If Dark Souls II Is "Hardcore," What's Titanfall?

"Hardcore."

This one word has generated countless debates in the realm of video game culture. Obviously, the biggest issue is that it's a very subjective term; nobody can agree on an exact definition. That being said, regardless of your definition, chances are, you will label the recently released Dark Souls II as a "hardcore" title. In other words, only the core gaming crowd will be interested.

[Thatguy-310]

Idk it has a gun that locks into the opponent and AI that's brainless so you tell me.

[PSN-JeRzYzFyNeSt]

its for casuals like COD

[ic3fir3]

is not true, titanfall is easy to start but hard to master

Respawn has said it would make the game modes without bots after launch, and the bots do not count for kills, they serve only to exp.
  if so, dota and league of legends not entered for E-Sports, and has bots.
and are different genres, why compare titanfall with dark souls? compare with other RPGs

[Thatguy-310]

It's easier than COD. It's not all that competitive. A mediocre person can feel like they did a good job playing TF

[joab777]

Everything has different levels...and every game will have gamers who excel at it. Yeah, Titanfall may be much easier to get in to...but there will be those elite players that are able to accomplish things that will leave us in awe.

Other games like dark souls do not have an easy level of accessibility. Its actually much harder at the beginning. But it isnt anywhere near as hard as ppl make it out to be. Its more of a lesson in patienceb than anything.

For me, I play Dark Souls b/c of it is a complete gaming experience. It is an unbelievably immersive rpg with a robust class system and customization. But, on top of that, it is challenging like many puzzle games or platforms. It rewards those who are patient with a sense of accomplishment that few other games do.

I think the major difference is that Titanfall is immediate gratification like CoD and in todays' s world that is why its so popular. Dark Souls isnt. It punishes u over and over but the reward on the back on is so much more gratifying....something many ppl just dont have time for any more.

[IanVanCheese]

lol 'casuals'

[PONTIAC08G8GT]

Right because these two games share a lot of similarities. Ones a third person RPG and the other is a futuristic FPS.

Dark Souls is hardcore, meaning it will make you scream at the tv and turn it off in rage. I've played the previous ones and they are very tough, you will die a lot.

TF is for casual and hardcore people. Not everyone can dedicated 40 hours a week to a game. It's not fun for a new comer to join a game with people who are on their 10th prestige, unlocked every gun, know every map, and all they do is get blasted and finish last, wow that sounds like a lot of fun. The smart pistol and stupid AI make those people feel good and have fun, like they are adding some value to the team. Meanwhile hardcore gamers can use a ton of different guns (some harder to use), learn the strengths and weaknesses of other titans and layouts, play around with burn cards, etc etc.

A game that caters to both shouldn't be a negative thing.

[rdgneoz3]

"The smart pistol and stupid AI make those people feel good and have fun, like they are adding some value to the team."

Just got a new dog (10 weeks old) and that reminded me a bit of training him to pee on a pad... Cheering / congratulating him so he feels happy, like he accomplished something and so he'll continue to do it (took him less than a week to learn). Still, all he's doing is learning where to sh!t.

Congrats, you're killing brain dead AI with an auto lock pistol. You should feel so accomplished that you're able to kill it... Gold star?

[DragonKnight]

First of all, when talking about casuals and mentioning Dark Souls, the correct way to spell it is "casul." (Lol)

But "If Dark Souls 2 is Hardcore then Titanfall is a completely different experience and can't be measured in the same way" would be the correct answer.

The Souls series are designed so you have to be methodical and use trial and error gameplay. Titanfall is designed for you to run and gun and feel accomplished. The styles couldn't be more different if they tried.

[cleft5]

Titanfall is a game that makes everyone feel like they are special. Everyone gets a Titan, everyone gets to kill someone a lot, even if it is mindless AI, and everyone gets a solid k/d because of the mindless AI. Meanwhile, Dark Souls 2 revels in the fact that not everyone is special and if you want to be special you have to actually work for it, not point a gun in a general direction that locks onto opponents for you.

[Elimin8]

Softcore?

