcomers in 2025 due to the aforementioned cheating problem and the knowledge that the game will never receive new content from Respawn. However, the single-player mode that helped it win the Critic’s Choice Award at the Golden Joysticks in 2016 remains as good as ever nearly a decade later. On par with other modern classic FPS campaigns, such as Wolfenstein: The New Colossus and Doom Eternal, Titanfall 2 shines in everything from its level design and boss encounters to its characters and gameplay. When compared to Battlefield 6 and Black Ops 7, it becomes even clearer just how special Respawn’s last FPS story was.

Titanfall 2 vs. Battlefield 6 — The Importance of Characters

While Titanfall 2 may not feature truly top-tier characters like Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion or The Last of Us’ Ellie, what it does manage to do is nail the relationship between Jack Cooper (voiced excellently by Matthew Mercer) and his Titan, BT-7274. From the moment Cooper is bestowed ownership of the mech to BT’s emotional sacrifice at the end of the story, their dynamic elevates what could have been a generic soldier to a fun hero. Akin to a human and their beloved pet, only with BT’s AI making it far more intelligent than a feline or canine, players are sure to find the Titan adorable thanks to its many back-and-forth with its Pilot. Respawn was also wise to craft two gameplay loops for each of its characters, something that consistently shakes up gameplay but also makes the story’s leads stand out even more.

Battlefield 6, on the other hand, fails to deliver characters worth caring about. For the most part, everyone is a generic soldier that players will forget about the second the credits roll, as there is no sassy squad mate like Call of Duty’s Frank Woods that leaves a lasting impression. The opening mission ends in tragedy, with music swelling as protagonist Dylan Murphy loses their squadmates one by one. However, there’s no reason to care or be attached to Murphy, let alone his fallen comrades, as players have known them for roughly ten minutes before things fall apart. Titanfall 2, on the other hand, earns its emotional payoff. And though its plot is simple, it gets the job done, whereas Battlefield 6’s storyline feels cobbled together ane is all over the place.

Titanfall 2 vs. Black Ops 7 — The Importance of Setting

While Black Ops 2 — the game Black Ops 7 is a direct successor to — brilliantly juggled two different settings, the newest game failed to make even one stand out. Players never get to properly explore interesting locations in 2025, as they’re often restricted to the scrapped Warzone map Avalon, where it feels like they’re just fighting through generic futuristic cities and facilities. Titanfall 2, on the other hand, shakes things up with each mission. Players constantly visit different parts of the planet Typhon, from lush forests to a simulated farm, and each one of them feels handcrafted to accommodate the wallrunning mechanics that are so integral to the franchise.

To the Black Ops 7 campaign’s credit, it does try to change its locales in the non-Avalon missions, taking players on a nostalgic trip to classic areas like Vorkuta, but these only serve as reminders of better experiences. Whereas Black Ops 7’s campaign fails to do much new with its setting, Titanfall 2 embracing sci-fi helped lead to an absolutely brilliant time travel segment where players are altering the environment to help themselves progress. Comparing this well-thought-out puzzle segment to the generic valve-turning hacking puzzles that occasionally show up in BO7 is night and day, and is a clear example of one game leaning into its setting while another fails to properly explore it.

Image via EA

Then there are the boss fights of both games. Whereas Black Ops 7’s battles were a clear attempt to justify its co-op campaign, some of which were even fun with other players, fighting a giant human just feels out of place for the series. It’s led to constant memes online, with players bashing Call of Duty for “losing the plot” and “jumping the shark,” and though it can be handwaved as a hallucination, there’s no denying that BO7 and its strange boss fights are a far cry from the well-written and personal conflict between Raul Menendez and David Mason in BO2. Titanfall 2, on the other hand, offers fights against the Apex Predators that feel completely natural, given that a huge part of the series’ premise is Titans fighting other Titans. Each of these fights feels distinct due to the environments and different Titan models, and some battles — like Viper — can genuinely challenge the player on greater difficulties.

Titanfall 2’s Campaign Strengths Don’t Stop There

Yet as much as Titanfall 2 nails its environment, level design, and characters, its campaign has other strengths that make it worth playing. These include, but aren’t limited to:

• Top-notch gunplay featuring iconic weaponry that would go on to feature in the hit battle royale game Apex Legends.
• A story that doesn’t overstay its welcome, as there’s no filler in the 4-5 hour experience.
• A gorgeous art style that still sees the environments holding up a decade later, even if the character models are showing a little age.
• An enjoyable achievement list for Trophy hunters looking to get more out of the game.

While it’s true that the audience for campaigns in games like Call of Duty and Battlefield has dwindled, with more gamers hopping straight into the multiplayer than ever before, Titanfall 2 is clear proof that an FPS can treat both solo players and online gamers equally. The aforementioned franchises used to do this, too; games like the original Black Ops and Bad Company managed to have both high-quality campaigns and sensational multiplayer, so it’s a shame that it feels like only the latter was prioritized in the most recent entries. Titanfall 2 would have been the perfect game for these titles to take inspiration from, as while both are good where it matters most, they could have been great all-round titles if their campaigns were more appealing.

Image via EA

Titanfall 2’s story gave its world depth and introduced potential multiplayer fans to its mechanics, but it did so in a way that was enjoyable from beginning to end and can be appreciated completely on its own. If someone were to pick up Titanfall 2 just for the story, which is especially easy to justify nowadays since copies are quite cheap, they’d undoubtedly walk away satisfied. Sequences like the Time gauntlet level will likely stick with them long-term, too, whereas Battlefield 6’s campaign has no such highs to speak of. Titanfall 3 rumors appear regularly but consistently prove false, so it will clearly be some time before a sequel happens (if it ever even does). Still, Titanfall 2 remains a classic and is a true high to end on if the series is fated not to continue. It should be a lesson to FPS developers that stories matter and can give a game longevity, and it’s a reminder to those who look down on shooters that the genre can offer truly stellar stories.