[Insomnia_84]

Titanfall is more casual than COD. It looks like a big game but it's so small in gameplay and I'm talking skills. My grandma can get three headshots in Titanfall with just one button. The game is fun though.

[komp]

If Dark Souls II Is "Hardcore,"
Then TitanFall is "Parkcore".

[Old_Boss_]

You stoled the words out of my mouth

[Hugodastrevas]

Why do you make me laugh so much at work? Now everyone's looking at me and i am obliged by law to give you a bubble up!

P.S. Long live Dark Souls 2

[IanVanCheese]

fwiw the Smart pistol is a bad gun. It allows people who are bad at shooters to get a kill or two, but any skilled player with a carbine vs a skilled player with a smart pistol, the carbine should win every time.

But yeah, comparing the two games is a bit wtf.

[PONTIAC08G8GT]

"It allows people who are bad at shooters to get a kill or two"

So if someone gets 2 kills the entire match, who cares? I've played like 70 matches, been killed maybe 5 times total from smart pistol. People need to realize the game is made for everyone, not just the hardcore people. Don't like smart pistol (like me), than don't use it and not many do. But maybe there is a guy/girl thats a casual gamer that wants to have fun and it's that great at games, big deal.

[IcicleTrepan]

You haven't even played the game have you? The smart pistol has to lock on three points to kill a pilot. This takes time. Yes, not a LOT of time, but enough time for you to get the jump on someone and kill them with a conventional weapon before you get locked on and shot. It also has limited range.

Stop complaining about something you know nothing about. If you can't figure out how to not get shot by the smart pistol then you should probably be using it yourself.

[IanVanCheese]

IcicleTrepan: Assuming that was directed at dboyc310, because I was saying exactly that lol.

I'm not bashing the gun at all, I'm saying it's just there so that people who suck at shooters can get involved and get a few kills without unbalancing the game.

It's in no way unbalanced like people are claiming.

[DragonKnight]

"Don't like smart pistol (like me), than don't use it and not many do."

This logic is infuriatingly frustrating. The point isn't that he doesn't like it but has to use it. You don't have to like something in order to use it or not use, and vice versa. The point is that he doesn't like its function and thinks it's a detriment to the game and he has the right to feel that way.

I hate Final Fantasy XIII and its sequels. I'm not buying the latest game. Doesn't mean I suddenly stop liking it or am obliged to stop saying that I don't like it just because I'm not buying it.

[jessupj]

Don't know where you're getting disagrees.

I a heavy Souls veteran. I have 3 demon's souls plats and the dark souls plat and yet I've died 27 times in DS2 and I don't think I'm anywhere near my first boss.

I haven't played TF, but I pretty good at COD and from what I hear I wouldn't have any trouble.

So yeah, I have no idea why the article is comparing these games when they're so different.

[Captain Qwark 9]

shit is hard as fuck! i didnt even find dark souls 1 all that hard. a handful of spots had me stuck but id be surprised if i died 30 times the whole game.....ive def died that many already lol

got to the first boss last night in fact....nothing like the feeling of being killed 3 hits or so before i finish him off. good old souls series.

all that said, easily the best game last gen, a title once held by demon and then dark souls. first series ever where 3 titles in and the sequels just keep getting better

[Master-H]

27 deaths before even the 1st boss? i find that very hard to believe. what exactly keeps killing you ?

[Irishguy95]

"It has a gun that locks into the opponent"

So...what you're saying is...all console shooters are casual? Well, we all know that

I've always said this about COD:
"COD is the most hardcore casual game there is"

If that makes any sense. COD falls into a weird realm were casuals and hardcore can both play it.

[Blaze929]

MariaHelFutura is just on a rooooll with these pointless Titanfall/Xbox One articles.

Literally everything you see negative is submitted by him lol. Dat passion

[TheLyonKing]

it's meant to be accessible for people who haven't even played an fps before, the learning curve is easy to master.

DS2 is for people who longed for the term nintendo hard to be relevant again (even if the game isn't on the nintendo system haha)

[GUYwhoPLAYSvideoGAME]

you disgust me

[DigitalAnalog]

Dark Souls is not "hardcore". Far from it, it's just a game with a different difficulty curve, once mastered it can be tread a lot easier. Games like Titanfall have easier learning curves but it can take awhile before the mechanics are fully exploited but it doesn't make it any more casual than Dark Souls simply because it caters to a different audience.

The same logic can apply to pick-n-play games like Tetris, only the hardest of the hardcore can play that game in the extreme level which require a lot of precision, timing and foresight. But that doesn't automatically make them any more hardcore than say, Titanfall with 95% K/D ratio or having minimal deaths in DS. It all depends how much effort you're willing to put forward in a game. Casuals tend to stay in the base line of the learning curve while the "hardcore" tries to master it.

[frostypants]

Demon's Souls/Dark Souls are an experience.
Games like Titanfall are cheap thrills.

Both have their place and a lot of the same people play each. Think of it in movie terms. Dark Souls would be a thinking man's film, like The Godfather. Titanfall is more like a popcorn action flick. Both have their merits.

[gomp333]

Accessibility is different. They added accessible components to dark souls 2, as well

[gomp333]

Hardcore just refers to someone who identifies gaming as a hobby. It's not just playing games but looking up websites about them, spending their free time either obsessing or playing a game. That's hardcore. Casual just means you pick up a controller once in awhile but don't necessarily consider gaming a hobby.

[Magicite]

how can someone dare to compare magnificent Dark Souls to some cod-like garbage?

[Hicken]

Primarily casual with core elements.

[mhunterjr]

TitanFall is fun for casuals, but the more hardcore players will easily rise to the top. I played a couple capture the flag matches against some really well organized teams. The Titan varieties, the complex map layouts, and the pilot maneuverability made for some really interesting strategies.

It's like chess, easy to learn, but it will take a while to master. It's easy to dismiss it as some purely casual experience, simply because casuals are having fun with it. But if you give it time, you'll start to see the nuances and appreciate the balance.

[ic3fir3]

So true, only competitive players who played titanfall, do you know the potential of the game in that aspect.
Who play for fun, you will not see the true essence of the game

See this vídeo, soo pro https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Yes titanfall its skilled game

[T-Dawg6]

Casual

[ElementX]

I've played a few games of TF and I'm not sure what I think yet. I do like the game play mechanics, the wall running, double jumping to get to higher ground... it's refreshing in the day of military shooters. I'm not sure how "casual" it is. It's only been out a few days and once people figure out strategies and those strategies spread, it'll be more competitive.

[Iltapalanyymi]

well not hardcore thats for sure.

[ElementX]

People say it's casual like CoD but I don't think CoD is casual. CoD requires quick reflexes and it's basically a twitch shooter however casual really isn't the word I'd use. Casual was used to describe mobile games and any non-action game. Now "hardcore players"(lol) are using it to describe anything that doesn't live up to their standards. I think a lot of the people saying TF is casual haven't even played it yet.

Also I think most fps games are pretty similar, mechanics-wise. It's usually the players with the faster reflexes who get the kills, whether it be KZ, CoD, Halo, etc.

[KonsoruMasuta]

CoD doesn't require skill or quick reflexes. Most people can pick it up and get kills without batting an eye.

It's casual, It's easily approachable, and it's accessible. That is one of the main reasons it draws in so many people. Literally anyone can pick up a controller and understand the mechanics in a couple of minutes.

[ElementX]

Well that's funny because yes anybody can get a few kills however I see a lot of people with 2|10, 4|15, etc. I'm not that good and my best is around 13|8. I've put a number of hours into it. My buddy comes over and gets 20|3 though and I get envious.

[Salooh]

Killing 30 in team death match was sooo easy for me when it was so hard for many people. That tells you that the gameplay in cod4-6 had skill elements ..

[KonsoruMasuta]

So you just proved my point. You admitted that you're not that good but you still can get kills and even have a higher kill count than a death count.

This proves that CoD requires no skill, neither does TitanFall.

[ElementX]

I didn't prove anything. I said that was around my best and that's pretty rare. I frequently get 4|15 or 2|8 and then I rage quit :P I have a bunch of people play on my account at my place and my ratio is still around .7 after over 4000 kills and over 6000 deaths. My buddies play 90% of the time and I score low enough to keep the ratio down.

[Salooh]

If you talk about COD4 to COD 6 then i agree , the rest are crap and doesn't need skills and pain in the ass for people who seek gameplay with skills.

[pandehz]

What does Hardcore mean ?

I've been gaming for 15 years and have touched almost all types of games well almost all AAA titles and numerous indies but I never understood the meaning Hardcore in gaming terminology.

[IcicleTrepan]

Yeah to us back in the day it was playing on those crappy Atari 2600 joysticks until we got blisters. Then we kept playing. What's more hardcore than that :)

This 'casual' stuff annoys me. Just because someone has a job these days and kids and can't spend 60+ hours a week on a game doesn't mean you're freakin 'casual'.

I have Titanfall, and if fools on the Internet want to call me casual, so be it. I have 5 diff consoles and a PC and game on all of them. And sometimes I play Peggle.

My girlfriend likes Candy Crush, but she also got farther in Dragon's Dogma than I did and has her own 360 with a nice skin on it and wants an XB1.

This elitist nonsense needs to stop. When someone says someone is 'casual' or not 'hardcore' I immediately think they're a 16 year old tool that will probably be the recipient of many of my virtual bullets in the same games they claim to be 'hardcore' at.

I beat all the original Ninja Gaiden games bitches, back in the day when there weren't Internet guides to help you. But I must be casual cuz I played Titanfall :)

[TardcoreGamer]

Armored? Core..?

[Grave]

Here is the difference:

http://ultimategamedb.com/I...

[OiNioB]

The smart pistol is useless against other players, people mentioning it in previous comments have clearly not played the damn game!

Yes the game is more accessible but its multiplayer only, there will always be better players. I can go 19-1 in one match and 30 minutes later go 3-16 :/

maybe one day they will implement a ranked playlist and then competition will get even more fierce.

These are two different games we're talking about, a ridiculously hard single player where being able to beat it requires good memory of patterns and quick precise timing,

and a multiplayer game that requires map awareness, reaction speed, strategy, and being able to counter your opponents play styles. Notice IGN's review stating how everything has a counter in this game. It is balanced really well.

[Mikefizzled]

Doesn't matter got them both on preorder. Will play Dark Souls whilst Titanfall installs/updates.

[Fishy Fingers]

Hardcore, casual, it's all bollocks. Playing games is playing games. Who's hardcore, the guy who logs 50 hours a week on viva piñata or the guy who plays Dark Souls for a few hours at the weekend? I hate all the labels.

[NewAgeisHere]

Please don't even mention Titanfall in the same sentence with Dark Souls............Dark Souls is a masterpiece in all aspects, not just because it's difficult. Titanfall on the other hand is fun, but nowhere near as innovative or groundbreaking as Dark Souls.

[Hugodastrevas]

All other games accomplishments shrivel in the presence of Dark Souls 2, that much is true!

[Grave]

Oh, NOW I know where all those Dried Fingers come from! :-D

[Hugodastrevas]

You're so lucky you've got the game already!
My game should arrive around the 17th if you have a ps3 and want to coop my psn:Hugodastrevas.

Praise the sun, umbassa.

[ShadowKingx]

What Is Titanfall?

ummm, no brainer, COD with Robots

so we can expect same gameplay every year with different looking robots, yep sounds about right.

oh yeah and if we are lucky we can get a xbox skin to make our robot stick out and have to pay 10.00 bucks for it.

[LoveOfTheGame]

I remember playing COD back in the day. That wall running to get to sniper perches or even just using my double jump jetpack. Man I'm glad COD implemented those two elements for future FPS games.

I hope by the time you read this sentence you realize how sarcastic I was being and how flawed your logic is.

[ShadowKingx]

actually you need to realize my logic,COD= Same game, different costume every year. now its going to be the same for Titanfall since its made by?

A. COD Makers or B. COD Makers

ill let you figure out that answer.

[LoveOfTheGame]

So what you're saying is you don't know anything about Respawn do you?

Maybe you should read up on why they no longer work with Activision.

Hint: It has to do with COD release every year.

[assdan]

What's titanfall if Dark souls is hard core?
What happens when you die in titanfall? In dark souls 2, you lose possibly hours of progress, all your souls, and your health bar is significantly lower.
In titanfall, you respawn 15 feet back.
In dark souls, the AI often has attacks that can kill you in one hit. In titanfall, the AI doesn't even attack you.
Given these two things, I'd say titanfall then is less hardcore.

[cla2]

Concerning first person shooters, Counter Strike is hardcore.

The kind of game where you can AND WILL get your ass handed to you because you're not used to the mechanics and how the guns work, because you don't know the map and it's choke point by hearth.. etc.

I don't think Titanfall falls into that category BUT it may get like that if a competitive community grow around it.

[feraldrgn]

If activision themselves don't consider CoD gamers "hardcore", then I doubt we could consider Titanfall hardcore either.

[RamboRabbi]

Softcore? But that sounds like some sort of fetish porn, either way not very difficult to play imo.

[Stoppokingme]

Never played TF, but it can't be in the same league as the souls series.

However what looks simple on the surface can be a lot deeper on closer inspection. Any Pokemon player will tell you that.

[No_Limit]

playing Titanfall and Dark Souls 2 at the moment.... Both are great games regardless of core.

[ybadr]

Hmm Softcore ?

[Lilrizky]

I bought both... am i "mediocore?"

[vikingland1]

I like both games so I am a HARUAL player :)

[Slevon]

Actually fun! but in all seriousness whatever you put the hours into is what i'd consider to be your "hardcore" game. I dont think hardcore should refer to difficulty

[LAWSON72]

Hardcore the funniest damn term any person claims them or something as. Which one sounds more like an ass?
1) I play all kinds of video games to have fun and to have some great experiences.
2) I am a hardcore gamer that has standards for the games I play. If it is COD or Titanfall (a game all of you are very ignorant to e.g OP smart pistol and easy bots) keep it away I dont play casual garbage.

Titanfall (judging by beta) is a well made shooter that is so understated by people on N4G. It shares mechanics from the developers previously made game so what, is that really shocking. I dont see people whine about TES to Fallout, Uncharted to TLOU, and GTA to Red Dead Redemption. How abojt I call them these.
Fallout-TES with guns and post apocalyptic theme.
TLOU- More realistic Uncharted with a TPS camera and zombie/infected.
RDR- GTA in old west

Now lets look
Titanfall- COD with mechs and parkour

All of these are much more than these claims (fyi I have not seen all of these claims and I made them up though they are claims that could be made with the same logic as TF) and IMO such claims are just insulting to the developers.

Would people seriously prefer Titanfall to not have shooting mechanics of COD? I honestly dont see it getting much better in a military style FPS that is not aiming for realism.

[Lilrizky]

I agree with every single point you made there.

[Agrim]

What are you CASUL?

[kalbo14]

if a casual gamer who played TF finds it hardcore then it is not..

[Sideras]

Casual?

[DVAcme]

Dark Souls is hardcore distilled. Not only is it a game that it's IMPOSSIBLE for casual gamers to grasp and demands investment, it's also HARD.

I think that, IMHO, is the proper definition for "hardcore" games: it's games that demand investment of both time and effort, and that are made with a system's limitations and strengths in mind. Causal gaming requires little effort, you can just pick them up or put them down whenever and they are not taxing to the system's resources.

[gomp333]

Hardcore just refers to someone who identifies gaming as a hobby. It's not just playing games but looking up websites about them, spending their free time either obsessing or playing a game. That's hardcore. Casual just means you pick up a controller once in awhile but don't necessarily consider gaming a hobby.

[GraveLord]

It's pretty much Call Of Duty with mechs. A dudebro shooter.
That's not bad thing though.

Games are games. Who cares if they HARDCOREZ or not?

[Alcohog]

Angrybirds.

[aLiEnViSiToR]

lol it's SOFTCORE ofc xD

[urwifeminder]

Lonely fun death sim vs social fun mech joy.

[Mister_G]

A mindless shooter?

[SITH]

Last gen current gen?

I tried.

Nah... I can't back that up. I did not try.